Dordogne-Ram

The referee, Mr B. Olton, from Lancashire.

I hope we blow automatics and mess up in the playoffs. Or else it's going be a long season hiding behind the sofa, scared of the mighty Hull and this incredible Watford side.

We’re all busy watching Derby away at Cambridge, worry about next season and the summer another day fella, go on, just this once. 

Seems ok. You can get a trip to Wembley and a trophy for finishing 18 points behind second in sixth place.

They'll need to add more than 2 points after the brazen way forest persist with broccoli worship and promotion of offensive slogans such as "you reds" and desecration of the already terrible "mull of kintyre" surely bringing the game into disrepute.

Total corporate bull5hit, but to be honest, thats all we get as citizens nowadays, nevermind football fans.
Why are there too many games? Becuse there are too many crappy European leagues/cups now, which coincidentally just happens to benefit those right at the top of the Prem.
Barstards.
Grumpy by name....

It is disgusting, there's so many alternatives to how they could fix this. Ultimately the only clubs this really hurts are the ones who need it in lower leagues and non-league. The worst thing about it, only the Premier League were consulted. Boycott it and the League Cup.
Remove u21 sides from FLT, play them in the FA Cup if you're so scared of fatigue?
Why are the replays removed in rounds way before the bigger teams enter the competition?
Keep replays in rounds 3/4 and then stop them. Also, remove semis from Wembley.
Stop going on pre-season and post-season tours abroad.
 
 
I'm slowly starting to think football actually could be better if that Super League happened.

The only football my wife really likes to watch on TV nowadays is the F.A. cup early rounds.
Watching a lower league club win or draw against a team from a higher league is all part of the romance of the FA Cup. 
Hopefully a backlash against this ridiculous decision will make them change their minds but not holding my breath.
They will simply pander to every whim of the teams that keep threatening to leave to a European super league and it will only get worse was my statement when the Premier league was formed and nothing has changed my mind ever since.
 
 
 
 

I had a chat with Sibs. He hasn't given up hope of playing further forward but says he's enjoying wingback and wants to play in the Championship for us. 
I'd say of all the players I spoke to, he's the one who wants to win promotion because he's a Ram through and through. 🐏 
David Clowes possibly an even bigger Ram, though. Spoke with real passion about competing at the top of the Championship. He has real ambition for the Club (as you've heard from elsewhere.)

Everyone should sit on both hands with a finger on their lips.

At the risk of coming across as a party pooper...
Away fans invading the pitch at Cambridge, particularly "in numbers", will almost certainly lead to sanctions against DCFC.  It will most likely lead to fisticuffs on the pitch between rival fans, and... this is my favourite bit... potentially lead to individuals and/or groups being left with a criminal record and/or some form of ban on attending future matches.
Home fans invading the pitch after the Carlisle game would likely follow the above, plus piss off those who, due to being a little more considerate and polite, choose to remain in the stands to applaud our heroes, and will likely... as has happened in the past... lead to the abandonment of any planned "Lap of Honour" by the players/staff, which of course, should happen for the enjoyment of us all.
 
There... I'm officially a party pooper... now stay off the fuckin' pitch, nob 'eads!  🍻 🐏

From Carlisles forum
Hope you have a great weekend bluebry, enjoying the Derby promotion party !

I don`t think I`d mind any team going up, by beating us, if it didn`t affect our own league ambitions.

Except Leeds, of course. I`ll forever enjoy seeing them fail.

Totally agree with your second paragraph. However, whilst it would be more exciting to finalise promotion at home on the last day, for the sake of my heart, I’d be quite happy if we confirmed promotion at Cambridge. 😀

He keeps confusing him with Kane Ward.

I don't think I'd be dropping Korey Smith anytime soon. He's playing the most effective football of his Derby career.
I'd stick with Saturday's line-up, safe in the knowledge that we have potential game changers on the bench.

Hi Duracell, we have a pair of ideal seats for you, we picked the seats because we're close to friends on the opposite side of the aisle.
We're stair 41, row kk, seats 398,399 immediately next to the aisle in the lower east in line with the edge of the centre circle on the south stand side of the half way line. Row kk is about 4 rows down from the entry stairs and the seats are on the right as you walk down to them.
We could meet you at the bottom of stair 41 in the concourse or you can just let me know your seat numbers.

Hi everyone,
My Dad, a life-long Derby fan and season ticket holder, recently suffered from a stroke which left the right side of his body paralysed. Up until it struck, he had made the 200-mile round trip from Aylsebury to Derby 
His progress has been remarkable since - he can how walk short distances and has gained a lot of mobility. 
I would love to take him to the final game of the season with Carlisle to see out the journey. I would be devastated for him if, having supported us through thick and thin all his life right up until the stroke, he missed out on us winning promotion. This is where some of you could potentially help.
Our season tickets are about as difficult as it could be for someone with mobility issues: East Stand Upper, on the half-way line, half-way between stair wells. I'm just not sure I can safely get him up there with a capacity crowd.
I am only asking having tried to arrange disabled viewing with the club, who cannot help as the game is sold out. Does anyone sit in a lower block, close to a stairwell, who would be willing to swap seats just for this game? I'm only asking as this is a final plea!

Derby-born, Hampshire-raised Pompey fan here, still feeling a bit groggy after our promotion celebrations last night but hoping the Rams will be joining us in the Championship next season.
We came to Derby quite regularly to see my family when I was young and were fortunate to go to the Baseball Ground many times in the late 1960s and 1970s in the Clough and Mackay years.
I was on the Popside in 1975 against Carlisle when the second title was celebrated, there when Roger Davies got sent off against Juventus in the European Cup semi-final, at the 4-4 drew with Man United on Boxing Day 1970.
But the most vivid memories are of the home wins over Liverpool and, particularly the Easter Saturday 2-0 win over Leeds in that 1971-72 season. Men with Pack’Em In boards urging people to move forward to let more into the ground, a guy who walked around the ground with a bell before the match to gee up the crowd and another with dozens of rosettes inside his coat doing the same. “Programmes, get your programmes”, Hot Love blasting out over the PA system at the end of games, incessant shouts of “Derby, Derby” urging the team on. 

Against Leeds Alan Durban came over to our section of the paddock beneath the main stand to take a throw in, grinning all over his face with a two goal lead and not long to go. Everyone around us screamed at him to take the smile off his face and concentrate; the game wasn’t won yet.
Hector, Hinton, O’Hare, the magnificent McFarland and Todd (jumpers for goalposts). My first game was a 4-0 win over QPR in Feb 1968, seen from the seats in the upper Normanton End, my second a 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough on Boxing Day 1968. I stood on a milk crate at the front of the middle tier of the Osmaston End.
One traumatic memory is the sight of Bob Wilson standing there in just his jock strap after ripping his shorts playing for Arsenal at the Baseball Ground. After that Easter Saturday victory over Leeds in 1972 I seem to remember watching Derby lose at home to Newcastle on the Easter Monday and thinking they had thrown it away.
But then came that win over Liverpool and Leeds tripping up. My Dad, who grew up reciting the names of the 1946 Cup winning team, had new heroes. And so did we, until living our lives in another part of the country meant going much more regularly to Fratton Park (or The Dell in my brother’s case, sadly).
But we still look out for Derby. We took my Dad to the Charlton game at Pride Park last season and I’ve been to see Pompey this season and before.
Wishing you every success and the hope that you all will have similar fond memories of Pride Park.
 
 

Very pleased for Portsmouth and their fans and hope we can finish the job off and join them shortly.
I think B4 was right in that "coming for pompy" is what has kept us striving, despite various setbacks.
@Foreveram is spot on - new slogan for the last two games - we're coming with you, Pompey.

It’ll be a last-gasp attempt at mind games. He obviously won’t be telling his players that, they’ll still believe they can do it.
Really, the only way they get past us now is if we get so over-confident that it’s done, that we don’t go into games at our maximum effort.
It would be a disaster from us to throw it away from here, but I guess Evatt has to do anything he can to influence that.

Straight from the horses/footballers mouths:
Wildsmith was asked about rumours of him leaving Derby. He has not yet been offered a new contract. 
Ebou and his missus are absolutely loving everything about Derby. He said there are several things that need to fall into place about signing but seemed positive. He is the loveliest down to earth person. Didn’t stop smiling all night. If we need to forcefully restrain him to keep him here count me in! He doesn’t mind the Ebou chant sounding like booing. 
Dwight Gayle is recovering well and hoping to be back next week.
Max Bird still very much focused on the next too games, despite moving on. 
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing smells very nice
 
 
 
 

Me giving Ryan Nyambe a bit of advice on how to handle those tricky wingers next season. 😂

Thank you for the gracious comments.  I'm a bit *ahem* tired and emotional - it's been a relatively long wait for us to get back in to the second tier.  I'm rooting for you to get over the line and other results this evening appear to have been in your favour.  Good luck and raising a glass to B4.

Cledara Abbey Stadium: KO- 15.00
We’re on a mini-run, aren’t we, but despite having our fate firmly back in our hands, the pressure to perform remains; two wins from our last two and we’re back in the sunlit uplands of the Championship; a loss, or even a draw and potentially the pendulum swings again.
It’ll be interesting to see whether we might see one or two back in full training this week, but it’s hard to view the win against Orient as anything other than one of our most complete performances this season and this despite being far from clinical in front of goal. Will the confidence garnered see us approach the game with the same positive approach? One hopes so! Another slip up when seemingly set to turn the screw and inevitably, PW’s management will be under fire. A win and we head back to Pride Park with only Carlisle standing between us and our first promotion since 2007.
Our Opponents:
The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United, and took the name Cambridge United in 1951. They played in local amateur leagues before joining the Southern League after finishing as runners-up of the Eastern Counties League in 1957–58. Under Bill Leivers's stewardship they were crowned Southern League Premier Division champions in 1968–69 and 1969–70, which helped to secure their election into the Football League in 1970. 

Recent Form & Key Players:
Off the back off two absolute kickings from Reading, 4-0, then a 6-0 hammering from Lincoln, Cambridge were held 1-1 by Northampton before closing out March with a 2-0 loss away to Bolton. April has seen them draw at home to Charlton and lose by the odd goal to Blackpool, before showing better form in defeating Wigan 3-1 at home.
Top of the scoring charts sits Gassan Ahadme with 11, with Fejiri Okenabirhie next best with 9. Ellis Kachunga is next best having netted 6 times in 34 starts. Sully Kalkai tops the assists list with from Jack Lankester and George Thomas with 4 and 3 assists respectively.
Rams Match Squad:
Hard to get away from the 11 that started against Orient, given the resounding nature of the win and the style in which it was achieved. A buoyant Paul Warne confirmed in the post-match presser that everyone came through unscathed and it was interesting to hear him saying that we had more energy coming off a shorter break than was the case at Wycombe, where he felt we lacked energy, despite the 8 day break.
The injury picture remains murky and it’ll be interesting to see whether Gayle and Bird might be fit enough to make the matchday squad. I’ll not bother with my selected 11, as I always get it horribly wrong and the gaffer seems to be doing a decent job matching squads to opponents without our guidance. Instead, here’s the top of the table as it stands:

Don't forget to keep an eye on @Caerphilly Ram's injury updates thread across the week, for any snippets on player's likely return dates. I'll append anything I see to this htread as best I can in any case.
The Promotion Picture:
Some key fixtures tomorrow night, none more so than Bolton’s home game against Shrewsbury, whom we know to be a strong and obdurate side, though one lacking the Trotter’s class edge. I’d expect Bolton to take the points, but should Shrews grab an early lead, it could make for rather tougher game.
Oxford, fresh off the back of their 5 goal hammering of Posh play hosts to Lincoln City, whose charge towards the play-offs has faltered a little in most recently. It ought to be a tightly contested affair and to be honest, I’d not be surprised by any result.
The aforementioned Posh have what appears to be a routine task against lowly Fleetwood, but what will be the aftermath of their humbling at the hands of Oxford on Saturday. Might they have a hangover?
Perhaps the best tie of the round features champions-elect Portsmouth hosting Barnsley. A point will surely suffice for Pompey, but I expect them to win and win well en route to a thoroughly well-deserved title win. They’ve been excellent this season and this despite being one of the few clubs with comparable injury concerns to our beloved Rams. It'll be good to see them back where they belong after some very difficult years of their own.
Of the weekend ties, the most interesting involve Peterborough, who have a tricky away game at Bristol and Bolton host Port Vale. It seems odds on we will be going into the final week needing to beat Carlisle to be absolutely certain of promotion and I doubt too many Rams fans will be counting their chickens early! 
Final Thoughts:
A brief digression is in order to congratulate Eiran Cashin and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, both of whom made the EFL League 1 Team of the Year. Bit miffed that Curtis Nelson was overlooked to partner Cash at CB, as for me, he’s been top of the pops for us, but I doubt he’ll mind too much if we win come Saturday.
A last word as always to all Derby fans travelling to the game, safe journey to and fro, Rams and Ramettes and hopefully plenty of good stuff to chatter about on your way home. Honestly, I think our away support has been as good as any in the entire EFL this season and they’ll hopefully be rewarded with another complete and controlled performance as we ourselves edge closer to that vital 2nd place finish.
COYR
BE MORE B4
 

Nobody thinks you are banging on , Daniel was loved by all of us , big character , great lad, his presence will always be felt while there’s a Derby County Football Club , much love to you and your family
 
             BeMoreB4.  COYR