AbuDerbyDave

P.G Wodehouse from the directors box.
 
Upon the dreary canvas of this afternoon’s spectacle, painted with strokes of ineptitude and dashed hopes, one solitary silver lining emerged: the absence of my dear chum, Clarence Threapwood, the 9th Earl of Emsworth, from the lamentable affair. Engaged, fortuitously, in the matrimonial celebrations of a member of the DCFC fan’s forum, he was spared the spectacle of our team’s lamentable performance. Reports of the bride’s radiance and intellect, ample enough for two, provided a faint glimmer of mirth amidst the otherwise dismal proceedings, for surely she possessed wit enough to comprehend the gravity of her matrimonial choice. My only hope is the Groom’s despondency at the result doesn’t derail his wedding night.
Alas, my afternoon was not blessed with such diversion, and I spent 90 minutes plus ten added praying for my fountain pen to give up the ghost.
As I endured a woeful display of hoofball from Warne’s bobble hatted charges, bereft of precision, potency, or tenacity, against the hapless Northampton Town, who lack even a Subbuteo set to their name.
Bradley, in particular, resembled naught but a flailing marionette caught in a tempest, with many an experienced undertaker being deceived by his appearance and starting to embalm on sight. To use the analogy of the sport of shooting Derby ended upon the wrong end of the gun, with a limp wristed display reminiscent of Torquay Utd at their best.
Sonny’s subsequent banishment from the pitch, though regrettable, may indeed harbour a silver lining, for perhaps absence will lend him time to rediscover his vigour. As we face the looming encounter with Blackpool, the need for three points and a performance befitting professional footballers hangs heavy upon our shoulders, a task of Herculean proportions in our current state of disarray.

TBF Ward is very much like Beckham was.  Get a yard then ping it in, and their left sided players didn't give him much space in the 1st half.  Therefore Warne made the change and Wilson being more of a dribbler was able to get at them a lot more effectively.  His goal came from a corner he himself won by going at their left back.
My point is our head coach identified a problem, and solved it.
I'd love for us to be like the Mac 1 era and blow teams out the water with free flowing, passing football, but let's remember that even Mac 2 failed to recreate that, and had no Plan B.  Here we have a coach who's had Plans A through to H, and some fans still think he's just a PE teacher who just shouts "Hoof it" at every game.  Is he perfect?  No.  Has he made mistakes?  Yes.  Overall is he doing a good job of getting us into a position whereby we could escape this league?  Yes.  Therefore he's well on target to reach the targets his employer set him...

Saturday 23rd March
Northampton vs Derby
Sixfields Stadium (KO 1500)
 
Parking: There is apparently parking available at the ground (NN5 5QA) for a fiver or at a place called Duston Mill (NN5 5FP).
Opponents Bio: Founded in 1897, Northampton Town are well known by their nickname, 'The Cobblers', a nod to the town's historic shoe-making industry. Previously based adjacent to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, their move in 1994 now sees them play home matches at the 7,798 capacity Sixfields Stadium.
The swinging 60's was quite the decade to be a member of the Shoe Army as Northampton started the 1960/61 season in the fourth tier of the English game before three promotions and three relegations saw them back in Division 4 (ask your parents kids) in time for the 1969/70 campaign. Their one season in the top division was their only appearance at that level in their history so far. Indeed, since their relegation in 1966/67 from what is now the Championship, the Cobblers have played each of the subsequent 56 seasons in either the third or fourth tier. That run could have been broken in 1993/94 when they finished bottom of League 2 but they had a reprieve as Kidderminster Harriers' ground wasn't deemed suitable for the Football League.
This season sees Town looking to consolidate a League 1 berth after their promotion from League 2 in 2022/23 and sitting in 14th place and well clear of the drop zone they have comfortably achieved their initial target. A decent run of results could see them finish in the top half as they are one of four sides on 50 points before this weekend.
Opponents Gaffer & Dangermen: They are managed by an Australian, Jon Brady, who I know nothing about. 
Top scorers for Northampton this season are Sam Hoskins (14 goals), Kieron Bowie (eight) and Mitch Pinnock (six, plus seven assists). They also have Huddersfield loanee Tyreece Simpson and another loanee is a certain Tony Springett who played a few times for ourselves last year.
Other Titbits & Links to DCFC: Notable names associated with Saturday's opponents include former managers Herbert Chapman (of Huddersfield and Arsenal fame), Tony Barton (European Cup winning manager at Villa), Chris Wilder (when he was good), Ian Atkins (coming good again at Tranmere maybe), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Aidy Boothroyd and Graham Carr (father of comedy twins Alan and Jimmy). Their most famous ex-player is probably former Liverpool and England full-back, Phil Neal.
Derby links include Kevin Wilson (managed them) and those who played for both clubs include John Gregory, Ian Taylor and Marco Gabbiadini.
Opponents Form: They've struggled over the past five games, picking up just two points from draws against Charlton at home and Cambridge away. They've lost two on the bounce, both without scoring, with a 1-0 defeat at home to Blackpool followed on Saturday by a 2-0 loss at Wycombe. 
Their league record at home is respectable overall, reading: W8-D5-L6.
Rams History vs Northampton: We tempted fate against Bolton by highlighting the fact that they had never won in the league at Pride Park in 10 attempts. Lets be bold again by stating that;
Derby have never lost a competitive fixture against Northampton.
It's true. Six FA Cup ties (four original and two replays) and seven League matches is the sum total of the two clubs' historical matches against each other but the Rams have managed eight wins and five draws thus far. 
In League matches only, we currently stand at W4-D3-L0 with an away record of W2-D1-L0 on their turf.
The match earlier this season at Pride Park saw Derby run out comfortable 4-0 victors in a game where we saw the best of Conor Washington and a brace by Max Bird.
Likely Rams XI: We can possibly expect a change or two. Or maybe three? Assuming we maintain the back three then Warne has to decide between a recall for Sonny Bradley after illness or sticking with Fozzy. I'd be amazed if he didn't stay with Craig Maldini tbh. 
There are obvious doubts over those withdrawn against Bolton. Gayle is surely out and Barkhuizen and Ward are possibly struggling too. The gaffer also needs to make a decision on Hourihane as we look better with either Smith or Thompson in the middle (or both ideally for me) alongside Ebou Adams who must surely be our transfer target #1 for the summer. 
A return to the 18 for Conor Washington (MotM in the reverse fixture) would be welcome.
Other Notable Fixtures: None. Certainly not as far as those chasing automatic promotion is concerned. We are the only one of the five involved in that battle for a top two finish to be playing so it's a perfect opportunity to apply pressure on those now playing catch up with us. Seven points with a game in hand has to seem psychologically further away for Bolton than the current four points and equal games played so hopefully we can turn that screw.
COYR
 

Hope you are not at the last 3 games,or if you are hope you don't sit next to me🤣😂

This
We nullified an attack which had scored for fun the previous game. We scored from a well worked set piece. We defended excellently and as a team. We have magnificent support. We won 😄
I said to my grandchildren at the final whistle this is why we come to football for moments like this…I’m still buzzing COY🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏

Shouting at the telly handball ref

Shouting at the telly handball ref

I'm not here to challenge anyones opinions, they are what they are, let them be.
Personally I'm delighted with the job that Warne is doing, I think Dwight Gayles recent interview and the scenes at full time in front of a sell out crowd on Saturday show the togetherness of this team is a credit to the management team. 
His style may seem a little unorthodox to some and it won't suit every player, yet it's working with what was assembled whilst scraping barrels under EFL's restrictions makes it even more of an achievement.
When you look at the likes of Sunderland, Leeds, Forest who came down here, to think we can be in and out in 2 seasons is truly remarkable given the state of the club.
Important to point out, the season isn't done, we still have 7 huge games to play before we can start to think about the Championship, although no matter what happens between now and May, I have seen significant improvement to be fully behind Warne next season regardless of what division we are in.

Shouting at the telly handball ref

I’m not underestimating anything, I’m looking factually at the reality of where we currently sit in the table. Which is second. Based on actual results of actual games that have been determined and recorded in history. 
I’ve wasted enough of my Sunday with this. I hope one day we turn out to be the statistically neutral side you are so keen to see, for me I’ll carry on supporting the team based on the more enjoyable and romantic aspects of the sport, you know, like scoring goals and winning games. Good luck to ya! 

You aren't a Derby fan. You've never once posted anything that isn't comically negative and frankly a bit daft. How you can be posting such rubbish after a hugely important win like that blows my mind really. 

I've honestly lost track of who's a Derby fan and who's a Bolton fan in this thread.
Only one way to explain a team's performances over a season to someone who's not been to games. It's not Xg, or any of those stats. It's the league table.
Came home from the pub last night absolutely steaming. Mrs was well up for a bit of romance. Couldn't get little Oodle up. Absolutely limp.
I assume that still counts as getting my end away though. Ended my night on +1 expected shag, so that pretty much shows everyone how good I am in bed.
That's how stupid it Xg is.

A few quickfire thoughts from me on todays game:
- Curtis Nelson might well be the signing of the season. Followed closely by Kane Wilson.
- Forsyth was good today but I was very surprised that the MoM award didn’t go to either Wildsmith or Cashin. Both kept us in the game at times.
- We need to begin moving on from Hourihane now. He is just not offering enough and his tracking back is very poor. Thompson and Adams in the middle for me, going forward.
- Derby fans are great. 
 

Apologies if any of this is a repeat of what's already been said but haven't had time to catch up with the thread yet.
Firstly hats off to Bolton, thought they came and had a decent go. They are probably licking their wounds wondering how they didn't go home with something from that game. I won't begrudge them that as they were much improved from the reverse fixture. Wasn't that impressed with them that day.
Having said all that I don't want to take away from the shift all of the boys put in. Cashin, Fozzy and Nelson in particular were immense. Fozzy quite rightly the MoM. To put in that level of performance after being out so long was beyond impressive. 
Big shout out to Wildsmith too. Two world class saves gave us a platform on which that victory was built.
Absolutely buzzing with that result. Won't be getting much sleep tonight as my adrenaline levels are off the scale.. Trying my best not to get carried away as there will be more twists and turns yet but we are firmly in the driving seat. Every club in that division barring Pompey would love to be in our position right now.
You beautiful bloody Rams. You've caused us all so much heartache  over the years but it just makes moments like this all the sweeter. 

This was one of those games where all that mattered was the result. There was nothing in it at all. I said to my son at half time that a set piece would win it. Thankfully it went our way. Not free flowing football but who cares. I thought actually losing Gayle helped us to a certain degree as we were losing the midfield battle. Atmosphere superb. A wonderful day out with my boy 😊🐏

Wow, what a result! Some fantastic performances out there today but I just want to take a moment to praise Ebou Adams, to give such a wholehearted display while observing Ramadan can't be easy, what a guy! 

We all can, and have, say what we want about Paul Warne and some of the players. But what cannot be denied is that this group run through brick walls for him. The grit, determination and will from this group is fantastic. 

Do you not go to all your games then 😜

PG Wodehouse from the directors box.
Pride Park, that verdant cathedral of sporting prowess, was teeming with eager souls, packed to the very rafters, for this monumental clash of titans vying for the coveted automatic promotion spot. As the erudite young Owen Bradley aptly remarked, one could almost taste the palpable tension hanging thickly in the air, stirring even the most stoic of hearts. Personally, I found myself afflicted with pre-match jitters of such magnitude that I could scarcely bring myself to partake of the morning repast. Indeed, so overcome was I by nerves that I instructed my trusty manservant, Jeeves, to consume it in my stead. The early setback of a hammy for the padel maestro Gayle did little to assuage the anxious throng, yet amidst the tumult, the bobble-hatted Warne, armed with nothing more than his boundless enthusiasm and a penchant for vigorous arm-waving à la Bradley, orchestrated a tactical masterstroke, deftly shuffling his substitute pack like a magician conjuring rabbits from a hat. And lo, it was the wand of Elder that proved the catalyst for glory, delivering a sublime cross to the onrushing buffalo, who, with a flourish of his head , sent the ball soaring into the net with all the grace of a virtuoso pianist striking the final chord of a symphony. Though much of the contest saw the Rams engaged in a valiant rearguard action, the stalwart trio of Cashin, Admirable Nelson, and the Dorian Gray-like Forsyth, aided by the cat-like reflexes of Wildsmith, formed an impenetrable bulwark against the relentless onslaught of their adversaries. With second place now firmly within their grasp, the Rams find themselves masters of their own fate, the jubilant cries of “Ebouuuuuuu” echoing like a chorus of angels as the final whistle heralds their triumph, accompanied by the joyous bounce of victory.

I think Adams is just as good at League 1 level as Thorne was at Championship level. 
His massive talent is his positional sense - nearly always in the right place. Add in athleticism, tackling ability and growing ability to pick a pass and we have our best signing of Warne's tenure by some distance. He's also very cool-headed for such an aggressive player.
He looks so at home here. Always 100% effort, always in the middle of the celebrations and loves to get involved in the bounce.
Get him signed.

It was great getting home last night having watched 90 minutes of football instead of a few minutes of footy and the rest of "kick and rush" percentages play!" People said that Saturday was the best we've played all season - I couldn't watch it, and won't justify having to pay for the full 90 video. But last night I think was at least as good - the best I've seen all season, for sure! Well Done You Rams!
There are lots of opinions about the ref, and guess what? I've got one as well! He was absolutely awful, but I am also sure that he was very aware of his past demeanours. Because it wasn't only the Wildsmith red card against Bolton - he turned down clear penalty shouts as well. But he was also guilty in the away match at Plymouth last season, with a penalty against us for a non-foul outside the box, and again 2, maybe even 3 clear penalty shouts turned down. He has cost us 6 points and a big goal difference swing against, so he had to be "careful". Even so, last night he did very little about Reading's own "dark arts" until later on, and in the end their tactics were their own downfall. So Sybley getting clattered and not even a free-kick very early on, plus the non-red card for the Gayle foul got me worried, but showed Reading's game plan to stifle and disrupt and hopeful nick a point. How sad. The red card was the result of persistence - there were cynical and even nasty challenge going on all match long, which should have resulted in a lot more yellow cards than did happen, and as has been said, more than just the one red card. I could be forgiven for thinking that Don Revie had come back to life and gone to Reading as a "dark arts consultant".
So did Hourihane dive? Maybe, but as we saw with Bradley for their goal, it doesn't take much of a contact to put a person off their stride, so given the dirty nature of Reading's play, a kick on Hourihane's heel may well have happened. And while our first goal may have been offside, the penalty was the right decision. Anyway, that's enough about the buffoon in the middle.
As many have side there was only one side going for the win, and the result was well deserved. I was surprised by how early the substitutions happened, and also pleased that, although it may have changed our play, it didn't affect our control of the match. I was also well impressed with how we saw the game out. We did maybe sit back a little at the end, but instead of hiding around our own penalty area and saying "Come and get us" we carried on playing, and used the ball to make Reading run around chasing us. It was very measured and very controlled - well done, you Rams! I was sad that Sibley got himself his first silly booking of the season, but he had just been clattered (again) with nothing given, so went and got his own retribution. But he played well again. I don't know who got the official Man of the Match, but I would give it to Barkhuisen, who was awesome. Since he came back into the team its been like having a new signing!
So bring on the Bolton. I know they got a hatful, but benefitted from some awful defending and a luck deflection, and one well-worked goal. Well be Orl Rite!
Lets Do This!!

Well a bizzare game for a seasoned derby fan , we played well and controlled the game but strangely made hard work of getting the 3 points and a poor ref again but poor decisions went in our favour ,,, yep strange night 🤷🏻‍♂️,
three points and we are starting to look like a side , real variety of play going forward , players coming back from injury to give us a strong looking squad , win every game of the 8 and no one can touch us , it’s that simple , big ask but this squad look capable of doing that , of course that’s probably not how the next 8 games pan out but we are right in there looking every bit as good as those around us , we are not the poor imitation of our promotion rivals as some would have us believe 
come on derby💪💪💪💪💪

Well that’s that salted 😂

haha cold hands walking out ground shame it’s not red hot chilli 

Well that’s that salted 😂