DesertRam

At least you got an FA cup win and a trip to AC Milan for your misery.  We got Richard Keogh and Tom Lawrence doing the Dukes of Hazard and Wazza looking like a weeble for 6 months..😂 I think we shared the same financial wizardry of Andronikou however. A real treat.

League one, what a s*** show of a league it is. It's a tough league to get out of. This is our 7th season in league one, and we spent the prior 4 seasons in league 2. 
Like yourselves we have been proper turned over by owners in the past. 
So it's 11yrs for us in the bottom two leagues. 
Not counting my chicken's, because 3 of the past 5 seasons we've been top of this league and blown it. 
You'll be hard pressed to find a pompey fan that thinks promotion is guaranteed this season. We're only two defeats away from blowing it. 

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I'd love to see us both go up, leaving the rest to fight out the playoff lottery.

2 wins and a draw will do it. 88 points. Don't think anyone else will get more than 87 points now.
Bolton haven't won away in 8 games and Peterborough and Barnsley won't get more than 5 wins and a draw each in 7 games. 
I'm usually pessimistic in my outlook, generally, but I think we are going to finish top 2 now. 

For obvious tactical reasons, wouldn't surprise me if Thompson comes in for CBT for this one

Thought sibs was quality yesterday his tracking back and tackling was paramount on a few occasions especially considering he isn’t a left back and could easily not get his positioning correct. 
 
draw at pompey would do me and then win 3 of the last 4 

Agree with everything you say about Cashin but in his quiet way Nelson was just as fab. So hope Fozzie makes a comeback. Those 3 could be the best defence in the championship 

What if Bolton lose their next 5 though. Eh? Eh?

A win was everything yesterday and it was warne and the players job to get that win ,,, bugger all else mattered, it was a tight first half where we edged it and got the lead ,
second half started and boy was I frustrated for a while , said to my wife that we seemed to want to play like we are 3-0 up and game over , we gave them space to play and like everyone else I was shouting at them to wake up and press on to them but soon got the nagging feeling we were happy to let them play and have space in areas they wernt hurting us , get in our shape and not chase everything, dive in and get played round then hit them on the break , we may not like it at times , we may wrongly feel we are being massively outplayed at times but by god it was a mature performance, free from the naivety that has plagued us at times ,
paul warne ? ,,,,like him or not ( i really like him and want him to be given the chance to see how much more he’s got) those who come on here and call him a clown , a kick and rush merchant without a clue or even a thought on tactics are very very wide of the mark ,
warne and his team may not always get it right ( who does ) but make no mistake, there’s a lot of hard work and thought going into how to beat each team we come up against , they are not clueless kick and rush merchants, you can’t and don’t have to get it right every time , you have to get it right more often than not and enough times over a season to do well and even get promoted,
at the end of games Paul warne is the one I have a main eye on going round the ground to applaud fans and hope he’s really enjoying it , I want to see him start the bounce if and or when we are promoted with the biggest smile on his face as I’m pretty sure he will when he feels he’s achieved something, the target promotion not a fleeting moment of a good win , that’s for us fans and the players ,he’s got a job to finish ,, you can bet he isn’t taking the players out for a wallet busting pxss up when the job is nowhere near done yet ,,, that’s what I see and like in warne and his team,
oh and another day I really enjoyed in a season im really enjoying,,,, live in the now folks is my advise🤷🏻‍♂️

I went to the game yesterday anxious about our lack of goalscoring options.
The team looked bold on paper with ostensibly four forwards even though Ward was being used as a right sided midfielder.
I didn’t think the formation worked that well in the first half. Washington and NML struggled to make an impact and Ward looked ill at ease trying to decide whether to tuck in or move wide. 
The goal was a beauty and I hope will be the first of many for Ebou. He’s had so many shots blocked in recent weeks but this one was unstoppable.
 I fully expected us then to get two or three more. Blackpool looked really poor. 
However, the stop start nature of the second half was in their favour and we sat back. They gained confidence and kept possession well.
I thought Kane Wilson was excellent in the second half and his trickery got the momentum back and we managed the last ten minutes well.
This team doesn’t quite gel as the sum of its parts suggests it should, but it has a lot of spirit and that’s commendable.
The defensive seven, from Wildsmith to Smith and Adam’s would be the envy of the division.
Bravo team. You showed guts and determination. Rest up and prepare for an even tougher match on Tuesday.

 

I’d like to add when Collins came on he was so very effective in what he did. Always underrated. He will rise again 

Match Thread: vs Portsmouth (a)
Tuesday, April 2nd, Kick-Off – 8.00pm
Head to Head:
Two grand old clubs who first met way back in 1902 in the FA Cup, a game that resulted in a rather unsatisfactory 0-0 bore draw. The replay at saw us winning the replay 6-3 which doubtless gave the early Rams faithful a little more to cheer. Since then, there’s not been a deal between the two sides, with Derby edging the charts with 42 wins to Pompey’s 35.
Games won: 42
Games drawn: 23
Games lost: 35
The Status Quo:
Well, it’s looking good right now my fellow rams. Likewise for Pompey, who do look near to uncatchable now, though there doubtless remain some happy clappers like yours truly who will still be hoping Portsmouth slip up and what better place for them to begin their demise than in front of their own fans on Tuesday evening? That said, Portsmouth have arguably been THE most consistent side in the division, steadily accumulating wins after a minor, mid-season wobble. It’s fair to say that while they’ve continued their good form, our post-Xmas wobble saw us fall back a little, though if we look at the last half dozen games, we’ve actually outpointed them, indeed only Lincoln, who seem to lay waste to every team they meet right now, can claim to be in better form than our own beloved Rams.

The Key Threats:
There’s little doubt that Cody Bishop is their main striking threat with 16 goals and 2 assists to his name this season, but Pompey can boast other threats, none less than Paddy Lane who has netted 11 times this season, also weighing in with 6 assists. Abu Kamara and Marlon pack have 8 assists a piece, so it’s fair to say that Pompey have multiple attacking threats and they promise to provide us with our toughest game of the season and one in which Nelson and Cashin will need to be absolutely on their A-game if we are to leave with Fratton Park with anything to show for the game.
Team News:
Like most, I was delighted to see Collo return to the fold so swiftly and he looked pretty damn sharp to be honest. Perhaps the ‘rest’ has actually done him well! This is critical as for me, Wash and Waggy look some way off their peak and I suppose, given their lack of games this year, that’s easy to understand.
I was also delighted to see Korey Smith start and for me, he has to stay in the starting 11. He’s not entirely dissimilar to Hourihane, but his mobility gives us more stability, though that said, we did again leave gaps between the press and our back line against Blackpool and if we do so again against Pompey, we might find ourselves in some bother.
With a considerable injury list still hampering his efforts, Warne will again need to marshal his troops carefully and I’d expect a cagey performance from both sides where moments of quality will likely settle the game, rather than one side establishing outright dominance. I’ll drop another update on injuries etc, on this thread nearer the game, but I’d be looking at something similar to what we saw yesterday, with a couple of tweaks:
Firstly, I’ve assumed Elder is once more broken and that we’ll therefore need to use Sibbo in the LB role again. I’d have preferred him starting higher up the pitch, but we have so many missing that it’s a case of needs must. In so much, the back 4 pick themselves.
I’ve kept the same midfield as last week, with Smith again taking the starting role and Conor set to figure later in the game. Adams remains on fire and simply has to start every match now. The only other tweak I’d use would be to play Wash in behind Collo, assuming Jimmy is able to manage 60 minutes at this point in his return. That gives us something like the line-up below, but I do expect this to change, as I very seldom guess Warne’s selection correctly and I’m also hopeful we’ll have one or two more to pick from. CBT, now with some minutes under his belt, appears to be finding some good form and despite our injury situation, we'll have some interesting bench options all the same and perhaps he might even earn a start?


The Game:
I don’t think there’s any doubt that both sides have sufficient quality to punish any errors made and I think this will simply come down to which side best executes their game plan and who is most clinical with the chances they fashion. I’m going for a 1-1 draw with Nate to re-find his scoring touch and secure us another vital point. I think with both clubs and sets of fans riding high, it ought to be a great atmosphere though at present, there is some rain forecast. For anyone making a mini-break of it, please see some 'Things To Do' suggestions and links to some decent eateries below, as suggested by TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186298-Activities-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g186298-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html
Enjoy the game my fellow Rams fans and safe journey to and fro.
COYR
BE MORE B4

I’d be happy with a point from this, oddly I think Portsmouth would take that too.
They’re pretty much promoted already. I know they can’t mathematically confirm it on Tuesday, but one win will do it for them, I can’t see Bolton getting to 89 points.
We are the only side with an outside chance of stopping them from winning the title, but to do that we have to win at Fratton Park. If Portsmouth get a draw, they’re up and they’re also Champions, so it’s a very good result for them too.
I think we will set up to get a point and maybe pinch a win if we can. If we also come out of it without defeat and injury free, we have 8 days until our following game in which Collins can build more fitness, NML can have a bit of a rest, and Bird, Gayle & Barkhuizen are all closer to their return for the run-in.
Four points from these next two and I think we’re as good as up, although if we do lose at Portsmouth, I don’t think the world is going to cave in as much as it did after the Northampton defeat.

Just over the moon, what more can you say   🌜
The promation Gods are smiling....

Just over the moon, what more can you say   🌜
The promation Gods are smiling....

Was relieved to discover that news of an injury crisis was exaggerated 
Thought the first half was good - especially down the right where Ward and Wilson showed why they should have started together more often.
 
I didn’t like the sitting back at the beginning of the second half - we could have lost control. But OK,  with Adams, Smith, Nelson (how cool is that man) and Cashin (showed his class), we are unlikely to concede  
Up front? Hard to know what to say. It’s as if the players miss training but instead sit in isolation cells listening to podcasts that debunk the merits of a co-ordinated, team based approach. By the standards of this league the players we have (NML, Washington, CBT) are strong enough. But together they are so much less than the sum of the parts. Thank goodness our other 8 players are so much better than the average. Maybe Warne might use Elder at LB (if it’s 4 at the back) and have Sibley sitting behind the front men. He could give Sibs a large syringe labelled ‘play football’ that he sticks in their bums every time they come close. Now we’re seeing how valuable Barks was. 
 
After 41 games Warne has surely understood at last that starting Hourihane was the feckless error of a man bewitched by a CV. And that picking Hourihane and Bird as starters in an alleged high energy set up was lunacy. It’s now pretty clear that the players’ captain won’t  start again. If he does, we deserve to be in the play offs. Carry on with today’s team and approach and we’re well set for automatics.    COYR

Well we got the points, and Blackpool went away happy with a record medals haul for their second sport of Olympic Diving! Actually, with Blackpool coming to play it was quite a good match of football in the most part, and our whole squad played their part. I don't think anyone played badly, with Hourihane perhaps with the worst bit near the end when he made a typical Hourihane clearance which was a hoof over his shoulder vaguely in the direction of the Blackpool half, with height attained seemingly more important than the fact that it went straight to a group of 3 opposition players. But he did ok during his cameo appearance, so no bother!
I thought Ward and Wilson worked together really well today, and the back 4 did a great job. And although people on here have talked about the Blackpool chances on the first half, I never felt that they threatened hardly at all. Apart from the Wildsmith save from  free kick, they didn't actually threaten from open play until the 86th minute. ell done you Rams! They were handy with the ball, and maybe had mor possession, but actually did very little with it, while Derby did look threatening on a number of occasions. 
The holding off and not pressing was a tactical decision by Warne who told them to hold station because when they did press, Blackpool were able to "pick them off (Warne's words), and the tactics worked well. Good on you, coaches!
Re the ref - some people say that he was quit good. I think it would be more accurate to acknowledge that he wasn't the worst we have had, and didn't make any match-changing gaffes, although it seemed that the linos were doing their best to balls things up. But the truth is that he gave an enormous number of soft decisions in Blackpool's favour, hence my opening hint  at their falling to the floor so easily, with the ref falling for it most times, yet not punishing Blackpool players for a series of bad challenges. And we were all shouting for a penalty when Ebou hammered the ball home, because it was a blatant handball. He clearly didn't intend to give it, so well done Mr Adams! I was expecting the ref to rule the goal out and give the penalty after all, but thankfully he didn't. Which would have been a shame, because the goal was a cracker!
And at last, it was satisfying to be at a match where we were trying to do football, and where we were relatively comfortable, and where I didn't feel worried or scared for the whole match long.

I hope you won't feel bad furlong, don't have a 'mare and rein it in. 

Neigh, don't say that. I take a fence at that. Hope you haven't jinxed us. 😲

That was a nail biting, glorious, low rent league 1 scrap. I loved it, and after April I never ever want to watch anything like it again.

After such a huge win last weekend PLEASE Derby can we not bottle it in this game. Please, just for once, can we actually see the job through and make it easy for ourselves.
This is exactly the sort of game we’ve had many times this season - a chance to really put the pressure on the teams around us when they’re not playing. And every time, it feels like, we’ve f***** it up with a pathetic half-arsed performance. It’s time for this team to get a grip, work like they’ve never worked before, and put Northampton to the sword. Show that strong character and personality, and show that they can see the job through.
We’ve bottled it wayyyy too many times from this sort of position in my lifetime. PLEASE Derby let’s make this season different and see it over the line. Do it for f****** B4! COME ON YOU f****** RAMS 

Listening to the Rams Talk preview, the Northampton fan said their major weakness is at left back, where they have a gangly cumbersome player called Manny Monthe who is "a L2 centre back" filling in for their regular starter Patrick Brough who isn't up to much either... sounds like just the perfect game for Kane Wilson to play RWB and Mendez to drift out right from a forward position.
He also said they are quite fragile at defending set pieces....  😁

Wow, can you imagine getting Will back....

Absolutely. I’m couldn’t give any realistic names. Will Hughes, Alex Mowatt, John Lundstram maybe, but i doubt we’ll pay the wages they’d want

I would agree about the Northampton game. It will probably, and hopefully, be the game when we have the fewest players available.
Win this and I'd say we are odds on for top 2