ck-

To be fair to him, the Derby memorabilia would have been worth more money than the Forest tat. No point trying to sell something that's worth sweet fa.

I think we should get Warburton in as manager

Err no, lets not. Why did he have so many substitute appearances rather than starting btw?!
Gregory scored "...three goals in his 11 appearances (six starts), including two in his last two."
So by your reckoning: that's 3 goals in 7 starts.

Which has been the frustrating part with him but it seems like treading in treacle 

It might only be a pipe dream but I feel like these three keep getting completely forgotten at the minute by Derby fans (myself included)
If we can - somehow, anyhow - get them fit and firing and somewhere back to their best, the squad will already look much much better before any transfers are even done. ?

The day Maguire just comes out and admits he is a Derby fan will be a good one for him. Finally able to live with himself after hiding it for so long.

He did it because he already had a lot of abuse and a lot of crap from grown adults who professed to be Derby fans on social media. Quite frankly - putting his fingers in his ears is a very mild reaction from him and I admire his restraint. He isn't made of stone - just because the club gave him an opportunity doesn't mean he is obligated to just ignore the idiots in our fanbase.

“Once a ram, always a ram” feels like a recent slogan of the social media generation. Also a bit of a way to live off glories of those gone on to do better (mount, tomori etc). Though the lampard crop especially seemed to have a good team spirit and stepping stone for young players that means there’s a bit of genuine affinity there. But some players leave on good terms, some on bad, some of indifferent. Always has been the way and always will be.
The Whittaker stuff is embarrassing though. A young lad who got chopped and changed a lot (with a lot of flak along the way), gets sold, scores first league goal for new club and celebrates with not especially controversial fingers to ears celebration. Derby fans lose their mind. Probably mainly as at the time it could have been fatal to our status, but a goal made out of our own incompetence. Petty and embarrassing. I’d have gloated more if I was him frankly.  
 

Steady on, I would still like to post here from time to time!

That’s pretty impressive recycling, to be fair. 

Obviously I've got a very different take on future chances but I do agree that the slow steady build up is the way to go. Successful teams evolve, they're not thrown together & recruitment should be totally focused on getting the best players possible to suit that style. All about blend not cost. This is why Im so passionate about wanting a Director of Football to run the football operation & a low key but outstanding coach to manage the side. 
Like you say, the slow evolution should have paid off in 13/14 with our mixture of freebies & kids so that kind of proves the theory. The fact we then went on a spending spree (much like 1991-93 under Pickering) only to fail proves money isn't as important as it would appear. There are plenty of other high spending examples at this level that have gone wrong.
If we'd have spoken in 2012, Im sure we'd have agreed no-one outside of Manchester, Liverpool or Chelsea/Arsenal could ever win the title again such was the advantage of CL money (another league within a league). If you'd have asked a Leeds fan in 2012 the next time they'd be aiming for a CL place, they'd have laughed. I bet they get very close to it next season.
Football has always been cyclical. Without getting too happy clappy, its good to have hope & dreams...that's what football is all about IMO

Great post but something, something, bah, humbug, I'm gonna piss on your chips, something, err... ?‍♂️

A pic of Charlotte FC for his Instagram followers
 

There's no flaw in your logic then?

I don't no

That’s unfortunate for him, but let’s consider an analogy. 
I buy a classic car, because I know that they’re appreciating rapidly. I buy one that is on the cusp of becoming a collectors item, but isn’t quite there yet. I convince myself it’s a smart investment. 
When I get it home and inspect it more thoroughly, it’s a bit more of a wreck than I thought. Nonetheless, I can see a future profit so I start work. Because a lot of the work is outside my experience, I send it to various specialists. By the time we’re done, I’ve spent more than my original purchase price, but that’s OK because I’m convinced that it’s going to become the next sought after classic, and values will go through the roof. 
Unfortunately, I need some cash quickly. The model hasn’t caught the public eye as much as I hoped, and is still a way off being the “next sought after classic”. Instead of an e-type Jag, I’ve got an XJS. One day it will rocket in value, but not yet. 
So when I try to sell it, I’m simply not likely to recover the purchase price and the additional investment. Factor in that buyers sense I’m desperate to sell, and I have to sell for what I bought it for and write off the investment that never justified itself. 
 
Isn’t that the unfortunate situation MM is in? The investment made is only worthwhile if it achieved the desired outcome. Sometimes gambles come off - investing £10m in King Industries. Sometimes they don’t - investing in Derby County. 

With ownership comes responsibility. 
Now, let me make myself crystal clear, I am not kicking a guy when he’s down, I’ve gone on record posting I’d buy him a pint anytime and I stand by that.
However, he would have been more that happy to have been the recipient of the crowd’s adulation had things gone to plan. He’s not averse to a drop of hero worship, who would be ?
A big problem for Mel is he is owner/custodian of something a lot of people have an emotional investment in, some, a lifetimes commitment. If he was trying to get rid of his executive Lear jet because he fell on hard times, it would be none of our business/of no interest to us.
But this is is a commodity that has been a part of the town, then later, the city for well over a hundred years and this is where the responsibility bit comes in for me. Just because it’s all gone Pete Tong for him does not mean he should leave the club riddled with debt which was accrued on his watch. I believe it’s his duty to make the club as attractive a proposition for a reputable prospective buyer at the lowest outlay possible to him.
There is a saying down here that goes “Pay up and look big” and that’s what he really be thinking about.

You've said that about every takeover bid.
Sooner or later, you will get one wrong. However, given how many there are, you'll still have an impressive record.

Musk, Buffet and Trump. 
Sounds like a holiday night out.

I can't imagine the EFL organising a conker fight to be fair 

Disappointed it didn't scan to "12 days of Christmas" to be honest. Started OK, but went wrong fast.

they are acting on behalf of the other maybe, always winners and losers

Very classy and dignified response. I wonder if they want to buy a club?

This is an exercise in the EFL saving face, self justification, and placating bitter football clubs looking to do one over on each other. It is not about protecting football clubs from Portsmouth scenarios or the integrity of the competition. 
The EFL is quite happy to overlook Watford and Forest’s unique methods of circumventing FFP (switch/loan players between clubs for fee values to help their compliance with rules), not penalise the overspending of the likes Villa Bournemouth Leicester QPR Wolves, and overlook the dodgy practices of Steve Gibson and the use of his haulage company to help circumvent rules. 
 
They are choosing to follow this grotesque charade and to ruin the integrity of competition with league positions being decided by arbitration panels instead of addressing the fundamental issue, that parachute payments are creating a grossly unfair competition, creating spiralling wages and resulting in clubs needing to spend beyond their means just to compete. Much has been made of Derby’s spending, yet it’s been dwarfed by the clubs that have come down by the premier league, highlighted by the spending and wages disparity between Derby and both clubs they have lost playoff finals to. The irony of all of this is the main club fighting this - Boro - are doing it because we beat them to the playoffs. Did we have an advantage over them? No. They had a bigger budget than we did due to parachute payments!! They blew it on Assombalonga and others and failed. 
 
How are clubs without parachute payments supposed to compete. Eventually the majority of those that do try and compete will eventually come into problems unless they have luck ie. they somehow get promoted. These clubs don’t want to spend over the odds on wages, they are forced to by the parachute funded clubs that set the market rate, like Boro giving Assombalonga £50k per week.
If they try to apply FFP for the past two seasons (average of 19/20 and 20/21) as has been suggested, half the clubs will fail it, they must do, they’ve had massive revenue cuts so how can they comply? Only the clubs who are parachute funded could possibly comply.
 
We will probably be punished to make a point and then FFP will be scrapped because half the league failing it will be ridiculous. It’s not working, it’s not making clubs more sustainable. How about fixing the distribution of money in the game and introducing salary caps either on players or in line with turnover if player salary caps is too difficult,  it would be far more effective and help level things up.
But regardless of the rights and wrongs of the EFL and Derby. I’m tired. I’m tired of reading about ERVs and FRS102, I’m tired Mel’s war with the other football clubs, I’m tired of all these jokers trying to take over our football club. When can it be just about Football again?! 

 

Anybody else think we should stop the we're 'being picked on by the nasty efl' gubbins? This 'Oh woe is me' stuff is a bit cringey I think. What will be will be.