IslandExile

Massive Leeds, the facts.
In the nine seasons they were in the championship, before Covid.
Average attendance 26,277.
Three seasons in League One.
Average attendance 25,001.
Roughly 10,000 empty seats every week.
Derby nine seasons in the championship roughly the same period.
Average attendance 27,268.
Two seasons in League one.
Average attendance 27,349.
Derby consistently massive.

😂
 

Accurate.
 

Oh come on...
1. Brian Clough
2. Brian Clough
3. Brian Clough
4. Brian Clough
5. Brian Clough
.....

So not THAT good then?

Found him and he said “Yes i’m joining, Rams are going up ole ole”

I think the comparison of Lance Armstrong to Man City is a lot closer than just 'they doped, cheated and won for years'.
City are currently in the 'zip it' era when he chased after Simeoni who testified against Ferrari (who was the physician who doped all he cyclists). They can threaten anybody else by suing the Premier League and be in total denial but they know the house of cards is falling down.
The question is can football can clean itself from financial doping in the same way that cycling cleaned itself from physical doping? I think unless you change the ownership model to a 50+1 version like in Germany where fans have more of say and had a more even split of TV money the current structure of English football will continue in the ugly fashion it is now.
 

Awarded MBE for services to football.

Oh come on...
1. Brian Clough
2. Brian Clough
3. Brian Clough
4. Brian Clough
5. Brian Clough
.....

Think you may have accidentally chose the wrong emot reaction to the opening post.

Millwall goalkeeper dead at just 26. Utterly horrendous news:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cv22z9lgdlxo

https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jun/15/kevin-campbell-former-arsenal-and-everton-striker-dies-aged-54
so very young and saw him on Sky recently looking well. 🥲

Exiled down south, I recently went to a charity match: Saints legends versus IoW legends. 
My son, his two friends and me spoke with Matt Oakley for a good few minutes before the players got changed for the game. He was absolutely brilliant with us, just a really nice, genuine guy. 
I told him that I was gutted when he left Derby - true, I was. He said he never wanted to leave but when Adam Pearson came in as director from Hull, he was forced out, so he joined his mate, Steve Howard, at Leicester.
I asked him what he thought of wee Billy because I was never a fan. But Matt Oakley said that Billy Davies was brilliant for him, really supportive in the dressing room. 
He is now a coach with big Darren Moore at Port Vale. Loving that but agreed with me that the big fellah was poorly treated by both club and fans at Wednesday.
Matt went on to boss the game, MOTM, even with some very good players around him.
One other ex-Ram, who played in the game but for the Isle of Wight team, was none other than Gary Rowett. Again, he had all the time in the world to chat with me and the disabled footballers I was with. Again, I didn't enjoy his time as manager of Derby, but he was great as a player in the Jim Smith era. I have to say though, he was a lovely person with us.

Oh come on...
1. Brian Clough
2. Brian Clough
3. Brian Clough
4. Brian Clough
5. Brian Clough
.....

Oh come on...
1. Brian Clough
2. Brian Clough
3. Brian Clough
4. Brian Clough
5. Brian Clough
.....

Oh come on...
1. Brian Clough
2. Brian Clough
3. Brian Clough
4. Brian Clough
5. Brian Clough
.....

Ideal scenario would be Ebou being unveiled wearing the new home shirt on Monday 🤞

The club have been amazing with Reuben. Rammie came down to the Children’s Hospital to see him. Some of the players and staff have sent messages. It makes such a difference to his recovery. 
 

Rest in Peace Willie Carlin
love to his family and friends
my first winger that got me out of my seat. . . Well he would have done except I was standing up getting bruised in kids corner!
thanks for the memories, I’m a bit emotional 🥲 🖤 🐏 

Hmm, I wonder if that's why my mate Wanchope Smith, is named so.

I never thought to ask him, and he's never mentioned it. Nor has his brother, Fabrizio. 

Just an update for everyone as I have had a few messages from Derby fans on other platforms asking how he is. 
 
Reuben is doing well and is now spending more time at home during the weekends. He is still an inpatient at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. His sounds are developing and we have had glimpses of ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’. He is starting to stand now but he is still a while from walking. His right arm is starting to get movement at the elbow but nothing at the wrist or hand yet…. So it’s all heading in the right direction. 

1. Kevin Hector 
2. Charlie George
3. Colin Todd 

He was my first boyhood hero. I was a similar all-energy midfielder covering every blade of grass, and I was a short-ass as well. We only differed in that he could play a bit, too!

He was only 5' 4" tall but no player that has ever pulled on the Rams' shirt has ever had a bigger heart than Wee Willie Carlin; although his captain, Dave Mackay, matched him in that department. Clough and Taylor had tried to sign him from Carlisle in 1967, shortly after they arrived at Derby but Carlisle, managed by our previous manager, Tim Ward, refused to sell and reported Derby for making an illegal approach to their player. Clough appeared at an EFL tribunal and the case was chucked out after just 10 minutes. By then, Willie had been sold to Sheffield United.Asked about that after he retired years later Clough said "Of course we tapped him up, that's how we worked and we tapped him up again when we signed him from Sheffield United. That's how we got in and signed players before other clubs knew they were available."

The week before he joined the Rams, Willie had run the show at Bramall Lane when the Blades beat us 2-0, Willie scored the second after putting Colin Addison in for the first. With the Rams sitting winless in the relegation zone, Taylor implored Clough to go in again for Willie. Arthur Rowley had joined the Blades from Shrewsbury as manager in the close season. Taylor knew that Rowley and Carlin had 'previous history';A couple of seasons before, when playing for Halifax at Shrewsbury, the two had clashed near the dugouts and Willie had kicked a bucket of water over Rowley. Taylor knew that Rowley would never forgive that and would let Carlin go if the offer was right and so it proved. When the transfer was complete, Taylor advised the Derby fans that Willie was the final piece of the jigsaw and they should back Derby to win the Second Division that season; he was spot on with that bit too.

On the run in to the season we secured promotion on Easter Saturday by beating Bolton 5-1 at home with Willie on the score sheet. We took revenge against Sheffield United with a 1-0 home win two days later. The next Saturday we went to Millwall and little Willie  headed us to a 1-0 win beating the giant Barry Kitchener to a cross; it clinched the championship for the Rams with two games still to go.
Having helped the Rams to fourth place in Division One in the first season back up Willie's sudden departure broke his heart and at the time many of us felt the same way. But in just two years he had become a Rams Legend forever; a key player on the rapid path to the club becoming Champions in 1972.
RIP Willie - reunited with his Captain tonight.
 

As @Animal is a Ram and @oldtimeram have said he was the player that turned a good side into a very good side that got promoted in 68/69. As much as his playing ability it was his attitude, his toughness that changed that side. Archie was of similar stock but a better footballer. Ignore Willie’s goal and appearance stats because his contribution to our successes was far, far greater than they would suggest. It is not too fanciful to say that without him we wouldn’t have gone so far so quickly he was that important a player.