MickD

Newcastle 0 Derby County 1, 13 September 1969.
Roy McFarland scored the winner to shut up the Geordies around us yelling about Jimmy Smith.
The significance of the game was that, for the first time in my lifetime, Derby County went top of Division 1 that day.
The following week, we thrashed Tottenham 5-0 at Derby in front of the biggest crowd ever at the Baseball Ground. Everyone of a certain age remembers that game, but the Newcastle one sticks in my mind just as much.

October 21 1961.  Derby 2 Liverpool 0.   Mick Hopkinson from 60 yards !! (well it seemed like it from the 'boys' enclosure !!) and Bill Curry. 27000+ at the BBG. Ron Yeats putting Bill Curry into the railings in frustration.
September 24th 1966.  Derby 4 Huddersfield 3  Kevin Hectors home debut. Boy was that some debut !! Despite having 4 opposition trying to mark him he still managed to score and created the space for Durban to score 3. Little did we know then what the next 10 years would hold !!
November 1st 1969.  Derby 4 Liverpool 0. Can still see Hector and O'Hare bearing down on Lawrence in goal at the Ossie End for the fourth goal. 40993 at the BBG.
January 23rd 1971.  Derby 2 Wolves 1.  FA Cup 4th round. 40000+ at the BBG. 6" of mud and John O'Hare chesting in, in the 90th minute !!
Need I go on. Oh those memories.
 

In what world would Smith accept a pay as you play? Or would Alfie May come cheaply?
 
Some in this thread are on a different planet, I swear.

As much as it’s been easy to bash Bradley after his calamitous start, he’s been excellent for the past few months in both boxes (bar the silly sending off)

Risky to release all the forward’s before we have signed their (any) replacements. Especially as it is the hardest position to recruit.
Suspect we will keep Collins and leave carrot dangling to TJJ and Gale for time while trying to get better* options.
*They are both quality, but too fragile for me, while Collo we know will be there for us.

I'd rather keep Collo than Barkhuizen. Gayle and TJJ I agree both depend on their fitness. I do feel if TJJ can get fit he will be a real asset both in a 343 and 352.

I disagree regarding Thommo. He didn't look out of place in the championship under Rooney. He's tough, has good technical skills and a good engine. I don't know if Warne's changed his opinion (he's been praising Thommo recently) but I'd be inclined to keep him.

I might be in the minority but I wouldn't be bothered if Wildsmith left. He's an okay keeper, probably better than Vickers but in the grand scheme of things most keepers are a much of a muchness at this level and there will be plenty available similar to Wildsmith. If you go back through the keepers we've had since Roos took over from Carson, none of them will live long in my memory. 

I think we've seen in the run in just how much having a squad that bond together has helped, and why getting the right characters in does matter - it was something Nigel Clough was also big on and it's no coincidence many of his signings formed the core of the squad long after he'd left. It's not the same situation now and the promotion means there's a lot of work to do, but I trust Warne to bring in good characters again.
Lets just not panic if we're not making box office signings all summer.

Lots of short memories here from the people wanting to release Fozzy. It’s barely a matter of weeks since his 90 minutes against Bolton did arguably as much as any other performance by any other player at any point in the season to get us promoted.
Sure, he’s getting on and may no longer be a starter in the Championship, but it takes more than eleven players to see out a season and I can’t see him letting us down.

I must concede...
 I wasn't aware (Due to my ageing eyesight and distance from the pitch) of players being in the thick of the "invasion" until I saw Eboooooo come grinning out of the throngs on the big screen.  That must have been at least 10 mins, so he clearly wasn't in a rush to get down the tunnel.  I've since seen video snippets of players sipping from cans, riding shoulders, and waving flanges... and all seemingly all enjoying their time out there.
For that alone, I take back some comments.  I concede I was wrong on those points.

As I witness very little social media, I miss out... through conscious choice, I hasten to add... on all the parent/kiddy stuff, all the look at us pics, all the insta-this and tweetex-that.
I'm a great believer that memories belong in one's head, not on a screen, a tablet... or even a photo album, come to that!
From a fan looking down from the stands, as I've posted earlier elsewhere, it did LOOK good.  Excellent in fact. 
But that was no party out there.  There was very little evidence... in real time... with real eyes and ears... of celebration, joy, or even pure unadulterated relief. 
I never once, for one solitary second, regretted staying at my seat, and wishing I was down there joining in "all the fun"!  There was nothing to tempt me down there.  Just folk ambling around, clearly not knowing what to do next!
Now I know that most folk on the pitch were busy concentrating on focusing their cameras and making sure their tweets got through the thick cloud, I understand why there was little in the way of chanting, of jumping up and down with glee, of actual olde-worlde unrehearsed celebration.
I repeat my words from earlier... a celebration of that ilk back in the eighties was reserved for a wake, not a football promotion party.  For someone who lived, thrived, and occasionally instigated proceedings throughout that era, then yes, by comparison, today's scenes were embarrassing.  They were tin-pot.  I know that, as I have memories.  I just don't have photographic and/or digital memories.  Just actual memories!
 
Hey, I appreciate times have changed.  I appreciate I am ageing rapidly every day.  I appreciate that folk out there were totally enjoying the experience... as was I... but to claim it was a fantastic atmosphere is phoney in my opinion, as I've witnessed fantastic atmosphere... and been at the heart of it... and today simply didn't compare.
Today, as a whole, was a great day, but I will maintain to my dying days that the after-match celebrations were nothing short of a let down.  They were certainly nothing special.  
 
And hear this... after the announcement/request to leave the pitch to allow the players to receive their trophy... that's right, a trophy... at least 50% of those leaving the pitch headed straight for the exits. 
Yes, I know, not one of you did.  I know all of you went straight back to the stands and stayed to the very end, but don't dare tell me that nobody headed for the exits... Remember, I had a birds eye view.  And no... I can't prove it, as I keep my phone tucked away in my pocket!
They had had their selfish time on the pitch.  They had had their pics, their tweets, and their instas.  They didn't give a s*** about the players, and their hard-earned trophy.  And for that alone, they can feckoff!  

Pretty moving write up there @Geriatram on what is already a potentially emotional day for all. I hope the lads put on a show and get that promotion secured today for you, your mate, and all the other Rams fans out there somewhere in the universe 🐏 

Well, that touched a duct!
All the very best to you sir, and here's to you remembering today for many, many more years to come.
🐏🤍
 
 

Sadly this will be my last match today. My first was in 1956 as a 13year old, My dad used to take me before that but he stopped going when we went down to the third division north. My mate and I would catch the 12 oclock bus from Melbourne and be the first in the ground. We stood in the Normanton end pigeon loft, I think it was 3 shilling. To this day I remember that team. We were champions in 1957 and I ran onto the pitch after the last match against Southport, Ray Straw scored 37 goals that season, The next ten years saw me start work, get married and have two children, I had moved to Derby, and after my family, the Rams were the most important thing in my life I never missed a home game in those ten years even though we were only an average second division side. And then in 1966 after England won the world cup my mate and I decided to have a season ticket, Little did we know what would happen that season, I was at work one day and a Rams supporting work mate told me we had signed a player from Bradford Park Avenue, his name was Kevin Hector I'd never heard of him but he was without doubt the most wonderful footballer to grace the Baseball Ground I had ever seen, and because of this we wanted to see more players like him which led to Tim Ward getting the sack and BC becoming Manager, what followed was ten years of unbelievable success and enjoyment. And then things started to go wrong off and on the pitch and I stopped being a season ticket holder during Peter Taylors time as manager, i still loved The Rams of course and when I turned 65 and retired my old mate from Melbourne and I bought season tickets again. But sadly covid left my best friend of 80 years with a dementia problem and he know no longer knows me. For the last two seasons I have been going alone to the match but its just not the same for me. Therefore I am calling it a day, as I write this I am welling up as I will do this afternoon. Thank you Derby County for every thing I will love you till I die.     

I think the music choices have been okay TBF.
Yes, it’s loud but we’re all old gits in our area and toes are tapped. 
I might have one drink before the game but no more than that.
 I like to focus on the play, not abuse the opposition with a vocabulary of about ten words, most of them involving defecation of some kind or another.

 

If fans can’t get up for this game without a beer it’s a sad state of affairs.
Save the drinking for after the game.
I’ll have Smithers chilling the Chateau Lafite! 😊

How many will be sober enough to actually see the match? 😂
It's a pity we can't get a few more building the atmosphere inside the ground, rather than in local hostelries. I take it some people only know how to support the team when they are half cut? 

That's just you though. Can you vouch for all the others running on the pitch? I don't think anyone would deny that we have our fair share of morons. All it could take is for one Carlisle player to react to being blocked from reaching the tunnel and react in a way you might not expect. 
I agree with @Ian Buxton's Bat's comment that a pitch invasion, whilst it might give a few their moment of jumping around on the pitch, it might deprive the majority of enjoying the bounce started by PW and the players (and their families) lap of appreciation (unless the pitch can be cleared fairly quickly).

Haven't you got a garden? 😀

I'm not a fan of pitch invasions - and I'm not being the fun police here, quite the opposite. As has been pointed out, it risks cancellation of laps of honour, presentations and a chance to actually see the players celebrate.
I'd rather watch PW start the bounce with an ecstatic squad with him than watch 22 knackered footballers run for their life towards the tunnel.
There is generally some numpty who assaults an opposing player - which is utterly cringeworthy.
It's easy to fix. EFL says non-negotiable 20 point deduction for mass pitch invasions like they apply a non-negotiable deduction for going into admin - and they just wouldn't happen.
I don't believe there is any realistic chance of a points deduction if there's a pitch invasion tomorrow but, if the EFL are genuinely concerned about player safety, they should bring in some rule for future seasons.

I want to do a knee slide 🙂 

The club are not asking... they are telling... don't do it.
The law says... don't do it.
"The best way to gain promotion is by the Play-Offs" is oft-written... do they invade the pitch at Wembley?
Hysterically approaching a player who has yet to make himself safe by dashing down the tunnel, just to "Plant a big fat kiss" could (understandably) be misconstrued as a potential attack/assault.  Remember, there will be confusion, concern, and uncertainty from some quarters.
All it takes... literally... is one jubilant fan being tripped/nudged/held back by a viz'd up official whose sole job/instruction is to attempt to fend off a pitch invasion for the mood to change.  Just one defensive/evasive swing of the arm can be caught on the numerous cameras, and have you stood in the dock before you can say "I wish I'd listened to Uncle Mucker"!
 
#only fools rush on
#keep it classy
#pitch for players, stands for fans
#we'll all be havin' a party, when Derby County rise


 

I think after the past few years in which we very nearly went out of existence amongst other things, it must surely be hard to begrudge people celebrating this (pottential) great achievement by going way over the top.
You don't get pitch invations at places like Old Trafford or Anfield because they're used to success and take it for granted.
But for us, what have we had to celebrate? Other than the two promotions in the 80s when I was too young to remember, we've had Promotion in 1996 and Promotion in 2007. Great days by the way.
But that's it. I'm nearly 40 and should everything go the way we hope, this is the third big celebration in my life and the first since I was 21.
I'm going to forget myself, the boring law abiding citezen that I am and for one day and one day only I'm going to run as hard and fast onto that pitch and try and plant a big fat kiss on any one of this season's heroes, I will soak it all up with my fellow rams fans, then I'll head back to the stand and applaud the players, manager and staff before heading into town until god knows when.
I'm so excited, it genuinly feels exactly the same as creeping down the stairs on Christmas morning full of anticpation for what's behind the living room door. 
So I'll behave, I won't be a thug, but I will forget my age and responsibilites for a day and enjoy feeling like a big kid on Christmas

Exactly my point

Definitely please stay off the pitch everyone 🤞🤞