archram

I feel so sorry for the older fans of the ‘big6’. They are the ones who love their club, like we do ours, but have been taken over and priced out of the game. I have no wish to join that elite. Give me David Clowes over a rich sheikh any day!

Updated to include recent fixtures
We've conceded just 22 goals in 31 games and scored 55

Can't it be a testament to all three of them? A testament to the whole defence, in fact the whole team including Wildsmith. 
 

Makes no difference. We're a League One side playing League One opposition. If we were in the Championship or PL then it would be PL or Championship opposition - you can only beat those at your current level and to have beaten so many of them on their own home turf is a special achievement, not worthy of a cheap comment.

Was just about to post similar… and I don’t apologise for laughing about it…
But neither am I ashamed to admit he’s been in my thoughts rather a lot this past couple of weeks, and I’m pretty damn well gutted that he’s missing it all. All quite disturbing really, seeing as I never even met him!
Soppy or just weird I know not, but I’ll be giving him more than a passing thought next week. That I do know!
🐏❤️

 

He's my hero. Saved our club and looks like undoing the bulk of the damage endured under MM in only his second season as owner. Deserves all the plaudits he gets in spades IMO.

Couldn’t find a standalone Clowes thread, so started this one. As someone who was very much in the Warne Out camp and thought Clowes was making a mistake for keeping him on, I have to hold my hands up and say he was bang on to hold his nerve and not be swayed by an increasing amount of hostility.
I still have my thoughts on how the club should be run differently, but we can save those for another day. I may have missed it, but this man needs a proper song ASAP.

I was that age during the McClaren Wembley season and yeah, even at that age you don’t really savour stuff. It takes heartbreak and age to let you truly appreciate the good times. 

Here’s my dad and with Daniel’s award. My dad was very put out he was made to look 3 feet tall next to Sonny Bradley 😂

This is a testament to Nelson and Cash for me.

Congratulations to Paul Warne who has broken the club record for away wins. Considering our long history with some great teams, he can rightly be very proud of that brilliant achievement. 

I therefore doff my bobble hat to sir Paul of Warne. 

Is this some weird kink where you make love to a bread roll? 🍞 🍆

That’s also an option, although I didn’t have that excuse for Derby so why should they!

I feel so sorry for the older fans of the ‘big6’. They are the ones who love their club, like we do ours, but have been taken over and priced out of the game. I have no wish to join that elite. Give me David Clowes over a rich sheikh any day!

Carlisle have been relegated for about 3 weeks. They are bottom of the overall table, bottom of the home table, bottom of the away table. Their form over the last 6 games has them 22nd, so maybe a *slight* improvement.
They’ve conceded 5 more than any other side, although 4 sides have scored fewer than them so perhaps they can be considered sharp shooters.
Peterborough being level with Bolton on the final day would be preferred, although unless they win in midweek by 5 or 6 they’re not really going to have any chance so the impetus is on Bolton.
Away from home against the rest of the top 8 (teams that can still get promoted this season), they’ve scored 4.  They’ve only won one of those games, which against Lincoln before they signed Joe Taylor and hit form. Funnily enough, Carlisle have actually scored more away to promotion hopefuls than Bolton have.
A lot of things that haven’t happened all season are going to have to coincide for us to finish outside the top 2, and if that does happen it’ll be nothing short of the biggest capitulation we’ve ever been involved in.
Over the last 10 games, we’ve won 7 so have proven that we can get things done when we need to and I don’t see it being any different on Saturday, I just have more confidence in this Derby team to have the right mental strength than I have before.

This. I truly thought we were going in admin. Everyone always says it'll take a big club to go before anything changes and I thought we were it. Added to that the terrible stuff we were going through with my dad's dementia (his first awful episode was the night we went into admin) and it was really rock bottom.  Have felt quite emotional many times at PP since Christmas because of what going up represents and it hit me again yesterday at the game esp as Camb away was first match dad took me to. I cannot imagine what it feels like for David Clowes and his family.
 
I dont care if other teams mock us if we do go up and celebrate it as if we've won the champions league as its not just the promotion and until it happens to their team in the same way they will never understand.
COYR 🐏🐏

That’s the position I am in. I was ‘around’ for the promotion in 96 but too young to remember or appreciate it. And although I’ve technically been to the BBG, too young to appreciate it again.
For those who witnessed previous successes, I have nothing but jealousy. But for people like me, my entire experience of Derby County has been misery, disappointment and heartbreak. Where I grew up, it was all Premier League clubs, nobody even supported the ‘nearest’ professional team because Plymouth was still too far away. I’d go into school on sports days in my Derby County shirt, and get laughed at by those wearing United, Liverpool or Arsenal shirts.
To experience success, an outpouring of joy and probably relief,  at Pride Park, is going to be special.
I’m sure lots of people here have other interests outside of football and Derby County, I don’t really. I’m not really into other sports, for me football & this club is everything. Since Covid really, it’s been hard. From not being able to go to watch, to then being plunged into administration & feeling like we were kind of Death Row waiting for the inevitable was very, very hard.
We’re going to do the job on Saturday and I can’t even begin to imagine how good that’s going to feel. 

I'd think us oldies ought to appreciate it even more, we don't know how many more chances to celebrate life we've got! 
And not all the naysayers are old - that there @Millenniumram is a kid, but he's a right miserable bugger! 😉
Anyway, just wanted to say I'm loving it and know plenty more who know how to live in the moment and enjoy it.
COYR! 

Perfect and much needed post on this forum.
Whilst this isn’t up there with becoming Champions of England, for many at your age this will be as you say, the first taste of success as a Derby County supporter.
Our opportunities for success are limited due to the state of the game. This could be the only cause for celebration for the next decade, plus.
Think some of the older fans need to appreciate that and not spoil this moment with the constant doom.
I have 2 promotions under my belt, Jim Smith and Billy Davies, even your post even makes me feel like a veteran, yet I’ll still enjoy this one.
Just booked a table down the local in front of the screen, going down with a bunch of mates who I will fit out with Derby shirts from my collection for the day.
To quote Paul Warne, up them beautiful Rams! 🐏

Enjoy it my friend and for those who try to spoil it for you with the , it’s league 1 , it’s a worse league one than last year , our football is poo , our manager is poo , we will get battered next season ect ect ect ,,, tell them to do one ,,,,,,,
I’ve seen us be champions of England twice and every ap and down since ,,, this season is right up there for success and enjoyment , barring a crazy scenario we should be up automatically, two seasons from our darkest moments , that’s quality and to be savoured and remembered , a certain friend of ours couldn’t be with us in person for the end to this season and it’s worth those who can’t enjoy and praise what’s happening at derby taking stock of that ,
football is all about stories and mixed in with real life , these last few years are turning into a great story with everything in it ,
enjoy , but you don’t need me to tell you that , you were outside the ground without a ticket , been there , done that , respect 🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏

As I woke up tired and hungover this morning, I had a thought. While it's always great hearing stories about the glory days of the 70s, the iconic 80s and the fun 90s, there's a whole generation of Derby fans who have only ever known disappointment. I myself had my first season ticket in the 2006/07 Billy Davies season, but I was too young to properly appreciate it.
Since then, it's been a mix of hope, heartbreak and 'nearly' moments. Our generation of supporters have witnessed other clubs' fans celebrating siuccess (sometimes at our expense), but we find it difficult to fathom what it would actually feel like for Derby to ever get over the line.
Yesterday, as I walked back back to the bus with my arm round my mate's shoulder, belting Derby songs at the top of our voices, I had the first taste of what it might feel like to experience success as a Derby fan. This morning, I started making preparations for post-game jaegerbombs and cigars next weekend. And thinking about how I'll be raising a glass to the lad that we all miss. 
We're not over the line yet. But I'm well into dreaming territory. And for us fans who aren't old enough to know glory, it's going to be oh so sweet.
Up the Rams.

B4 would be more adventurous than that. He’d want that Icelandic dust cloud to halt all air traffic in Europe again.

I’d love to go on the pitch to have a moment to celebrate. I think the draw to do so is to be part of the ‘we’ that is always referred to. No seats and stairs in the way of celebrating with everyone around and being able to stand on the turf where promotion was won. I sit up right at the top of the upper stand so there’s probably zero chance I would be even get near the pitch anyway 😂 But I can guarantee B4 will be there on the pitch 😉