archram

Is that every blade of grass from the whole pitch? 😉

Thanks, BuckoBeast, that brought it all back - it’s a much easier listen when you know there’s a happy ending! David Clowes, sounding so sincere in offering us a future . I hope we never take for granted what he did in securing DCFC

Thanks, BuckoBeast, that brought it all back - it’s a much easier listen when you know there’s a happy ending! David Clowes, sounding so sincere in offering us a future . I hope we never take for granted what he did in securing DCFC

Some of us have been around here long enough to remember Daveo.

I must be easily pleased, as I'll be celebrating like a mad thing if we clinch promotion on Saturday and right now I couldn't care less about Premier League football.

Who knows who will be around when we reach the prem again or win a cup. These last few years have shown that you have to appreciate these possible moments.

Thanks, BuckoBeast, that brought it all back - it’s a much easier listen when you know there’s a happy ending! David Clowes, sounding so sincere in offering us a future . I hope we never take for granted what he did in securing DCFC

The bit that makes me blink, is D.C retelling the story of how he got the nod on a London business trip, him and wife welling up in tears on the tube; yep we’ve all been there, it’s that realisation of a special moment just happened, that causes full grown men to blink hard, as something is in their eyes.
Great reminder @BuckoBeast

Thanks, BuckoBeast, that brought it all back - it’s a much easier listen when you know there’s a happy ending! David Clowes, sounding so sincere in offering us a future . I hope we never take for granted what he did in securing DCFC

No one in my family pushed football on me, I found it myself. It wasn’t until opening my Merlin 1997 sticker book did I even realise Derby, my hometown had a football team. From that moment until the day I draw my final breath, I will be black and white.
Watching Ryan Giggs run past people for fun might have ignited my interest in football but it’s the highs and lows of being a Rams fan that has kept me burning.
Up The Rams 🐏

I understand your frustration at wanting to see exciting, flowing football through all areas of the team with midfield dominating and passing through the lines. But I would argue we just haven’t had the players to do this the way you want.
The first point I would make is that you are assuming that at every stage of every game, the players are doing exactly what is asked of them by the management team. I don’t believe this. They don’t encourage players not to pass to each other - they don’t encourage them not to attack the opposition. I have lost count of the number of times in his interviews after the game where he has “criticised” his players for not being braver on the ball and in games. The matches at the end of the season are slightly different as all that matters is gaining 3 points (e.g. Cambridge).
the fact is that our midfield (until Adams arrived) was weak - physically, aggressively and pace wise too. We were bullied off the ball too much, waltzed around by younger, quicker players (Peterborough). We just did not have the right players in there to compete. Before Adams arrival we didn’t have anyone in there who could be aggressive, have any pace or could tackle. Fornah was tried for a while but ran out of steam and made mistakes. At least playing 3 at the back, gives you more potential bodies in midfield with the wingbacks available to help out, but even them, unless it was Forsyth or Nayambe, they we’re not tacklers. Added to this was poor movement off the ball and poor passing. Unfortunately, Hourihane is no longer mobile enough to dominate midfield and we have looked better since he has not been in the side.
Our midfield needs a complete overhaul in the summer. Hopefully we can get Adams in permanently but we need others of similar ilk and also a good playmaker. I think Warne was trying very hard to get the right midfielders in, but it just didn’t happen until Adams arrived.
Finally, I would add that with all the injuries we have had this season (Ward, Elder, Forsyth, Rooney, Bird, Waghorn, Washington, Nyambe, JJ,Embleton,Thompson,Gayle,Barkhuizen), Warne has done a remarkable job in patching us up but still managing to pick up points. Admittedly, not in the exiting way we would all want to see, but there have been some good footballing performances too. Plenty of goals have been scored too (9 more than last year despite losing our talisman McGoldrick). 
All in all, I think we have done pretty well, but I think you are wrong to lay all the Blame on Paul Warne for our less exciting displays - much is down to the players too. I am sure we will recruit well during the summer.

I can't speak for other people (I leave that to people like you who have a crystal ball or some deeper insight that I'm just not wise enough or clever enough to possess) - but I get behind the club from top to bottom.
My philosophy with respect to the manager of Derby County is that I will support them until the day that they no longer hold that position. I started watching The Rams regularly 58 years ago when we moved back into the area (the love affair was, by and large, from afar before then). Tim Ward was manager at the time, so he had my support. I didn't call for his head when we finished 17th in the old Second Division, and neither did I call for Brian Clough's head the following year when we finished 18th. I just carried on supporting the club.
You would have been yelling for Clough's head though - because Clough was a Fourth Division manager, and you would have not deemed him good enough for a Second Division side. Now before you start some sort of mindless prattle about comparing Warne with Brian Clough (or even Nigel), I'm not. I'm just saying that, sometimes, a particular manager in a particular club at a certain time can be a good fit - or a bad one.
Coming back to the point I highlighted, it seems to me that people are either on board with Paul Warne or they're not, and it doesn't matter what he achieves this season or in any subsequent time that he may be at the club - the doubters/haters will still be doubters/haters, and the reason for that is simple - some people do not have the capability to ever admit in public that they were wrong, no matter how much evidence mounts up one way or the other.

Think back to last season when Paul insisted on 3/5 at the back which didn't work, and we limped from one poor result to another for a while. But then injuries meant that we had to go to 4 at the back, and then went on the good run for several matches. But as soon he could, we reverted to 3 at the back, and the run ended. 
We have had similar this season, and as you intimate a certain group of matches acted as a watershed, with some sections, especially at away matches, turning against the manager. But this was  followed a change in style, with crosses into the box being lower down, even at foot or knee level at times, and a degree of playing though the midfield, and yet again we went on a run of good results. This was aided by the arrival of Ebou Adams, which enabled us to go to Warne's preferred wing-back system. But once again we started reverting back to by-passing the midfield, noticeably against Northampton and Wycombe, and once again our results faltered. Especially when it became clear that teams had sussed that if they double up on our wide men, we have no answer, because to us midfield didn't exist. These were points thrown away. We could argue that maybe even if we did play through the middle we may have had the same results, because football is full of imponderables and opinions, but after finding that 3 in midfield benefits the team, I am baffled why we moved away from it again. 
I understand the concept of adapting to counter or exploit the opposition's strengths and weaknesses, the Leyton Orient game being a good example, but several times the "adapting" has been inexplicable. Cheltenham away, where they had been outplayed in midfield all season, let goals in for fun and were metaphorically stood in front of a barn door with a banjo in their hand, and no idea what it was for, but we decided to vacate midfield. They were there for the taking, but instead of imposing ourselves on them we retreated into our shell. There are a number of matches like this one which were crying out for us to impose ourselves, but which we let slip through our fingers, and represent points which would have made a huge difference. We really could have been secure in second place, and we really could have had an eye on top place. 
But in these last few matches I have been happy for us to grab points however we can to make sure - I am not confident of us surviving the play-offs successfully - and am also happy for Paul to do his stuff next season, although I hope he doesn't pull another "Cambridge second half" on Saturday. Although the defence was outstanding at the weekend, it was an  awful demonstration of non-football. We are better than that. However, we have got the results we needed, for which Warne should be congratulated, but we have been helped to a degree by there being a load of worse teams, but again, we are better than that.
We are blessed as a club because of the phenomenal commitment and loyalty of the fans, because the numbers are there despite what keeps getting served up year on year, because it clearly goes beyond entertainment. And indeed if all I wanted was entertainment, if all I wanted was free-flowing football, I would have given up my season ticket ages ago. But apart from a short period post-Newman, I have been around "since I was a lad", and have renewed for next season.
So here's to next season, the great unknown because we have no idea who will be playing for us, or how they will be playing. And here's to Paul Warne for actually doing what David Clowes employed him to do.

I disagree with play-offs. You've done enough to prove yourself over 46 matches, to finish 3rd in my opinion. Seems unfair you could fail to gain promotion to a team in 6th, finishing say,  20 points behind you and winning the play-offs

For those of a nervous disposition regards Saturday………here’s some chill medicine! 👍😁
Review of the match, pinched from the Carlisle forum.
Derby need a point for promotion and this can do funny things to you mentally. However, some pointers which may settle them down somewhat. There is staggering 69 point gap between the sides. They’re +78 ahead of us on goal difference. Home record for Derby, played 22, won 14, drawn 4, lost 4 – scored 39, conceded 18. Two of those home defeats came in August against Wigan and Oxford. They also lost against Peterborough on New Year’s Day and Charlton at the end of February – but since then have won their last five home games.
Last but not least, we have a Derby legend running our team. He has more appearances for the Rams and scored more goals than for any other club. Is he really going to be trying to win this fixture and potentially deny them promotion? Hmm…
Derby’s a decent away day, so those of you lucky enough to be in attendance - please take a second to take it all in, it may be a very long time before we “enjoy” a Saturday afternoon fixture in the sun at ground and club like this again, so make the most of it.

…………..all seems fair comment to me. 👍

B4 would be proud of you! 

Christ I knew Canada was a bit behind the times, but surely Anno Domini has reached there by now.
 

After 45 games it all comes down to this. Us or Bolton? The Rams the red hot favourites, with the best defence in the division playing the team bottom and long-since relegated. And needing only a draw. You can see why the bookies have us 1000/1 on but as a Derby fan I'm still nervous and feel it's going to be a long week.
Thrilled to be there. Will be thinking of Daniel who I never met, but who I exchanged posts with on this forum, and whose calls to arms I always loved. Will be remembering being at the BBG 49 years earlier to see the Rams lift the First Division title against Carlisle. Am with some of the same friends who came to the Derby Crystal Palace game with me, and we recreated Robbie van der Laan's header with on the pitch afterwards. Will be remembering the time Stephen Pearson scored his goal to send us into delirium at Wembley.
Will be thanking David Clowes for saving our club when all seemed lost. Darkest before the dawn. He deserves a fantastic day in which, yet again, and for only the third time in our history, Derby lift themselves out of the third tier after a two-season stint. But we have to do it first. Let's hope the players keep their eyes on the prize, backed all the way by long-suffering fans who do deserve some joy after the last few years.
Come on you Rams!
 

I’m also worried about Sunday.
No more anxiety. No more obsessing over line ups, tactics, homoerotic song lyrics and flags. 
I might have to face real life 😊
 

I agree, but some feminists think that tadgers are nothing but trouble.

Neither. It's your grammar 😛

Have a look at the Cambridge forum ! Want thd efl  to investigate us for fielding weaker team
That is not going to happen. 
Hasn't there been clubs in recent years that have started the season with a bunch of kids (Reading & Derby?). Later in the season their squads were strengthened significantly, but later opponents had no redress for having had to play a team of different strength,.
There may have been a reason for that you dozy bellend. 

U15s made it to the floodlit cup final today beating Southampton today  5   1 they play Chelsea 

To make a somewhat semi serious point though, the stupidity of all this is that on Sunday and yesterday Coventry deserved all the plaudits for the game they made of it at Wembley. Also Leeds vs Boro was another very good game of football last night and deserves credit (with a bit of damnation over both sides defending as well)!
But what are the top of football discussions at the minute? Antony celebrations, VAR decisions, pep moaning of fixture congestion’s and Forest losing the plot. If you want to know what is wrong with the premier league, it’s that they all live in a microcosm where they think we should all care about all these little things that shouldn’t matter over actual games of football.

Look at the bright side, at least it's Tuesday now 😁
This week is indeed crawling past though...