Ilkestonian

Pre match was just our normal routine of beers and food at The Smithfield but after, we celebrated with 5 glasses of champagne at Seven 🍾🥂 🙂

Further argues the point that if you want to strip Man City of their titles after 2018 (when the charges go up to), then you will have to strip Leicester of their fairytale PL title too.
 

Pre match was just our normal routine of beers and food at The Smithfield but after, we celebrated with 5 glasses of champagne at Seven 🍾🥂 🙂

Best season we have had in a bloody long time , ground was full to the ginnells Saturday with most staying long after the whistle to celebrate and leaving extremely happy , I was surrounded by singing all the way back to the car , seen some great goals scored and seen some not so great performances in games at times over a long season , if we get promoted this season will live long in the memory of this old boy who’s seen the great times and the lowest of lows ,it will live long as the warne promotion season that I really enjoyed ,
simple fact is we have one or two posters who are intent on rubbishing anything achieved and winding people up trying to stop them enjoying all the good stuff that’s happening for our club and us fans,
honestly ? Just stick them on ignore or read there stuff , see it for what it is , laugh and move on without replying and giving them the pleasure of winding you up ,
it really is that simple 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

We won our most important game in a long time on Saturday and all you have done since is spout your usual negative b*******. Seriously, why don't you just take a day off and let the fans enjoy the moment instead of trying to rain on everyone's parade. Better still, why don't you disappear and only come back when DCFC are actually bringing some joy into your life.

Just going to report that the 'ignore' function isn't working but just got it sorted - thank heavens!
 

A more advanced level of football that, for example, Bolton play??
To paraphrase Woody Harrelson in White Men Can’t Jump, would you rather look good & lose, than look bad and win?? 
This isn’t figure skating, you don’t get extra points for style.
I’ve just been reading through Don Dietrich’s tweets from the fans forum and Warne has said that if we were to go up, the playing staff will have to change considerably.  That tells me he knows what’s required for this team to improve. And maybe play a better brand of football.  
 

Saturday 23rd March
Northampton vs Derby
Sixfields Stadium (KO 1500)
 
Parking: There is apparently parking available at the ground (NN5 5QA) for a fiver or at a place called Duston Mill (NN5 5FP).
Opponents Bio: Founded in 1897, Northampton Town are well known by their nickname, 'The Cobblers', a nod to the town's historic shoe-making industry. Previously based adjacent to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, their move in 1994 now sees them play home matches at the 7,798 capacity Sixfields Stadium.
The swinging 60's was quite the decade to be a member of the Shoe Army as Northampton started the 1960/61 season in the fourth tier of the English game before three promotions and three relegations saw them back in Division 4 (ask your parents kids) in time for the 1969/70 campaign. Their one season in the top division was their only appearance at that level in their history so far. Indeed, since their relegation in 1966/67 from what is now the Championship, the Cobblers have played each of the subsequent 56 seasons in either the third or fourth tier. That run could have been broken in 1993/94 when they finished bottom of League 2 but they had a reprieve as Kidderminster Harriers' ground wasn't deemed suitable for the Football League.
This season sees Town looking to consolidate a League 1 berth after their promotion from League 2 in 2022/23 and sitting in 14th place and well clear of the drop zone they have comfortably achieved their initial target. A decent run of results could see them finish in the top half as they are one of four sides on 50 points before this weekend.
Opponents Gaffer & Dangermen: They are managed by an Australian, Jon Brady, who I know nothing about. 
Top scorers for Northampton this season are Sam Hoskins (14 goals), Kieron Bowie (eight) and Mitch Pinnock (six, plus seven assists). They also have Huddersfield loanee Tyreece Simpson and another loanee is a certain Tony Springett who played a few times for ourselves last year.
Other Titbits & Links to DCFC: Notable names associated with Saturday's opponents include former managers Herbert Chapman (of Huddersfield and Arsenal fame), Tony Barton (European Cup winning manager at Villa), Chris Wilder (when he was good), Ian Atkins (coming good again at Tranmere maybe), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Aidy Boothroyd and Graham Carr (father of comedy twins Alan and Jimmy). Their most famous ex-player is probably former Liverpool and England full-back, Phil Neal.
Derby links include Kevin Wilson (managed them) and those who played for both clubs include John Gregory, Ian Taylor and Marco Gabbiadini.
Opponents Form: They've struggled over the past five games, picking up just two points from draws against Charlton at home and Cambridge away. They've lost two on the bounce, both without scoring, with a 1-0 defeat at home to Blackpool followed on Saturday by a 2-0 loss at Wycombe. 
Their league record at home is respectable overall, reading: W8-D5-L6.
Rams History vs Northampton: We tempted fate against Bolton by highlighting the fact that they had never won in the league at Pride Park in 10 attempts. Lets be bold again by stating that;
Derby have never lost a competitive fixture against Northampton.
It's true. Six FA Cup ties (four original and two replays) and seven League matches is the sum total of the two clubs' historical matches against each other but the Rams have managed eight wins and five draws thus far. 
In League matches only, we currently stand at W4-D3-L0 with an away record of W2-D1-L0 on their turf.
The match earlier this season at Pride Park saw Derby run out comfortable 4-0 victors in a game where we saw the best of Conor Washington and a brace by Max Bird.
Likely Rams XI: We can possibly expect a change or two. Or maybe three? Assuming we maintain the back three then Warne has to decide between a recall for Sonny Bradley after illness or sticking with Fozzy. I'd be amazed if he didn't stay with Craig Maldini tbh. 
There are obvious doubts over those withdrawn against Bolton. Gayle is surely out and Barkhuizen and Ward are possibly struggling too. The gaffer also needs to make a decision on Hourihane as we look better with either Smith or Thompson in the middle (or both ideally for me) alongside Ebou Adams who must surely be our transfer target #1 for the summer. 
A return to the 18 for Conor Washington (MotM in the reverse fixture) would be welcome.
Other Notable Fixtures: None. Certainly not as far as those chasing automatic promotion is concerned. We are the only one of the five involved in that battle for a top two finish to be playing so it's a perfect opportunity to apply pressure on those now playing catch up with us. Seven points with a game in hand has to seem psychologically further away for Bolton than the current four points and equal games played so hopefully we can turn that screw.
COYR
 

The trouble is that I believe that some of these posters are nothing but wums, by trying to persuade them to see the error of their ways, you are just feeding them. Every time one of us bites and replies to their ridiculous posts, they're laughing behind their keyboard that they've took another 'victim'. 
There are 2 ways to sort this problem out, the quick way is for the moderators to kick them off, but that is difficult to identify the true wums. Secondly, it's up to us to just ignore them, without responses to their ridiculous posts, they will eventually give up and go away.

Similar to what @Animal is a Ram said I guess. I’m always willing to listen to and consider other people’s opinions even when I don’t agree with them, and can occasionally show some humility if I’m wrong, so like trying to encourage that bit of consideration and self-awareness in others. However I am coming to the conclusion, similar to what I did with ap04 the other day that some people are just set up to goad others and have no interest in considering an alternative perspective, so maybe it’s not worth the challenge with them. 

Don’t know why folk engage with this troll (not you Caerphilly ) or the Ap04 one. Doesn’t matter how good your argument is they will come up with more nonsense. Not worth reading or replying to their posts 
 

Any chance we can just ban this tedious p****? ^^^
Bad timing @FlyBritishMidland! The one above you obviously.

You’re right.  Let’s ignore the actual result, the points awarded and league position and instead focus on a hypothetical scenario against an average team at a neutral ground.  Makes perfect sense.

Hope you are not at the last 3 games,or if you are hope you don't sit next to me🤣😂

For heavans sake lighten up
.

Are you and Roy Mac related, as you both talk absolute rubbish. 

To address Gayle's injury and knocks to two other players. Had you actually watched the game, you'd have known this. 

I'm not here to challenge anyones opinions, they are what they are, let them be.
Personally I'm delighted with the job that Warne is doing, I think Dwight Gayles recent interview and the scenes at full time in front of a sell out crowd on Saturday show the togetherness of this team is a credit to the management team. 
His style may seem a little unorthodox to some and it won't suit every player, yet it's working with what was assembled whilst scraping barrels under EFL's restrictions makes it even more of an achievement.
When you look at the likes of Sunderland, Leeds, Forest who came down here, to think we can be in and out in 2 seasons is truly remarkable given the state of the club.
Important to point out, the season isn't done, we still have 7 huge games to play before we can start to think about the Championship, although no matter what happens between now and May, I have seen significant improvement to be fully behind Warne next season regardless of what division we are in.

Just read some of the crap being posted that Bolton were the better team and deserved at the least a draw, what utter rubbish.
Over the years have we've heard managers and football pundits say that good teams know how to win ugly when things aren't going right for them.
How many games have we had sixty plus percent of the game only to come away losing. Saturday we achieved what Bolton, with all their perceived better football couldn't do, we scored a goal that won the game.
If that was winning ugly, then I'll that from the remaining seven games, if it means we accumulate the points required to see us promoted.
 

Looked a very deliberate decision to mark all of his passing options and see if he could figure it out from there.
The last thing we wanted to be doing was give him an easy pass to Sheehan. 

People keep referring to this still taken from a video as if it's conclusive evidence that Waghorn  handled the ball (maybe it also hit the hand of the Bolton defender that is 'obviously' immediately behind Waghorn and in the path of the ball 😄) but at full speed Waghorn lifts his arm to let the ball pass. Odd that no-one from Bolton has produced a slo-mo clip that would show frame-by-frame what actually happened, isn't it? 😏
I'm now more than ever convinced that the goal wouldn't have been disallowed even under VAR, because whatever faint touch the ball got on Waggy's arm (it certainly wasn't vice-versa) didn't affect the outcome.

Decided to read through the thread after hearing the inspiring albeit sad tale of your recently passed young supporter. This post popped out. 
 
Year after year we’ve had close calls with promotion and have thrown it away.  Even now with the lead we have I won’t believe we are promoted until it’s mathematically safe. 
 
After hearing the story about B4 I genuinely hope it’s Pompy and Derby who go up in the automatics. What a fitting tribute that would be for someone who was obviously well loved by this forum and had a good heart. 
 
 

Thats class. Pompy it is then 👌. 

Win something again ? ,,,,, winning something is done by winning single games of football , when you really are a derby fan then games like Saturday against Bolton cannot fail to get right into you , the excitement, the joy ,the passion just fills you and bubbles out , you can’t help it , you roy are one of two this week who has none of that , not one iota of that , the only passion is to come on and rubbish it , @ Chrismartin only passion to come on and tell us how poor the league is , sorry but I don’t see derby fans there and not being able to get to games for any reason is not a factor , it’s in you even if the best you can manage is to follow results , I know , I’ve been there in that position many times over the years 
the best you’ve managed ( like pulling teeth ) is begrudgingly saying you will be happy if we are promoted when pulled up and pressed on this constant rubbishing of everything derby and trying to destroy others joy at good times for us and our club ,, ffs we’ve had our fill of bad stuff for the last few years🤷🏻‍♂️

I think I could leave the forum for weeks, get married, go on my honeymoon, see Derby further strengthen their grip on second with two or three wins, and still come back to the same two or three posters trying to downplay the job Warne is doing.
Even after a hard-fought win against a direct rival where Warne clearly had the tactical edge, they are still picking faults.
How tiresome.