Leeds Ram

Need to follow our work on from Portsmouth. Don't get drawn into Wycombe's games, stay above the fray and knock them out with a clean punch. Attack with pace and movement and they simply won't be able to cope. 

1 hour ago, Mucker1884 said:

Such anniversaries are never great mate.  We just have to soldier on, I guess.

Not long passed both my parents birthdays (late Jan & early Feb), and whilst it does technically "get easier" as the years go by, the fade is admittedly minimal, and it still smarts over 4 decades later (Yeah, they both failed to reach their 50's!)

Personally, I go for a little nod towards "a birthday celebration", be that a short-sharp happy memory, a raised glass, or even a cheery wave skywards (if nobody's looking!).  It doesn't do to dwell on the negatives, but I appreciate that can sometimes be easier said than done.

Hang on in there buddy... and give the wave a try to the (not-so) old man, on his birthday!  🍻

Yeah the anniversaries are never fun but as you say soldier on! I'm sorry to hear about your losses too. I've got some friends coming over on the date of my dad's birthday for a few drinks so will likely raise a glass to him and try to enjoy the day as much as I can 🙂

1 hour ago, Mostyn6 said:

not wishing to downplay your worries in any way shape or form, and would never tell you how to feel about a beloved family member, but I have vast experience in the contracting/redundancy and general lack of security, and as s*** as it is, I've found that as long as I pick myself up, dust myself down, and conduct myself properly, the rewards will come and the situation resolves itself, I hope that whatever happens workwise, you back yourself and your ability and you are fine.

Thanks Mostyn 🙂 Yeah, I've been talking to my partner and am applying for a few jobs and am waiting on a decision for funding on a new project so I am trying to stay as positive as I can. I am probably quite a 'glass half empty' person tbh, which is something I should probably work on. 

35 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

LOL, not sure how you figured my post was in response to anything you wrote and equally how you would see it as anything other than tongue in cheek and in need of an explanation. For clarity, the 'clever people' I referred to are those in charge, that is, our leaders et al, not your good self.

My mistake. I assumed it was in response as it touched on the very same topics I posted about 🙂 

47 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

Probably not the right place, as I ain't depressed in the true sense...

But I am more than a little down at present, and have also just realised I likely won't be feeling the buzz next matchday, as we'll be waving off my Father in Law earlier on Wednesday afternoon at Bramcote Crem, before drinking to his memory over in Ilson (In a back street pub on the actual street where he was born in 1931, and in the heart of the area he spent his entire 92.8 years!  I like that... a lot!)

Guess it will just have to be one of those occasions where football takes a firm second place to things more important!

I'll be back on it Thursday, and raring to go for the final push!  🍻

Hope he has a great send off Mucker 🙂

1 hour ago, richinspain said:

Hopefully the Rams can give you some feel good factor this month. Look after yourself.

Thanks 🙂 

18 hours ago, Comrade 86 said:

Ah, we thickos have stumbled on something here. I'm thinking there's something to the apparently warped logic after all. Clearly after WW1 and WW2, we should not have negotiated the terms of the Nazi surrender with Germany, but instead with someone nicer. The Belgians maybe? They're almost German, but less genocidal and they make lovely chocolate and beer. They let dogs in their restaurants too and anyone who is nice to doggos is alright with me. Or perhaps the Dutch as an alternative? They're a pretty chilled bunch on account of being too stoned to bother having a row, so they'd be way more compliant and easy to deal with. Food for thought! 

The problem with your example here is that we didn't negotiate terms of surrender with the Nazis... their surrender had to be unconditional and absolute for us to accept it. I was merely highlighting that it's very easy to say let's get a ceasefire. Almost everyone can agree with that tbh. The bigger problem, besides stopping the clock for a few months or even a few years, necessitates trying to dig out a form of a solution from this mess. Finding a solution that both Israel and Palestine can stomach is further away than it likely has been since 48 itself if current surveys are to be believed. 

Always hate this month as it would have been my dad's birthday. This year he'd have been 60. Also got the additional stress of my academic job contract running down and trying to work out if I'll get an extension or not... with my industry in the doldrums it's not a fun time to say the least. Also been feeling really down generally with work and struggling to find the motivation to finish what needs to be done. 

13 hours ago, ariotofmyown said:

If you are a reasonable and moderate Israeli, you must be worried about the future.

Most support and goodwill will be ebbing away across the world. Worrying too that the government are democratically elected. What does it say about the state of the electorate?

If Israel do become properly isolated, they are facing a very dangerous future. How many Palestinians will they continue to slaughter before this happens though?

The military were against the government before it all kicked off. Perhaps there needs to be a milatry coup in Israel asap to save Israel.

Offer peace, a proper 2 state solution, no more settlements, and economic aid in return for the hostages. Plus the people who organised the initial attacks, alongside Netenyaru and friends, to The Hague.

Most Israeli's support the war on Gaza and the big problem is constructing a Palestinian state. There's nothing really to work with. Obviously Hamas can't be leaders of the new state, the Palestinian Authority lack all legitimacy and there is the territorial nightmare of what Palestine would be constructed of... That's not even thinking about the 'right of return' which has traditionally been a stumbling block. When people talk of ceasefire I get that and it's the right thing to do on a humanitarian level. However, that merely stops the clock. It doesn't change the structural barriers to a long term solution. 

Really sorry to hear this David. All you can do I guess is keep your head up and try to enjoy the positives. You can't know what the future will bring but I hope it is full of happiness. 

Having watched the game I was really happy with our performance. In the first half we were absolutely excellent and deserved to go in ahead overall. We pounced when needed and looked menacing on the break. In the second half, we sat back a bit more which is understandable but our shape was generally excellent. I've been really critical of Warne but overall he got this pretty much spot on and we deserved a point. If I had one criticism, I would have subbed Collins 15 minutes earlier for Washington and took off Smith for Thompson a tad earlier too. On their second, having looked at it, I do think Wildsmith could have done a bit better too. 

But we're now in such a good position! If we beat Wycombe I really fancy us to finish this off. I can't see the chasers picking up maximum points so I'd guess we're allowed one more draw and win the rest. We can do this Derby!!

The win along with the slip ups puts us in such a good position. I'm really thinking we're going to do this. I think 2 more wins and we're probably over the line given the inconsistency of everyone else. Just need to dig in and get a point against Portsmouth to keep the train going and beat Wycombe to seal the deal. 

At this point, there are so many permutations it is very hard to know where we'll end up. My best guess is if we get a couple of the attacking players back before Wycombe we'll probably scrape through automatically. If not then it'll be the playoffs and a lottery. I'd fancy us given what an advantage Pride Park can be in a second leg... but who knows at this point. 

So frustrated about yesterday. We had such a good chance to actually go clear and put all the pressure on those chasing us. Now all the pressure is all on us. I would imagine by after the Portsmouth game we'll be 3rd or 4th given the difficulty of those games. I would hope we would be sitting on a cushion so all we'd have to do would be to win the games against Carlisle, Cambridge and Leyton Orient. If we want automatics we'll need to beat Blackpool and perhaps even get a point from Portsmouth. In the playoffs who knows if we win or not. I'd back us to get to the final if we finished 3rd as Pride Park will be a fortress for the home leg. 

1 minute ago, Tamworthram said:

@Beetle I have to say, that apart from the usual mad rush when tickets are first released for my category, I don't remember having any problems.

Although I'm not going, I've just taken a look at buying a ticket for Wycombe and, although there was only one seat available 😀, I didn't have a problem. (NB, I didn't actually select the seat)

It might just be my browser but i frequently find 'no events available' on the tickets section.

reading michael sandel's democracy's discontent and not long started vision or mirage by david rundell about MBS 'reforms' in Saudi Arabia. Really enjoying both tbh and Sandel is a modern master of political history. 

5 minutes ago, Beetle said:

I can't get through to the ticket office and cannot buy a seat via the website. Season ticket holders, away membership and went to 5+ last year. It's a joke.

The website is an absolute mess and makes it very difficult to buy tickets either at home or away. It definitely needs sorting in time for next season to make it more functional. 

He's not a vandal but also not much of an artist. His paintings values are already falling through the floor precisely because they rested on mystique and a message which hasn't much developed in the past decade. Stagnation in art is akin to going backwards

13 minutes ago, angieram said:

Exactly. At the moment I can still stand if I have to, (which is 90% of our matches) but what happens when I can't? No more away games? 

Which would be terrible. Clubs can do it they just need the willpower to be strict about it. 

Peterborough playing so many games in such a short time will help us but at this point they are our biggest threat. But ultimately it is in our hands. One game at a time! i think 4 wins probably gets us over the line. If we can't muster 4 wins from Carlisle, Leyton Orient, Northampton, Wycombe and Cambridge then I don't know what to say. Portsmouth and Blackpool are our 'bonus games' where if we gain anything it puts pressure off for some of the other games. Ideally we go into Carlisle with our party hats and flags out without having to bite our nails. 

I think clubs need to adopt safe standing spaces for away fans and vigorously ensure at least 20% is sit down only for those who are unable to sit. Football in the past 30 years has become a much better environment for children, women and those who are older. It'd be terrible if people started drifting away because a few people can't bear to sit for 90 minutes. Don't get me wrong at home games I'd prefer to be standing. But I respect the fact that when not in the South Stand it's not appropriate or fair for me to do so. 

12 hours ago, Foreveram said:

Sorry I didn’t mean it sound rude😂

Only 6 tickets left in the West stand and 86 in the East stand.

 I think they’ll wait till a few of the seats behind the goal and in the corners have gone and then open up some more, including the two at the side of me in EU block I.

No you didn't at all 🙂 Yeah I'm imagining the same thing 🙂 

1 minute ago, Foreveram said:

Like I said previously I think there’s probably around another 1,000 to add on.

Currently very few left in the East and West stands for Carlisle.

Sorry I didn't see that. I just thought I'd check as my partner really wants to go to this one but I'm waiting for seats in some better areas 🙂 

16 hours ago, Foreveram said:

Only 1,662 tickets left for Carlisle, around 500 sold today.

I'm presuming like bolton they'll put more on sale as they get close to selling out?

Such a big win. I was gutted that I couldn't be there due to a family commitment but I kept checking the score. It didn't matter how we won but that we won. Pride Park sounded amazing from the videos going around on social media and I hope we can replicate that kind of noise for the last few games of the season. Given what a horrid time we've been through the past 5 years I don't think anyone can deny we deserve a bit of glory. I was absolute anti-warne at the start of the season and I'm still unconvinced he's the man for us in the next tier. But you've got to feel glad for the bloke who's now clearly loving his time here. I really feel that we'll get across the finish line into the autos now even if we have a slight dip. We've got a bit of leg room so hopefully we can make the most of it!