Leeds Ram

I'm a strong critic of Warne and have posted my happiness at the current state of play 🙂 Maybe some others aren't because they are at the game.... 

I'm a strong critic of Warne and have posted my happiness at the current state of play 🙂 Maybe some others aren't because they are at the game.... 

Sounds like the change in system is really helping the team look more cohesive. COYR

Really hope we can do something today to give the crowd something to shout about. I can't be there as got work to do before I leave for my holiday tomorrow. If we lose 4 on the bounce at home the pressure will really be on for Peterborough and Bolton you feel. We need not just a result but a decent performance too!

been some good games this world cup. You can see the standard really rising and getting much better which is great to see. Previously not been a fan due to tempo and the goalkeepers having real issues but this seems to have been rectified. 

Yeah not to be mean about him but if he was a horse he'd be glue by now tbh. 

been some good games this world cup. You can see the standard really rising and getting much better which is great to see. Previously not been a fan due to tempo and the goalkeepers having real issues but this seems to have been rectified. 

been some good games this world cup. You can see the standard really rising and getting much better which is great to see. Previously not been a fan due to tempo and the goalkeepers having real issues but this seems to have been rectified. 

Christ. I’ve seen some awful takes before but this is up there.

Yep. The title was rushed and clumsily worded. I don’t blame him for anything, and certainly not yet. Wanted to have a discussion of the following:
1) Is it ever acceptable to respectfully criticise Clowes’ decision making?
2) If so, when does it become acceptable to respectfully criticise?
3) Are there any decisions that Clowes has made that give you some cause for concern in regard to our ability to get out of League One and push for the Premier League, which is presumably the ultimate goal?

David Clowes is & will always be a hero at this club. He was also a reluctant hero & it'll be the threat of threads like this that'll be the reason why.
Decisions can obviously be questioned - its the personalisation & need to find a blame figure that I'm struggling with, particularly aimed at someone who has gone far above & beyond any Derby fan to help the club. For example, I strongly disagreed with the decision not to offer Rosenior the full time manager position last September & the decision to hire Warne but I would never 'blame' Clowes for how its turned out. He acted in what he thought were the best interests of the club at the time & that's all you can ask. As a total novice to owning a football club, its unreasonable to expect everything to go perfectly.

He's the reason we're still in professional football and not looking for people like me to lace up their boots against Belper Town on a Saturday.
The man not only saved the football club but saved our city. Leave him alone.

Really? I would rather have 21 Oxford home games and a club, than no club at all.
What ever is wrong at the moment can be fixed. Having no club can't.

I like the drum and it's a shame it has gone. Thought when the lad was at the front of the stand it helped get people going and keep momentum when songs were becoming more sparse. It's a bit annoying as well given that the south stand is now essentially season ticket holder only that people are complaining. I'm now sitting in the east stand as I can't get a ticket in there now. It's very different and not really my cup of tea (prefer to stand, shout, and not feel self-conscious when doing so) so to see people actively harming the atmosphere or not joining in, when plenty would like to be there is a bit frustrating. 

Not sure why we'd get rid of him unless he really wants to go. We need to definitely have him in the squad this year, so a loan back would be really important. I'm not convinced he'd be cut out for premier league football, so they'd always be the chance of another loan next season too you would think. 

I like the drum and it's a shame it has gone. Thought when the lad was at the front of the stand it helped get people going and keep momentum when songs were becoming more sparse. It's a bit annoying as well given that the south stand is now essentially season ticket holder only that people are complaining. I'm now sitting in the east stand as I can't get a ticket in there now. It's very different and not really my cup of tea (prefer to stand, shout, and not feel self-conscious when doing so) so to see people actively harming the atmosphere or not joining in, when plenty would like to be there is a bit frustrating. 

My thoughts too.
As much as we would love him to get every decision he makes regarding the football club correct, it’s just not practical and things will go wrong. He’s got the freedom of Derby until he so wishes providing obviously nothing sinister which is incredibly unlikely. 

I like the drum and it's a shame it has gone. Thought when the lad was at the front of the stand it helped get people going and keep momentum when songs were becoming more sparse. It's a bit annoying as well given that the south stand is now essentially season ticket holder only that people are complaining. I'm now sitting in the east stand as I can't get a ticket in there now. It's very different and not really my cup of tea (prefer to stand, shout, and not feel self-conscious when doing so) so to see people actively harming the atmosphere or not joining in, when plenty would like to be there is a bit frustrating. 

I like the drum and it's a shame it has gone. Thought when the lad was at the front of the stand it helped get people going and keep momentum when songs were becoming more sparse. It's a bit annoying as well given that the south stand is now essentially season ticket holder only that people are complaining. I'm now sitting in the east stand as I can't get a ticket in there now. It's very different and not really my cup of tea (prefer to stand, shout, and not feel self-conscious when doing so) so to see people actively harming the atmosphere or not joining in, when plenty would like to be there is a bit frustrating. 

I like the drum and it's a shame it has gone. Thought when the lad was at the front of the stand it helped get people going and keep momentum when songs were becoming more sparse. It's a bit annoying as well given that the south stand is now essentially season ticket holder only that people are complaining. I'm now sitting in the east stand as I can't get a ticket in there now. It's very different and not really my cup of tea (prefer to stand, shout, and not feel self-conscious when doing so) so to see people actively harming the atmosphere or not joining in, when plenty would like to be there is a bit frustrating. 

I know there are ample threads popping up all relating to a similar topic of discussion, but wanted to air this one out (for my own peace of mind) and gauge what the majority thought. 
I had day of mostly driving between meetings today and found myself replaying last night’s disaster in my head. I was driving for over an hour just exhausting my own thoughts and feelings on the game last night, without noticing that I hadn’t even turned the radio on. I honestly couldn’t think of another time a result/performance had such a detrimental impact on my view of the team, club and the way things were being run. Situations around the club, obviously have, but never one performance which made me think what does David Clowes actually make of it all?
By all accounts, he had a vision for Derby County which essentially accumulated to building a successful side on the back of being commercially savvy, recruiting well and while not banging ‘the Derby way’ drum, was definitely hopeful of an aesthetically pleasing football team to watch. We all understood he didn’t have Candy Crush money to burn, as did he, but I think we all hoped that the club would follow in the footsteps of other clubs who have built and not bought by making smart decisions and ultimately working harder than rival sides who share our aspirations. 
Last summer was a little bit of a rush job, but all things considered Rosenior (and probably Rooney initially) had done really well to work around our restrictions and build competitive side for the level we were at. The season got off to a steady yet slow start and with Rosenior only hired in an interim basis, I felt (and I imagine the majority) it was only a matter of time before he was hired on an official basis. Clowes, obviously, had other plans and to his credit wanted to do a thorough process and see what was available to him with the vision he had at the club. Warne was his choice and he pointed to his previous promotions at this level as the reason, few could argue against his points and reasoning, but obviously there were some reservations regarding his playing style, his previous relegations and how he would handle the move away from Rotherham above all else. 
Needless to say we saw a fairly quick change in our approach and we were moving the ball a lot faster down the pitch and having less possession. We then went on a little bit of a purple patch (20 unbeaten) but I felt just before we actually finally lost that we had seen performances slip and when we finally lost it was hard for us to get back on track. We had completely transitioned by that point into a more Warne set-up with 3 at the back a lot of the time over the final quarter of the season. Obviously, how we have started this season needs no further explanation otherwise this thread wouldn’t be a thing. 
On to the recruitment, namely Mark Thomas, who came in from Oxford following praise for his good work there. We were obviously looking for someone with a little bit of knowledge of our level and below, in my opinion, who had shown a competence in recruiting cheap(er) players who had potential to grow with the team. The summer recruitment, at least at this snapshot in time, looks a bit of a disaster. If you asked me who our best signing was from this summer based on minutes played, it would undoubtedly be Waghorn - a player invited to train with the club on nothing more than the proximity of his home. Not a player we scoped out, not a player we headhunted - a player who could probably peddle a bike into training should he so wish. 
We have had Paul Warne explain what he’s teams are all about: the high relentless press, the high energy, speed… the recruitment doesn’t mirror that in the slightest. We’ve signed players who fans would’ve heard of, out-of-contract from Championship clubs (for the most part) and above all else - experienced. The budget has been bemoaned but we have recruited in a far different fashion to every other League One club because no other League One club can afford to go and sign players who are accustom to Championship wages. You have to then think to the likes of Sonny Bradley who has had an horrendous start and been dragged off at half-time twice in four games. Both Warne and Thomas would’ve been banging Clowes’ table for him and saying how this is the guy who can lead this defence back into the Championship. Obviously the due diligence hadn’t been done because now it’s coming to light that he’s not looked remotely similar to the player he was since his injury - which is probably the player we’re watching now.
It brings me back to my point: What on earth must Clowes be thinking? He’s given Warne and his staff the keys to the castle based on what he told him and now four games in the whole thing looks like a dog’s dinner - substantially worse than where we were 12 months ago under Rosenior. A decision, I’m absolutely sure, he would reverse if given the opportunity to replay it again. He now has to consider the direction of the club and importantly how to direct it again in a progressive direction. I don’t believe Clowes is someone who is going to drop a guy with 3 years left on his contract without substantial reason so I question what comes next - does he refresh the recruitment of the club? Does he try and have some influence over the football operation of the club - perhaps even hire a director of football to steer the direction for him as he has seen how even the best laid plans can capitulate when decisions aren’t aligned, i.e. playing recruitment and playing style. 
I feel for the bloke because ultimately the weight is heavy on his shoulders and the club is a pressure cooker at the moment. 

Thinking about it rationally, I can't envisage a scenario this year where Warne gets the sack. The investment of a 4 year contract and our limited finances must be too large. However, I can see a scenario where the fan base becomes so toxic Warne can't handle the pressure and walks out. He'll resign if he doesn't right the ship in the next 10 games. You can see the fans turning already on him. He's not used to having 25,000 people boo or shout at him, and it must take its toll. 

It's got nothing to do with losing to 'lowly Oxford', and btw the big chip on the shoulders of third-division teams gets a bit tiresome tbh. It's got everything to do with how we played, how we have played in the past, and our current lack of a plan. We weren't good enough for our standards, for where we want to be, which is like any team near the top of the division. I thought you were good value for your win, and if we had nicked a point at the end it would have been criminal. You looked like everything we were not; well-organised, quick, strong, and well-balanced. 

Thinking about it rationally, I can't envisage a scenario this year where Warne gets the sack. The investment of a 4 year contract and our limited finances must be too large. However, I can see a scenario where the fan base becomes so toxic Warne can't handle the pressure and walks out. He'll resign if he doesn't right the ship in the next 10 games. You can see the fans turning already on him. He's not used to having 25,000 people boo or shout at him, and it must take its toll. 

It's got nothing to do with losing to 'lowly Oxford', and btw the big chip on the shoulders of third-division teams gets a bit tiresome tbh. It's got everything to do with how we played, how we have played in the past, and our current lack of a plan. We weren't good enough for our standards, for where we want to be, which is like any team near the top of the division. I thought you were good value for your win, and if we had nicked a point at the end it would have been criminal. You looked like everything we were not; well-organised, quick, strong, and well-balanced.