Addingham Ram

It feels like every weekend is a big weekend these days.
With Portsmouth, Bolton and Peterborough all away today, a home win today could be huge, should the others drop points.

It's a very good question Curtains.
I think we can all agree that it took us a long time to adapt to the way PW is setting us up / wants us to play.
Whilst the football may not be great, our results over the last dozen games or so has been bloody impressive, and if it continues, we will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. We do have some cover in most areas, especially when everyone is fit.
Bringing new players in might be beneficial, but how long might it take them to get up to speed with the PW way? Furthermore, what impact might it have on the moral of current players in that position?
Losing players would be a blow, even if it generated money to bring in new faces, partly for the above reasons.
Finally, PW stated some time ago that he wanted to do any transfer business early in the window. Would any transactions now not smack of desperation?
I'd stick with what we have and keep the faith.

It's a very good question Curtains.
I think we can all agree that it took us a long time to adapt to the way PW is setting us up / wants us to play.
Whilst the football may not be great, our results over the last dozen games or so has been bloody impressive, and if it continues, we will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. We do have some cover in most areas, especially when everyone is fit.
Bringing new players in might be beneficial, but how long might it take them to get up to speed with the PW way? Furthermore, what impact might it have on the moral of current players in that position?
Losing players would be a blow, even if it generated money to bring in new faces, partly for the above reasons.
Finally, PW stated some time ago that he wanted to do any transfer business early in the window. Would any transactions now not smack of desperation?
I'd stick with what we have and keep the faith.

This just makes a mockery of the whole loan system.
Parent clubs (usually a bigger / more successful clubs) hoover up more talent than they are ever going to need / use.
They then loan out players for fees on watertight contracts meaning they don't pay for those loaned out players during their development, or when they are injured.
Some of them will then  be sold on based on how they perform during a loan spell, some will be simply discarded, and the lucky few will be given an opportunity at their patent club.
The whole thing stinks.
What makes it even worse is clubs are encouraged to sell players they have brought through their academies because it is good for their FFP.
Perhaps there should be some kind of cap on the number of players any club can have in their academies, or are able to loan out.
It's only going to get worse unless the powers that be change the rules. But why would they?

This just makes a mockery of the whole loan system.
Parent clubs (usually a bigger / more successful clubs) hoover up more talent than they are ever going to need / use.
They then loan out players for fees on watertight contracts meaning they don't pay for those loaned out players during their development, or when they are injured.
Some of them will then  be sold on based on how they perform during a loan spell, some will be simply discarded, and the lucky few will be given an opportunity at their patent club.
The whole thing stinks.
What makes it even worse is clubs are encouraged to sell players they have brought through their academies because it is good for their FFP.
Perhaps there should be some kind of cap on the number of players any club can have in their academies, or are able to loan out.
It's only going to get worse unless the powers that be change the rules. But why would they?

This just makes a mockery of the whole loan system.
Parent clubs (usually a bigger / more successful clubs) hoover up more talent than they are ever going to need / use.
They then loan out players for fees on watertight contracts meaning they don't pay for those loaned out players during their development, or when they are injured.
Some of them will then  be sold on based on how they perform during a loan spell, some will be simply discarded, and the lucky few will be given an opportunity at their patent club.
The whole thing stinks.
What makes it even worse is clubs are encouraged to sell players they have brought through their academies because it is good for their FFP.
Perhaps there should be some kind of cap on the number of players any club can have in their academies, or are able to loan out.
It's only going to get worse unless the powers that be change the rules. But why would they?

This just makes a mockery of the whole loan system.
Parent clubs (usually a bigger / more successful clubs) hoover up more talent than they are ever going to need / use.
They then loan out players for fees on watertight contracts meaning they don't pay for those loaned out players during their development, or when they are injured.
Some of them will then  be sold on based on how they perform during a loan spell, some will be simply discarded, and the lucky few will be given an opportunity at their patent club.
The whole thing stinks.
What makes it even worse is clubs are encouraged to sell players they have brought through their academies because it is good for their FFP.
Perhaps there should be some kind of cap on the number of players any club can have in their academies, or are able to loan out.
It's only going to get worse unless the powers that be change the rules. But why would they?

This just makes a mockery of the whole loan system.
Parent clubs (usually a bigger / more successful clubs) hoover up more talent than they are ever going to need / use.
They then loan out players for fees on watertight contracts meaning they don't pay for those loaned out players during their development, or when they are injured.
Some of them will then  be sold on based on how they perform during a loan spell, some will be simply discarded, and the lucky few will be given an opportunity at their patent club.
The whole thing stinks.
What makes it even worse is clubs are encouraged to sell players they have brought through their academies because it is good for their FFP.
Perhaps there should be some kind of cap on the number of players any club can have in their academies, or are able to loan out.
It's only going to get worse unless the powers that be change the rules. But why would they?

Fleetwood 1 Derby 5
Time to get serious about going up.
FRGS JJ

And we probably won't get barely a mention on Sky or the BBC tonight, because they will be concentrating on the 'massive' Premier League clash between Palace and Brighton. And guess what, there'll be more at Pride Park tonight than Selhurst Park!

So frustrating isn't it?
If you listen back to his interview before the Crewe match in the FA Cup (I think it was the replay) when we were apparently really struggling with injuries, he said that he would have no problem at all playing some of the youngsters.
Then miraculously he managed to cobble a team together without any youngsters, and despite the crap performance, he refused to bring them on.
As someone else on here pointed out, not only is his approach blocking the development of our own youngsters, it must be having a real impact on Academy recruitment, when there is no obvious pathway into the first team squad.

So frustrating isn't it?
If you listen back to his interview before the Crewe match in the FA Cup (I think it was the replay) when we were apparently really struggling with injuries, he said that he would have no problem at all playing some of the youngsters.
Then miraculously he managed to cobble a team together without any youngsters, and despite the crap performance, he refused to bring them on.
As someone else on here pointed out, not only is his approach blocking the development of our own youngsters, it must be having a real impact on Academy recruitment, when there is no obvious pathway into the first team squad.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Wasn't able to be there today. Had to be at work, but managed to sneak out around 3.35, and stood alone in a freezing Yorkshire car park, thinking of all B4's posts, and wishing I was at Pride Park.
Today's result was for you B4.

Such sad news.
You're right Carl. This forum won't ever be the same without B4.
He was a true Ram.
RIP B4.

I admit that I was fully behind PW's appointment, especially on the back of 3 promotions from League One with that small club from South Yorkshire, but I'm now firmly in the 'we need to see something soon or things have to change' camp.
I realise we are still under some transfer restrictions, being those of the EFL, or those applied by David Clowes in trying to run the club sustainably, but as has been said many times by others, PW has been in charge for 50 odd games now, he has assessed our squad, brought in a lot of his own players, and still there appear little signs of improvement. It can certainly be argued we've gone backwards.
My biggest worry now is if we keep PW for another couple of transfer windows - potentially with less restrictions, might we have an even bigger rebuild if the axe were to fall on his reign?
Or do we get somebody else in before the next transfer window, somebody who is more adept at working with the players available and willing to play to the players' strengths, rather than trying to shoehorn players into unfamiliar roles in an unfamiliar playing system. I honestly think there is a decent amount of talent at the club, certainly enough, with the right manager, to be challenging for the top 6.
I'm happy to give PW until the end of October, but I'm hoping that unless there is a significant improvement, DC is putting together a plan B.