FlyBritishMidland

We have made a signing knowing Beilik was injured and chose not to cover that position. This is a new injury so EFL will allow us to cover it. EFL may have a million inadequacies but this isn’t one. When you constantly play with fire you tend to get burnt in the end. Morris probably not looking as smug anymore 

I think that’s due to the number of players in those positions.  We have quite a few central midfielders (OK none exactly like Beilik) so there’s plenty of cover.  We don’t have many strikers, only Stretton.

The problem at this football club is not the manager.
That being said, I do not like this tactic we attempt to execute while in possession.
The full backs go right up the pitch as wingers, the holding midfielders go to full back, the attacking midfielders drop in and try and dictate things from deep.
It just leaves us so open and disjointed. When it breaks down, we're at sixes and sevens.
We want to see more from our captain Tom Lawrence this season, but we won't if he's playing as a defensive midfielder. 
It just doesn't work. Stop doing it. 

Yup.
The time to have sacked him was last season.
Clearly, if we cannot afford Shay Given's salary, we cannot afford Rooney's compensation package.
Maybe gardening leave just as a damage limitation exercise?
But, I'm not sure anything will really change until the ownership changes. That's not even a criticism of Mel, there's enough doing that. We just need a new era to begin.

I don't want Rooney as manager.
I didn't want him at the club in the first place.
But the club is in a terrible state. The squad is the poorest it's been for years.
And yet, Rooney has been very dignified throughout the past couple of very difficult months.*
I'm not sure any manager could save us this season.
We need a new owner, ownership of the stadium and an end to the EFL soap opera. Then we can have a total reset.
* Personal life excluded.

I think that’s due to the number of players in those positions.  We have quite a few central midfielders (OK none exactly like Beilik) so there’s plenty of cover.  We don’t have many strikers, only Stretton.

This is brilliant.
 

Just got back from one of the country’s most renowned specialists for treating dogs with hip dysplasia and the news wasn’t the best.
Ruby has basically got no socket for the ball of her hip joint to slip into. They seemed very reluctant to carry out a hip replacement operation and have suggested 6 weeks total rest, a new drug and the possibility of removing the ball of her hip joint which means she’ll walk like she’s drunk but be pain free.
I know some have a pre conceived idea of the Rottweiler but I was compensated a little when a nurse told us she was a star and the best Rottie they had ever examined so to those who have doubts about the breed, please, judge the owner not the breed. 

Having lost my 19 year old cat a few months ago, I gave in and agreed we could get another one. Unfortunately one turned into three! And they're famous too:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57156565
Scooby (freshly snipped) and his sisters Callie & Meg (all renamed since we adopted them)
 

I just want to apologise for the delay, my absence, my handling of the situation and try to explain what has happened.
The meeting on Wednesday was scheduled to end at 8.45pm, my last train home was 9.33pm, I slipped out just after 9pm as I didn’t have clothes, medication, toiletries with me as I wasn’t planning on staying overnight.
When the meeting had finished, an agreement was made where one statement would be written and signed off by all groups, this is the first time anything like this had been agreed, I was under the impression we would be allowed to report back as normal.
Being completely unaware of this, whilst waiting for my train I saw a conversation take place on my Twitter timeline discussing the meeting minutes, when would they be out.
I replied, that the meeting minutes were not taken and we would be sharing the information ourselves, which as I say I was under the impression would be allowed, why else attend? I thought I was being helpful.
Now I can see on reflection I was clearly naive in not appreciating the number of fans waiting online for what was said at the meeting, would see the tweet whilst was part of a conversation, which was also public and could be seen and shared by others. The tweet blew up online having been retweeted, I’m not exaggerating when I say maybe hundred or more replies, some abusive to the point where I had to turn notifications off as my phone was freezing with as I came back into an area with phone signal.
On the forum I did pre warn members not to expect anything Wednesday evening, the minutes can sometimes take a few days to a couple of weeks before being released. I was going with the intention of asking the club if the minutes could be released within 24 hours or that we could release the information immediately. Obviously once we was told the minutes would not be taken all that went out the window and believed we was free to report back immediately, and that was the plan.
Again, I was clearly naive to the fact fans on Twitter would not be aware of this, so when I wasn’t replying to all the tweets with thumbs up or down if it’s good news, or are we going to have a club next week the levels of abuse increased, despite my plea for being understanding I wasn’t in the position to do so.
With my write up, I had no intention of adding any personal opinion, it would be just what was said and allow you all to read and take it as you will.
As you will be well aware, all fans see things differently and I didn’t want to raise any expectations or disappoint fans, then receive more abuse as it wasn’t what they were expecting.
I put myself in this situation through naivety, but I don’t accept that the abuse was warranted at all, I have removed the twitter account from my devices and will no longer be active on that account, opting now for a private account as I have no interest in twitter fame.
I would seriously urge anyone that did send me abusive tweets to have a think how they talk to people online and their demands, if this is this what celebrities have to deal with on a daily basis, I’m glad I’m just a nobody!
Punjabi Rams, who I honestly can’t thank enough stepped in and put some tweets out from their account to give some information in my defence. You guys are awesome, didn’t need to do that but again, I honestly can’t thank you enough. Quick plug www.punjabirams.co.uk, @PunjabiRams on Twitter, go give them a follow if you are on there.
On the train home I started to do the write up on my notes app, realising I need to get this out asap, first thing to defuse the situation I felt I had created.
Thursday morning, as I was consulting my notes and finishing off the write up, there was a few things I wanted to fact check with the club were totally accurate, there has been times where things have been misheard in the past (Boycie ahem) and needed correcting, I didn’t want this to happen. We’re human, mistakes can happen, I believed I had time to ensure there were none.
I decided, and this was not requested by the club but to send my write up to them, asking if they could read it over and everything I had written was totally accurate, leaving ??? <—— fact checks where I was a little cautious over.
They agreed and I again naively yet again assumed that this would be back with me in a few hours……despite the previous night listening to just how busy they have been.
Now whilst I understand and totally agree that this meeting is important, the club staff are as I’m sure you can imagine really busy, now I need to really stress here that this is in no way the fault of the club, this is on me 100%.
No tweet, no forum post, none of this situation exists.
Meanwhile The Supporters Charter Group are scratching their heads as to why I’ve gone it alone, I can only apologise to them also, as I say I was under the impression that we would all be reporting back ourselves which I have explained privately with them.
A single statement isn’t something I would have been personally happy with but that is what was agreed in my absence.
I haven’t felt comfortable coming back on the forum if I'm honest, ignoring the fact I insinuated what was said at the meeting would be out Thursday on the forum, I feel like I have let you all down and for that I’m sorry.
Just to add, this apology wasn’t asked for, it's something I feel is owed to you all.
Should someone have gone that could have stayed all evening? Ideally yes, although Paul (Boycie) was unavailable to attend. Since the formation of 2017 it has only been either myself or Paul that has attended, I didn’t feel it would be right to send someone new which in hindsight was the correct call, they may have also not been able to attend until the end of what I’m led to believe turned out to be almost a 4 hour long meeting, putting themselves unwittingly into a similar situation I have.
I know you are all frustrated, the accusations of attention seeking, sitting on information, teasing, trying to get more views, followers etc. and even censorship on the forum are simply not true, they come from people that do not know me or how the forum is run at all, which is disappointing hearing it said by members that have been on the forum for a number of years now.
Finally, I do want to say thank you to those who have sent supportive texts, PM’s, DM’s, tweets you name it over the last few days, despite asking to be given time, it’s you who I put the hours in for, I will learn from this and work on handling things better in the future.
I would also like to thank the moderators who have been trying their best to keep on top of the situation, without them this forum would have crashed and burned over the last few days so please be respectful to them, even if at times you do not agree with decisions they have made. 
David
 

That’s pretty much how I feel.  I just don’t have that buzz any more, or at the moment at least.  We might be in a poor way squad wise and financially.  Mel chased the dream in 15/16 and splashed the cash, it didn’t come off and we’ve paid the price ever since.
I’m really disappointed with the circus we’ve become, including Rooney as manager.  His performance hasn’t been great by anyone’s standards and managers have gone for less.  How on earth we’re paying a rookie a reported £90k a week is staggering.  I think since he’s come here he’s had very little respect for the club or fans in my view.  As a player he did Soccer Aid - imagine Fergies view if he’d told him he was off for a couple of weeks to do that - buying a watch and isolating, coming back clearly unfit, lack of leadership as captain yet somehow gets the managers job.  As a manager a woeful run and bad tactics, he’s continually talking about his bosses in public  and says he wants to restore “pride & dignity” to be plastered all over the internet the next day.  How are the players supposed to respect him.
Like you, I’ve often thought about not renewing but I have.  Now, more than ever, I feel really disillusioned.  I don’t want a millionaire takeover throwing loads of money at the club.  I’m not even that bothered about the PL.  I want a well run club.  I want stability.  I want a manager who I feel has loyalty and respect for the club and us, the fans.  I want to enjoy my football again.

Not sure about that.  I can’t remember if it was a Euros or World Cup but Portugal had Ronaldo as last penalty taker in the final.  He never got to take one.  You get one chance.

Why can't this thread just praise Ebosele? Why does it have to double as a Jozwiak hate thread. Embarrassing. 

Agree about Ebosele but you're wrong about Jozwiak. He stepped up, was everywhere and linked defence with attack really well.

i'm not looking forward to penis

ahem...penos

Becoming the mental health support POC for my team at work has really helped me understand how people outside of my social circles are coping at the moment. Coming from the corporate world, the vast major of people have been very comfortable working from home. The general consensus was they were more motivated and their work rate had increased, sickness leave had dropped significantly over the last 18 months. Overall they felt better about their work life. 
Of course, senior director level people in many large businesses still want people to pollute the roads and drive into work every day. I've asked a number of times now to people higher up than me on the ladder, please give me a list of reasons why you feel it is an importance to bring staff back into the office when everything we need to carry out the job is online. The main message I've received is to do with "team building." In reality, they don't want their precious office space being wasted. 
Having listened to interviews, the pro back to the office crew tend to be the senior level people in business. I think they fail to realise many people aren't motivated by screwing people over to make their way to the top. Many people out there have no ambition to keep gaining promotions and are not motivated by money. They would rather have a happier work life and get paid every month to enjoy time with family and friends. I feel many up the chain are still completely oblivious with the wellbeing of staff. They need to make flexible work environment a choice. 
The major downside I see with working from home is many big businesses have already looked at recruitment from outside the UK for virtual location roles. You guessed, because they're cheaper. I don't think we should be fooled by the big corporations letting people have the freedom to work from wherever they like. They will try and lower overheads even more. I think a few people in my workplace have clocked onto how we seemed to be having more support from outside the UK, before we've even returned back to work.
I do believe we should go back into a office space again but not full time. Purely to build social skills again and gain confidence in speaking to new people. This pandemic has demonstrated that the old corporate way of working is outdated and only benefits the senior level people who want to sit around a table and have endless meetings. If a company has good investment in its IT software, you can work from wherever. I just hope they don't take these jobs out of country and outsource them global purely to save a few quid.

Let me try this again, I was forwarded your post and just online replying to say thanks, and I appreciate the concern. Posted and the topic was merged and my post lost as I submitted it. Cheers mods.
I have an apology and what exactly has happened post which will follow the report from the meeting, I don't not can't want to go into detail now. 
What I would say is, this is not the clubs fault, anyone using it as a stick to beat the club with are doing so without the full facts, which is unfair and not helping myself personally as I try to fix the situation and get the information out to you.
I, David, has handled the situation poorly, been naive and been busy working my hardest to get back to you all with what you want.I would like to think that over the years we have built up some mutual respect, if you don't want to believe me that's fine, but please just stop until you have read what I put out.
You must also all understand that the club staff are ridiculously busy right now working long hours on other important issues, whilst I feel somewhat in limbo, I'm more happy that we have an extra 2 defenders in the squad than missing out as they need to read through my emails.
As for tomorrow, I am excited more than you will ever know, football is back, Derby are back, fans in the stadium, perfect.
I'm just gutted I can't be there, but I'm doing the next best thing, taking a flight out of here so I can watch on RamsTV with a. few beers that are chilling in the fridge.
Those that are going, regardless of your thoughts on the ownership, club, put all that to one side and get behind the team, we have a young team that doesn't deserve to play under a negative atmosphere. 
Drop any protests, Mel chants, anti EFL or anti and sarcastic Rooney chants, focus on positive support for the team, this is when they need us the most, the atmosphere is all on us nobody else, if we crush those lads with booing and all that baalocks, we will have to shoulder some of the responsibility.
I'm sorry for the lack of communication, I just didn't have anything to add and felt it would be best to stay offline. But please, regardless of what you think of me, the club, just read the above and take it from a fan that loves this club and wouldn't be saying any of this if I didn't mean it.
?
 

Don’t blame him for taking a break… I’d stay away longer if I were him.
take a look in the depression thread… he’s got a lot more important things on his plate than trying to appease randomers on the internet.

Read all the posts on here over the last few days and while i am as frustrated as everybody is with the news coming out of the club i would like to give a big shout out to Wayne Rooney and Curtis Davies , Rooney is fighting a battle like no other manager in recent years has had to , for him to come out and say hes here no matter what gives me a little hope for this season
         As for Curtis , well what can you say , after signing his waiver for the last game last season , now signing on for this season at a reduced wage shows what a whole hearted , dedicated , total professional footballer and human being this guy is , hope he has an injury free season and leads by example in a difficult looking season , all the best to Wayne , Curtis and the rest of the players and staff , COME ON YOU RAMS

Finally today we are going to the hospital so my partner can be induced and give birth to our Son (in the next hour) So I won't look at this till later on but hoping for some good news and that our new little ram brings us some luck! 
 
COYR 

'Enormous pressure' is being a neurosurgeon, a midwife delivering babies day on day out, or an ambulance driver arriving at the scene of an accident.
Enormous pressure is not worrying about whether Derby may or may not sign anyone ahead of the first game of the season or how to tell people what was said in a meeting.
People need to get a grip on reality. 
Derby have been in various messes before and come through them...fortunately they were pre twitter and fan entitlement or there would have been armageddon.
 

I'm pretty sure David has quite a detailed writeup which will go through the meeting in full and disclose everything that can be disclosed.
Rather than release their own minutes, in which obvious boardroom bias would dominate, the club is allowing him to convey to the fans his fair judgements and observations from the evening, in as much detail as he possibly can.
I suspect for his own benefit and for the benefit of this forum, he has requested that anything from that writeup that violates the NDA is removed before it goes public. This essentially means that all of his notes and recollections are in there in full gory detail, and only the things that are legally required to be removed will be omitted.
I shouldn't have to tell you this, but that is a good thing. Once again, there's so many valid things you can have a pop at Mel for but this isn't one of them

I’ve spoken to David, he’s done his report, sent it to the club to check it’s ok with them.
The clubs not managed to get it signed off yet. One can only assume that they have other pressing matters, players contracts etc if you read what Mr Nixon has said.
I’m assured that there is some further detail to what’s already been released by the Punjabi Rams and Jim Wheeler on Radio Derby.
I was worried that everyone was waiting with baited breath only for the exact info to be in David’s report that was already out there anyway.
Please try and see it from his side, he’s piggy in the middle, and wants to make sure everything is ok with what’s in his report.
As far as I’m aware, due to David having to leave just before the end to catch the last train he missed an agreement to let Jim Wheeler do a piece to RD this morning.
But, that’s not what we go to the charter meetings for. We go to ask questions and to report to our members, not be a face to a joint statement. 

David never put our name to a recent open letter to the club, and will never do so.
So please be patient, the timescale is out his hands, and he’s getting grief left right and centre on Social Media. In my opinion non of the other groups who were there are.  But that comes with us being the biggest group of Derby County supporters on the internet.
He’s losing his hair, what he has got doesn’t want turning grey.