jimtastic56

Not that it really means anything but Rotherham were relegated by 4pts in the 2018/19 season and by 2pts in the 2020/21 season.  Last season PW left them towards the end of September in 8th place and they managed to stay up with 50pts.  This season, their first full season without PW in a long time, they are currently a massive 20pts adrift at the bottom.
Normally wage budget is a good indicator of where you'll finish at the end of the season and Rotherham prove this time and again.  Didn't Nigel Clough hail Burton Albions success at remaining in the Championship for one his greatest achievements?  I don't know what Rotherhams Lg1 budget is like compared to the rest, but for PW to get them promoted 3x (and us 1x hopefully!) and keep them in contention throughout a Championship season shouldn't be underestimated imho.
I did say that normally wage budget is a good indicator of where you'll finish, but I think the circumstances of us coming out of administration counter that argument a little.  Did LR have a choice of player or did he just get who was available?  PW came in and inherited a squad of older players that needed to be managed and younger players that needed time to grow - one of his first interviews highlighted a lack of players in their prime.  
During his time with us his hands have been tied financially and he's managed an injury prone squad to the brink of automatic promotion.  I personally think if we go up at the weekend we're ahead of schedule.  Next season would have been his first legitimate attempt with a bit of financial muscle - hence DC giving him a 4yr deal.
Next season is going to be tough, we aren't an Ipswich who built a squad over several seasons and just need to add a few players to go again.  Its another rebuild with limited funds, we were warned at the recent Fans Forum that we'd be looking for stability first and foremost and to me that means just avoiding relegation next season.  Unless we get some outside funding I won't be shouting for PWs head at Christmas if we're struggling.  Bottom 6 at the end of the season would be a good building block to kick on from if we've got a core of players we can then add to. 
We're not throwing money around risking our existence like we used to.  Slow, steady and realistic progress is the way forwards.

his recruitment has been a mixed bag. If we go up. i think his recruitment will tell a story

Longer than he got - a lot longer.
The way he was sacked by Sam Rush was nothing short of disgusting, and still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Clough had basically kept Derby afloat for about 4 years, balancing the books and operating on a shoestring budget (a string which grew shorter each year) thanks to the almost complete absence of any meaningful investment by GSE, and he left Derby in a far more secure position than when he first took over. The fact that Steve McClaren then took over the reins and took the team forward on the pitch only goes so far in justifying Clough's sacking - and hindsight being 20:20, it's equally arguable that the whole financial mess which culminated in Administration and subsequent relegation would never had happened if Clough had not had his legs sawn from under him following the 1:0 defeat at the City Ground.

Our wage budget is 25% higher than our nearest competitor 

Tbf I’m not sure you have been his top critic 

I'd at least wait for the season to start 

I know you were a massive Wayne Rooney fan , Roy . If you look at his team that stayed up on the last day - it included T. Lawrence , P. Roberts , M. Clarke and G.Shinnie etc . If we bring in talent like that , I would expect 4 wins in the first 10 games , and not to be struggling .

I don't hate Paul Warne, he is a very likeable person and I enjoy watching his interviews.
My problems have always been with his recruitment and tactics.
Quite comical I know given we are 2nd and a point away from promotion, but this really is a very poor division and we have made things more difficult than they needed to be, just my opinion.
In terms of recruitment, to be fair to Paul, who knows how he will be free of restrictions, he may well have had 10 top players lined up this season and the club weren't able to do the business.
And tactics, we have had so many injuries (partly down to poor recruitment), but Paul has had to adjust given the situations he was finding himself in.
I've been his top critic, but if he wins promotion Saturday he has earnt his chance and more...I'd be happy to see how we recruit in the summer and see where we are come October type.
 

Some of them aren't exactly hiding in the bushes are they?

Well we are doing ok playing the way we are not the max Bird way. We can monitor him next season when we are soaring above Bristol and he’s warming there bench hopefully.

It'll be bittersweet for me come Saturday.
My lads decided to make a new life for himself, literally on the other side of the earth.
So we'll hopefully be celebrating, but in my mind I'll be thinking it may be the last time we ever stand together at Pride Park, at least for the foreseeable. 
Still, we've had a good run, what better way to sign off than a promotion?

Why would he be given a full season in the Championship?
Every team in the bottom half of the Championship, Sunderland to Rotherham, have changed managers this season. Every one of those clubs sacked a manager.
If Derby are bottom three in the first half of the season and managers like Mowbray are floating about unemployed, there will be huge pressure to get rid.
Sentiment goes out the window. If managers like Nigel Adkins can be sacked after taking Southampton from League One to the PL in favor of a better, more progressive manager, then Derby would be foolish not to follow suite.
Derby have struggled before under Clough and Burley at Championship level. But in both spells there was hope due to how we played.
If results go against Warne and we’re playing unattractive defensive football, I think Clowes’ hand will be forced.

I am sure Bird and the others , who are leaving will be a bit teary eyed at the end of the game . But come Monday - they will be photographed in their new club shirts saying their move was a “No Brainer “. I still don’t get what Bristol City have over us .

Still a bit premature, let’s wait until promotion is confirmed 😊

The bookies are offering odds of 1/500 on us going up. If we do it - am I right in saying  our lads will get a trophy and medals at the end of the match ? Only a little silver -plated cup , but better than nothing .

True but I'm not going to contain my celebrations in the hope that one day that day will come for us.

I wouldn’t hold your breath for winning the FA Cup, I reckon the top half a dozen or so teams have got that pretty much sewn up despite their lack of interest in the earlier rounds. I also don’t think we’ll be back in the Premier League anytime soon.
For me it’s not just a case of celebrating any kind of achievement whilst you can but also a sense of relieve being back to where we belong. I guess some people will just politely applaud, as they may have done if we’d been able to attend the game when we narrowly escaped relegation (it could be argued that avoiding relegation is nothing to celebrate but, it’s the same, - it was an achievement of sorts and a sense of relief - albeit only short lived) but I’ll be cheering and applauding with vigour if we make it on Saturday.

Who knows who will be around when we reach the prem again or win a cup. These last few years have shown that you have to appreciate these possible moments.

With respect I'll be saving all this for when, or if, we ever get promoted to the Premier League. Or win the FA Cup. Something that really signifies over-achievement or something truly special. I don't think this is it.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be delighted come 5pm when we're out of this lousy league but we're only going back to where we should always have been except with a poorer squad and - from what I've seen this season of the Championship - a higher standard of football generally than when we were last in it.
We should never have been docked 21 points imo, and never have been relegated. But we were, and massive well done to Paul Warne and the players for getting us out after two seasons. With the squad we have we should be challenging at the top of the table. I went to the end of season awards last night and it was great to have such a positive vibe in the room.
But, in my humble opinion, it's not worth some of the overly emotive stuff I've read on this forum in the last few days. 

Gonna be interesting on the pitch at the end of the game (irrespective of the  result) as there will be many ‘goodbyes’ to the crowd…. Max leaving, Ebou last game (and possibly no return), lot’s of out of contract players who will know they won’t be offered new deals (Hourihane, Waggy, Smith etc).
Emotional times.

It does seem incredible -17 years without a promotion , and it’s not unusual for teams to spend 20 years in the Championship. So it’s imperative that we enjoy the moment on Saturday.

The promise of someone being played in their best position?

This could be the first time in his life that Paul Warne has been given a big lump of cash to spend on players . Not having to trawl round the bargain bucket for players . I would imagine young players in the mould of Knight and Bird would come as part of a medium term strategy.

I am sure Bird and the others , who are leaving will be a bit teary eyed at the end of the game . But come Monday - they will be photographed in their new club shirts saying their move was a “No Brainer “. I still don’t get what Bristol City have over us .

Tend to  agree but he’s suffered quite a drop in form since first half of 22/23 season when he was literally flawless