AlvoRam!

Me Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday!

Thank you Shrews! 

Congrats to Pompey as well, they deserve it.

Just to continue my run of form where we win when i predict we will lose...
Pompey 2 Rams 0

Said this for years and honestly think the club  and the city as a whole have been shocking on this front.
Niall Horan a DCFC fan could easily fill the stadium, why aren't the club using his profile more? 
Even Forest are getting Take That in May...
Cmon ffs give me a Metallica show in 2025 

What constitutes 'a lot' of Gateshead fans?

Funny how we talk of ‘investors’ … when nearly all, if not all, are effectively giving the Club money and receive no financial return on it at all- in fact it’s lost.
I wonder how many fans - assuming they were multi millionaires would ‘invest’ in the Club in this manner…
We can slag MM off as much as we do but the fact is he gave the Club millions …yes, it turned out a disaster but he still lost a bundle of cash…

Very little,  according to Pearce at the fans' forum. But he did say that the Club has budgeted for a similar loss over the next two/three seasons and Clowes will cover this.

I heard Jeff Bezos wants to deliver us the Premier league title

After such a huge win last weekend PLEASE Derby can we not bottle it in this game. Please, just for once, can we actually see the job through and make it easy for ourselves.
This is exactly the sort of game we’ve had many times this season - a chance to really put the pressure on the teams around us when they’re not playing. And every time, it feels like, we’ve f***** it up with a pathetic half-arsed performance. It’s time for this team to get a grip, work like they’ve never worked before, and put Northampton to the sword. Show that strong character and personality, and show that they can see the job through.
We’ve bottled it wayyyy too many times from this sort of position in my lifetime. PLEASE Derby let’s make this season different and see it over the line. Do it for f****** B4! COME ON YOU f****** RAMS 

If Barkhuizen can’t play as well as Gayle I would go with 3-4-3 as we have looked expansive and creative with our 3-4-3 system as of late with the wingers free roaming and picking up the ball where they want. 
Wildsmith
Nelson Fozzy Cashin
Wilson Thompson Adams Sibley
NML Waghorn CBT 
Subs: Loach, Ward, Bradley, Elder, Smith, Hourihane, Washington
Ward came off feeling tight and Wilson will be as confident as ever after the weekend.
Also would love to give CBT another chance as the injuries are racking up we need him to get up to speed.
Also believe Thompson and Adams as a duo in midfield give us a lot of legs and balance. Would maybe go smith over Thompson but I do have a soft spot for Tommo.
Hopefully Washington can be on the bench and Waghorn has to start as the only fit striker at the moment. 

Can't be complacent here. Put our metaphorical boot on their throat.
But main thing is not to pick up any more fluffing injuries.....

Northampton are pretty poor form: three losses in their last four. The only point was against a dire Cambridge side who are currently on the worst run of form in the league. 
A win will see us climb to seven points ahead of third, albeit artificially with a game in hand, but the points on the board can induce panic in others. Every win is going to be significant but this could be huge for the mindset of others. 

Saturday 23rd March
Northampton vs Derby
Sixfields Stadium (KO 1500)
 
Parking: There is apparently parking available at the ground (NN5 5QA) for a fiver or at a place called Duston Mill (NN5 5FP).
Opponents Bio: Founded in 1897, Northampton Town are well known by their nickname, 'The Cobblers', a nod to the town's historic shoe-making industry. Previously based adjacent to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, their move in 1994 now sees them play home matches at the 7,798 capacity Sixfields Stadium.
The swinging 60's was quite the decade to be a member of the Shoe Army as Northampton started the 1960/61 season in the fourth tier of the English game before three promotions and three relegations saw them back in Division 4 (ask your parents kids) in time for the 1969/70 campaign. Their one season in the top division was their only appearance at that level in their history so far. Indeed, since their relegation in 1966/67 from what is now the Championship, the Cobblers have played each of the subsequent 56 seasons in either the third or fourth tier. That run could have been broken in 1993/94 when they finished bottom of League 2 but they had a reprieve as Kidderminster Harriers' ground wasn't deemed suitable for the Football League.
This season sees Town looking to consolidate a League 1 berth after their promotion from League 2 in 2022/23 and sitting in 14th place and well clear of the drop zone they have comfortably achieved their initial target. A decent run of results could see them finish in the top half as they are one of four sides on 50 points before this weekend.
Opponents Gaffer & Dangermen: They are managed by an Australian, Jon Brady, who I know nothing about. 
Top scorers for Northampton this season are Sam Hoskins (14 goals), Kieron Bowie (eight) and Mitch Pinnock (six, plus seven assists). They also have Huddersfield loanee Tyreece Simpson and another loanee is a certain Tony Springett who played a few times for ourselves last year.
Other Titbits & Links to DCFC: Notable names associated with Saturday's opponents include former managers Herbert Chapman (of Huddersfield and Arsenal fame), Tony Barton (European Cup winning manager at Villa), Chris Wilder (when he was good), Ian Atkins (coming good again at Tranmere maybe), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Aidy Boothroyd and Graham Carr (father of comedy twins Alan and Jimmy). Their most famous ex-player is probably former Liverpool and England full-back, Phil Neal.
Derby links include Kevin Wilson (managed them) and those who played for both clubs include John Gregory, Ian Taylor and Marco Gabbiadini.
Opponents Form: They've struggled over the past five games, picking up just two points from draws against Charlton at home and Cambridge away. They've lost two on the bounce, both without scoring, with a 1-0 defeat at home to Blackpool followed on Saturday by a 2-0 loss at Wycombe. 
Their league record at home is respectable overall, reading: W8-D5-L6.
Rams History vs Northampton: We tempted fate against Bolton by highlighting the fact that they had never won in the league at Pride Park in 10 attempts. Lets be bold again by stating that;
Derby have never lost a competitive fixture against Northampton.
It's true. Six FA Cup ties (four original and two replays) and seven League matches is the sum total of the two clubs' historical matches against each other but the Rams have managed eight wins and five draws thus far. 
In League matches only, we currently stand at W4-D3-L0 with an away record of W2-D1-L0 on their turf.
The match earlier this season at Pride Park saw Derby run out comfortable 4-0 victors in a game where we saw the best of Conor Washington and a brace by Max Bird.
Likely Rams XI: We can possibly expect a change or two. Or maybe three? Assuming we maintain the back three then Warne has to decide between a recall for Sonny Bradley after illness or sticking with Fozzy. I'd be amazed if he didn't stay with Craig Maldini tbh. 
There are obvious doubts over those withdrawn against Bolton. Gayle is surely out and Barkhuizen and Ward are possibly struggling too. The gaffer also needs to make a decision on Hourihane as we look better with either Smith or Thompson in the middle (or both ideally for me) alongside Ebou Adams who must surely be our transfer target #1 for the summer. 
A return to the 18 for Conor Washington (MotM in the reverse fixture) would be welcome.
Other Notable Fixtures: None. Certainly not as far as those chasing automatic promotion is concerned. We are the only one of the five involved in that battle for a top two finish to be playing so it's a perfect opportunity to apply pressure on those now playing catch up with us. Seven points with a game in hand has to seem psychologically further away for Bolton than the current four points and equal games played so hopefully we can turn that screw.
COYR
 

Further to my previous answer, look at the Championship play off final, half of the winning team each year, who you see celebrating on the pitch, have just earned their own P45.

Or the lure of career progression in the form of a lucrative contract in the German top flight with a colleague he had an established working relationship with? 

Could have been better.

Back on topic, how did we rate his hat?
I think it went well with a jovial, goalie hugging, joies de vive style, but, i do worry that the onset of spring might spur a dangerous development and tempt Warne into going hatless which would be a disaster in my view.
It's clear that impermiating the hat with CBD oil and lining it with tinfoil to mitigate some of PW's more interesting ideas has been a winning solution, but removing the hat could lead to him rediscovering some of his less effective ideas.
Perhaps a summer hat? some kind of bobble-trucker cap?

The fact that the top 3 haven't ran away with surely makes it a more competitive division?

I used to sell steel tubes that ended up in the offshore oil industry and heard a tale that some Oil Company paid for Bucks Fizz to do a gig on a rig. They got stuck in a storm and had to stay on the rig. After they left some enterprising lad auction the sheets that the girls had slept in 🤣

I came down for one of my rare 400 mile return trips. Nerve wracking,  Bolton are a good team but we defended brilliantly. 
 
I’ve been watching the Rams for 60 years. What a great result even if it was tough going. So every Rams fan would love it….? Not the bloke in front of me who “can’t wait to get Warne out of the Club”. I suspect he was disappointed that we won as it didn’t suit his agenda. I have a word that describes him and others like him. I’ll leave it to you all to decide what it is😄
Well done to all players and management for finding a way to continue to pick up points and keeping us in the mix👏

I actually don’t agree. I think without 3 standout teams outplaying the majority of the rest of the league it’s actually proving to be a more competitive league this season, sides are more closely matched at the top end of the table illustrated by the smaller gap between the sides. Last season it was almost always between 3 sides for automatic promotion, this season it’s been less clear with us, Barnsley, Bolton, Posh, Portsmouth and Oxford all competing at various points. 
I’ve never signed up to this idea that the league is somehow “easier”, it is what it is, 24 teams competing for points across a 46 game season and relative to that we’re currently the second placed side.

Didn't mean anything by it, just simply asking your opinion on the league.
my opinion is warne is achieving the minimum requirement/expectation with this squad of players in terms of league position.
Regardless of that, would you not agree the league is easier compared to last season?
 

Enjoyed Rampant's bio especially the artistic licence re the laxatives. Being a Wanderers fan is a life sentence so we need a laugh every now and then. After our recent performances one thing we don't need is laxatives though.
I think it's fair to say that a draw would favour you and prior to our Oxford game I'd have snatched your hand off for it. Saturday will be our 22nd game in 75 days and the punishing schedule had taken it's toll with injuries to key players throughout, a couple of suspensions and the constant disruption of the starting eleven. Our form went through the floor and in the 10 games before Oxford we'd slipped to 16th in the form table, blown our games in hand and picked up even more injuries in the process. So going into the Oxford game I was bricking it. Perhaps out of desperation as much as having his hand forced, Evatt made changes to the way we've played for a couple of seasons now. Way I see it, he actually dropped some of the instructions/processes instead of adding to them - and backed the players to do what comes naturally to them rather than having to conform to a rigid - and therefore predictable - system. The term "letting them off the leash" was bandied about. Teams had been setting up to nullify us and let us have possession in pointless areas beforehand, but on Tuesday we confused the s*** out of Oxford and messed up their game plan in the first five minutes. And nobody was more surprised than us Wanderers fans as Evatt has a reputation for being dogmatic about our playing style.
What we can expect is high-risk attacking and entertaining football. OK we'll leave gaps to exploit, but if the lads can replicate the pace, effort, quality, discipline and creativity they showed on Tuesday it will be close game. Slightly concerned they're too knackered but it's the last game in our congested fixture schedule so I hope they give their all.
For the first time, I actually welcome the international break and hope the lads who go on international duty don't get picked to play so they can have a long overdue break - plus we should start to get injured players back by the time it's over, notably our goalie and strikers. So from our perspective, it's one last effort before they can take time to recover and reset.
Absolutely no idea how it will go on Saturday - two different styles - and we'll be playing with a back 3 (occasionally a back 1) against your excellent strikers so big Rico is going to have his work cut out, especially on the counter.
Looking forward to it and hope that we're blessed with a decent ref for once. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if we got a card-happy loony and a bad-tempered game given what's at stake. Hope not.

Too far ahead? Pompey play Posh this weekend, there’s a world where on Saturday night we are 2 points behind them with still needing to play them. 

Remember Derby fans moaning about the last window's transfers saying how poor it was. To be honest Dwight and Ebou now look like very good business.