AlvoRam!

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.

Having Collins back early would help Warne protect Gayle while having an option to bring on a forward with a physical presence who's also good at defending corners etc but would chase the hind-legs off the opposition in the latter stages of a close game.

Will be clapping on 69th minute. Condolences to family and friends. Angie has joined B4 and other departed Rams fans. They will i am sure ensure we don't lose on Saturday and that we go up this season. 

Hi all,
Please see the below from the family of Angie who sadly passed away last month. I knew Angie personally through Derby and was ever present at home and away games. Whether we took 200 on Tuesday nights under Clough, she was always there. Her commitment and support to our club was second to none. She will be deeply missed by all those that know her and this lady deserves the round of the applause on the 69th minute. Hopefully she will be looking down on us and giving us that support we need.
Our much loved Mum, Wife and massive Derby Fan Angie Vallance passed away recently. Angie travelled home and away to follow the mighty Rams for 25+years. She was well know to many and we would like to pay tribute to her.
To coincide with Black and White day and with such a massive, important game on Saturday 16th March V Bolton we would like to try and get our amazing fans to pay tribute to Angie in the stadium with a minutes applause on 69th Minute, the age she passed.
Please could you help us publicise this so we can give her a lovely tribute in the week of her funeral.
Again thanks to all of the football family you have all been amazing, your love and support has been such a comfort at this incredibly difficult time.
Thanks in advance

I want him to get a hat-trick in his next match.
 

Feeling strangely positive about tonight!
Something tells me Gayle will run riot and CBT will finally arrive!
🤞

Cocu mate. Even waived a chunk of his redundancy package as did all his staff.

Have your opinion, fine, but if that will never ever change regardless of anything, why are you even here discussing it?

Spot on with the tactics and team today.

As a selfish oaf, I'm good with this.  
More likely to be doing "other stuff" on a BH Monday afternoon.  I can now pay the £11.99 for a NowTV day pass, and sit comfortably watching from my sofa (or cowering from behind it!)  
But that's me... not even a half fan, in the grand scheme of things.
 
As a caring person however, I feel livid on behalf of those that matter... those that travel far and wide, week in, week out, for little reward and even less gratitude, all in the name of loyalty and love towards our beloved footy team.
Some may have to literally cancel their plans, purely due to the "impossibility" of the travel.
Others will have to follow a BH weekend by having to book time off work on the Tuesday to travel there, and the Wednesday to factor in the journey home/late hours.
It truly is a pish take!  
All I can say is, we'd better win, go top, and those that do travel spend the evening singing anti-Sky chants!  I'll even be hypocritical, and join in from my sofa!
🐏
 

It’s about time SKY paid to charter trains and bus travel to compensate away fans for their stupid o’clock ko times.
 

My MoM - goals are much harder to deliver than crosses. 
 

I think LWB is the ideal position for him.  Having played at LB for a fair chunk of last season I thought he’d be a good LWB for this.  He already had the attacking side of his game and I think Warne and his team did a good job working on the defensive side last season.
I find him a frustrating player when he’s in midfield.  He’s too inconsistent and doesn’t seem to grab hold of the game.  Also, I think at LWB he has a bit more space as he’s not marked as tightly.  That gives him more time and space to create or, as he did yesterday, drift into the box to shoot.

He does divide opinion somewhat 😂
It's an interesting one as back in his academy days, when it was much easier to catch games live, I watched every game I could and that was a good generation amongst whom, he looked the comfortable standout. He literally scored for fun. He's never looked quick, but he was utterly unerring in front of goal. and we all predicted huge things. Fair to say that things haven't since gone according to plan and he's now struggled to convince a good few coaches that he's worth a regular starting berth, but what I really like about his recent endeavours is that he's now putting in really good shifts wherever he's asked to play. I think he has to start the next game and if he can now add consistency to his goal contributions, he can silence his doubters once and for all. FWIW, I still believe in him and I'd re-sign him in a heartbeat. 

2-7 after going behind
Our new striker gets a brace

Whether we go up is largely dependent on how other teams get on. After we lost to Peterborough, I and many others thought that they were nailed on for an automatic spot probably alongside Bolton, as Portsmouth were struggling at the time. Since then Portsmouth have gone on a great run and Peterborough have collapsed. But that's just over a 5 game period and we still have 12 or 13 games left, plenty of time for things to change once more.

I get the thinking, but how often in football do things actually work out like that?
You will see a team breeze through a challenging run in and another team make hard work of an easier run in, and vice versa.
Sometimes teams produce results true to form, sometimes not. If it was so easy to gauge which games were easy and which were difficult, we’d all be raking it in at the bookies.
Look at the last day of last season. Who would have expected Peterborough to go to Barnsley and win at our expense? February to May always throws up strange results.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of ‘Bolton have to play X, Y, Z. Advantage us!’ but very often there is no advantage at all.

Bayern fuming they bought the wrong Kane.

And your specialist subject tonight Mr Ward.
Giving away penalties in injury time 23/4 season.

Disagree. He sounds nothing like me.

Some people will get annoyed with comments like that, but I really enjoy your impression of pub bore with no mates.