Deej

I think the nightmare start was because one team had clearly played together while the other one had not. Simples.    Ish! It left some with the mindset that we are awful and will really struggle this season. Well we will struggle, no doubt about that. But apart from the two mistakes we didn't perform badly. YEs Salford might have scored one or two more, but then we could have done the same! 
THE LADS DONE GOOD!
There seems to be two groups of people forming right now - those who have got it in for Joswiack, and those who are starting to have it in for Sibley. Joswiack got a load of flack on Saturday becaue his gaff in front of goal was what he was guilty of last season, so people are rightly annoyed that he doesn't appear to be learning from his mistakes, or to be developing. Last night his strengths of his defensive work and his play in midfield were there again, but last night he was looking to lay the ball off better on several occasions, so that is definite progress. Keep it up Kamil!
And Sibley - apart from his red mist tendency, many say that he is weak defensively. Yet for the first 20 minutes he was the one putting the challenges in. And later on, after our formation tweaks he found loads of pockets of space, and laid some terrific through balls on, parrticularly short ones through the defence. He was in line for man of the match until Ebosele's boots lit up.
There was another difference last night, especially for the opening stages. When Salford got the ball in defence they immediately shouted "Forwards", and off they went, transitioning through the phases really well. When we got the ball, we went all Chuckle Brothers, embarking on a series of about 20 passes sideways. "It's Cocu ball, Jim, but not as we know it" is apt, because it was just as turgid in terms of progress, but at least it was quicker than Cocu's offering. A second problem, which was highlighted earlier, was that while we were struggling to find a forward pass, Ebosele wa standing out on the wing totally unmarked, and with acres of space in front of him. Our response to this gift of an out ball was to turn and pass sideways to someone who was already marked, and it happened time and time and time and time again.
It wasn't helped by Louie Watson - he of the massive accolades. It seems he had been told how DMs play. Because of his desire for the forwards pass we all expected a George Thorne, but what we got was another Max Bird, maybe hinting that Max has been told to play like he does as well. The poor kids.
When Ravel Morrison went deeper it seemed to free our lad up, and suddenly the real Louie Watson started to play. Hence the accolades. And he never shirked or hid from the ball, instead standing with his arms aout wide saying "Pas it to me". Good lad!
The kids did really well - Hutchinson looks a potential star, Stretton looks like he knows what a striker should do, and if he had been given the ball in the right places, he almost certainly would have done well. As it happens he nearly scored from the only through ball he got to run on to. Well done, Mr Stretton! Williams looked good, and never gave up, despite Salford's seedier side being on display. How the defender wasn't booked I have no idea, apart from him not being a Derby player. Compare this with Ebosele's booking. Good grief. Sky described the foul on Williams as "It wasn't obstruction, it was the player simply getting in the way a bit". They forgot to mention that it was deliberate, with the intention of stopping Williams getting on the ball. Ie obstruction! The Sky pundits were at it again, blathering on about our penalty not being one, with the topic occupying them right up until Salford's non-penalty. They tried to show that there was no contact on Ebosele. The truth is that Ebosele's leg was moved by the contact, but the original camera view, from behind, shows the defender flicking his leg in between Ebosele's legs. It was deliberate, aimed at either putting him off balance, or even tripping him without it looking like a trip. Maybe if Salford concentrated on the football instead of the dark arts, maybe they wouldn't still be in League Two. 
What last night tells us is that although we might struggle his season, simply because of lack of squad depth, there is a terrific togetherness and never say die attitude amongst the players, and there are plenty of good signs for the future.
So, raise your glasses, everybody. Here's to a great future!

Feel dirty agreeing with you, but you're right. Had a stormer last game of the season, but you could easily argue we wouldn't have needed him to if he hadn't been so tragic all season.

He'd have still gone down as he was clipped.

Managed to sort of not watch last nights game - recorded it with 25 minutes left and watched it after wifey had gone to bed.
Still annoyed with Football - Festy dived, their guy dived from 14 yards outside the box, two wrongs make a wronger in my opinion, oh and booking Joz for someone headbutting his foot !!!
Biggest highlight in that 25 mins was Watson - could be some player there

I’m only going because it’s how I keep in touch with my brother. 
I’ve lost more and more respect for everything to do with football, with its shameless money grabbing all round. 
And I’m sad to say that we have become an example of all the worst behaviours. What makes it worse is that we’re not even very good at that! We’ve all complained about Leicester, Leeds, QPR, and Aston Villa breaking the rules, but they did it effectively. We made a complete hash of it. 
I look back now to the halcyon days of 2014 with a nostalgic tear in my eye. And yet in reality that was a very brief period sandwiched been long periods of turgid fare. And so I find myself wondering if it really was as good as I remember, or is it elevated by what happened before and since. I recall Hal’s soliloquy in Henry IV pt 1:
“…And like bright metal on a sullen ground, 
My reformation, glitt’ring o’er my fault, 
Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes 
Than that which hath no foil to set it off.”
So in summary, I’ve not missed it, indeed absence has made the heart grow less fond, but I’ll keep going for the sake of family bonding. 

Are you sure? I am seeing many, many similarities! 

Unfortunately I'm locked in as I renewed in September otherwise i'd be taking a break. Enjoyed going to watch my local side when non-league football was on before christmas and can't stand the Rooney experiment. Hopefully new owners come in, see sense, replace the manager and things turn around on the pitch. Otherwise I'll probably just go to a couple of home matches and try and catch the away games in the West Midlands.

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.

Think there is a slight difference with Bobby Zamora’s goal at Wembley and 1 win in 18 ?

What we achieved WITH Rooney last year was a 21st place finish and our worst ever home record outside the top tier.
I'm not sure your McClaren example supports your argument given that, yes his managerial credentials were called into question by many of our fans during that run in, and he was sacked shortly afterwards.

Absolutely. Fans ultimately want the team to win games. Understanding and commenting on the realities, that we have very poor management on and off the field, doesn't make a supporter any less loyal. 

Have we got our own number or do we have to share one with Wycombe 

I totally agree. I suspect he won’t though. WR is actually very measured in his overt behaviour which I take as indicative of a very thoughtful and calm interior. 

Derby is his Salford? We're Derby for god's sake, we shouldn't be some project for a first time manager to play with. What has he done to deserve such trust? nearly get us relegated?
Steeliness? Focus? I think you're just choosing to see what you want to see, but the stats don't lie. The collapse last season under Rooney was abysmal and I don't care what anyone says, the quality of players we had should not have sunk that low.  
I wish I had your view but he's given me absolutely no reason to have such optimism.

Drew ?

You saved me a post. I really enjoyed the game last night, great to see the youngsters hold their own. But I won’t get carried away with draws against Udders and League 2 Salford. Bigger challenges ahead I think starting on Saturday. But it is a start ??

No.
We've won one game of football in our last 17 competitive fixtures and we need to show respect to the person who has overseen that? We're all aware that the job is a difficult one, but how much longer will this obsequiousness go on for? I used to think the fact that this section of the forum is called "Wayne Rooney's DCFC Fans" was ironic. Apparently not.

Exactly my point. He's got a free hit with excuses (probably valid) if he fails lined up.
 
If you ask managers, the vast majority would choose managing in the Championship over League 2 regardless of the situation. You never know if your going to get another shot at managing a club in the Championship..
 
I hope he becomes a good manager one day as well, good for him, it's only nearly cost us relegation in the process of his "learning". Besides, you know that the second he became a good manager he'd be off to another club anyway.
 
So you're basically saying your happy with failure?

I don't think it's loyalty really. If he had any half decent offer from another club he'd be gone, but no other club would touch him with a barge pole.
If he quit it would be years before he got another shot at a club the size of Derby, if ever. He'd have to go into League 2 or an academy.
I don't think the situation is even that bad for him personally. He's got almost a free hit while still learning in his first manager role, in the Championship,  with the excuses if he fails ready made. 
He's got one of the safest jobs in the country, any other manager would have been sacked with his record at the end of last season, regardless of the quality of players he had.

I'll hold off on that Wembley hotel till after Hull, then.

...and there we have the very kernel of this whole saga "The sad truth is that the EFL decide with no proper explanation". There's no accountability. I'm also sceptical that the Government's attempt to bring in an "Independent" body to oversee will just become another layer of bureaucratic back-scratchers. The EFL needs scourging from within. 

There's a difference between giving an opinion and giving needless abuse, calling someone a fraud falls more into the latter.
Jozwiak performed the role he was given last night well and to the benefit of the team as a whole, knitting things together, keeping the ball under pressure. Corners were fine. It wasn't his remit to storm down the wing like Festy or play the through balls Watson was.

What keeps becoming apparent is his absolute dogged determination to get it right. It is deep within his eyes - a hypnotic certainty that whatever is thrown at him will not cause him to waver. The very essence of a winner. 

I make no apologies for wanting him gone. He is easily up there with one of the worst managers I've ever seen at the club and let's face it, the run at the end of the season would have ended him if we could have afforded it. Yes he's fighting, which is commendable to him, but I selfishly think we would be better if he didn't. I don't think his interviews are doing the club a lot of favours.
Hopefully, he proves me wrong and we can claw our way to lower-midtable obscurity and he will deserve a lot of credit for that. However, Best case scenario, for me, is a new owner who replaces him pre-January.

Trying to figure out how much of this is sarcasm.