TomTom92

This is pathetic.

Tonight is the deal breaker. It’s simply a must win (unless Posh fluff it against Accrington which I can’t see happening). 
 
Sat will be tough but we’re at home and Posh have Ipswich. So stay in the hunt until sat and come the evening we could be back in the top 6. 
 
Realistically we need to win 3 in a row, 2 wins and a draw would probably take it to the last day but could see us in 7th come kick off against weds.

Exeter 3 - 1 Derby

Collins

3 hours ago, Tamworthram said:

It might be a good question but I’d be amazed if the EFL allowed us to buy a player on a deferred payment basis given the financial difficulties we have just emerged from. I also think, after the way Mel “bent the rules” and antagonised the EFL, to try and “be a bit cheeky” and find loopholes to take advantage of would be seriously wrong. 

Totally understand that we might get rebuffed but it’d be nice for the question to be asked. 
 
I know it’s the PL and not the EFL but Chelsea found a loophole to get round FFP. I know it’s immoral and a fat load of good it’s done them. But I’d also say us being forced to go through the motions for another season is immoral.

18 hours ago, Agadirram said:

"Scope for creativity".  "A bit cheeky".   "Loopholes".     Didn`t go too well last time.

If the EFL want to retrospectively change their stance again then that’s on them. 
 
You don’t ask you don’t get.

It’s a travesty that he doesn’t have anything up his sleeve to breathe new fire in to us. But if we have to take the bitter pill now and then get promoted next season with only plan A then so be it.

Re: Roberts - Depends how charitable Brighton want to be and if the player would rather sign for us than maybe a bottom 6 championship side? 
 
Would love someone to ask the question at the next fans charter event re transfers. Are there strict guidelines in place? Or is there scope for creativity? 
 
My best example of this question is could we sign a player for £1m but the fee be paid in the summer of 2024? Or as we’ve signed the player still in restrictions would that count as a breach? I’m not expecting DC to roll out a war chest but if we can be a bit cheeky and work round a few of loopholes for a couple of class players then I can’t see why not.

Tapping in to my psychic powers to predict an Exeter win.

Be nice if we weren't so depressingly predictable.

I’m Warne in but he’s leaving a lot to be desired. 
 
Think this season has been an eye opener for him. In terms of he couldn’t have expected our legs to go so drastically. 
 
It’s all about next season but ironically if he recruits the amount of players we need then starts poorly and gets the sack then possession based managers who play ‘good football’ will be the exact opposite for what we’ve recruited for and the stagnation could last even longer. 
 
Think DC has two options: Back Warne for another season at least and hope he gets us up. Or get him gone in the summer and find a manager that’ll happily rely on Thomas and the recruitment team to sign players on their behalf.

On 11/04/2023 at 19:37, Kokosnuss said:

Some are simply too late, yes.

Even if they are a little late though it doesn't mean they can't still have an impact. 

For them to make an impact it often  helps if they come alongside a tweak to the tactical approach / formation, something for the opposition to think about.

Often ours don't seem to come with those sort of changes, rather they oncoming player continues in the same vein as the player they're replaces and usually, but not always, to the same result 

Whether that's simply a case of our small squad meaning the replacements don't have enough different qualities to their game for any potential tactical changes to have any real positive effect, or a case of a lack of managerial nous is a matter of opinion but I suppose we won't really know until next year.

Agreed. Warne reminds me on football manager. I can see a player needs a sub and that the match is slipping away so I bring a like for like on and hope he does something out the blue. This usually works for me but I’m aware that I’m playing a computer game.
 
All the players look goosed so at the moment it doesn’t matter who he brings on because they don’t have the energy or the tactical input to change the game our way.

Sounds like the inevitable second half capitulation is only moments away from happening. Any chance of showing some kahunas? 

Sigurdsson anyone? 😅

4 minutes ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

A further thought. This is the point I think is leading to the biggest divide of opinions in the fan base. Some people are able to accept that we are a relatively big club in every sense (fan base, history, stadium, facilities etc) who find themselves in league one for a combination/culmination of reasons (Mel Morris’ boom or bust approach, Covid, EFL penalties, other club chairman…the ref conspiracy…? Essentially, a perfect storm of sh*t), and some are not able to accept it.
The reasons will be debated for eternity in all likelihood, but we are where we are because of them so there HAS to be an aspect of accepting that, it happened and it led to admin and relegation, the squad being decimated, the club’s reputation being tarnished, massive change all round.
I believe once a person accepts that situation for what it is you’re then able to focus on the reality we face as a club and how best to move forward. Recognising that it may take a bit of time helps me stay fairly level with it I suppose, patience in the process somewhat. I then see what I perceive as a lack of patience and acceptance of that situation with some folk and think they’d all do themselves a favour to keep that perspective of where we are and what needs to happen to move us forwards. You said words to the effect of standing still in football is going backwards, but sometimes you have to stand still in order to catch your breath, regroup and rebuild in order to move forwards.

Thats not to say accept being a league one club forever, but accept the horrible situation happened and it may take time, patience and strategy to recover. 

I guess the danger will be for us to end up like Charlton, who by all accounts do look stuck in league 1. However, i acknowledge that their ownership issues are probably the main reason for this stagnation and with DC at the helm we shouldn't face this issue.

My personal opinion is that there's no time like the present but ultimately if we fail this season i see us going up in the next two. If we don't at that point then its time for panic. 

26 minutes ago, ramboy63 said:

But your missing the point why tell a player to take there time when the clock as stopped yes granted momentum would be lost but isnt it  anyway at present

As for injured players going down this is were the referee needs to do his job properly,head injuries yes anything else wait until the ball is dead

I think everyone is right in this debate. The stop clock would mean that a 'full' match is completed and therefore nobody could feel cheated on that front. But @Tamworthram is right in saying that injuries are used to take the sting out of the game and this wouldn't stop.

But maybe the authorities can only smarten up some areas of the game and we'll have to accept that some areas will always be blurred by 'gamesmanship'. 

17 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

... and that makes it right/acceptable? Going back almost 50 years, I never liked Franny Lee diving. Even when he played for us. 

Fair play to you then, you're clearly a man of integrity. However, i'm a man of realism and what's good for the goose is good for the gander. 

Would i rather see us with a cup in our hand after using dark arts or losing out with integrity i know which one i'd take. Of course the third option is to go up with integrity but you have to be a very good team to win fair and square without any sporting edges. 

3 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

Maybe so, but it shouldn't be. Calling it "Dark Arts" is little more than an attempt to validate something I prefer to call by its real name, namely, cheating. Cheating should never be part of the game.

Every sport probably has 'cheating' people will go to any lengths to win and especially when big finances are at stake.

14 minutes ago, Diego said:

Absolutely no bite to his game whatsoever. Never been a captain.

Can't help but compare him to Thorne and Bielik which may be unfair but is top end championship/premier league level. He's nowhere near that level but can't help but think he'd do an ok job at a mid table championship team. 

Whilst its frustrating for us because we're a top 10 side that will dominate most matches. I'd have no issue with us playing the dark arts especially if we saw the benefits to them.

There's no point complaining too much about them because it happens in every division in every league. Its part and parcel of the game and whilst things may be introduced to combat some of the issues, loopholes will always be found.

The sooner we can get out of this league and therefore be in a position where teams aren't playing for a draw at Pride Park the better. 

Think Knight has a ceiling of bottom 6 PL club, at worst he'll probably replicate Bryson's career and have 1/2 seasons where he becomes a menace in front of goal but over than that just be a honest pro who gives his all.

Bird is a bit of a mystery to me, sometimes i think he could make a very good championship player but then other times he looks league 1 at best.

Sibley is the real enigma and i feel he's at the stage where he needs to leave. Although we seem reluctant to allow this as knowing our luck we'd sell him for £400,000 and he'd rip it up for a couple of seasons at Coventry before moving on for £6 - £8m. Almost like if we can't get the best out of him then nobody else is allowed to. Shame for the lad because Derby is his team. 

But bare in mind Will Hughes probably gave us a season too many and along with a nasty injury his career has been somewhat underwhelming in comparison to what us Derby fans thought anyway. 

I expect 2 from Knight, Bird, Sibley and Cashin to move on in the summer and i wish them well. 

3 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

But that isn't happening. Why has he totally dis-guarded the Plan A that worked in our unbeaten run? You asked why our grit and resilience seemed to have gone. What has Fozzy done to be dropped - if he's made mistakes they are no worse than Cashin's. What has Sibley done to be so ignored - he's better at LFB/WB than Roberts. He's better forward but that's another matter.

Why have we suddenly gone to playing a system that mostly we can't play well? Why in the 2nd half do substitutes seem to be thrown on at random? Etc...

There are more questions than answers. Can't see what it is that Warne does. There's no guile that's for sure.

The standard of the opposition wasn’t as strong and we were all full of beans, now we look leggy especially the old boys. 
 
But agree he looks tactically naive and his basis of getting us out of this league is to out work the opposition.

Sibley’s treatment appears to be harsh but he’s not the first manager to do this so maybe the player needs to be questioned? 

The sooner the summer comes the better. We aren’t going to get play offs and the best thing we can do is accept this and hope that we nail the recruitment in the summer. 
 
Unfortunately we’ve got relegated and where in normal circumstances you could go at making an immediate return. We’ve got shackles on that are suffocating us and there appears to more ‘proper’ clubs in the league than say 10 years ago. 
 
If we’re mid table come 15 matches next season then maybe we can start to properly critique Warne and co. But until then we’ve got to hope Clowes has backed the right horse.

46 minutes ago, Tyler Durden said:

Has Wildsmith been that good or are people using the false measure of comparing him to Roos for us which then flatters his performances (no howlers or clangers dropped therefore must be an accomplished keeper?)

Don't know myself which is why I'm asking 

Thought he was on fire for about an 8 match period in November, December time. 
 
Been less superman recently but certainly done enough to be considered for POTY. 
 
Good point about Roos though.

FGR 2 -1 Derby 

Bird

4 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Based on who I expect to leave in the summer, and sticking to Warne's preferred 532, I'd be looking at shaping the squad up something like this:

GK: Wildsmith, Bialkowski (Millwall), Evans
RCB: Pennington (Shrewsbury), Rooney
CB: Bartley (WBA), Forsyth
LCB: Smith (Port Vale), Roberts (Brighton)
RWB: Clark (Accrington), Mendez-Laing
LWB: Ferguson (Rotherham), Barkhuizen
RCM: Wiles (Rotherham), LThompson
CM: Brannagan (Oxford), Smith, 
LCM: Byers (Sheff Weds), Hourihane
CF: Hardie (Plymouth), McGoldrick
CF: Wilson (Wigan), Collins

Think Brannagan might be a step too far, but can't fault many of the others.

14 minutes ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

I could listen to his interviews all day, but, I worry about him long term.

Biggest alarm bell for me was the January window, he had gone on for ages about being excited about it and having players lined up and describing it as being like Christmas, to then get what we got...off the back of Osula going back too.

He openly said the recruitment team at Rotherham would pull their hair out at him as they would suggest good players and he would say no. He said he just doesn't like signing players.

Well, this season, it could well cost us a playoff place.

If he can't secure a playoff place with this current squad, in league 1, then I'm not so sure about him.

Agreed, really hope January isn't a sign of things to come.

Love a manager who has great contacts and can pull a top signing from the wilderness.