Wistaston Ram

Greetings from "Across the pond" in Detroit. It took me while to gather my thoughts on this topic and commit to posting them.  
My Derby fandom arrived much later in life, at 45 years of age.   I grew up in Detroit and have always supported Detroit sports teams, as well as Michigan State and Notre Dame University.  I grew up playing soccer, as did my father, who emigrated from Croatia, as well as two of my three boys.  My middle son and I started following the club in the 2013-14 season. We were interested in finding an English team to follow and knowing Andy Appleby as a fellow metro-Detroiter we started to follow Derby, originally only through the team's twitter feed and the occasional broadcast on BEIN network.  We watched them through the playoff victory against Brighton, then the calamity against QPR.  
An additional Detroit-Derby link is through Roger Faulkner, a Derby supporter who was one of the co-owners of Detroit's 1970s NASL team, the Express.  
As we are acclimated to unfortunate twists of fate with our Detroit-area teams,(ie the Detroit Lions NFL team)  the playoff final defeat cemented our support of Derby County.  In the years since, we are charter subscribers of RamsTV  and are now able to follow a number of games on ESPN Plus.  I also follow this forum on a daily basis and do admire the folks who frequent this Board, such as B4 and David.  Your deep, heartfelt support of the club, usually with a healthy dose of humor, is a joy to peruse through these cyber-pages.   
Other random observations from the Motor City:
 - Whether my son and I ever get to Pride Park remains to be seen, it is definitely on our bucket list.  If any forum goers are in the neighborhood, I would be delighted to treat you a Detroit City FC soccer game.  They are our local team and have a game atmosphere that supporters such as yourselves can appreciate. 
- While Mel Morris has his detractors these days, in my view he was spot-on with regard to EFL television rights. They are tremendously undervalued.  The Championship is the most entertaining overseas league to watch, in my view.  The Premier League top clubs are usually the in the same group of 4-6.  The Bundesliga, La Liga, League 1 and Serie A are all dominated by super clubs, with the remaining teams just trying to stay up. What fun is that? The Championship season is a rock-fight every year. Evenly matched teams with historic rivalries.  A crabs-in-the-bucket attempted escape through either the untold fortunes of promotion or the richest game in football.  Conversely,  the trap door of relegation immerses a club in financial quicksand, without parachute payments to assist out of the morass.  
-  In a way, the reduced expectations of this year may make for a more enjoyable season than chasing promotion.  If the club average one point a game, they will be in a position to stay up at the end, which is the goal of this year.  In any other recent season a home draw to Huddersfield would be met with concern from Derby supporters. This year, it feels like a win. 
- Thank you for your contributions to the forum, which I have enjoyed reading through the years. I hope to meet up with some of your some day either at Pride Park or the next time Derby launch a summer tour of the US. 
- COYR
 
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

I think they were at a different game to me. A draw was a fair result. Both teams could have won it near the end. No mention of the penalty incident in the report? Or Lawrence being clear through? I wonder why.
And ‘COVID ravaged’? They had 4 players out! Not exactly ravaged is it - we had as many players out injured but I suppose that didn’t fit the pre-conceived narrative. 
As for the match, I really enjoyed it. We aren’t very good but we battled and that is all you can ask. It is going to be a tough season but if we can get behind them like today we might just be able to stay up. Forsyth was magnificent today and Curtis’ interview after the game just as much so. 
Nice touch by the EFL in stepping in to supply the ref instead of the FA as well. Much appreciated - I love a crap ref, nothing gets us going more! 
COYR
 
 

Apparently we were lucky to get a point against poor old Covid hit Huddersfield.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/07/Derby-county-fortunate-escape-draw-against-covid-hit-huddersfield/
 

Rammie's contract expired and the EFL wouldn't let us renew it. As for Ewie, I'm not sure, but we are now serving mutton burgers on the concourses.

I dont think we ever had enough control of the ball today to really see our new style of play, Huddersfields formation stifled us.
He wants our fullbacks high and our cms split to cover the space left by the fullbacks, the 10 then drops into the space vacated by the 2 cms splitting. 
Forsyth managed to get forward ok but Byrne didnt get forward as much because their lwb had a brilliant game.

Interestingly there were 19k at Stoke, 17K at Cardiff and 10K at Blackburn and Luton. I reckon there was probably about 17k-18k at Derby but quite hard to tell.

Interestingly there were 19k at Stoke, 17K at Cardiff and 10K at Blackburn and Luton. I reckon there was probably about 17k-18k at Derby but quite hard to tell.

I actually think considering all that’s happening to Derby that’s putting people off, the economic impact of the pandemic on some people, the fact some people won’t want to be in big crowds, and people like myself who are away cause it’s august (I myself know 5 others who would be going today but are on holiday or elsewhere) …. Considering all that, I think over 20k is good going. 

Nah, forget the EFL. Forget Morris and the board too, if only for 90 minutes tomorrow.
Get behind Rooney, Tom, and the lads wearing the shirt. They're the ones who need our full support.

This weekend the eyes of the football world will be on the Rams. Absolutely no point in turning up to protest - that would just be a huge shot in the foot. The situation is what it is. Let's turn up, cheer and support WR and the players. 3 points from a win will give the players a huge boost; siege mentality, fans behind them, nothing to lose. We're in this together. If you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs and blaming it on you...

May aswell add a little distraction from the modern day happenings to add a little bit more to this thread.
Strolled down to the Racecourse this morning to take a look where the the Rams played their very first competitive games as part of the Derbyshire Cricket club, there is no official recognition but the grass is still there! The floodlights of the cricket ground in the background.

Totally agree with this.
Those supporters saying it will turn toxic are just stoking the fires by putting the idea into gullible fans heads that it ought to turn toxic, imo.
That is not going to impress any prospective purchasers (of whom we now appear to have three, that's three more than we thought we had yesterday!)
The idea that players can differentiate between criticism of the club and criticism of them is a non-starter.
I want to see how our young team will fare against Huddersfield,  who aren't full of confidence themselves, tbf.
We have enough flair to win this one if we can harness it correctly. Getting behind the lads will surely help.

The COVID policy is on the DCFC website under tickets.
https://www.dcfc.co.uk/page/covid-19-supporters-code-of-conduct
It apppears that you do not need proof of jabs/ negative tests, just advised to wear a face mask when moving about and within reason don't shout, sing or high five!

Born in Essex no football team got my consistent support growing up though I do remember a brief liaison with late 60’s Liverpool. Recall wondering where Derby County had suddenly appeared from in the 70’s and the BBG being considered a fortress during the Championship seasons. Came up to Derby in 1980 for College and have never left. First visit to the BBG was for the Telford FA cup tie 1984 in the away end as a fellow student was from Telford. Bobby Davison scored a hat trick and the atmosphere was intimidating. We struggled to stop the police herding us to the station explaining we were living on Uttoxeter New Road. First game supporting the Rams was the following season against Millwall standing on the pop side, but attending matches was restricted by Rugby commitments. Lots of good memories since then ….. the poor ones get wiped. Derby now in the blood despite the suffering!

I was born in Hull in 1970 and lived in Cottingham, just outside Hull and cried on my 13th birthday when the family moved to Aberdeen because of my dad's new job in 1983.
I was brought up watching Hull City at Boothferry Park and watching Hull Kingston Rovers at Craven Park. My dad still cheers on for the Tigers and the Robins and the rest of the family all have a soft spot for both teams. Watching Hull City as a very young boy actually prepared me for being a Derby County fan, because incredibly they were worse than us in the late 70's, and 80's etc when supporting Derby made us stronger for the current times.
I picked Derby County out of the paper with my eyes closed, when my older brother persuaded me not to support Liverpool who I'd just got into, I remember my Grandad Chick had given me a black and white photo of the Liverpool team, and I enjoyed watching them play, when I stayed up late on a Saturday night watching Match of The Day and awaiting my parents to come home from The National pub in Hull, usually with food from the Chinese Take Away for everyone's supper, so yeah I was encouraged by my big brother to avoid supporting the so called big teams being supported by others, at school at the time, mainly Man Utd, Liverpool and a lot of Leeds Utd, around Hull at the time, so around 1976, I blindfolded picked out Derby County, and I've followed probably more downs than ups ever since, unfortunately with the blind fold off!
My older brother is a Chelsea fan and my younger brother is a Wolves fan and we all love our football.
A few Aberdeenshire Rams, well mainly 1 in @2tupspost on here, I think @Ramadonna9 reads now and again, as does @Rampianand @campavanram and @Elgin_Ram is in the Clan, and @CWC1983probably remembers me from the Westhill Inn, when I grew up in Westhill, Abedeenshire. Their are Rams fans up here in Stonehaven, nearby in Montrose, in Fraserborogh, in Elgin etc and we have many others up here in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh etc.
I now stay out in Inverurie and I take my two boys to watch Derby County when I can, well the eldest one has been inside Pride Park, the youngest one only outside Pride Park, but both who at the moment have opted to support Liverpool, and the eldest went to Wembley with me to the Aston Villa game, well I still have plenty of time on my hands, hopefully, for my two boys to see sence!
I hate to read on here when Derby fans are falling out with one another and calling one another names, and I hate to read on here when Derby fans are calling their own players, managers, coaches, staff etc all sorts of names also. Get behind them, not against them.
Hope Not Hate.
D.C.F.C. Love, Life & Unity.
The Day I Die.......I'm still D.C.F.C......forever and beyond.
 
 

I agree too. In my book anything near 20k will be a good crowd. Think if we put in a performance, the atmosphere will be good particularly if the hardcore support get behind the young players. Don't mind losing 5K of the moaners!
 

I agree too. In my book anything near 20k will be a good crowd. Think if we put in a performance, the atmosphere will be good particularly if the hardcore support get behind the young players. Don't mind losing 5K of the moaners!
 

I agree too. In my book anything near 20k will be a good crowd. Think if we put in a performance, the atmosphere will be good particularly if the hardcore support get behind the young players. Don't mind losing 5K of the moaners!
 

I agree too. In my book anything near 20k will be a good crowd. Think if we put in a performance, the atmosphere will be good particularly if the hardcore support get behind the young players. Don't mind losing 5K of the moaners!
 

I agree too. In my book anything near 20k will be a good crowd. Think if we put in a performance, the atmosphere will be good particularly if the hardcore support get behind the young players. Don't mind losing 5K of the moaners!