Kathcairns

That always ended up on one crisp 😝

Golden Wonder with a blue packet of damp salt😁

Derby-born, Hampshire-raised Pompey fan here, still feeling a bit groggy after our promotion celebrations last night but hoping the Rams will be joining us in the Championship next season.
We came to Derby quite regularly to see my family when I was young and were fortunate to go to the Baseball Ground many times in the late 1960s and 1970s in the Clough and Mackay years.
I was on the Popside in 1975 against Carlisle when the second title was celebrated, there when Roger Davies got sent off against Juventus in the European Cup semi-final, at the 4-4 drew with Man United on Boxing Day 1970.
But the most vivid memories are of the home wins over Liverpool and, particularly the Easter Saturday 2-0 win over Leeds in that 1971-72 season. Men with Pack’Em In boards urging people to move forward to let more into the ground, a guy who walked around the ground with a bell before the match to gee up the crowd and another with dozens of rosettes inside his coat doing the same. “Programmes, get your programmes”, Hot Love blasting out over the PA system at the end of games, incessant shouts of “Derby, Derby” urging the team on. 

Against Leeds Alan Durban came over to our section of the paddock beneath the main stand to take a throw in, grinning all over his face with a two goal lead and not long to go. Everyone around us screamed at him to take the smile off his face and concentrate; the game wasn’t won yet.
Hector, Hinton, O’Hare, the magnificent McFarland and Todd (jumpers for goalposts). My first game was a 4-0 win over QPR in Feb 1968, seen from the seats in the upper Normanton End, my second a 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough on Boxing Day 1968. I stood on a milk crate at the front of the middle tier of the Osmaston End.
One traumatic memory is the sight of Bob Wilson standing there in just his jock strap after ripping his shorts playing for Arsenal at the Baseball Ground. After that Easter Saturday victory over Leeds in 1972 I seem to remember watching Derby lose at home to Newcastle on the Easter Monday and thinking they had thrown it away.
But then came that win over Liverpool and Leeds tripping up. My Dad, who grew up reciting the names of the 1946 Cup winning team, had new heroes. And so did we, until living our lives in another part of the country meant going much more regularly to Fratton Park (or The Dell in my brother’s case, sadly).
But we still look out for Derby. We took my Dad to the Charlton game at Pride Park last season and I’ve been to see Pompey this season and before.
Wishing you every success and the hope that you all will have similar fond memories of Pride Park.
 
 

Last week, I drove to Ilson and went in with my sister, who has a parking ticket at PP. That was great, because we got a lift directly to our turnstile at the ground on a golf cart. That's something that might work long term - doing it again for the Carlisle match.

I hope the ideal scenario is an away win at Cambridge Utd on Sat - that would absolutely be a suitable outcome for the Away fans who’ve backed the team very loudly all season and then we either win or draw the final home game confirming promotion in front of a full house, where we can all give our gratitude to the players and especially to David Clowes who rescued the club for us all.
Whatever anyone thinks about the Manager, Coaches and Squad, they will have achieved promotion which not that many players or managers have achieved in the last 50 odd year - it would be a doe idk day for us all to come together and celebrate together.  Here’s hoping !! 🐏🤗  

I have such mixed feelings. I can see the view of those who just don’t like our current style, yet what is fundamentally wrong with using wingers and getting the ball in the box ? It’s simplistic but it’s not kick and rush and I would challenge anyone who suggests it is. We have some intelligent players. Then dial in that this is L1 with the level touch, consistency and quality defined by that league  - which when lacking (which it is sometimes) makes silky tick tac midfield interchanges a bit of a lottery. Warne has adopted a style that best suits the skill set and consistency of the squad we have. The optimist in me thinks with a step up in quality there is nothing to say PW won’t change his preferences. We won’t know until A .. we’ve seen what’s available in new players, B if we can afford them and C if they want to come. For me he must have at least half a season to prove himself. And … can we honestly criticise him if the funds / players / opportunities are not there for him to adjust his current working model. ? 
 
The football hasn’t been electric but it has been entertaining, puzzling, awkward, frustrating and occasionally exciting…in equal measure. The clicheed suggestions from certain quarters that it’s crude or “Warne ball” are limp, inaccurate and unfair. 
 
We need some youth, we need improved touch and skill quality and a striker that scares people. The rest is fate but it’s 50 years since we could puff our chests out and really justify it on the field of play against all comers. That isn’t PW’s fault. 

Never get ours till last week before they go up anyway, but will still be there next season. Not a fan of PW, never have been, but i am a rams fan and that is all that counts for me.

I have no problems with Roy having his opinions , but it would be nice to call a Truce for 2 weeks and celebrate promotion.Then we can start on the subject of recruitment.

Some of us never left 

Obviously we have been fixated on Bolton and their results lately… but Peterborough to me are actually the bigger danger if we become complacent and screw up at Cambridge- i can see Posh winning all their last three games and with a very positive GD.. the gap in that GD looks large now , but as we have seen Posh are very capable of some 5-0 games when they are on it…
Yes, they supposedly have a few injuries now, but the window is still open for them…
We need to win Saturday mo matter how we do it. 
COYR 🐏🐏🐏

Good point. No plan B! 
Whereas Warne has a Plan A, B and C. We sometimes see all three in the same match. 😂
Just an aside, Warne wasn't at the Supporters Club event last night because he'd gone to watch Cambridge at Bristol Rovers. Even at this late stage of the season, he's leaving no stone unturned in his quest to get us up. He works as hard as he expects from the players. 

My only comment about the comparisons with the Reading match was at the time we were on a downward spiral with a defence that leaked goals for fun. Neither are the case this time.

Just reverse psychology that. Trying to gee his players up for one final push and prove him wrong.

It’s the natural reaction to it all I think, a mix of excitement at the increased probability of succeeding, and nerves at the inevitable possibility of us messing it up. I’ve been optimistic all season, and am still a wreck internally about these last couple of games 

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit regarding anyone.

You clearly do a lot of work on stats in football. I hope it brings you joy and wealth.
I personally couldn't give less of a monkey's about average discrepancy to the chances/goal average, xG, or any of it.
I watch football for fun, for the joy of that moment when the ball hits the net, the intake of breath as a defender is beaten. The satisfaction of winning a game. The shared pleasure of a successful season. 
I don't understand what you are saying, why you are saying it, or what joy you get from following football. 
Maybe if you diluted your intensely dry and rather hectoring stats lessons with a post or two about the actual football, or the Rams generally, folks would treat you with less disdain. 

Here are my stats that I also hope you trust, as I too have worked hard on them.
Teams that accumulate more points than 22 other sides in their division over the period of 46 games get promotion in the English football pyramid 100% of the time.*
 
*Stats based on a sample of over 120 years of competitive football where sides are ranked based on points-based performance.

We came out of admin with 6 rostered senior pros and just missed out off the back a non-existent pre-season, with a cobbled together team. That team is now challenging for the autos in our second season since facing liquidation, all achieved while under soft-embargo and an enforced business plan too.
You can sneer all you like, but some folk are actually proud of how this club has turned things around, a notion you clearly find hilarious.