Sufferingfool

This…..Saunders and Goddard best pairing I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, lasted all too briefly sadly with Goddard wanting to move back to London. I remember Saunders debut from the top tier of the Ozzie end ?what a way to announce yourself how we could do with that pairing now!

That whole team is my favourite ever Derby side that I’ve seen, but Saunders and Goddard was the stuff of legend. Such a shame that we flipped Goddard to Millwall of all places.

I've taken this opportunity to get my first credit card to buy one.
Needed one to boost that credit score anyway, so two birds and all that.

I can't let Jack's passing go without comment either. He was my hero in those Rams teams of the late Fifties and early Sixties. He formed a great partnership with the other inside forward, George Darwin. Jack was an incredibly brave player: I'll never forget a diving header through a thicket of swinging boots to score the decisive second goal against Sunderland - right in front of the Boys Enclosure (admission 9 pence).

I don`t often contribute to this site but I couldn`t let today`s sad news pass by without a comment. From first watching the Rams in the mid-50`s, Jack Parry was always a crowd favourite and my favourite so to echo angieram`s words "Thanks Jack".

Sad news this morning. 
Derby lad, 20 years a Ram, record league appearances until King Kevin surpassed him, and a great wag to boot. RIP Jack. 

"Thanks, lad"! 
Jack Parry's words to my husband when he threw the ball back to him from the paddock area as a kid.
Remembered all these years later. 
"Thanks, Jack" - a Derby legend.

Pre-season match day threads make me pee myself. So much analysis going on of players, formations and guesswork about it all translates into the season.  It’s the hottest day ever, we still haven’t got a full squad, there are players missing.  It’s a run out for fitness and to try a few things.  Could get tonked 10-0 and it would mean absolutely f-all.
Just enjoy a game of footy on a beautiful summer evening. 

That's a very odd take from the comments he made. He literally went out of his way to praise the people who don't ordinarily receive accolades, but are just as important. 
He was placing the praise for last seasons performance across the dressing room,  not heaping it on his own shoulders.

I didn’t interpret it like that. He mentioned by name all the unsung heroes - so not a dig at Liam & Wayne but a man who wanted to laud the people other than the obvious ones. 

I think we'll get mid twenties at the start gradually declining to low twenties unless we're really ripping up the league.
Assuming we're in league 1 next season I'd expect we'll get around 20K reliably, obviously bumped up for big matches.
Still, pride park has always been better with the 20-23K committed support anyway.

Perhaps it would be easier if you knew the way she looks or the colour of her hair

Loved him from that first interview onwards to be honest. 
A little thing, but really glad he got to score in front of our home fans atleast once and take in the reception.

One of my favourite ever Derby players & very sad he's gone. Arrived with ridicule from some quarters but quickly proved what a good player he was...big, tough, worked hard & technically very underrated.
Arguably his greater impact was his presence as a leader. We struggled horribly throughout 20/21 but he led the side by securing good quality possession in the final 3rd & grabbed some crucial goals/assists. Without him, we'd have been in League One last season & God knows where today. Was class off the field too, his charisma endearing him to fans & younger players. And without wanting a debate about it, loved his stand against the Millwall fans booing the knee.
Loved his leaving message & glad we made as much impact on him as he did on us. A class act to the end.
Go well King Kazim ?

Class statement reflecting a true gent from beginning to end. 

One of those underwhelming signings that turned out to be top class.  Added a bit of nous and presence to the team.  A top class leaving statement too, shame Buchanan and Byrne couldn’t do the same.

Did better than many expected, his attitude was nothibg like he was portrayed. Playrd a big part in the connection between club & fans, i personally really enjoyed what be brought to our club.

But absolutely set's the standard for goodbye statements 

His signing drew a lot of criticism and even ridicule.
However he led by example, scored some important goals and was a big game player for us.
Good luck to him, it’s such a shame his final season was disrupted by injuries. 
He wasn’t the player many wanted, but he was definitely a player we needed!

That's how you write a leaving message. Think I've got something in my eye.
Thanks for the memories CKR. 
???✊

After much anguish I’ve decided not to renew my season ticket. Although my first game was nearly 70 years ago,  due to finances and distance I’ve only had a season ticket for 4 seasons. I’m so pleased I managed it for at least a short time.
My health now means I can’t manage the train to Derby from Bristol and back  in a day. When I do come to matches it’ll mean staying several days with my daughter and going to games with my son and granddaughters. I can’t always manage this and the expense of season ticket plus train fares is now too much for me.
However, I’ll be there v Oxford with my son and 3 of the kids - in spite of difficulty getting my son’s ticket as they said he was 122 years old so couldn’t purchase an adult ticket!
It’s been a rough old time for the club but I feel things are on the up and I’ll be at PP as often as I can.

Apropos of nothing, but does anybody think the (over) analysis of football and footballers is taking a lot of joy out of the game? In particular, when a new signing comes in and armchair experts and statisticians  have already decided how good he is, where he will play, how many goals he’ll score, how many ‘key passes’ he’ll make, where on the pitch he will spend most of his time and his overall value to the team. I find it really tiresome. Am I alone in that?
I welcome any signing. Can’t wait to see them play and then I’ll judge them after that (not using stats or heat maps, but using my eyes and nearly 50 years of watching football).  

What a season, I cheerfully salute, smile and wipe away a tear when reading the other’s moving stories. 
 
I have never seen the like, week after week, win or lose, every fan behind every Derby kick of the ball. Even when goals went against us the stadium rolled its sleeves up and roared again. 
 
And the players ! So many young rams finding teeth, courage, grit and reserves they didn’t know they had. Senior players who just kept fighting and our 37 year old club captain who played every minute of every game. As a team, a brotherhood of men I don’t think I will see the like again and am proud to have been there to see them play and to see what it’s really like when everyone players and fans alike  are heaving on the same rope.
 
We knew it was a virtually impossible task that got harder as points from away games didn’t materialise yet they never gave up. Instead, latecomers to the team like Festy and Ebiowe, joined the fight with the same spirit and lifted our hearts, throwing the last pieces of kindling on the fire. 
 
I am so thankful and happy that DC became our saviour. A classic local business man who already had his own seat in the ground, because like us he loves his club and the game. He stepped in perhaps as a reluctant hero yet he stood up and was counted in our darkest days. Yes because he could; but not because it was a gamble on the premier league or because it was a strategic business investment or he was working on behalf of a group of “investors from overseas” or some consortium or other in the “sport and entertainment industry”. He did it because he felt he had to -  “We Are Derby” …. And so is he. 

Superb ^. All of that. We need to harness that positivity that enveloped us all. That wave can take us a long way forward again…what can we do to keep it going?

Last season it felt like all supporters woke up to the fact that the club, the players, each other needed our support That this was more important than performance on the pitch, players making mistakes, the result. It was so great to be in Pride Park and witness this. It was great to be on the March with 10,000 others. Just great to feel the passion for Derby County. My hope is that this will continue this season and not be doused if the team don’t immediately perform. This season and going forward we need to maintain the ‘sod everyone this is our club and we love it’ mentality and support our club back up where we belong COYR.