Who was at fault really !

[notts_ram]

Well we spent about 10 million quid on Clod, Earnshaw and Miller alone so can't fault the lack of investment, we did pee the money up the wall, or Davies did to be precise

[davenportram]

Wow things must be good if we are arguing about 5 years ago.

[Hans]

Well we spent about 10 million quid on Clod, Earnshaw and Miller alone so can't fault the lack of investment, we did pee the money up the wall, or Davies did to be precise

I would still say lack of investment, Snderland under Keane spent £38 million and only barely stayed up. Bt It was all Davies fault,

[notts_ram]

Wow things must be good if we are arguing about 5 years ago.

I do think it is quite a pertinent argument though as we are still suffering from the financial fall out of this debacle to this day and probably will be for many years to come

[Bris Vegas]

All I know is Paul Jewell managed to make a poor Billy Davies side worst..

 

How he managed to do that, I'll never know..

 

Someone like Martin Allen would have done a far better job than him.

[Dimmu]

I remember watching atti niemi have the game of his life at craven cottage.

You didn't see him much, did you? Wish we could have such keeper...

[Bris Vegas]

I would still say lack of investment, Snderland under Keane spent £38 million and only barely stayed up. Bt It was all Davies fault,

 

Sunderland spent $38mill on an NPC side and stayed up in the most difficult PL season to date..

 

On the other hand, MON spent roughly the same and had them going down until Di Canio pulled them out the mire and that is in a weaker PL..

 

I don't know why Keane gets knocked so much.. He didn't do a bad job, obviously he didn't do a great job like Brendan Rodgers or Paul Lambert with Swansea and Norwich but it's not like he got them relegated..

[Dimmu]

Gatsby for hiring Davies.

 

Davies for being c**t.

 

C**t for luring Jewell.

 

and so on.

[eddie]

All I know is Paul Jewell managed to make a poor Billy Davies side worst..

 

How he managed to do that, I'll never know..

 

Someone like Martin Allen would have done a far better job than him.

 

The minute the Ram appeared over Paul Jewell's jewels in the paper, he should have been sacked or paid off, because as a manager at Derby, he was finished. I know it sounds unfair because it all happened years earlier, but from that moment onwards, he would have not commanded one ounce of respect from any player at Derby. 

[Guest]

The minute the Ram appeared over Paul Jewell's jewels in the paper, he should have been sacked or paid off, because as a manager at Derby, he was finished. I know it sounds unfair because it all happened years earlier, but from that moment onwards, he would have not commanded one ounce of respect from any player at Derby.

I reckon they probably had more respect for him....I did :-)

[Derby_Dave]

I cant blame Davies as he gave us the only good season we have had in the past 11 years (Burleys was good but the failure at the end wasn't).

 

Yes we were and will always be the worst team in history, but at least we got the chance see the top players and visit the top stadiums, and on the back of some great away days the previous season, is just a shame we never became a yo-yo club for the next few years.

I remember very well you complaining about the standard of football we played under Davies the promotion season a lot!! you were not alone though.  I also remember me saying to you that if we approached the prem season the same way we would be thumped out of it!!!  I wish I could dig up the old thread on the telegraph forum now as I can not prove it but it was there!!! 

 

Billy Davies is a self serving dick and should admit that he played his part very well in making us the worst team ever instead of blaming every one else. 

 

Forest you are welcome to him. 

 

I think my opinion is pretty much established.

 

Anyway Ramnut has it spot on.

[LeedsCityRam]

Billy Davies without a shadow of doubt.

 

From the destabilising signings in Jan 2007 to the attempt to hijack the day of our playoff win for his own purposes ("I might not be here next season"). From the summer holiday he took immediately after the game (after protesting we were weeks behind other promoted clubs) to the ridiculously poor signings he made in August.

 

Did he seriously think Eddie Lewis could make any kind of meaningful contribution to a Premiership team?!

 

I'm convinced he deliberately sabotaged the team to make a point to the board & when it started going horribly wrong, started being increasingly provocative with his outbursts against the board to get the sack. I'm disappointed Pearson took the bait - I'd have insisted he resigned or stay to take his fair share of the subsequent humiliation.

 

I'll never forgive him for that & to my mind (unlike some other posters on here) that totally cancels out any good memories from the 06/07 season. Because one led to the other.

 

Although Jewell was utterly useless, the damage had been well & truly done by the time he arrived. He realised that himself, hence why he asked Pearson if he could start again in August. Jewell's mental state was a concern to me - he had looked very weary at the end of his time with Wigan & seemed utterly defeated during his time with us. I think some kind of chirpy caretaker manager to boost morale would have been better - someone earlier suggested Martin Allen - he'd have been a good call.

[needles]

Then again, without all that misery we wouldn't be where we are today, on the verge of another promotion season. This time with the best manager outside the Premier League.

[LeedsCityRam]

Then again, without all that misery we wouldn't be where we are today, on the verge of another promotion season. This time with the best manager outside the Premier League.

 

Loving the optimism - although I'm a bit more cynical & undecided about exactly how we'll do next year, its clear that unlike 2007, we have a guy in charge who loves the club & wants to build a "club" not just a "team"

 

I hope your prediction is spot on & that some folk on here have the decency to eat their humble pie!!

[needles]

Loving the optimism - although I'm a bit more cynical & undecided about exactly how we'll do next year, its clear that unlike 2007, we have a guy in charge who loves the club & wants to build a "club" not just a "team"

 

I hope your prediction is spot on & that some folk on here have the decency to eat their humble pie!!

 

I must admit I probably over-egg my optimism a bit to balance out the wrist slashers, but I am convinced we'll have a damn good go at it next term, and I am convinced about Nigel.

[needles]

If we can get a centre half and a striker in of decent quality at the level rumoured, plus Forsyth, and decent replacements for any leavers, we'll be challenging for top 6. No doubt about it. The quality is there, the teamwork is there, the stability is there. My over-optimism possibly kicks in where I believe we're in with a shout for top 2 if we get some momentum going and keep key men fit.

[eddie]

I'm honestly not sure of top 6. Qpr ,Reading ,Wigan, Forest ,Leicester , Birminghan will be top 6.

 

If not them you've got Palace or Watford ,Brighton ,Blackburn,  Blackpool , Leeds and Boro who will be better just for starters as well.

 

So that puts us 13th at best?

[DCFCfranco]

We need to strengthen .

yes. And we have a whole summer in which to do so.

There's no point making predictions or ruling anything out when there's an entire summer plus the rest of the season to go.

[Joel]

The board (Gadsby and co.) should take a good portion of the blame for not standing up to Davies and bowing to his every demand. Despite promotion, he should have been given the boot.

 

He then went on to sign mediocre players for good sums of money and, like a few have posted before, got his excuses in early instead of doing the job he was set out to do. The blame should lay at his door.

 

Pearson and Jewell both knew the side were gone. The Americans shouldn't have let Jewell spend when they arrived in January and I can only put that down to naivety and wanting to please fans upon their arrival. They should have been stronger (as should Gadsby and co.)

[LeedsCityRam]

I'm honestly not sure of top 6. Qpr ,Reading ,Wigan, Forest ,Leicester , Birminghan will be top 6.

 

If not them you've got Palace or Watford ,Brighton ,Blackburn,  Blackpool , Leeds and Boro who will be better just for starters as well.

 

Birmingham & Blackpool are skint & losing a lot of their better players this summer - they'll both be midtable at best.

 

Brighton look to be losing Poyet so they may not be as strong next season.

 

Watford are an unknown quantity as they don't own most of their players so impossible to predict.

 

Leeds don't have much cash so wouldn't automatically expect them to be top 6.

 

Boro have been absolutely diabolical in 2013 so far - relegation form since Christmas so I don't expect them to be a threat.

 

Sadly, Forest & Leicester will probably be in & around the top 6 along with Reading & QPR, if their owner doesn't lose interest.

 

The point is I think its going to be a very open division again- some shrewd signings for us & there's no reason why we can't be top 6. The problem(as it always seems to be) is identifying these players within our budget & paying the going rate on wages.