PrivateDerby Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Well apparently we have a top squad and a top manager.. If we don't finish in the top 6 one of those will be wrong.. Wait I'll rephrase that.. When we don't finish in the top 6 we will asume one of those comments will be wrong but more likely people on here will just find yet another excuse.. Like it's the boards fault our away form is poor, it was the opponents' GK's fault that we didn't win.. Or that made up statisitic that we conceded the majority of our goals to long range wonderstrikes.. I can't wait until the season begins.. I'm looking forward to Messi II (Russell) scoring on average 1.3 goals a game. "http://i39.tinypic.com/hulsvc" alt="hulsvc"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrivateDerby Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 A nice tattoo for Bris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anag Ram Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 NIGEL Clough believes he has the strongest squad of players since he became Derby County manager four and a half years ago. Derby finished 10th last season and Clough has added four new signings this summer. Goalkeeper Lee Grant has arrived from Burnley, left-back Craig Forsyth from Watford, and strikers Chris Martin and Johnny Russell from Norwich City and Dundee United respectively. Experienced midfielder John Eustace could become the Rams’ fifth signing next week. The 33-year-old is training with the club. Clough says he is “generally happy for now” with his squad although John Brayford’s future still has to be resolved. Brayford has 12 months to run on his current contract and the Rams are keen to discuss a new deal with the right-back, who was the subject of a bid from Wigan Athletic last week. “We’ll see what happens with John but I think we are covered in most positions at the moment,” said Clough. “We are happy with the numbers and the depth and it will depend on the outs if we are to bring any more players in. “But there is no point bringing anyone in if they are not going to improve us. “Look at what we have in most areas of the pitch now. We have good quality and reasonable cover, so any new signing would certainly have to be challenging for a first-team spot. “Is it our strongest squad yet? Yes, I think so. “The only two we are missing through injury are Shaun Barker and Mark O’Brien. “If we had those two available we could definitely say it is our strongest squad."http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Nigel-Clough-best-squad-time-Rams/story-19488213-detail/story.html#ixzz2YXE7I93k Hang on a minute. Isn't it the same squad that ended last season plus a new goalkeeper (woo-hoo) and an unproven Scottish forward? I can't remember thinking we were class in all bar those positions. I think we will do ok and possibly start well but I still think the squad is thin, especially at centre half and centre forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariotofmyown Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 So Clough has his strongest squad since his arrival here, am still trying to find out from the article useful stuff on the back of this statement regards the potential of this squad, where he thinks this squad will end up, really vacuous statement. If I had a Datsun Cherry and upgraded it to a Ford Focus would be an improvement but wouldnt get me anywhere near the winners podium in the British Grand Prix Indeed you are right notts_ram, and it's posts such as these which means that I'm delighted to announce...(drumroll)...you are the winner of this year's unofficial most improved poster of the close season. well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariotofmyown Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Well apparently we have a top squad and a top manager.. If we don't finish in the top 6 one of those will be wrong.. Wait I'll rephrase that.. When we don't finish in the top 6 we will asume one of those comments will be wrong but more likely people on here will just find yet another excuse.. Like it's the boards fault our away form is poor, it was the opponents' GK's fault that we didn't win.. Or that made up statisitic that we conceded the majority of our goals to long range wonderstrikes.. I can't wait until the season begins.. I'm looking forward to Messi II (Russell) scoring on average 1.3 goals a game. and after this post Bris, almost whatever you post next is sure to win you most improved poster of the pre-season. come on, you can do it! edit: on a serious point Bris, I totally agree with you on the long range wonderstrikes post. if I see another thread entitled "we would of won if it hadn't been for that dastardly long rang wonderstrike fluke goal" again I think it will drive me to watching the Peteborough away highlights from 2 seasons ago yet again. or, as I call it, "Dunkirk". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maydrakin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 So Clough has his strongest squad since his arrival here, am still trying to find out from the article useful stuff on the back of this statement regards the potential of this squad, where he thinks this squad will end up, really vacuous statement. If I had a Datsun Cherry and upgraded it to a Ford Focus would be an improvement but wouldnt get me anywhere near the winners podium in the British Grand Prix That's true and I have no qualms with that. However, the Championship is more akin to a Demolition Derby, meaning pretty much any car can win it and a brand new Focus may have just as good chance as a clapped out old Ferrari... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 New goalkeeper, new striker, otherwise the same minus Roberts. We're still not really investing. I would like to see a new centre back if we're really serious about top 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilkoRam Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Ok so it appears that Nigel's biggest crime of the pre-season was to talk positively about his squad. He's unbelievable at times, talking positively about something, who does he think he is. of course of he'd said that we don't have a great squad then he'd be negative and equally a fool for doing that. Maybe he should just keep quiet and say nothing and be done with being labelled unfriendly to the media. I don't see a great improvement in the team or squad. I still think it lacks a spark and a CB (and the "we don't need one as O'Brien is ahead of schedule" is worrying) but using Nigel's comments about it being the best squad he's had to berate him is, in my opinion, absurd. He's talking up his team in pre-season and people have an issue with this. You don't have to agree with him but don't berate him for it. Also if we don't finish top 6 then it shouldn't be a failure. The championship is a tough, tight league and the difference between play-off and say 10th can be slim. What I'll be judging it on is if we have a chance of top 6, and a realistic one, not a "if we win our last 3 games by 3 goals and the three teams above us all lose by two goals each or draw one, blah blah" and we have played well then I'll be happy. If we start off well then play uninventive boring football with little movement and end mid-table and have a period of worrying about relegation, then my opinion will be the same as the last two seasons - that it's not working. I think it's got to the stage where people will take anything he says and beat him with it. He could come out and say he prefers shreddies to corn flakes and people would be on here calling him an idiot and pointing out the nutritional value of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Half of them I went the other way to you, shows how people's opinions can differ so much having seen all of them play. Thats interesting......which ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramble On Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Carroll V grant............grant - agree Bywater V legzdins.....bywater- agree Price V deeney...........draw - not seen enough of either Connolly V brayford....brayford - agree Mceverley V forsyth....Forsyth* Leacock V buxton.......Bucko (from last season) Albrectsen V keogh....keogh - agree Nyatanga V obrien......obrien - draw* (although if ob can get fit and progress then will sway his way Davis v a wardrobe....the wardrobe - definitely agree! Edworthy V oconnor.......edworthy - agree Todd V gjokai.............void - agree Stewart V hoganson.....void for me not seen enough of hoganson Zadkovich V freeman....freeman - agree Powell....... Camara...... Green V bryson........bryson - agree* Teale V coutts..........coutts agree* Addison V hendrick....draw - Hendrick* Barazite V jacobs......draw - agree although different type of player Sterjovski V davies......davies - agree Barnes V hughes.....hughes - agree Savage V eustace......void - Savage* (based on what I've seen of Eustace) Pearson V bailey........ draw - Pearson* Kazmierczek...... Ellington V tyson...........draw - Ellington* Commons V ward........commons - agree Davies V robinson........davies - agree Prijovic V doyle...............void Dickinson V bennett.......bennett - agree Villa V martin..................villa - agree although could change this season Hulse V sammon............Hulse - agree Varney V russell.............void we havent seen him ?.........v ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I notice it's now "any more incomings are reliant on outgoings". Let's be clear, this is not a big push by the owners / board for promotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieronalde Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I was pretty sure I heard both Sam Rush and NIgel say we would be bringing in one or two more before the window closes. I think Nige said yesterday that we were close with one or two as well. I'm still expecting another player coming in costing us close to a million, or a fairly well known name on a free. I would think the outgoings are more to do with overall wage bill than transfer budget. They'll be on a hefty chunk betwen them and we need to get them shifted if they're not contributing. Simple common sense. In my opinion we've got to be pretty pleased with the work the board have done so far this summer. I'm sure the 4 players we've signed have cost a few quid in one way or another and I don't think we're finished yet. I don't know why but I've got a feeling we're going to pull a rabbit out of the hat to ramp up excitement levels just before the season starts. I reckon we're on the look out for a seriously good centre half. We might just be trying to do it under the radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaddesdenRam Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Yeah I think Eustace will sign and another However the other besides Eustace will depend on whether we can sell the transfer listed Then any other transfers will depend on non tranfer listed player sales, ie Brayford Hughes ,Sammon if you believe the papers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieronalde Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I notice it's now "any more incomings are reliant on outgoings". Let's be clear, this is not a big push by the owners / board for promotion. Total guess work on my part here Andy but I reckon if we looked a bit closer we'd see they've already gone balls deep. Grant - no fee but 10k a week plus a minimum of 200k in agents fees and signing on bonus Martin - no fee but 8k a week(?) plus a minimum of 175k in agents fees and signing on bonus Forsyth - 150k plus 7k a week(?) plus a cautious 150k in agents fees and signing bonus Russell - 750k plus 10k a week(?) plus a cautious 300k in agents fees and signig on bonus Grant - 700k (year one only) Martin - 575k (year one only) Forsyth - 650k (year one only) Russell - 1.55m (year one only) That's over a 3m quid investment in the budget before we've shifted anyone. That's got to be seen as fairly serious cash surely. I reckon the next big signing SHOULD hinge on whether we can shift Tyson, Bailey and Robinson, if we can, there's a million gone off the wage budget at least, get that spent on a top notch centre half and it will have been a major shift in investment levels by the owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notts_ram Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Have to confess have never seen on Sky or the Beeb Man Utd sign Zaha for 11 million quid (plus 2 million quid in agents fees and other associated signing on fees and incentives) it doesnt happen. Compare eggs with eggs and just consider the transfer outlay which is circa 900k so far - still not small potatoes but not 3 million quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastKentRam Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I cant imagine Forsyth being on 7k a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieronalde Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Have to confess have never seen on Sky or the Beeb Man Utd sign Zaha for 11 million quid (plus 2 million quid in agents fees and other associated signing on fees and incentives) it doesnt happen. Compare eggs with eggs and just consider the transfer outlay which is circa 900k so far - still not small potatoes but not 3 million quid. I'll leave you with the fairies to believe that just because the beeb or sky don't include it in the reported fees that it doesn't actually need to count towards costs? I wasn't counting just the fees. i was counting what those 4 players are going to cost them year one, on top of what we had last year. At least 3m quid in wages and fees. Unless we shift some players, that means they;re going to pay at least 3m more than they did last season. it's a lot of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Total guess work on my part here Andy but I reckon if we looked a bit closer we'd see they've already gone balls deep. Grant - no fee but 10k a week plus a minimum of 200k in agents fees and signing on bonus Martin - no fee but 8k a week(?) plus a minimum of 175k in agents fees and signing on bonus Forsyth - 150k plus 7k a week(?) plus a cautious 150k in agents fees and signing bonus Russell - 750k plus 10k a week(?) plus a cautious 300k in agents fees and signig on bonus Grant - 700k (year one only) Martin - 575k (year one only) Forsyth - 650k (year one only) Russell - 1.55m (year one only) That's over a 3m quid investment in the budget before we've shifted anyone. That's got to be seen as fairly serious cash surely. I reckon the next big signing SHOULD hinge on whether we can shift Tyson, Bailey and Robinson, if we can, there's a million gone off the wage budget at least, get that spent on a top notch centre half and it will have been a major shift in investment levels by the owners. Funny, I'm sure we had a couple of players called fielding and Roberts play for us last season....my mistake obviously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notts_ram Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'll leave you with the fairies to believe that just because the beeb or sky don't include it in the reported fees that it doesn't actually need to count towards costs? I wasn't counting just the fees. i was counting what those 4 players are going to cost them year one, on top of what we had last year. At least 3m quid in wages and fees. Unless we shift some players, that means they;re going to pay at least 3m more than they did last season. it's a lot of money. OK I agree it is a lot of money therefore we should have high expectations next season, non adherence should result in the manager being relieved of his duties especially bearing in mind the huge outlay you quoted in your comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieronalde Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Funny, I'm sure we had a couple of players called fielding and Roberts play for us last season....my mistake obviously You could have just read the opening line where I said total guess work and then come back with your own figures. Take off their salaries c@6k a week each and come back and said, ronnie you're wrong, they've only actually spent 2.6m As it is you chose the sarcastic option, which I also admire. Well played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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