Q&A with SM and SR...

[Ramarena]

They do on Coronation Street

​Some of our fans seem to be letting the media turn this into a soap opera. 

Why are so many Derby fans so pompous and insecure? We look like were going into the play offs for the second season running, enjoy it. 

And if you really, desperately have to mither about all this, then do it in the summer. 

[Guest]

Pompous? The only time we do talk about the local landlord is whether his Timpson's Wood Pigeon with Boudin Noir Purée is best married with English Asparagus, and why can't he source a decent 1986 Sancerre for less than £70 a bottle...

 

[G STAR RAM]

'I do not expect the landlord at my local, nor the corner shop owner to discuss their employment with me so why should I expect the manager of my local football team to do it?'

but people don't stand around on street corners talking about the local landlord at the pub or the ownership of the corner shop do they. But they do talk all the time about football and the local team and the progress/success/failure and that's the difference...that's why we all post on here that's why 30.000 are at the ipro etc 

​There are 30,000 at the iPro to debate Macs future? Me personally I just prefer to go and watch the football and leave internal club politics to people who can influence them. No harm in guessing whether he will go or not but to start slating him on the back of the rumours and demand that he comes out and rules himself out of a job is ridiculous. After all he could rule himself out of the Newcastle job and then be sacked by us in 3 weeks, after all this season is a failure according to some on here...

 

[angieram]

I was there last night and enjoyed the evening. McClaren showed a very different side to his personality - much more relaxed and witty than that which he presents to the media, demonstrating just how guarded he is with his televised interviews, post-match comments etc.

He did joke about not answering questions about Newcastle, but of course the fans persisted and so he answered them very openly.

At least the audience last night did move on to other things (eventually!)

He also made some interesting insights on the situation with some players - Hughes, Albentosa, Buckley - and the role of the captain/leaders within the team. All positive stuff.

And answered a great question about what exactly he said to the players at half time at Huddersfield!

My observation was that Rush and McClaren are great employees of DCFC, but they are both that, employees, who are at work and doing a job. We are in it for life, they aren't, but I felt that they are as committed to this club as we could reasonably expect any employees to be to their job (over and above, as they say) and I am happy to have them both.

As for those comments, I think Mostyn has them spot on.

I hope you'll be pleased to know that the person who won the £250 worth of vouchers has been to every match, home and away, this season and she hasn't got to spend them on this season's left over kit as they haven't got a closing date!

 

[Alph]

£32.50 each? Bet the flight cost more than the transfer fee

The Glaziers are once bitten twice shy after signing Shaw and Rojo.

[i-Ram]

I can't believe I've sat and read through all of this crap and not one person has said what the raffle prize was.

One pre-booked train ticket to Newcastle (single), in slightly poor condition.

[i-Ram]

He also made some interesting insights on the situation with some players - Hughes, Albentosa, Buckley - and the role of the captain/leaders within the team. All positive stuff.

I hope you'll be pleased to know that the person who won the £250 worth of vouchers has been to every match, home and away, this season and she hasn't got to spend them on this season's left over kit as they haven't got a closing date!

 

If Buckley is still around, can we please please play him at left back tomorrow.

What are you going to buy with your vouchers then Angie?  Or was the winner Eddie's wife?

[Curtains]

If Buckley is still around, can we please please play him at left back tomorrow.

What are you going to buy with your vouchers then Angie?  Or was the winner Eddie's wife?

I think he meant Bucko ! 

[i-Ram]

I think he meant Bucko ! 

I think he is a she.

[Curtains]

I think he is a she.

 Correction I think she meant Bucko .

[curb]

I can't begin to fathom how our manager has gone from hero to zero by not having "I'm not going to Newcastle" tattooed on his forehead. Fair enough, he hasn't flat out denied it but many wouldn't and it's not like we know with any degree of certainty that he's off there.

I've been a season ticket holder since I was 6 years old. 2001/02 season. Between him and Sam Rush, no one has given me better memories at Derby. Honestly, late 2013 onwards with other things which have come together in my life have been an absolute blast and that man with his tuft has been responsible for so much of that. And just because some fans have decided he's left us for Newcastle based on - well actually, I don't know what it's based on at all - we're supposed to turn on him?

The past few weeks have been a nonsense with Derby fans but tonight, reading this thread and twitter, I have never been so disillusioned with Derby fans. I just don't know what we want anymore. We want some incredible manager who offers perfect football all the time and denies every job flat out to Owen Bradley no matter how big it is just to appease us 30,000 or so fans, because we're the most important people on the planet. What world are we living in? This man does not exist.

Brilliant post mate, I've disagreed with you in the past, but you've summed up my feelings exactly there.

 

im very disillusioned with Derby fans ATM. Some of them have left me speechless, they sound like 10 year old girls at the supermarket, if I don't get my new center back/left back/right back/defensive midfielder/cover for Martin I'll scweam and scweam and scweam until I'm sick.

Steve Macs win ratio is currently 55%. 

55%, can you name the last manager who had a 55% win ratio? You can't because we've never had one, yet the first blip of 10 games in 1 1/2 seasons and they're all slagging him off, slagging the team off, hurling abuse at players, fickle *****.

 

[Mostyn6]

Thought I’d give a more full representation of MY recollections regarding last night’s Q& A.

The evening started with a god-awful churning noise coming from below the Pedigree suite, McClaren got out of his chair and looked behind the sponsors partition behind him, then popped his head back around and said “Any questions about Newcastle, and I’m behind here okay!”, the audience laughed and applauded, the noise stopped, Steve sat back down and then the evening started.

The first few questions were inevitably about rumours, firstly Steve to Newcastle, then Rush leaving, then “what happened to Bucko”. The question regarding Steve to Newcastle was evidently annoying to him. But he tried to answer whilst trying to avoid talking about it. He was keen to point out that he’s not been spoken to by Newcastle about leaving this summer. Steve spoke for about 3 or 4 minutes about this and some of the things he said was “there was reported interest in the winter, when Newcastle didn’t have a manager. I sat down and spoke honestly … more honest than I’ve ever been.. with Sam, and I admit, 5 or 6 years ago, if I had the chance, I’d have been off, I was different then, my ambitions and the premier league..BUT, this is a great club, I’m working with great people, I have a contract, I have a job, and until someone tells me otherwise, I’m here… LOOK, Newcastle have appointed a manager and football is a close-knit thing, we all work together. I wouldn’t talk about another job when someone is doing the job, I would be angry if someone talked about this job when I’m doing it, if even to distance themselves. “A” because it’s a cracking club and why would you not want to work here and “B” because I am still here and it’s disrespectful.”

Sam has answered before Steve, and had said that he’d moved his family to Derby, his lad has just signed for the academy, his kids go to school, it’s “MY club” and he would be here until the board didn’t want him.

The Buxton question was answered “he had a slipped disc, we need him back soon”.

 

There were lots of jokes, a story about Paul McGrath being rubbish in training and Jim Smith panicking that he’d bought a duffer was told after a question was asked about Barker playing. It seems the club are being more responsible than sentimental when it comes to Shaun Barker. Steve says he’s recommended Barker to two clubs, but didn’t say who, but that they all hope he can play at some level some time next season.

 

A question was asked about what Steve thinks is a good captain and whether he saw George Thorne as a potential Derby captain, he responded with some soundbytes about having a senior group of leaders, and said that leaders want to be number 1, then started talking about Igor Stimac basically coming in and claiming that “I’m number one” spot in the dressing room, and admitted that the current side miss that.

 

He was then asked how the players have handled the speculation about him leaving, he responded that players are selfish and 90% couldn’t care less if he left. He was saying half hate him because they aren’t in the squad, nearly half aren’t bothered and are just getting on with it, then a couple would be gutted cos they love the manager, but it’s not like school where you have a favourite teacher, but the players that would be upset, would probably be there with an apple for the next manager.

 

A young lad took about 5 minutes to ask, I think “if you get promoted, is that job done, will you leave, you can, if you get us promoted, but what are your plans if you get us promoted?”, but he made such a hash of asking the question, it became a bit farcical, essentially Steve reiterated that managers are superstitious, and he’s more superstitious than most, he doesn’t plan beyond the Millwall game, he was adamant that he isn’t even thinking about the playoffs etc

 

There was a question about loan signings, and if they’d be made permanent. McClaren digressed massively and started talking about the triangle of Rush, Evans and himself working over the next couple of seasons to improve things. The conclusion was that at this level, using loan players, to improve the standard of the squad is vital.

 

McClaren was asked to describe half time and full time at Huddersfield, he made a joke about an old lady throwing herself at him, and a comment about booing. Said he’d totally lost his temper in there and swore loads then stormed out, but told a story of kicking a boot off the floor, that swerved into the bathroom bit and nearly took Steve Haines head off, and how he went from angry to embarrassingly apologetic in a split second.

 

Someone asked him about Keogh being a leader, and his response was perhaps the most interesting on the night. He backed Keogh, but basically said they weren’t happy with the responses to conceding goals, and suggested that if we concede again this season, there should be a different reaction to heads down and silence.

 

Other things to come out, SM ran the ramathon in 52 mins. There will be a permanent memorial to Dave Mackay and hopefully it will coincide with the 40yr anniversary of the title win. If we get promoted, we consider ourselves a top 10 club in the Premier league and we will catch up very quickly. Albentosa is impatient and struggling to adjust. Evans has worked tirelessly to identify players of varying cost and ability level. Will Hughes doesn’t take advice very well (said tongue in cheek) and they keep telling him that Derby is the place for him and he’s lucky to be coached by McClaren lol!

 

The over-riding thing was that McClaren was mightily pissed off with having to keep bat off the Newcastle speculation, but until Newcastle make an approach, he won’t even think about it, let alone talk about it. Rush had a reassuring smile about it and cited the differences in speculation about Hughes to Liverpool and McClaren to Newcastle. The fans dismiss the Hughes talk but get in a flap about the McClaren talk. They all find it very amusing.

[eddie]

​Come on Eddie, there's no need to spend all day insulting people for having opinions/concerns on McClaren's future. That's what a forum is for, sharing opinions. If people are getting on your nerves that much, add them to your ignore list (if you can even still do that on this newer forum software). People speculating on McClaren's future isn't hurting you, so I don't get why it's getting you so wound up 

​I don't need all day - it appears for quite a few of you precious buggers, 5 minutes is enough. Anyway, I come back here, through gritted teeth often, because a few excellent posters really do make it worthwhile.

[eddie]

‌@Mostyn6

That was a belting read, mate. I'd have loved to go myself, but I was still working. At 2 bloody am.

[Mostyn6]

‌@Mostyn6

That was a belting read, mate. I'd have loved to go myself, but I was still working. At 2 bloody am.

​I wanted to ask a question, but it never got to me. I was going to ask "Steve, you were known for using a sports psychologist at Boro, given the obvious confidence issues, what are you thoughts on that kind of thing nowadays?"

[Cam the Ram]

​I don't need all day - it appears for quite a few of you precious buggers, 5 minutes is enough. Anyway, I come back here, through gritted teeth often, because a few excellent posters really do make it worthwhile.

​I hope I'm not included in that selection of precious buggers because I've barely said a word about McClaren to Newcastle. I was just advising you to use the ignore function so your blood pressure doesn't go through the roof 

[Cam the Ram]

​I wanted to ask a question, but it never got to me. I was going to ask "Steve, you were known for using a sports psychologist at Boro, given the obvious confidence issues, what are you thoughts on that kind of thing nowadays?"

​Didn't he bring one in soon after he was appointed? I seem to remember him speaking about it at one of his first Q&As

[bcnram]

​I wanted to ask a question, but it never got to me. I was going to ask "Steve, you were known for using a sports psychologist at Boro, given the obvious confidence issues, what are you thoughts on that kind of thing nowadays?"

​That is exactly what I have been thinking as well. Him and Jim Smith also used the same guy at Derby (Bill Beswick).

 

[cosmic]

Thanks for that round-up @Mostyn6.

I hope the Q&A will put things in perspective for some fans and we can just sit back and enjoy the ride. Some of the comments by Mac and Rush make you realise just how well run our club is right now, and that we have intelligent people pulling in the same direction. Regardless if Mac is being tapped up, I'm confident that things haven't gone sour backstage, and pleased to read Rush refer to Derby as "his" club.

Already looking forward to next season!

[King Kevin]

@Mostyn6   

Thanks for that ,I was just about to post this thread is the biggest waste of my time and you put up this gem .