I never realised just how lucky I am!

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

8 minutes ago, richinspain said:

There's my problem. I only get to listen to the Moan In and read on here 

Thankfully you are only listening to the noisy minority. Empty cans and all that.

[Dale The Ram]

15 hours ago, richinspain said:

 I never realised just how lucky I am. I've been living in Spain now for very nearly 18 years and even though I obviously miss family and friends it's at 3 o'clock on a Saturday ( or 12 o'clock, or a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon, or Monday......... you know what i mean) when I realllllly miss being back home. I still get a knot in my stomach when kickoff time is approaching. I still sit rocking backwards and forwards as I suffer the radio Derby commentary. I still want to kick the dog (haven't got one and never had one, but you know what I mean) when we lose. I read the web site 3 or 4 times a day. I read the BBC Derby web site at least twice a day, and the DET website at least once a day. I come on this forum probably 20 times a day, trying to catch every little snippet of news I can. Basically I'm a right sad ******.

 So why am I lucky? I don't get to encounter at first hand what have to be some of the worst "supporters" in England. When we were top of the league a few weeks ago some weren't happy. We weren't winning 6-0. We weren't playing flowing football. Then we drew a difficult game away at Leeds and lost at Boro, Get the knives out. Find the scapegoat. A draw and a defeat at home and the witch hunt is really on. Get the ducking stool set up! And now we've lost 4-1, away, at Burnley! Yes, Burnley! That poor little team that was relagated from the Premier last season and have only been able to spend 9 million on a centre forward. That really is it. Set up the Gallow's pole. Call out the Klu Klux Klan, they're the hanging experts. First up Richard Keogh. He was our POTY up until Christmas but by God he's rubbish now. Jason Shackell as well. Mr Composure, no way. And as for that Thorne Fella....... And that Johnson. Our record signing you know. But the worst of the worst. The absolute pits. Mr Paul Clement. He hasn't got a clue about coaching, or man management, or what his best team is....... Even Mel Morris is getting his share. You remember him? Mel Morris, what a guy!

 I used to love match day. Get down to the BBG and support my team. Yes, support. 1983-84 season. We couldn't beat an egg! But there were 10 to 13 thousand of us there week in week out. Supporting. God we were bad that season. Even worse than the 4 or 5 previous seasons, and they were bad. But the ground was a cauldron of noise. Proper football noise. Cheering, shouting and singing. Not boos. Yes there was some discontent. But first and foremost we went to support the team. For 90 minutes.

 So what has changed in these years? I don't know. Maybe it's the all seater stadiums. They're not condusive to the atmosphere we had on the Popside. Pêrhaps the cost of football means that a normal working class family can't afford for dad and 2 or 3 sons to go every other week and so the "class" of supporter is changing. There must hundreds, or maybe no particular reason for it. But nobody seems to "support" Derby anymore. The photos on the "Best day of my life" thread brought a lump to my throat. Truly great days. They made the difficult years bearable. And the difficult years made the success sweeter. And through it all, the support. Real support.How glad I am, and truly truly lucky, to have been a supporter back then. I'm just a sad ****** now in front of my computer. Hoping to read something good about Derby Count Football Club. The club with the most knowledgable fans in England. I didn't say that, a certain Brian Clough did. And Dave Mackay backed him up. They must both be turning in their graves now. Not at how the team are playing. Not at the "crisis" they are going through. They would be thinking that perhaps they didn't know anything about football after all, or at least about Derby supporters. At Derby they don't support, they go to boo, to find scapegoats, to insult their own players or their wives.

 I'm going now. I'm going to look at that "best day of my life" thread again. That's what being a Derby supporter is really about. And I'm one of those!

Fantastic Read mate, envious you were there at the BBG and 'good old days' of Derby County.

It reminds me of the quote below,

If Derby are Champions League winners or League 2 struggler's I will still love them and go and support the team for me

[King Kevin]

5 hours ago, cosmic said:

I get the sentiment of your post, but to suggest the crowd "boo" rather than "support" because they aren't working class is, frankly, a bizarre statement.

The type of supporter has definitely changed ,you only  have to look at the photo in " the best days thread" it was mainly a male dominated support .Now days its families and even ladies /girls on their own ,with due respect they are not going to generate the same atmosphere as the BBG without taking into account the acoustics of the grounds.

[Spanish]

1 hour ago, Dale The Ram said:

Fantastic Read mate, envious you were there at the BBG and 'good old days' of Derby County.

It reminds me of the quote below,

If Derby are Champions League winners or League 2 struggler's I will still love them and go and support the team for me

effing ironic when it relates to manure though isn't it

[SaintRam]

3 minutes ago, Spanish said:

effing ironic when it relates to manure though isn't it

Well it's also not a real quote I don't think, I've never seen or heard any citation of when he actually said it in real life. It was written by a writer on the film "Looking for Eric" but as he's playing himself I suppose you can still claim it as his quote.

Meaningless drivel is what it is. 

[chezzyram]

7 hours ago, Alan Ramage 4 EVA said:

Can`t recall many booing the RAMS on the Popside in those days and I bet anyone booing would have received a right hander !

Yeah, nobody booed their own players back then, players weren't subjected to abuse, made a scapegoat for defeats or villified because they made one stupid mistake. Just ask Steve Cherry .

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, King Kevin said:

The type of supporter has definitely changed ,you only  have to look at the photo in " the best days thread" it was mainly a male dominated support .Now days its families and even ladies /girls on their own ,with due respect they are not going to generate the same atmosphere as the BBG without taking into account the acoustics of the grounds.

True. I started watching in the mid 1950s as a kid and can't recall seeing many (or any) women in the crowd until the late 60s and even a decade later there weren't that many females in the crowd. It was also incredibly cheaper and most of the crowd were like me, working class. My dad and lots of his mates went and they all worked at Royce's or  Loco and Carriage and Wagon. I didn't think twice about whether I could afford to go to a match because the cost was so low. 

All seems so long ago now from my Abingdon Street roots to my comfortable existence in leafy Woodford Green

 

[King Kevin]

Just now, Strange yearnings said:

True. I started watching in the mid 1950s as a kid and can't recall seeing many (or any) women in the crowd until the late 60s and even a decade later there weren't that many females in the crowd. It was also incredibly cheaper and most of the crowd were like me, working class. My dad and lots of his mates went and they all worked at Royce's or  Loco and Carriage and Wagon. I didn't think twice about whether I could afford to go to a match because the cost was so low. 

All seems so long ago now from my Abingdon Street roots to my comfortable existence in leafy Woodford Green

 

Ditto mate ,first went in 1958 ,Dad, Grandad  got there early stood on a stool in the lower Normanton end lower tier .Like you moved on from a ex council house to a far better pad ,not sure it's made me any happier.

[RamNut]

I'd say there is more negativity on the forum than i encounter at the match. If you are misfortunate enough to stumble into matchday chat when things are going against us, you would see some hysterical overreactions which are almost comedy gold. 

On the other hand, i admit that i was totally bemused by half the crowd walking out v brum. 

A few years ago i used to buy match day tickets in different parts of the stand and the vociferous spite and venom directed at the players - and fellow fans - in some sections was unbelievable. I went to watch Lincoln a couple of times and found the contrast absolutely startling. People just watching the match, chilled out, having a pie, happy if they won, not fussed if they didn't. They had shiit players but honest effort and they were happy with that. It was quite refreshing.

For the past couple of seasons I've had a season ticket in the posh seats. Same people around me every match. In that area there is no booing or abuse -( apart from kids on the row behind after the final whistle v brum).everyone turns up week after week. It might be a bit quieter than the old days but there's no-one shoving you in the back, or farting and burping in your face.

personally i don't give a toss whether we go up or not.

I was at wembley when we lost and i felt incredibly sorry for that team and fearful of what the consequences would be. A year later i really wasn't bothered when watching us fall apart against Reading. We weren't ready to go up and no-one wants another 11pointer. 

This year i'd just like to see some good football and some happy players.

we know mel's heart in the right place but he must be very over bearing at times. And the rate of change is too fast.  At the start of this transfer window i issued a plea that he keep his wallet in his pocket and show faith in the existing players. Three more signings followed. We don't need multiple players for every position. If Martin got injured then we already had Weimann and Bent. If warnock got injured then he have Baird. Sometimes out of adversity you forge a stronger spirit. Ok there are some fans who don't like baird or bent or whoever, but these are Derby County players that we've only just signed and they should be given their opportunity first if need arises. 

As for the football. It all looks a bit too intense. As if every stray pass is marked up on a white board. As if pass completion matters more than risk taking and imagination. Just as it seems we might be getting somewhere there's another tweak, another change of formation, Butterfield gets dropped again or another new player arrives. The club are in too much of a hurry and the fans have got swept along with it. Perhaps it would be nice if you could only sign 6 players a season so that the result was progressive evolution rather than jewellesque scorched earth. quality not quantity.

anyway i'll be there every match. Willing us on. Staying until the end. Clapping them off. And if all gets a bit boring my mind will drift to mcfarland and todd, willie carlin, kevin hector, charlie george. It was worth suffering someone else's burps and farts to watch those guys.

 

 

 

[Anon]

How much was a match ticket in relation to minimum wage in the 70s and 80s?

How much did players earn on average in relation to the minimum wage in the 70s and 80s?

Answer those questions and you'll find the real reason why that atmosphere you're pining for is long gone. It is increasingly difficult to empathise with players when their existence is so far removed from our own.

[Alan Ramage 4 EVA]

3 hours ago, chezzyram said:

Yeah, nobody booed their own players back then, players weren't subjected to abuse, made a scapegoat for defeats or villified because they made one stupid mistake. Just ask Steve Cherry .

I assume you are referring to the quarter final cup replay v Plymouth when Cherry let the only goal of the game in direct from a corner kick.

Cherry was then dropped for a few matches in favour of Yakka Banovic,but then played several more matches for the RAMS the last one at Gay Meadow where we lost 0-3 and had the pitch invasion.We were already relegated to division 3 by then.

He was sold before the start of the following season and Eric Steele was number one.

But I don`t recall Cherry getting booed .

Only when he came back as an opposing keeper

Maybe I have a selective memory ?

[RamNut]

2 hours ago, Alan Ramage 4 EVA said:

I assume you are referring to the quarter final cup replay v Plymouth when Cherry let the only goal of the game in direct from a corner kick.

Cherry was then dropped for a few matches in favour of Yakka Banovic,but then played several more matches for the RAMS the last one at Gay Meadow where we lost 0-3 and had the pitch invasion.We were already relegated to division 3 by then.

He was sold before the start of the following season and Eric Steele was number one.

But I don`t recall Cherry getting booed .

Only when he came back as an opposing keeper

Maybe I have a selective memory ?

That always mystified me.

what exactly did he do to deserve stick?

granty lets a corner go straight in at huddersfield and everyone keeps saying how good he is?

[Curtains]

11 minutes ago, RamNut said:

That always mystified me.

what exactly did he do to deserve stick?

granty lets a corner go straight in at huddersfield and everyone keeps saying how good he is?

It was a quarter final replay at the Baseball Ground after we had drawn at Home Park Plymouth.

Remember being behind the goal at Plymouth when Tommy Tynan smashed one against the post near the end of the game and it looked like a winner all the way for the Pilgrims but it stayed out and we got away with it  

Just that the Cherry mistake at the time was such a dissappointment from the corner at the Baseball Ground which ended our Cup hopes. 

Kenny Burns looks happy. 

[Philmycock]

John Robertson got stick from the popside every match but it was all very jovial, we knew he was fat and past it and so did he!

[BOB BIGGS]

6 hours ago, RamNut said:

It might be a bit quieter than the old days but there's no-one shoving you in the back, or farting and burping in your face.

And if all gets a bit boring my mind will drift to mcfarland and todd, willie carlin, kevin hector, charlie george. It was worth suffering someone else's burps and farts to watch those guys.

 

 

 

Sorry, thought I'd got away with it after all this time as well....

[oomarkwright]

I must admit that that game against Plymouth was the straw that broke the camels back for me. I stopped supportin Derby that night and as I was going to Oxford that September started watchin them. It took a couple of years n some local Oxford Derby fans that drew me back. 

It paid off and as a just reward bobby Davison smacked the equaliser against Plymouth to secure promotion to the first division.  

Who was the goalie? Steve cherry. Hence 'pick that one out of the back of the net Steve cherry!!'

[chezzyram]

14 hours ago, Alan Ramage 4 EVA said:

I assume you are referring to the quarter final cup replay v Plymouth when Cherry let the only goal of the game in direct from a corner kick.

Cherry was then dropped for a few matches in favour of Yakka Banovic,but then played several more matches for the RAMS the last one at Gay Meadow where we lost 0-3 and had the pitch invasion.We were already relegated to division 3 by then.

He was sold before the start of the following season and Eric Steele was number one.

But I don`t recall Cherry getting booed .

Only when he came back as an opposing keeper

Maybe I have a selective memory ?

Yes that's the one. I guess what I was trying to say was that maybe those of us who knew and loved the BBG do have selective memories and tend to view the old black and white photos with a rose tint.

I singled out the Steve Cherry incident because I think it shows that there are parallels between past and present and, other than the pervasive influence of social media, attitudes weren't totally different then. Most fans then, and it seems even now, regarded Cherry's howler as the only reason we lost that replay despite the fact that he had kept us in the first game almost single handedly, our forwards couldn't hit a barn door over two games and the manager made some mystifying decisions.That one mistake virtually ended his Derby career and was the only reason he was booed every time he subsequently played against us. Much the same happens now, even posters on here are calling for Keogh to be replaced and Buxton should partner Shackell on the strength of one dodgy performance in an otherwise solid season. He wasn't the only factor by any means in that defeat but he had the misfortune to make the high profile mistakes. Incidentally, the home game after that Plymouh match, the 0-3 defeat against Brighton, was one of the most toxic atmospheres on the Popside that I can remember at either the BBG or iPro.

I do think that one of the big differences between the BBG and iPro crowds is not so much the stick that our own players get but the stick (or lack of it) that opposition players get. The BBG could be a hostile and intimidating place and you could see the opposition visibly shrink at times. Other teams players get an easy ride at the ipro now and are not intimidated, in fact you can often see them grow in confidence as the game goes on. Maybe as fans we should give the opposition more to worry about rather than concentrating all the effort on an ex Forest player who got injured 10 years ago.

Having said all this I would go back to the BBG tomorrow

 

[utisbug]

On 26 January 2016 at 21:24, richinspain said:

 I never realised just how lucky I am. I've been living in Spain now for very nearly 18 years and even though I obviously miss family and friends it's at 3 o'clock on a Saturday ( or 12 o'clock, or a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon, or Monday......... you know what i mean) when I realllllly miss being back home. I still get a knot in my stomach when kickoff time is approaching. I still sit rocking backwards and forwards as I suffer the radio Derby commentary. I still want to kick the dog (haven't got one and never had one, but you know what I mean) when we lose. I read the web site 3 or 4 times a day. I read the BBC Derby web site at least twice a day, and the DET website at least once a day. I come on this forum probably 20 times a day, trying to catch every little snippet of news I can. Basically I'm a right sad ******.

 So why am I lucky? I don't get to encounter at first hand what have to be some of the worst "supporters" in England. When we were top of the league a few weeks ago some weren't happy. We weren't winning 6-0. We weren't playing flowing football. Then we drew a difficult game away at Leeds and lost at Boro, Get the knives out. Find the scapegoat. A draw and a defeat at home and the witch hunt is really on. Get the ducking stool set up! And now we've lost 4-1, away, at Burnley! Yes, Burnley! That poor little team that was relagated from the Premier last season and have only been able to spend 9 million on a centre forward. That really is it. Set up the Gallow's pole. Call out the Klu Klux Klan, they're the hanging experts. First up Richard Keogh. He was our POTY up until Christmas but by God he's rubbish now. Jason Shackell as well. Mr Composure, no way. And as for that Thorne Fella....... And that Johnson. Our record signing you know. But the worst of the worst. The absolute pits. Mr Paul Clement. He hasn't got a clue about coaching, or man management, or what his best team is....... Even Mel Morris is getting his share. You remember him? Mel Morris, what a guy!

 I used to love match day. Get down to the BBG and support my team. Yes, support. 1983-84 season. We couldn't beat an egg! But there were 10 to 13 thousand of us there week in week out. Supporting. God we were bad that season. Even worse than the 4 or 5 previous seasons, and they were bad. But the ground was a cauldron of noise. Proper football noise. Cheering, shouting and singing. Not boos. Yes there was some discontent. But first and foremost we went to support the team. For 90 minutes.

 So what has changed in these years? I don't know. Maybe it's the all seater stadiums. They're not condusive to the atmosphere we had on the Popside. Pêrhaps the cost of football means that a normal working class family can't afford for dad and 2 or 3 sons to go every other week and so the "class" of supporter is changing. There must hundreds, or maybe no particular reason for it. But nobody seems to "support" Derby anymore. The photos on the "Best day of my life" thread brought a lump to my throat. Truly great days. They made the difficult years bearable. And the difficult years made the success sweeter. And through it all, the support. Real support.How glad I am, and truly truly lucky, to have been a supporter back then. I'm just a sad ****** now in front of my computer. Hoping to read something good about Derby Count Football Club. The club with the most knowledgable fans in England. I didn't say that, a certain Brian Clough did. And Dave Mackay backed him up. They must both be turning in their graves now. Not at how the team are playing. Not at the "crisis" they are going through. They would be thinking that perhaps they didn't know anything about football after all, or at least about Derby supporters. At Derby they don't support, they go to boo, to find scapegoats, to insult their own players or their wives.

 I'm going now. I'm going to look at that "best day of my life" thread again. That's what being a Derby supporter is really about. And I'm one of those!

You're dead right mate. Far too quickly there is a nervous, toxic environment created by our own fans. About time we shut up and did nothing but support a quite clearly decent outfit. The squad we have have had two nightmare conclusions to the prior 2 seasons. I think people forget we actually should've won the play off final. These boys don't need to be feeding off a negative tense environment at home. They deserve better. 

[utisbug]

21 hours ago, oomarkwright said:

I must admit that that game against Plymouth was the straw that broke the camels back for me. I stopped supportin Derby that night and as I was going to Oxford that September started watchin them. It took a couple of years n some local Oxford Derby fans that drew me back. 

It paid off and as a just reward bobby Davison smacked the equaliser against Plymouth to secure promotion to the first division.  

Who was the goalie? Steve cherry. Hence 'pick that one out of the back of the net Steve cherry!!'

Come on pal. If you stopped supporting the club for a couple of years for whatever reason calling yourself a fan's a bit of a push. Maybe you should join the Man City Forum.

[Inverurie Ram]

10 hours ago, chezzyram said:

Yes that's the one. I guess what I was trying to say was that maybe those of us who knew and loved the BBG do have selective memories and tend to view the old black and white photos with a rose tint.

I singled out the Steve Cherry incident because I think it shows that there are parallels between past and present and, other than the pervasive influence of social media, attitudes weren't totally different then. Most fans then, and it seems even now, regarded Cherry's howler as the only reason we lost that replay despite the fact that he had kept us in the first game almost single handedly, our forwards couldn't hit a barn door over two games and the manager made some mystifying decisions.That one mistake virtually ended his Derby career and was the only reason he was booed every time he subsequently played against us. Much the same happens now, even posters on here are calling for Keogh to be replaced and Buxton should partner Shackell on the strength of one dodgy performance in an otherwise solid season. He wasn't the only factor by any means in that defeat but he had the misfortune to make the high profile mistakes. Incidentally, the home game after that Plymouh match, the 0-3 defeat against Brighton, was one of the most toxic atmospheres on the Popside that I can remember at either the BBG or iPro.

I do think that one of the big differences between the BBG and iPro crowds is not so much the stick that our own players get but the stick (or lack of it) that opposition players get. The BBG could be a hostile and intimidating place and you could see the opposition visibly shrink at times. Other teams players get an easy ride at the ipro now and are not intimidated, in fact you can often see them grow in confidence as the game goes on. Maybe as fans we should give the opposition more to worry about rather than concentrating all the effort on an ex Forest player who got injured 10 years ago.

Having said all this I would go back to the BBG tomorrow

 

Great post. So come on Derby County fans, give them dirty Manx players and fans plenty of stick tomorrow evening and all the other teams thereafter and not waste our energy and time on our own players or staff members.

Up The Rams.