Mel - A Balanced View

[Guest]

I'm definitely a Mel man

[VulcanRam]

15 hours ago, Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster said:

I know he's not everybody's cup of tea, despite spending wodges of cash on our club, often seen as too interfering, having a trigger finger faster than Clint Eastwood, but in a wine-infused moment of clarity, I'm feeling quite appreciative of our Candy Man.

Back in the no so distant past of the Three Amigos, our (nationally) unfashionable club was allowed to be snapped up for a basket-case £1 and robbed royally ( and literally, criminally ).

We've trundled along for a few years under the faceless American multi-owners and management company, improving from those dark days, and before Mel came along, we'd all have bit ours, yours, mine and anyone else's hands off for a sugar daddy of any description, let alone a local guy to stump up £50million plus to buy our club, then spend another £30-40 million on players and training ground/club improvements.

Ask yourself, if you'd put even a quarter of Mel's (best guess) £100 million into any club, wouldn't you be very hands on in protecting your investment, and even , despite your (own) appointments going t**s up, responding quickly to react to what obviously wasn't working.

In the case of Clement and Pearson, they both had impeccable C.V.'s, but for different reasons they didn't translate to our club. If you've spent about £100million, what's another £3million, to quickly identify it's not working and admit you got that appointment wrong.

I know business acumen doesn't translate to football acumen, but give him some credit for reacting quickly, and even swallowing his pride to bring back the questionable personality that is SM, for his undoubted coaching skills. The 'Derby Way' that Mel hankers over is essentially the Steve McClaren way that seduced Morris to part with a big chunk of his vast fortune. They say the only way to make a small fortune out of football is.... to start with a large fortune!

Whilst many are griping how it's been more ups than downs since he took over, just remember, we've definitely got a better squad, things seem to be turning a corner of late, and whilst some whinge that progress isn't fast enough, if we'd been fortunate to have gone up a couple of seasons ago whilst we flirted with promotion, without Mel's deep pockets I think we'd have come quickly back down.

At least he's a huge fan - a flawed fan like the rest of us, but OUR fan.

What's the worst for us fans? Ongoing disappointment, perennial Championship underperformers? No different from our ( current ) place in the football food chain. The truth is, football has moved on and despite our huge loyal crowds, only huge investment can develop us into a sustainable Premiership club.

Think you're a bit p****d off that things aren't going the way you would like things to go at the speed you want them to go at? Try spending £100million on top of that, losing most of it as your investment dwindles and ask yourself how you'd view it then... I've never been fortunate enough to get near my first million, let alone £500million, but I'm guessing, losing even £50million of that must be painful.

Btw, I'm not Mel's secret lovechild :-)

 

 

I was a bit disappointed having seen the title. 

Sooner or later someone might take a couple of hours to actually put together a balanced view of what's happened since Mel took over. 

This isn't a balanced view because it doesn't look at the issues where people are unhappy about Mel - and there have been plenty of detractors since he took over regarding the communications, the squad, the revolving door of managers, the attitude of the players, the worsening football and league positions, the dangers of one-man ownership etc. Plenty of people I talk to have never been so out of love with derby County as they are at the moment.

To present a balanced view you need to address these rather than calling people "whingers" if they disagree, and the "how would you like it?" mentality. As such it's an opinion piece defending Mel, much like the other several thousand that have already been written on here. 

[Wolfie]

I have no criticism of Mel. I've said before that all the choices he has made have been understandable at the time. Some have not worked. Some have. The club/fans connection has been strained lately but that is now being addressed.

What I am 100% sure about, however, is that if I had his money I would not have done any better.

 

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

 

 

 

......That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away.......and you have their shoes.”

[eddie]

55 minutes ago, VulcanRam said:

I was a bit disappointed having seen the title. 

Sooner or later someone might take a couple of hours to actually put together a balanced view of what's happened since Mel took over. 

This isn't a balanced view because it doesn't look at the issues where people are unhappy about Mel - and there have been plenty of detractors since he took over regarding the communications, the squad, the revolving door of managers, the attitude of the players, the worsening football and league positions, the dangers of one-man ownership etc. Plenty of people I talk to have never been so out of love with derby County as they are at the moment.

To present a balanced view you need to address these rather than calling people "whingers" if they disagree, and the "how would you like it?" mentality. As such it's an opinion piece defending Mel, much like the other several thousand that have already been written on here. 

It is difficult to write a balanced view, because we are too close. Perhaps a supporter of another club, possibly someone indifferent to Derby, could do so. I couldn't, and neither could you, both for obvious - and opposite - reasons.

[mwram1973]

30 minutes ago, eddie said:

It is difficult to write a balanced view, because we are too close. Perhaps a supporter of another club, possibly someone indifferent to Derby, could do so. I couldn't, and neither could you, both for obvious - and opposite - reasons.

Dawny?? 

[eddie]

1 minute ago, mwram1973 said:

Dawny?? 

Can I do one on Fridgy?

[mwram1973]

Just now, eddie said:

Can I do one on Fridgy?

I would of thought so mate, go for it 

[VulcanRam]

49 minutes ago, eddie said:

It is difficult to write a balanced view, because we are too close. Perhaps a supporter of another club, possibly someone indifferent to Derby, could do so. I couldn't, and neither could you, both for obvious - and opposite - reasons.

for obvious reasons certainly, not opposite I wouldn't think?

[Seth's left foot]

1 hour ago, VulcanRam said:

I was a bit disappointed having seen the title. 

Sooner or later someone might take a couple of hours to actually put together a balanced view of what's happened since Mel took over. 

This isn't a balanced view because it doesn't look at the issues where people are unhappy about Mel - and there have been plenty of detractors since he took over regarding the communications, the squad, the revolving door of managers, the attitude of the players, the worsening football and league positions, the dangers of one-man ownership etc. Plenty of people I talk to have never been so out of love with derby County as they are at the moment.

To present a balanced view you need to address these rather than calling people "whingers" if they disagree, and the "how would you like it?" mentality. As such it's an opinion piece defending Mel, much like the other several thousand that have already been written on here. 

I find it unbelievable that certain fans can say they have never been so out of love with the club, as mentioned earlier what about the 80's? Also, the £52m debt when we were selling Rasiak and Huddlestone, Dean Moxey upfront at Coventry????

The crowd was 31,000 against the Dirties, we are all entitled to our opinion but I struggle to see how fans can be that unhappy with the current state of affairs.

SM will get us into the top six, I have no doubt about that and regardless of whether we go up or not MM has ensured that the club as a whole has never been better set up for many years to come.

 

 

[RamNut]

2 hours ago, Strange yearnings said:

I'm definitely a Mel man

I'm a Derby fan.

 

[Angry Ram]

35 minutes ago, Seth's left foot said:

I find it unbelievable that certain fans can say they have never been so out of love with the club, as mentioned earlier what about the 80's? Also, the £52m debt when we were selling Rasiak and Huddlestone, Dean Moxey upfront at Coventry????

The crowd was 31,000 against the Dirties, we are all entitled to our opinion but I struggle to see how fans can be that unhappy with the current state of affairs.

SM will get us into the top six, I have no doubt about that and regardless of whether we go up or not MM has ensured that the club as a whole has never been better set up for many years to come.

 

 

Mismanagement.. Simple as... what has the 80s got to do with anything?

***** then ***** now tbf. 

He is even starting to admit his mistakes.. That is a good thing at least.

 

I agree with Vulcan.. The OP is not balanced in any way.

 

[Gritstone Ram]

I must admit I did like playing candy crush when it first came out. I admire him for what he has done and I would do the same if I had the money.

[Will Hughes Hair]

3 hours ago, Strange yearnings said:

I'm definitely a Mel man

I'd lean more towards Kim myself.  Can't go wrong with an Appleby tho 

[RamuelLJackson]

31 minutes ago, Will Hughes Hair said:

I'd lean more towards Kim myself.  Can't go wrong with an Appleby tho 

A respectable choice.

[VulcanRam]

5 hours ago, Seth's left foot said:

I find it unbelievable that certain fans can say they have never been so out of love with the club, as mentioned earlier what about the 80's? Also, the £52m debt when we were selling Rasiak and Huddlestone, Dean Moxey upfront at Coventry????

The crowd was 31,000 against the Dirties, we are all entitled to our opinion but I struggle to see how fans can be that unhappy with the current state of affairs.

SM will get us into the top six, I have no doubt about that and regardless of whether we go up or not MM has ensured that the club as a whole has never been better set up for many years to come.

 

 

As unbelievable as you might find it, plenty feel while he has pumped lots of money in, things aren't great, the team is worse, too many managers, there's a disconnect, lots of reasons. You might not like it or understand it, but it's there with some people, and quite a few who I know, many of whom are appreciative of what Mel has done and is doing as being for the long term good of the club but also don't think he's going about some of it very well. Perhaps it's why the atmosphere is so poor and why the crowd is quick to get on at the players, I don't know. 

Yes there was a crowd of 31k against Leeds, but season ticket holders have paid for their ticket and will go regardless.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with any of this, only responding to what I see and hear. 

[SKRam]

11 hours ago, 86 points said:

My sis and I did a pop concert in our garden when we were nippers. The crowd numbered 3 in total. The two family cats and my mum. Think there might have been a squirrel in the tree but if so, most likely on sufferance. And the cats ran away....

A 30k crowd is therefore 'huge' in every sense. 

Pep,Jose, Juergen and Arsen wouldn't be too intimidated by our huge 30k I'm thinking