We are where we are!

[Alph]

2 hours ago, europia said:

Interesting that Hughes & Ince are joining clubs that are not bigger than DCFC. Good luck to both, but their talents may be stifled if those teams are scrapping in the PL bottom six. 

Big gamble for GR, selling the clubs best players he will need to find quality replacements before the season commences. 

 

12 minutes ago, Parsnip said:

Dunno really - who would you put money on being in the premiership in 3 or 5 years time? I'd imagine once Howe moves on they're straight back down.

Big gamble of a move to udders for Ince though - he needs to really shine in a struggling team otherwise he might blow his chance. Hughes has much less pressure.

We haven't seen his plan a yet!

I don't really see why Derby are any more likely to do better than Bournemouth or Huddersfield. 

What makes us so much bigger? People in a stadium? History? Haven't Huddersfield won more than Derby? 

In the last 30 years Wigan and Fulham have achieved far more than Derby. Those are clubs that many Derby fans would look down on. 

I wouldn't bet on Derby being above either in 5 years. Because it was 10 years since we last played in that league. It was what, 16 years ago since we made any sort of impact at that level. Wigan and Fulham have played in major cup finals since then.

I'm sure when Tom Ince first signed he would have bet Derby would be in the PL by now. But now who can blame him if he wants to go and scrap it out at the bottom of the PL. It's a place we have been trying to get to for a decade. And we didn't do much scrapping back then either. 

I bet Shaun Barker and Jason Shackell thought they'd gone to a club with bigger potential too. Yet Blackpool have played in the PL since we last were. And Burnley... Well, Jeff Hendricks transfer draws some comparisons 

[Derby blood]

4 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

Seems to me there's a lack of reality in some of the stuff being posted. We can't go back and it's no good wishing things were different. Now that change has started I'm looking forward to the new season, can't wait.

The first sale being Will was tough but now it's gathering momentum and hopefully there'll be some good signings to offset the pain. I'm liking the sound of Curtis - new captain? There might be some new U23s break through and there will be some more signings.

It's time to suck it up (all the past failures and mistakes) and get on with it. Rowett is (finally) a good choice and I think he will be given a fair crack of the whip by Mel.

Not long now until the first preseason friendly! Come on You Rams!

100 percent agree with this. Come on Rams fans lets get behind Mr Rowett and the team. And yes I also think Curtis would make a great captain, seen it, done it, and worn the tee shirt. Once a Ram always a Ram.

[Jourdan]

I'm not really sure what to make of Rowett.

It depends on the remit he has been given. I just don't see him as the type of manager who will transform us into promotion contenders in a short space of time. I see him more in the Clough mould - working on a tighter budget with a smaller, more tight-knit group of players and trying to slowly rebuild and ultimately repair the damage left by previous managers.

While the prospect of selling Ince, Hughes and Keogh in one transfer window is alarming, it does create a real sense of intrigue around how Rowett will reshape the squad moving forward.

I was one of those who advocated for giving Pearson time. So Rowett deserves the same courtesy.

I just feel that what was already a very difficult job to take on seems to be that much more difficult now if every one of those expected sales goes through.

If these were decisions driven by Rowett himself, he is taking many bold, brave steps so early on in his reign and putting himself under a lot of pressure to deliver and I just don't know how wise it is.

You'd have to be very confident in your ability at this point. To freely sell our three best players and at the same time move the team forward on the pitch doesn't seem like a scenario with a firm base in reality.

[RoyMac5]

6 hours ago, Jourdan said:

You'd have to be very confident in your ability at this point. To freely sell our three best players and at the same time move the team forward on the pitch doesn't seem like a scenario with a firm base in reality.

Three?

The reality is the best players want (and were probably 'sold' by Derby) the Prem, we've not delivered so how to keep them happy and motivated - sell them upwards! They might be good players but the team hasn't succeeded, GR seems good at team building and hopefully will get chance.

[YouRams]

An unfair criticism of Rowett I keep reading is the "hoofball" tag. Personal preference obviously but I loved seeing us play cutting passes through the middle and pinpoint balls over the top towards the end of last season. Nugents headed goal with a ball played from 40 yards you'd never of seen under Mac. Was a welcome change from watching us play meaningless passes and always trying to get to the edge of the 18 to put in awful crosses 90% of the time.

A less readable style of football with a shored up defence, I'm slightly more optimistic about next season. Also interested to see who else he brings in.

[metalsheep02]

18 minutes ago, YouRams said:

An unfair criticism of Rowett I keep reading is the "hoofball" tag. Personal preference obviously but I loved seeing us play cutting passes through the middle and pinpoint balls over the top towards the end of last season. Nugents headed goal with a ball played from 40 yards you'd never of seen under Mac. Was a welcome change from watching us play meaningless passes and always trying to get to the edge of the 18 to put in awful crosses 90% of the time.

A less readable style of football with a shored up defence, I'm slightly more optimistic about next season. Also interested to see who else he brings in.

I don't think too many will be complaining if we consistently see performances like we did in the Fulham home game, blew a good side out of the water. 

Hopefully the summer transfer activity will reduce the risk of performances like Brentford and Rotherham away being repeated.

[RamNut]

25 minutes ago, metalsheep02 said:

I don't think too many will be complaining if we consistently see performances like we did in the Fulham home game, blew a good side out of the water. 

Hopefully the summer transfer activity will reduce the risk of performances like Brentford and Rotherham away being repeated.

The fulham keeper gifted us that result. Fulham played well.

you are right to id rotherham as a poor performance. 

[rynny]

51 minutes ago, YouRams said:

An unfair criticism of Rowett I keep reading is the "hoofball" tag. Personal preference obviously but I loved seeing us play cutting passes through the middle and pinpoint balls over the top towards the end of last season. Nugents headed goal with a ball played from 40 yards you'd never of seen under Mac. Was a welcome change from watching us play meaningless passes and always trying to get to the edge of the 18 to put in awful crosses 90% of the time.

A less readable style of football with a shored up defence, I'm slightly more optimistic about next season. Also interested to see who else he brings in.

You mean like our first in this game?

Any excuse to show that goal 

[YouRams]

2 minutes ago, rynny said:

You mean like our first in this game?

Any excuse to show that goal 

I meant over the top obvs 

[old tray boy]

The Hughes transfer was inevitable, the man has great talent and will shine in a talented side he will go on to great things.His progress in a mediocre Derby side has gone as far as it could. Derby fans now have to move on and hope that the new manager has the ability to create a footballing side worthy of pulling our shirt on ( this has not been the case for quite a while) maybe in the not to distant future Hughes will Captain England and we can all be proud he nurtured his talent at a club that at the time was not good enough to hold on to him.

[Pearl Ram]

9 hours ago, Parsnip said:

Dunno really - who would you put money on being in the premiership in 3 or 5 years time? I'd imagine once Howe moves on they're straight back down.

Big gamble of a move to udders for Ince though - he needs to really shine in a struggling team otherwise he might blow his chance. Hughes has much less pressure.

We haven't seen his plan a yet!

If I were a betting man I'd be putting my money on Bournemouth I'm sad to say. They've just spent 20 million on a player, we can only dream about spending that on a single player, I can only see them consolidating, us ? who knows, it's been 10 long years since we were up there and there's no concrete proof of a game plan to get us up there yet, the Derby Way ? No, that been put on the back burner never to be spoken about again.

On your second point, a month ago I assumed plan A included Hughes and Ince. Plan B (to me) is achieving a play off place without the contribution of those two. 

[Jourdan]

3 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

Three?

The reality is the best players want (and were probably 'sold' by Derby) the Prem, we've not delivered so how to keep them happy and motivated - sell them upwards! They might be good players but the team hasn't succeeded, GR seems good at team building and hopefully will get chance.

3 = Hughes, Ince and Keogh.

Of course, I don't dispute that players want to play at the highest level and I don't dispute that Ince and Hughes have probably reached the ceiling of what they can achieve here.

We shouldn't stand in their way, I completely agree. But what we should be doing is getting the best deals for the club and looking after our own interests. I don't feel we have done that.

I will wait and see how Rowett reshapes the team and he should get time to do that.

But what a job he has on his hands now. I am not too hopeful he will succeed.

[RoyMac5]

Just now, Jourdan said:

We shouldn't stand in their way, I completely agree. But what we should be doing is getting the best deals for the club and looking after our own interests. I don't feel we have done that.

Have you news of a bid from Liverpool or Man U for Hughes then? As for Ince him and daddy have said he ought to be playing in the Prem, I can't hear a stampede to sign him, £10m+ is a good deal.

[Inglorius]

3 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

I can't hear a stampede to sign him

Then why sell him to the only team whose interested in him 

[BarrowRam]

Rowett needs to be given a chance to build his team. Obviously  Will Hughes and Tom Ince want to play premier league football. We don't know who we are trying to bring in to the club. As Alf Ramsey said it's not always the best players make the best team. 

[RoyMac5]

3 minutes ago, Inglorius said:

Then why sell him to the only team whose interested in him 

Because it's a good price and he wants to go.

[Inglorius]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

Because it's a good price and he wants to go.

It's only a good price if we can recruit an equally or more effective replacement for the same money.  

[Day]

19 minutes ago, Inglorius said:

It's only a good price if we can recruit an equally or more effective replacement for the same money.  

We signed Ince for £4.75m so if he goes for £10m we could buy 2 and what's better than one Tom Ince's?.....two Tom Inces!

Might not be as easy as that without scientists getting involved and medical breakthroughs but Rowett needs to show how ambitious he is, what better way?  

[RiddingsRam]

I'm embracing the change , in all fairness I'm actually quite excited about it. I like Rowett and am looking forward to watching his team in action. Cause I'll miss Will and Ince and maybe Keogh if he goes but I'm excited about seeing how our new team shapes up. As long as I'm entertained and the players are showing as much passion for the club as I feel I've got then it's a thumb up from me.Roll on the new season , can't wait now , COYR

[Coneheadjohn]

16 hours ago, Saul Pimpson said:

At least Rowett has the courage of his conviction, unlike that phoney Pearson. I too am thoroughly looking forward to seeing an aggressive, energetic, never-say-die Derby that proves to be greater than the sum of it's parts.

We're also long overdue bit of luck with the fitness of Fozzy & George - 2 quality "new" additions to the squad if they stay fit, along with the return of 20 goal a season Chrissy.

Gave you a like for COYMFR!