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The mighty fallen


StantonRam

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Congrats to PW and the team for saving his job on Tuesday...this time.

However, it's a measure of just how far we have fallen that we celebrate beating Exeter as if it were winning the FA Cup, and would apparently regard a point away at Stevenage (STEVENAGE!!!???!!!) as a good result.

I know that football, like most things, is a kind of pyramid, that the lower leagues are necessary for discovering and developing home grown talent etc, and I'm not averse to a bit of National League action myself, or lower, on a good day it has it's own magic for sure, especially in the FA Cup.  We accept local non league footie for what it is, and enjoy it for what it is.

However, when it comes to DCFC I'm of the generation whose expectations were raised (spoiled perhaps) at an impressionable age by the success of the 1970s, enjoyed the 1990s hugely, and now find it hard to adjust to current realities.  The many false dawns of recent times (the 2007-8 debacle, getting so close recently under Lampard) can induce a kind of existential ennui that's difficult to shake.  

Please PW, however you do it, get us out of this awful league, with its c**p grounds, cynical fouls, time wasting, hoofball, physicality at the expense of skill - and FAR too many games, leading players to burn out or get injured - players who need more time in training, skills development & physical maintenance than those in the PL, not less.  A PL team without cup runs or Europe plays 40 games a season, our bunch will end up playing maybe 60 if we have a couple of cup runs and end up competing in the playoffs.  In which case, even if we do go up we'll arrive in the Championship knackered before we even start.

We might deserve to be here morally, but in footballing terms we should not be here.  PW does seem to know how to compete at this level on its own terms (see above), but once back in the Championship we will need someone who has worked and succeeded at a higher level than this.

But who?

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21 minutes ago, LondonRam2 said:

Congrats to PW and the team for saving his job on Tuesday...this time.

However, it's a measure of just how far we have fallen that we celebrate beating Exeter as if it were winning the FA Cup, and would apparently regard a point away at Stevenage (STEVENAGE!!!???!!!) as a good result.

I know that football, like most things, is a kind of pyramid, that the lower leagues are necessary for discovering and developing home grown talent etc, and I'm not averse to a bit of National League action myself, or lower, on a good day it has it's own magic for sure, especially in the FA Cup.  We accept local non league footie for what it is, and enjoy it for what it is.

However, when it comes to DCFC I'm of the generation whose expectations were raised (spoiled perhaps) at an impressionable age by the success of the 1970s, enjoyed the 1990s hugely, and now find it hard to adjust to current realities.  The many false dawns of recent times (the 2007-8 debacle, getting so close recently under Lampard) can induce a kind of existential ennui that's difficult to shake.  

Please PW, however you do it, get us out of this awful league, with its c**p grounds, cynical fouls, time wasting, hoofball, physicality at the expense of skill - and FAR too many games, leading players to burn out or get injured - players who need more time in training, skills development & physical maintenance than those in the PL, not less.  A PL team without cup runs or Europe plays 40 games a season, our bunch will end up playing maybe 60 if we have a couple of cup runs and end up competing in the playoffs.  In which case, even if we do go up we'll arrive in the Championship knackered before we even start.

We might deserve to be here morally, but in footballing terms we should not be here.  PW does seem to know how to compete at this level on its own terms (see above), but once back in the Championship we will need someone who has worked and succeeded at a higher level than this.

But who?

I guess someone who has been promoted 3 times from this league doesn’t know how to get out of it. We are where we are because of people’s expectations and demands that we match the glory days of the 70’s. Buying player after player for inflated amounts to satisfy chairmen, fans and reach those expectations. 
 

The news is we are starting again rebuilding the Club from its grass roots and it does take time. In 1967 when Brian Clough first came here, moving from 4th Diivision Hartlepools to 2nd Division Derby, his first season was underwhelming, we finished in a lower position ,18th, than the previous season. We didn’t start the next season that well and things only improved after we signed Willie Carlin. Not saying for a moment that Paul Warne is in Brian Clough’s league, but he needs and deserves time to achieve success.

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Unfortunately we have a League 1 manager, even if he's gained promotion from it - relegation followed immediately. 

There are plenty of managers in the leagues above and in other countries leagues who have never succeeded at League 1 level, but I'll settle for someone who has better ideas and is more able to realise ambitions! #COYR

Edited by RoyMac5
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1 hour ago, Chellaston Ram said:

I agree I was brought up watching us in the 1970’ s and I am finding it hard to accept this situation at the moment 

Just do what I do watch You tube replays of the RAMS from the 70s , listening to John Motson, Barry Davies ,and Hugh Johns. Wearing Ox blood Doc Martens a panda collar shirt and a Wrangler denim jacket with a silk scarf tied around my wrist .Chanting "come and have a go if you think your hard enough".

My Mrs has left me But  the dogs stuck by me (ATM) !

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44 minutes ago, Chellaston Ram said:

Even if he gets us promoted I can’t see us staying up

If we manage to get promoted, we will find out whether we can stay up. As everyone keeps saying, managing the mighty Rams, is a different kettle of fish to managing Rotherham (with due respect to them). As people view we have a much bigger budget, we may buy some players more suited to the Championship. 
 

I, too, am speculating but am happy to see where we get to, rather than being all doom and gloom at this stage.

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I love rallying matchday threads.

Was speaking to my 31yo lad on the phone last night, and he was laughing at me talking about my hopes for the Stevenage game. Hoping we might get 3 points to follow up on our Exeter victory. When I told him Northampton were up next I am sure he fell off his chair. He said he hadn’t realised how far we had fallen until he heard me saying how beating Stevenage could be a statement result. We dwelt on it for a while, both had a good laugh, I called him a Bamford, and then said our goodnights. The mighty have indeed fallen.

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4 minutes ago, SSD said:

I mean I'm not a Warne fan but Christ, a bit of positivity is needed today 😁

Whilst I agree, how many honestly feel absolutely positive we will get a win today. God we need it, but we really haven’t got any good reason to expect it. We need to get a few successive victories for me to start feeling positive. 

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42 minutes ago, Alan Ramage 4 EVA said:

Just do what I do watch You tube replays of the RAMS from the 70s , listening to John Motson, Barry Davies ,and Hugh Johns. Wearing Ox blood Doc Martens a panda collar shirt and a Wrangler denim jacket with a silk scarf tied around my wrist .Chanting "come and have a go if you think your hard enough".

My Mrs has left me But  the dogs stuck by me (ATM) !

I had doc martens and a silk scarf, those were the days 🤣

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