A hypothetical thought experiment

[SantosHalper]

Let's say that we win five or six games between now and the end of the season, plus a few draws, and we finish comfortably in mid-table. We'd have had some highs (being 4th at one point), and some lows (plummeting down the table).

What do we do at that point? Stick or twist? Would we give Clough one more season to get things right, or chance our arm on a new manager?

Of course, things might turn out rather worse than that, but I doubt it, and I think we'll be okay. If things do turn out okay (not great, but not awful either), how do you think we should move on?

[RotherhamRam]

I think the board should say to themselves.

"Well we gave Paul Jewell millions and he got us no where except near the bottom of the championship. Nigel Clough has had a tough job to do a) to prove he would not going to waste our money b) to deliver with no funds a few seasons where we could recoup the money Jewell wasted c) to prove he would not drop up is the muck with the fans whilst we did not invest and protect us as far as possible d) pretend to be George Osbourne in disguise whilst we ruthlessy cut your squad, your wage bill etc e) provide us a run of games which we can live off for the season so we can hide the lack of investment into the club and team.

Therefore IT IS TIME WE INVESTED HIM and gave him a fair chance"

As you can guess I have been thinking of the Hamlet, Carlsberg and any other advert which we can day dream with.

Honestly though with the investment and such I would give him a go and actually allow him the money to sepnd

[WilkoRam]

All depends on GSE's intentions. If they invest then Nigel should be given the opportunity to have that money, as he made it available with the squad cutting, and should be given the chance to see what he can do with it. If they don't put much money in then I think a new manager with better contacts and a far reaching scouting team might be in order.

[Gary Teale]

I do like that Clough can only be judged if we give him loads of money. What about all the other managers in the football league without any money who have none too spend. The good ones get there side up to the top of the league, the average to poor ones either tread water or are near the bottom. This is Cloughs team, he choose to either sign them or keep them. I thought we are building slowly for the future which I wouldn't mind but we just sit back and hit long balls in the second half of every season

[desmond_tutu]

I've always said that the team didn't finish higher than 14th then clough should go.

The target for this season was for the team to finish in the top half of table. And our beloved board keep saying, "We want to have a team that improves season by season, and have is established in this league in 3 years then have a strong enough squad so that could stay in the premier league." Which i don't believe for one second, look at blackpool.

The only reason why we started playing awful in the first place, was that we were getting too predicatable and teams knew excatly what we we were doing week in week out. Unfortunatly its took Clough far too long to realise that the german, spainish 4 2 3 1 doesn't work anymore, hence the reason why we are struggling. If he was abit less stuborn, he'd realise this formation was failing sooner rather than later.

However i do feel sorry for Clough because he would be able to get the players he wanted, if we had a director of football who actually knew how to negotiate a transfer. If we had somebody with more footballing experience, then we may have the bigger signings that everybody wants. Put it this way, it took glick 18 months to get ben davies to Derby County, and he plays for Notts County!! Thats how much that takes the p**s.

[Ambitious]

Clough has gone for players that were worth the money he spent on them, I think the only player who's value has decreased since being brought in by Clough is Porter and that's more down to his career damaging injury, otherwise I think he would of perhaps been our best signing, he looked so promising in his first couple of games, great goalscoring record and looked like we'd found a great barging then his hip went and he now can't move, not his fault.. feel bad for him, knowing his career is down the swanny it's hard not to.

I would like Clough to carry on this lower league quest, but also scout the premiership fringe sides and this can only be done with more funds, there is a lot of players in the premiership around 23 that are sick of not getting games for instance Scott Sinclair who moved to Swansea, Dave Jones when he moved to us, Chris Eagles when he moved to Burnley, Ebanks Blake when he moved to Plymouth.. there are players like these dotted about, they cost a bit of money between 500k-1million but surely that isn't beyond us?

[desmond_tutu]

Clough has gone for players that were worth the money he spent on them, I think the only player who's value has decreased since being brought in by Clough is Porter and that's more down to his career damaging injury, otherwise I think he would of perhaps been our best signing, he looked so promising in his first couple of games, great goalscoring record and looked like we'd found a great barging then his hip went and he now can't move, not his fault.. feel bad for him, knowing his career is down the swanny it's hard not to.

I would like Clough to carry on this lower league quest, but also scout the premiership fringe sides and this can only be done with more funds, there is a lot of players in the premiership around 23 that are sick of not getting games for instance Scott Sinclair who moved to Swansea, Dave Jones when he moved to us, Chris Eagles when he moved to Burnley, Ebanks Blake when he moved to Plymouth.. there are players like these dotted about, they cost a bit of money between 500k-1million but surely that isn't beyond us?

You've got to understand this is 3-4 years ago. Transfer market has inflated massively since then. Look how much celtic paid for Gary Hooper.

[SillyBilly]

I don't accept say 12th as improvement and equally I don't really accept 16th as failure. There is nothing really in it. Improvement to me is playoffs, anywhere around midtable is stagnation. Naturally with relegation being abject failure. Put it this way, at no point did I predict it'd be as nervy as this come the end of the season, I maintain there is alot that could happen between here and the finish line but the fact it's been as desperate at times as it has, will probably be my lasting memory of this season regardless of the finish. I can't ever really remember such a freefall from a Derby side, certainly not in my time.

Tom Glick effectively said Playoffs was realistic, when we dropped out at the start of the bad run he was quoted as saying he was confident results would come good and we could again push to be there. So on that score I want him personally challenged as to why he thinks it has gone wrong. I would like to hear his opinion. I have no confidence whatsoever improvement will be delivered next season intill something major changes 'cos put simply it ain't working.

[PeteDerby]

I do like that Clough can only be judged if we give him loads of money. What about all the other managers in the football league without any money who have none too spend. The good ones get there side up to the top of the league, the average to poor ones either tread water or are near the bottom. This is Cloughs team, he choose to either sign them or keep them. I thought we are building slowly for the future which I wouldn't mind but we just sit back and hit long balls in the second half of every season

Tell me which of these 'other managers' have had to sell all of their best players and cut the wage bill by half and I might start to listen to that argument a bit more seriously?

This is Clough's team, of a fashion, albeit one cobbled together with loans, crocks, unproven maybe players and over-the-hill twighlighers - all because of the NEGATIVE resources GSE have provided. That's right - his dealings have given GSE more than they've given him to try and improve things.

This is all against a backdrop where the owners came in setting the fans' expectation of establishing DCFC permanently in the top flight, hence the frustration people like you express because it's not happening.

You need to take your 'Clough hate' blinkers off mate. There's nothing being built under GSE and, what's more, until there is you simply can't judge whether Clough is good bad or indifferent.

What I do know is that another Championship manager told me two weeks ago that, big as DCFC is, the manager's job is a poisoned challice at the moment and that no proven manager in his right mind would take over from Clough in the current circumstances.

OK, so that's just another opinion, but I know who's opinion I would trust more, and it ain't the Clough haters!

[SillyBilly]

What I do know is that another Championship manager told me two weeks ago that, big as DCFC is, the manager's job is a poisoned challice at the moment and that no proven manager in his right mind would take over from Clough in the current circumstances.

OK, so that's just another opinion, but I know who's opinion I would trust more, and it ain't the Clough haters!

Interesting. Whatever the hell is going off behind the scenes at PP, it needs sorting. I'd like to have Andy Applebly over here taking questions from concerned Rams fans. On reflection challenging TG is pointless, he's merely a puppet and doing the dirty work on behalf of the "investors".

[WilkoRam]

Tell me which of these 'other managers' have had to sell all of their best players and cut the wage bill by half and I might start to listen to that argument a bit more seriously?

Look at Sturrock at Southend and then tell me Nigel is so hard done by.

He's not worked under the best financial circumstances but he's hardly working under the worse. I'm sorry but there're some who clearly try and jump on anything and make it anti-Nigel but there are some who are equally blinkered in the pro-Nigel camp.

[ramesses]

Tell me which of these 'other managers' have had to sell all of their best players and cut the wage bill by half and I might start to listen to that argument a bit more seriously?

Look at Sturrock at Southend and then tell me Nigel is so hard done by.

He's not worked under the best financial circumstances but he's hardly working under the worse. I'm sorry but there're some who clearly try and jump on anything and make it anti-Nigel but there are some who are equally blinkered in the pro-Nigel camp.

Forget Sturrock. Bring in Boris Bloodsuckovic. Manager of Mingely Mostar of the Bosnian Third Division. With only 3 shekels and a knackered goat he still managed to scrape into the playoffs.

He’s cheap as chips and has a marvellous scouting network in rural Albania.

[ariotofmyown]

What I do know is that another Championship manager told me two weeks ago that, big as DCFC is, the manager's job is a poisoned challice at the moment

At the moment! How about since we started declining with Jim Smith at the helm.

[ariotofmyown]

Tell me which of these 'other managers' have had to sell all of their best players and cut the wage bill by half and I might start to listen to that argument a bit more seriously?

Look at Sturrock at Southend and then tell me Nigel is so hard done by.

He's not worked under the best financial circumstances but he's hardly working under the worse. I'm sorry but there're some who clearly try and jump on anything and make it anti-Nigel but there are some who are equally blinkered in the pro-Nigel camp.

Do you fancy Sturrock or something

[StaffsRam]

It is a poisoned challice at the moment. What Manager in their right mind is going to want to come to a club who's owners think a handful of magic beans constitutes a 'transfer kitty'.......?

I'd rather see how Nigel does under new owners, than a new Manager under the same lot again.

[Whoneedshuls]

Bring back Peter gadsby is what I say its obvious the yanky owners don't give a ***** when there's only glick at every game and the rest are thousands of miles away over the big pond!

Just tell me one thing if season ticket sales almost cover the players wages what the hell are the yanks investing?

[Gary Teale]

Another pete derby story where he has talked to a pro player or champ manager. What a surprise. If you value there opinions so much more and mix in them circles why come on here. You don't have a clue who we are just as we don't you. Why does everyone have to be a Clough hater who thinks he is doing a poor job. Isn't football all about opinions, that's one of the things so great about the game. GSE don't back him well enough I don't think any of us disagree with that but why can't we think the manager should be performing better. He has cut the wage bill by letting lots of players he didn't want anyway go after there contract ran out or by paying them off. The only good players he was forced to sell was commons and Hulse.

[Boycie]

Another pete derby story where he has talked to a pro player or champ manager. What a surprise. If you value there opinions so much more and mix in them circles why come on here. You don't have a clue who we are just as we don't you. Why does everyone have to be a Clough hater who thinks he is doing a poor job. Isn't football all about opinions, that's one of the things so great about the game. GSE don't back him well enough I don't think any of us disagree with that but why can't we think the manager should be performing better. He has cut the wage bill by letting lots of players he didn't want anyway go after there contract ran out or by paying them off. The only good players he was forced to sell was commons and Hulse.

Please put PeteDerby on your ignore list then, look in your user CP options. We wont have arguments about who said what to whom on here. This aint the DET.

[Gary Teale]

Please put PeteDerby on your ignore list then, look in your user CP options. We wont have arguments about who said what to whom on here. This aint the DET.

I really dont see what is wrong with what I posted and why I should bar myself from reading pots. I actually enjoy reading peoples differing opinions even if I totally disagree or as wild they are. Thats why im on here and all part of the fun. I think Pete gives lots of valid points on here and I dislike GSE just as much (well maybe not), I just dont think Clough is doing as good as a job as he should either. I do feel though he likes to throw in the line he knows lots of people in the game and they agree with me.

[Boycie]

I really dont see what is wrong with what I posted and why I should bar myself from reading pots. I actually enjoy reading peoples differing opinions even if I totally disagree or as wild they are. Thats why im on here and all part of the fun. I think Pete gives lots of valid points on here and I dislike GSE just as much (well maybe not), I just dont think Clough is doing as good as a job as he should either. I do feel though he likes to throw in the line he knows lots of people in the game and they agree with me.

That's better,