To those that have tried to defend the board

[JoelH5]

Let me explain why the majority of people on here are angry.

I can understand why you may not be. If you were to look at the team we have at the moment, at the start of the year, we would all be delighted.
This however is not taking into account the context of the situation we are in.

The majority of team's managers we have played against this year have come out and said, 'we are the best team' they've played against this year. After Newcastle and possibly Brighton, I'm sure we would all agree. Even though we are the 4th top scorers in the division, we can all see we aren't clinical enough.

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

The reason we are so annoyed is that we had an excellent opportunity (and the best in years) to capitalise on the position we find ourselves in, with not much work needed.
Yet again however, incompetence has cost us.

Cyriac in my opinion is a good bit of business but simply not enough. What happens if we get to the playoffs and he is out injured? Chris Martin will be back at Derby and who will we have to lead the line?

Time and time again, Khan(s) and his lack of football knowledge has cost us dearly. Its evident he is way more interested in his NFL team and we are just a distraction.

It's time for him to go. Only then can we truly develop and show this so called 'ambition' in which we supposedly pride ourselves on having.

[toshes mate]

Well stated Joel except Martin won't be back at Derby as a player until the season concludes although we won't be able to play him in the play offs either unless there is some way our option to buy can be used at anytime we wish to use it.  I am furious at the complacency of Khan and his staff when we have a first class head coach with first class coaches all the way down to the kids at the academy.   The attitude of the Board Room is to hide behind the difficulties of arranging transfers something they don't suffer when selling, and we are reduced to speculating whether Berbatov will leave his calling card and run out of the Cottage one day with the words "The Best We Could Do" written on his shirt.

The Board is inadequate and superficial and Khan either knows it or, worse, he doesn't.

[The Road Less Travelled]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

[toshes mate]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

You do not judge a player on his first run out.  I like Cyriac but the argument is deeper than that.  The Board must prove that they mean what they say about AMBITION and they haven't because they are incapable of being ambitious.

[WayneKerrins]

Well stated Joel except Martin won't be back at Derby as a player until the season concludes although we won't be able to play him in the play offs either unless there is some way our option to buy can be used at anytime we wish to use it.  I am furious at the complacency of Khan and his staff when we have a first class head coach with first class coaches all the way down to the kids at the academy.   The attitude of the Board Room is to hide behind the difficulties of arranging transfers something they don't suffer when selling, and we are reduced to speculating whether Berbatov will leave his calling card and run out of the Cottage one day with the words "The Best We Could Do" written on his shirt.

The Board is inadequate and superficial and Khan either knows it or, worse, he doesn't.

Tosh and Joel, excellent posts. I love your last sentence Tosh as pithy as it is accurate.

[The Road Less Travelled]

You do not judge a player on his first run out.  I like Cyriac but the argument is deeper than that.  The Board must prove that they mean what they say about AMBITION and they haven't because they are incapable of being ambitious.

It's incredibly easy to spend other people's money though, and ambition isn't always about spending the most money - look at Brighton who we've probably spent more than this season than they have in our three seasons in the Championship.  I wanted more, don't get me wrong, but we haven't been a particularly high spending club for well over a decade now.  Our big signings have with the exception of McCormack been somewhere between an unmitigated disaster and incredibly underwhelming.  Spending big isn't what kept us in the PL for as long as it did, recruiting wisely is.  Whether or not that is what we've done this season will start to become clear over the next few weeks and I'm really not sure we have done, but for all we know Cyriac could be the missing piece of our puzzle and score 15 goals to push us into the play offs and eventual promotion.

The number of clubs that have spent big this year is pretty high, so one of two of them could come unstuck when they eventually don't get promoted.

[JoelH5]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

You've completely missed the point.

Please refer back to 'Cyriac in my opinion is a good bit of business but simply not enough'

[The Road Less Travelled]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

You've completely missed the point.

Please refer back to 'Cyriac in my opinion is a good bit of business but simply not enough'

I don't think he's enough either, and don't think I disagreed in my post above.  But proven players don't always replicate that form.  For all we know Cyriac could prove himself between now and the end of the season.

[toshes mate]

You do not judge a player on his first run out.  I like Cyriac but the argument is deeper than that.  The Board must prove that they mean what they say about AMBITION and they haven't because they are incapable of being ambitious.

It's incredibly easy to spend other people's money though, and ambition isn't always about spending the most money - look at Brighton who we've probably spent more than this season than they have in our three seasons in the Championship.  I wanted more, don't get me wrong, but we haven't been a particularly high spending club for well over a decade now.  Our big signings have with the exception of McCormack been somewhere between an unmitigated disaster and incredibly underwhelming.  Spending big isn't what kept us in the PL for as long as it did, recruiting wisely is.  Whether or not that is what we've done this season will start to become clear over the next few weeks and I'm really not sure we have done, but for all we know Cyriac could be the missing piece of our puzzle and score 15 goals to push us into the play offs and eventual promotion.

The number of clubs that have spent big this year is pretty high, so one of two of them could come unstuck when they eventually don't get promoted.

You are absolutely one hundred percent right about money and business and the most wonderful thing about SJ is that he has worked an effing miracle on the shoestring he has been offered by a comparatively rich club (and we are rich compared to a lot of others in the Championship) and part of that is the squandering of good money after bad before he arrived.  That is the Board's fault and they have to work harder to turn that around, much, much harder than they are doing.

[knightwest]

Surely the most important thing is if the business we did was what SJ wanted. If it is, then ok, I trust him and hope he stays for many seasons to come.

If he had 5 players lined up and none of them were signed because of the board/Khan then we have problems. I see SJ leaving as a much bigger problem than signings we might have made or not made.

I guess we will know when SJ slams the board if we lose to Burton tonight or at the end of the season at the very latest.

[The Road Less Travelled]

and part of that is the squandering of good money after bad before he arrived.  That is the Board's fault and they have to work harder to turn that around, much, much harder than they are doing.

Absolutely no disagreement there.  We've spent poorly for a while, even on deals that at the time didn't look too bad on the surface (Stekelenburg played in a WC final for example) and I think that's largely down to ineffective and insufficient scouting.  Hopefully what Rigg did when he was here will combat some of that, for everyone's issues with him his track record of developing a scouting network is pretty good, and we will start to get smarter.

Whether or not that is with SJ as manager is something we'll have to wait and see but even when things are going well he hasn't been afraid to walk, so promotion would be no guarantee that he stays anyway.

[toshes mate]

Surely the most important thing is if the business we did was what SJ wanted. If it is, then ok, I trust him and hope he stays for many seasons to come.

If he had 5 players lined up and none of them were signed because of the board/Khan then we have problems. I see SJ leaving as a much bigger problem than signings we might have made or not made.

I guess we will know when SJ slams the board if we lose to Burton tonight or at the end of the season at the very latest.

Listening carefully to what SJ said at the press conference after the Hull game and you have absolute proof of what you write.  He is saying to the Board - "You have told me my place and that is okay because I am doing what you have told me to do. Isn't it time you start doing what you said you would do when you enticed (seduced may be a better word) me to be your head coach?"

[JoelH5]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

You've completely missed the point.

Please refer back to 'Cyriac in my opinion is a good bit of business but simply not enough'

I don't think he's enough either, and don't think I disagreed in my post above.  But proven players don't always replicate that form.  For all we know Cyriac could prove himself between now and the end of the season.

No one has said he wont. That isn't the point. Let me again refer to; 'simply not enough.' Maybe he will do well for us (I think he will) but we are still way too light in numbers upfront.

If Martin pulls another strop we have one striker. There's no need to be in the precarious position we find ourselves in and would not be if we had a clear plan.


This is going a bit of piste but in my professional life, I work on a global basis in securing niche, high level professionals for various pharmaceutical clients. I actually got in contact with someone, (who I will not name) early last year about recruitment at the club and ending up going in for a chat, with the potential of joining the club in a negotiator capacity.

I wont go into detail but I decided to stay where I am..

[Nero]

Why Im peed off is we don't seem to have any plans or players to replace what we might lose, does anyone think the club are currently looking for a replacement for Crainey if he should leave, I for one don't I can see us rubbing our hands together at the thought of the money but not thinking ok if he goes who replaces him we need to get a replacement straight away. We will sell him then think oh we need to get someone in lets think of someone then look at the stats and then make an approach and then get rebuffed when our offer of £3.50 is rejected then the windows closing and we ask for a loan to permanent they say no straight sale, we lose the man we wanted the window closes and then we sit and do nothing until the window opens again and it right who should we start looking at oh we're half way down the league now the fella from last time doesnt want to sign for us now hmm what shall we do

[toshes mate]

and part of that is the squandering of good money after bad before he arrived.  That is the Board's fault and they have to work harder to turn that around, much, much harder than they are doing.

Whether or not that is with SJ as manager is something we'll have to wait and see but even when things are going well he hasn't been afraid to walk, so promotion would be no guarantee that he stays anyway.

I think SJ is no mug, a top professional and with a brain as sharp as a tack when it comes to football and how you play it.  I think he knows he is up against a bunch of amateurs in the Boardroom and he is going to see his contract out and then decide what is best for him, and I'll not blame him for that at all.  The Board have played a shabby hand for too long and perhaps Khan, the owner rather than the son, will have his hand forced in the Summer if we do not get the promotion the football club's football, if not results, deserves.

[Roberty]

I doubt that Shadid Khan had anything directly to do with yesterday's shambles and that he may well be asking the same questions to those he employs to carry out the day to day running of the club.

Given that Sarah Brookes was at MP until 11pm last night it is clear that signing were expected and several targets were rumoured to be on their way at various times during the day.

So I'm sure he will be as interested as we are to know why it went pear shaped.

[JoelH5]

I doubt that Shadid Khan had anything directly to do with yesterday's shambles and that he may well be asking the same questions to those he employs to carry out the day to day running of the club.

Given that Sarah Brookes was at MP until 11pm last night it is clear that signing were expected and several targets were rumoured to be on their way at various times during the day.

So I'm sure he will be as interested as we are to know why it went pear shaped.

Whether he does anything about it is a different matter.

Who knows? Any business would now create two contingency plans for the day the window opens on July 1st.

If we have been promoted, these are the targets we will try to secure
If we have not been promoted, these are the targets we will try to secure

It's that simple. Either way, we should be opening discussions 1st of July with clear targets to ensure this doesn't happen again (Deja Vu...)

[nose]

As we have also all said, we are a proven goal scorer away from a place in the playoffs.

Another 100ish pro board post

We're not a proven goalscorer away, we're an actual goalscorer away.  Rhodes who is proven scored six goals in the second half of last season after his move and hasn't scored this season in the PL for Boro, Ross was well proven in this league but has failed for Villa this season.  Martin is also a proven goalscorer in this league, and we have him for the rest of the season, but people were (rightly) criticising him earlier in the year for his lack of goals.  Proven goalscorers have failed after big moves before, and we've signed proven players who have failed before too.  Cyriac could work out incredibly well for us, and it'd be unfair to write him off before he's played his first game.

Everyone wanted more players, but what we need more than anything now is to be fully behind the ones we have.  Including, maybe even especially, Martin.

[nose]

Typing skills alude me on a mobile

[JoelH5]

Typing skills alude me on a mobile

At least you tried ;)