posted Dec 30, 2007

fao forest..are forest going up with gillingham? if you can beat gillingham 4 0 at home and lose 3 0 away how can you be sure of anything? you have to finish 1st or 2nd cos inconsistantcy will be your downfall in play offs..you wont gain promotion under clown calderwood.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 30, 2007

When we were last promoted in 1996 we felt that with a few good signings, we could more than hold our own in the top division, and we did. The following season we moved to Pride Park and added quality to the squad and finished ninth, the following season we just missed out on a UEFA Cup place.

There was no sense of that happening this time around. We were walking out of Wembley celebrating being debt free for the first time in years just as much as we were returning to the top division. It's painful being a Derby fan at the moment but people keep asking if we regret winning at Wembley, of course we don't, it was a great day and you play to win every time.

As long as we go down with a bit of dignity that's fine by me. We aren't a small-time club either, we're a club with a proud history and a good level of support, we've put four past Real Madrid and beaten the likes of Atletic Madrid and Benfica in the past, not to mention winning two league championships in the seventies.

Sky Sports and the Premier League are taking football apart; you only have to look at the end of season TV payments from Sky - they reward success with money, which brings in more success (usually). Our success perhaps came too soon, we were not far off being relegated to the third tier only two years ago.

I wouldn't wish what we're going through on our biggest rivals (Forest).

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 30, 2007

Yep, bioChelseaW, but the money has to spread more evenly up and down the leagues. It's no good spreading it to this year's top 20 because next year there will be three new clubs to the league. The FA needs to even out the monetary gap so the step between leagues is more manageable as well.

(As a Leeds supporter, I know all about financial problems)

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 30, 2007

I agree. Totally. If people want a competitive game, then then money pyramid needs to turned upside down as a extreme view - or evened out as a measured approach. Then we might even have a better national team, where we're looking for English players in teams other than the top ten of the Premiership.

Leeds have ben incredbile this year. But you don't need any praise from me - it's evident in the league.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 30, 2007

Off-topic I know, but it's one thing to have a league that allows local players to go up against world class international players, another thing that enables them to play alongside them.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 30, 2007

leeds are a brilliant example off spending to much money.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 31, 2007

A goal for Blackburn was disallowed because the ball was deemed to have crossed the line in mid flight.This is a ridiculous rule as in most sports eg tennis it is where the ball lands & football should follow suit.It is very difficult to judge a ball out in mid air.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 1, 2008

But wouldnt that mean players like Ronaldo could keep the ball on there head or tap the ball up and down on the top of there foot and be able to go out of play? Technically the ball wouldnt be touching the ground?

I agree in a way, it would be interesing if they make it so crosses that go out of play and back in without touching the ground be acceptable...

Having said that, it wouldnt be very fair on the goalkeeper if it was acceptable for the ball to go out of play behind the goal and then come back in as they wouldnt be able to see it to judge where the save needs to be made...

I dont know, i think it should be left as is as, as it could open up a whole tub of worms if they start messing with these rules...

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 3, 2008

rspeedy, That's a rubbish suggestion, so under your proposals the ball could be in the back of the net and if the goalkeeper managed to claw it away brofre it touched the ground, the goal wouldn't count: Think these things through!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jan 11, 2008

Hi... Passionate derby fan here... all i want too say is that i think sonce P. Jewell has arrived derby have looked on a different level to what they were when B. Davies was here. You can tell that club are moving forward by the quality of signing's that Jewell is making. (Robert, Savage, Villa, Mills, Gahly, Carrol) All quality players that will play like magic for the club!! What are your thoughts on this...?

add comment | complain about this comment