What a load of nonsense - whilst I'm sure Derby will be offering him more money than we are, who do you think will finish higher in the table this season? Us or Derby?. I'd be astounded if it's us. As for the money he's being offered I'd wager he's been on a ludicrously low wage up to now for a Championship player and that we've offered him that plus a pound or similar to stay simply so we can get compensation, not expecting him for one minute to be interested in re-signing.

Seemingly Derby are preparing to spend big on a striker. Meanwhile Our DOF has proudly delivered the inspiring message that the days of us parting with a large fee for a player are over. I'd suggest that has a bit more to do with it than the respective distances from his doorstep.

Shows how intolerable it must have been working for the 3 stooges. What manager worth his salt would actually want to bob along indefinitely, never aiming for or achieving any success, but maybe developing and selling on a player or two if we're lucky?

I know we get the "it's not 1995 anymore" jibes thrown our way occasionally by opposing fans, the rather strange section of our support who are still supportive of Venky's or Tony Mowbray, but I disagree strongly we should play down the Jack Walker era. With all due respect to winning the League in 1911 and 1913 the 1995 Title win is probably the jewel in the crown of our illustrious history and should be celebrated as such. That said, we all know that the Footballing Authorities have shifted the goalposts since Jack's time in order to preserve the status quo for the biggest Clubs and prevent smaller ones from realistically competing for the top honours but with astute management and proper support from fully invested owners there is no real reason why we couldn't one day be a well run Premier League Club along the lines of Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Fulham etc. Whilst we had a financial advantage for a short time back in Jack's day, that was no absolute guarantee of success, he could quite easily have chucked a load of money at it and not got anywhere. It was all about getting the right people in on and off the pitch and creating the right environment for them to succeed. Financial advantage or not, what he achieved was phenomenal and is something to be celebrated not played down. It's a beacon of hope to the sorts of things that can actually be achieved if you get things right.

Because, (according to one or two accounts on here) they went back on promises made to Eustace after he kept us up and he even had to be talked out of leaving and sweetened up with some last minute transfer activity as early as last summer. The fault does not lie with either manager although I would say JDT threw the towel in in very disappointing fashion towards the end of his tenure.

There was no problem with the last 2 coaches, quite the reverse. Either the powers that be didn't realise what they had or doing too well didn't fit their agenda for some still unexplained and unfathomable reason and they refused to back them.

So you think all is sweetness and light then? Interesting. I personally think it's an absolute shambles and it will take a monumental effort from Vi just to keep our heads above water. The jury is still very much out on whether he'll be another JDT or JE or an absolute dud for me. We'll soon see whether any pessimism was warranted or massively over done I suppose.

Another good idea.

The 135/15 thing is a great idea. Sadly I dont feel like there's anything to celebrate in our 150th year and that's the reason. I think that could be really effective.

Oh do give over - George Hirst, Telalovic, Ennis, O Riordan, Wahlsted, Forshaw, Dennis, Woodrow, to name but a few? The only time I'd argue we excelled on a limited budget was last summer when John Park was here.

It was Mercer I thought was talking about the CB. We've not been linked anywhere with Poku have we?

Thanks - missed that one out.

Think he's on about the CB.

As I've said many times over the years, it makes it look as though we're doing something. I've also (only half )oked the MO of the recruitment department goes something like this: 1) Lodge a derisory bid/bids for one or more players early in the window which have no chance whatsoever of being accepted. Leak to the press we have several bids for players in. ( It seems now the identities of said non targets are also being leaked) 2) Pick fluff out of your navel for a month or so. 3) After a while leak another mini story saying we still have several active irons in the fire. 4) When we eventually get gazumped by a Club willing to meet the asking price leak a sob story about how we did our best but couldn't compete with the financial might of whichever Club it is. 5) Job done! Go back to picking fluff out of your navel until the next transfer window.

My sympathies. As a lay person I still maintain that if he didn't have any underlying problem when he came, everyone was screened for potential issues before the start of pre season and they're warming up properly, no-one should be breaking down as early as day 2 or 3. I assume they're not being flogged to death at that point or shouldn't be.

Nah. He's in the right place where he is -as he's proving.

Yep, bit like us she made a bit of a spurt for the line, (won a number of games on the bounce) when it was far too late!

Yes but if we know the selling Club are after double what we're offering for players, then we've little or no chance of succeeding we're just tyre kicking.

I couldn't care less about it being Derby. Shame it wasn't against Preston. That would have made it a bit more of an occasion.

Shouldn't all the testing/complex pre season programme prevent the possibility of all that? Never remember it happening when they just sent them off to run up and down sand dunes.

Ooh goody - another race. I think we all know what that means.

How does that happen on day 3 of pre season though? I mean seriously.

Ah OK-thanks. Without checking I would say it's very much the norm to get one home game on the 26th/27th or 29th/30th though.

The first 4 fixtures look pretty rough to me. Don't fancy us against WBA/Birmingham/Norwich. Hull, it depends how well they take to their new manager I suppose. Edit: Dire fixtures over Christmas. Middlesbrough and Sheff Wed away. Have to wait until Jan 1st for a home game. I'm not sure if I can ever remember that happening before.

I'm aware of all that. However notwithstanding the advent of sports science etc I wouldn't say our record in recent years of keeping players fit is particularly good. Not sure what the perception is elsewhere or in general. Better get a few more in if they're going to be dropping like flies before we've played a competitive game..