Just Imagine

Wednesday October 30th 2018.

Just Imagine….. You are a regular member of The Rams squad. How would today go? Are you already in a nice spa hotel in London? Or do you travel down this morning?

Assuming the journey is today, you will rise at about 08-30, shower and have breakfast. Fresh fruit or juice, 3 eggs in an omelette with tomatoes onion and red pepper. Wholemeal bread toasted with butter and marmalade. 3 cups of tea or coffee.

You are due at PP for 10-00 and a taxi will pick you up at 09-30. You will kiss the kids as they leave for school and your wife as the taxi arrives, having grabbed your already packed match-day bag - a nice big leather job with all you need for two days.

You arrive at PP in good time and joke with your team-mates according to each one’s individual psyche. The luxury coach will be already packed with every member’s kit and on-board there will be a sample of newspapers. A few rags, like The Sun, The Mirror and The Mail and a few Telegraphs, Times and The Guardian. They will be mostly ignored whilst you take your seat next to your mate in the team. There is a fridge with drinks - non alcoholic and juices. There is a special fridge for officials and non-playing seniors with a few more celebratory drinks and a few bottles of champagne in case of a surprise. Coffee and tea are also available as you may wish.

You settle down for the journey. Spirits are high and there is much banter and joshing, which you enjoy but don’t very much participate in. After 3 hours and some traffic congestion you arrive at the team base - a 5 star spa hotel with swimming pool and fitness centre. As usual you room with your best mate and park your bag before checking out the facilities of the hotel. You’ve been here before for other London games. You don’t like it that much but it’s quiet and the food is good.

There’s a team meeting to go over the game plane and refresh your understanding of the training ground move you have worked on. The gaffer announces the team and as expected - you are in from the start. Butterflies are beginning to build and you do not have much of an appetite though you will need energy from somewhere. You have largely followed Derby County’s dictat regarding diet and food intake. At 4-00 you are served with a traditional dish of pasta with either cheese or tomato sauce. You choose the Gnocchi with cheese. You drink sweet tea for the energy.

At 6-00 you leave the base for Stamford Bridge and get there at about 6-30 and immediately make your way to the visitors’ dressing room. You slowly get into your match gear and josh around with the other players and Jody Morris and Chris Jones who are always around to relax us all and join in the team fun, also reminding each one of us what he has been telling us all week.

At 7-15 you go out on the pitch and start your warm up. You are, as always, taken aback at the size of the stands and the way they are starting to fill up. You note and go over to acknowledge the ever-faithful travelling Rams fans. You feel immense gratitude that so many have made it down from Derby.

Tonight, after the game we will all pile onto the bus for home and expect to be in bed not much after midnight. Whether we will be as jubilant as after the Man U game you don’t know but you will do all in your power to do The Rams very proud