Sorry Ramdini I can't get too enthusiastic for the coming season. We need several good players and as yet we haven't got any, it is time for things to get moving. Ampadu looks like he is going to another club, so who we will get I don't know.

Still we have got Martin getting fit so who knows what will happen.

nick blackmans gone to maccabi tel aviv on a perminent

Ramdini, the u23s beat Sheff W 3-2, although we did lose to Wigan. In both games there were several triallists playing and a large chunk of the squad was in Florida with the first teamers. The u18s have won both of their games.
We have added a loanee from Everton to our ranks. Chelsea is not the only source for loans, but there has been talk of Ampadu.
No need to panic just yet

I don’t share the pessimism. I have bought a ticket for Saturday at Burton and am looking forward to seeing the new regime. I don’t expect a flying start to the season, far from it - a new manager, new to the Championship and new to the country is likely to need time. I think he is doing the right thing by taking his time to assess the playing staff. There will be a budget, who knows how much, at his disposal, and he needs to see where he needs to strengthen. I don’t doubt there will be incomings and of course loans can be done if the manager of the club doing the loaning is out of the country. Why would that make any difference?

Things he might be pondering:

Goalie: whether to let Carson leave and get someone new to compete with Roos.

Right back: whether to cash in on Bogle and if so who to replace him with

Centre half: whether to have Davies as first choice after his season out, and who to get either to replace him or as a back-up.

Left back: which of Lowe, Malone and Forsyth to let go

Midfield: whether Huddz and/or Thorne are mobile enough and whether any of Sibley, Bird and Knight are viable options.

Wide: whether he has changed his opinion of Josefzoon since their time at PSV, whether Mitchell-Lawson is ready or not and whether he thinks with those two, Lawrence and Bennett he has enough quality on the wings.

Where Holmes might fit into the team.

Whether Anya might still have a role somewhere.

Whether Martin has done enough to persuade him he has a future at the club and whether with him, Wagstaff, Marriott and Bennett we have the necessary firepower.

That’s a lot to ponder within two weeks of joining. I would say Ampadu would be perfect as a quality midfielder with the bonus of being able to cover at centre back. If not him then we certainly need another centre half. On top of that I think we need another wide player and another striker.

Martin looks fit. He even wore the Captain's armband in one of the games in Florida so perhaps he can figure this season. He linked up like it was the old days and I would play him with Marriott and Bennett picking up the lay offs. It could be a lethal front 3.
In my opinion we have enough in midfield with Thorne looking ready and the new lad from Everton to add to the burgeoning midfield ranks.
Truely my only concern is at Centre Half where we are a bit thin.

Sometimes you just need to do nothing.

Looking forward to it.

It's all about the Netball this week

Been in igorland all week. Only know that Blackman has gone. At last.

Could be worse, we could have Steve Bruce as our manager

Does anybody have any good news to impart?

Tomorrow's Friday

Big match v Burton on Saturday

Thanks to all of you. I think I can take a reasonably positive view from the generality of your posts. And I too think Chris Martin might resurrect his striker career to our great benefit.

comment by Harper - Ram in Auckland. Welkom bij Derby Cou... (U13926)
posted 11 hours, 58 minutes ago
Could be worse, we could have Steve Bruce as our manager
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT ON EARTH HAVE GEORDIE SUPPORTERS DONE TO DESERVE STEVE BRUCE ??

WHAT ON EARTH HAVE GEORDIE SUPPORTERS DONE TO DESERVE STEVE BRUCE ??
----------------------------------------------------
You could ask what those supporters have done to deserve NUFC, full-stop. A fanatical following who turn up in droves for a team that (most seasons) doesn't seem to deserve their loyalty.

WELL. WE HAVE A DIFFERENT BLACK AND WHITE TO CHEER ON. SORRY CAP LOCK IS ON AND CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO CHANGE IT.

No NeEd To ApOlOgIsE fOr CaPs LoCk.
SeE hOw EaSy It Is To SwItCh, ThOuGh? 😉

Anhoo, back to more important matters – Vidal wrote,
“Whether Martin has done enough to persuade him he has a future at the club and whether with him, Wagstaff, Marriott and Bennett we have the necessary firepower.”
This is the key, for me. Firepower. I felt we lacked it last season, and Wislon’s 15 goals from midfield masked our deficiency up front. With a 2017-2018 Vydra (as opposed to a Vydra from any other season) up front, we’d have been promoted, IMHO.
We’re not looking likely to get Wilson, and Dowell, as good as he might be, almost certainly won’t replace those goals. I’ll be interested to see what Marriot can produce given a fair run in the first team, and I’m a big CM fan from days gone by, but they’re both unkowns at the moment, and I’d be less nervous if we signed a striker with a known (and recent) pedigree at this level.

comment by Sheep Botherer (U8445)
posted 2 hours, 29 minutes ago
No NeEd To ApOlOgIsE fOr CaPs LoCk.
SeE hOw EaSy It Is To SwItCh, ThOuGh? 😉
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It is easy for some and a pin in the erse once you touch typed it.

Frank Lampard suffered his first defeat as Chelsea manager as Leandro Damiao's late strike gave Kawasaki a 1-0 friendly win in Yokohama.

Mount played well. Don't know if Tomori played.

Doesn't look like Tomori played. It wasn't one of those 'different XI in each half' jobbies. Player ratings below, and Drinkwater came on as a sub, so his links to us in the press don't look likely to come to fruition.
https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/fixtures-results/chelsea-player-ratings-pulisic-barkley-16611373

Like Wilson last season there will be wingers of a similar quality out there. It's down to the club to find that calibre of player ( or ideally better ) and negotiate getting them to Derby.

I hope Martin gets back to somewhere near his old self. There are one or two fans sitting near me and my son, who will get it if he scores a goal.....I can't wait.

UTR COYR

You make it sound easy, Desi. Somehow I suspect it isn't.

comment by Sheep Botherer (U8445)
posted 2 hours, 19 minutes ago
You make it sound easy, Desi. Somehow I suspect it isn't.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree it's not, but we've lacked a good eye for a player in the scouting department. I've mentioned this club a few times but Brentford's moneyball approach seems to be working sweetly for them.

( Dark horses for promotion push this season)

We are the world champions in the "buy 'em dear, sell 'em cheap" stakes.

I have to admit that I hadn't heard about Brentford's moneyball approach - there's an interesting article below for those who share my ignorance:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2718752-brentfords-moneyball-way-to-beat-football-teams-with-huge-budgets