I loved Roker Park. Match day, getting off the bus and joining the crowds. Walking down the cobbled lane with the floodlight pylons in view, the excitement building, a knot in my stomach. Saturday afternoons have never been the same since.
Derby only have themselves to blame. A string of high profile, inexperienced managers (Lampard, Cocu, Rooney) along with signings, sackings, high salaries, failed promotions. Only going to go one way. A lot of fans kicking off if you dare to have no sympathy saying it could be any club. But it isnt any/every club. ****ing run your club in the right way and spend within your means. I feel very fortunate with our new owners.
Spot on mate. History will record what an outstanding owner Bob Murray has turned out to be. As a point,I don't think KLD would have been remotely interested in us without the facility legacies created by Bob, and,if....if....we go on from here to be a top,successful club under KLD tenure, we all should remember Bob's role in all of it. A true fan. He made mistakes for sure,but it was under his time that we had the 3 or 4 most exciting seasons in most fans living memory. I often think of other clubs having to spend £500m+ to modernise their ground and training facilities........e.g. Arsenal,Spurs,Everton....and those who can't do anything for restrictions of their location.....e.g.Liverpool,Chelsea,Mags......and a class club like West Ham,.....which can't do anything without getting involved in a political process........how we have a 48k super stadium,no debt attaching,which can be taken up to over 60k at a fraction of the cost per seat these others are paying. If our on field performance matched Bob's off field performance....we'd be Champions of Europe.
Awwww. Back when businessmen could afford to own their local football team. Football has slowly declined ever since as far as I'm concerned. Become boring.
I remember Bob being slathered at the time for not investing in the team. We are reaping the benefit now. Foresight over short term fix wins. Incidentally, I saw him and his wife ( I assume) at Seaburn Morrisons a few weeks before the end of his last season. She was drop dead gorgeous.
Cracking post mate. Just goes to show,back when it all came about fpp, a chancer spotted chancer and said "no".
The big old Roker End was amazing when full. Used to stand there with my uncle and cousins early 70's when it was half full. But for the 73 quarter final he insisted we went in the seats when I saw it I understood why. Sat in the clockstand seats near the Roker looking at it side on, never forget the scene it was like a sea of people constantly moving kids being passed over head and pushed out onto the front. Great memories
Agreed mate, the only reason I'm not giving them a kicking is because of how easily it could have been us, especially under Donald and Methven. And as we've found out, there's plenty of "friends" in football who'll give you a kicking as soon as they can. But this is self inflicted, it's sad for the fans and for a famous club like them to be in the mess they are, but I've got almost no sympathy for them. They could have sorted themselves out earlier, but it would have meant not gambling on getting up.
Sad for the fans, but its the whole gambling thing. Leeds did it, Rangers did it - bought success and enjoyed it, then complained when the bad times came.
I was one of those fans, complaining all the time due to lack of investment. The older me realises what Bob done for the club and the city as a whole. I now have nothing but respect for the bloke and was over the moon to see he is back at the stadium now as a fan.
As a youth in the 60s I usually went with my mates in the Fulwell, partly iirc it had a kids enclosure and partly when walking from the station it was the end we first came across. It also was fairly noisy. I am an eastender now, and all us old codgers are as silent as the grave... not
Chickens coming home to roost now for Derby, it's a shame that it's happening, but I can't say that it wasn't to be expected. Administration should make it somewhat easier for a interested party to agree a new lower fee with Morris, if they wish to buy the club. To think they were 1 game away from the Prem as well few seasons ago...
If they are going into administration then surely it will be the administrator who will make such decisions?
This, the administrators name/set the price and pay the creditors out of the funds received, Morris will be lucky to get much of his money back. MSD have a chg over the assets so they will be paid full no matter what. Then the administrators pay themselves 2nd, the secured creditors next I.e. Hmrc & football creditors. Then if there's anything left (unlikely) normal creditors may get 10p in the pound, so small businesses get shafted again.
When I’d heard MSD were into them I felt it would only be a matter of time. I get the feeling they are like vultures circling. I think we as feels will feel quite lucky they did t get involved in SAFC.
Derby County officially enter administration and are deducted 12 points https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58649432 please log in to view this image
Another club with a great history been taken down by incompetent owners and management! Thank our stars for KLD! Without him, could easily have been us!