Should have gone for FACup

[roger_ramjet]

More chance of winning that than promotion this year.

[macstheman]

Time to kick a lot of dross into touch! Been here too long have some of them! A complete rebuild long overdue!!

[KingCharlieGeorge]

More chance of winning that than promotion this year.

It didn't make sense to play a very much changed team. We now have lost the winning habit; a win at Leicester would have given us a great morale boost. I'd say hindsight is a great thing, but some of us have been saying this for several seasons; we still seem miles off promotion despite "concentrating" on the league.

[DCFCArmy]

Nothing beats that winning feeling

Mac obviously acting on orders from above with regards to that though, Mac seems like a yes man to me, Mel wants a yes man who wont rock the boat.

It was the same 2 seasons ago when we went out in the 5th round to Reading, played a 2nd string side and got dumped out in the 80th odd minute if I remember correctly, we then went on to win 2 in 13 and miss out on the playoffs.

[ramAnag]

Nothing beats that winning feeling

Mac obviously acting on orders from above with regards to that though, Mac seems like a yes man to me, Mel wants a yes man who wont rock the boat.

It was the same 2 seasons ago when we went out in the 5th round to Reading, played a 2nd string side and got dumped out in the 80th odd minute if I remember correctly, we then went on to win 2 in 13 and miss out on the playoffs.

Why do you say he was 'obviously acting on orders from above'. What evidence is there that it wasn't just SM's managerial decision. With the benefit of hindsight we all become wise but if we'd played Leicester, picked up injuries and then only got 1/6 points from the next two home matches you know exactly what people would have been saying. Damned if you do...damned if you don't.

[macstheman]

We don't have evidence either way and it really is irrelevant any way!! But we do have evidence that Mel owns the club, Mel spends the money and that Mel has been known to stick his oar into playing matters. What we don't have evidence of is a clearly defined strategy of progressing the club forward on a well established formula. Instead we've had a revolving door of managers, players, playing styles and principles and a wafting of money about like it's going out of fashion? Thanks Mel, we know you're giving it your all but please sit back, take stock of the last couple of years and then look at how other clubs have progressed in what is a very different world to the one you excel in!! Look at Burnley, look at Middleborough. Take advice from within the game. Even Sam Longson, who was very successful in his field, took advice before appointing Cloughie!! But let's break this cycle of scattergun spending, scattergun managerial appointments, the Derby Way, the Mel way' the 'any other way that you can think of' and get back to basics!!

[swaledale]

We don't have evidence either way and it really is irrelevant any way!! But we do have evidence that Mel owns the club, Mel spends the money and that Mel has been known to stick his oar into playing matters. What we don't have evidence of is a clearly defined strategy of progressing the club forward on a well established formula. Instead we've had a revolving door of managers, players, playing styles and principles and a wafting of money about like it's going out of fashion? Thanks Mel, we know you're giving it your all but please sit back, take stock of the last couple of years and then look at how other clubs have progressed in what is a very different world to the one you excel in!! Look at Burnley, look at Middleborough. Take advice from within the game. Even Sam Longson, who was very successful in his field, took advice before appointing Cloughie!! But let's break this cycle of scattergun spending, scattergun managerial appointments, the Derby Way, the Mel way' the 'any other way that you can think of' and get back to basics!!

Things are panning out much as I feared, my record as Nostradamus is obviously not comparable to Ratty, but I was saying that I could not see this team getting into the play offs weeks ago and for me going to Fester and basically giving up on the cup was IMO both a mistake and a betrayal of the fans.

yes if we'd then picked up two victories, we'd all, myself included be praising Macs foresight and management skills, but all the signs are that we will provide exciting football matches but promotion that's a long long shot! We have gone backwards since the play off final, look at brighton they have progressed, still I guess we have done better than QPR!!

[AdiSalisbury]

Time to kick a lot of dross into touch! Been here too long have some of them! A complete rebuild long overdue!!

This. Bored of this bunch of failures.

[ramAnag]

Things are panning out much as I feared, my record as Nostradamus is obviously not comparable to Ratty, but I was saying that I could not see this team getting into the play offs weeks ago and for me going to Fester and basically giving up on the cup was IMO both a mistake and a betrayal of the fans.

yes if we'd then picked up two victories, we'd all, myself included be praising Macs foresight and management skills, but all the signs are that we will provide exciting football matches but promotion that's a long long shot! We have gone backwards since the play off final, look at brighton they have progressed, still I guess we have done better than QPR!!

Well, there's a comfort.
Seriously though Swale, you may have been right and I'll sadly concede that any chance of the play offs appears to have gone now but, where do we go from here with what appears to this overpaid bunch of underachievers?
Who goes...who stays...and how? Do we stick with SM or start all over again?
Interestingly - and slightly mischievously - guess who now has a win ratio, during his time of managing Derby, that's better than Clement, better than Billy Crankie, obviously much better than Pearson and only marginally worse than McClaren after the last few weeks...and we all hated and slated him. Just sayin'.

[roger_ramjet]

Well, there's a comfort.
Seriously though Swale, you may have been right and I'll sadly concede that any chance of the play offs appears to have gone now but, where do we go from here with what appears to this overpaid bunch of underachievers?
Who goes...who stays...and how? Do we stick with SM or start all over again?
Interestingly - and slightly mischievously - guess who now has a win ratio, during his time of managing Derby, that's better than Clement, better than Billy Crankie, obviously much better than Pearson and only marginally worse than McClaren after the last few weeks...and we all hated and slated him. Just sayin'.

Phil Brown??