Current state of play

[ramAnag]

Is Clowes buying the ground off Mel? Or will it be the council? Or will Mel lease it to CK? The latter might lead to some fans boycotting games to avoid putting cash into MMs pocket.

Are Cardiff really looking at Allsop now they've just signed a keeper? Are we really interested in Flint? Surely Lee Gregory would be a retrograde step, wouldn't it? With Rooney on holiday in Dubai or similar, who is talking to players about contracts? Do we even know how much we have to spend or are discussions not yet going on and won't be until PP and all the i's are dotted and t's crossed?

Despite all this, various DCFC fora are full of fans predicting an instant return to the SBC. Based on what in God's name?

I'm sure there are more questions that need asking and answering. Hopefully all within the next 8 days.

Forgive the optimism, MA...but based on the fact that last season our results (without the points deductions) had us as a mid table Championship side which more than held its own against some of the Championship high flyers...and that makes us an unusually able addition to League One...so long as we don’t lose too many players.

I’m not one of those suggesting we’re nailed on as returnees to the Championship this time next year but, providing things don’t collapse now and we’re allowed to strengthen, we should be in with a decent shout.

As for the signings rumours. Flint would make sense...he’s the sort of uncompromising defender that we could do with in League One and is local...we can’t expect Davies to repeat the magnificent every minute of last season performance next time round...but with Cashin, Buchanan and possibly Forsyth we should then be covered for CD.

I know that Allsop has recently bought a house locally (within half an hour of PP) and it’s a fair old trek to and from Cardiff...his ability with the ball at his feet is indispensable to the way Rooney wants to play...and he is very happy at Derby. I understand that uncertainty makes players understandably concerned about their incomes but if things can be sorted I believe he’ll stay.

Doubt that Lee Gregory is anything more than press speculation/mischief. I agree it would seem a retrograde step but rumours inevitably begin in the press. Some are rubbish and some are well founded...personally I hope Flint joins and Allsop stays...I’m sure Rooney will have had a ‘shopping list’ before he left and there’s still a week of May left. There’ll be others at the club capable of sorting the details so him being on holiday isn’t, imo, a problem.

[MadAmster]

Forgive the optimism, MA...but based on the fact that last season our results (without the points deductions) had us as a mid table Championship side which more than held its own against some of the Championship high flyers...and that makes us an unusually able addition to League One...so long as we don’t lose too many players.

I’m not one of those suggesting we’re nailed on as returnees to the Championship this time next year but, providing things don’t collapse now and we’re allowed to strengthen, we should be in with a decent shout.

That's the crux of the matter though rA. As things stand we have 3 players plus possibly 2 more IF the EFL eventually allows us to trigger options. No idea what, if any, sanctions we'll have next season. It's not a solid foundation to be predicting autos or even playoffs for that matter. This time next week players can talk to other clubs. We have heard from Rooney that he wants to keep 95% of the squad and that all the squad want to play for him. There comes a point where players will NEED to sort their future out and they will no longer wait around just in case DCFC gets sorted and we can offer contracts. Simply realism on my part at this juncture.

[Trickytreesreds]

. We have heard from Rooney that he wants to keep 95% of the squad and that all the squad want to play for him. There comes a point where players will NEED to sort their future out and they will no longer wait around just in case DCFC gets sorted and we can offer contracts. Simply realism on my part at this juncture.

It would be interesting to see the wages these 95% are on though.
Any new contract negotiations are going to be massive reductions, to comply with the reduced income.
Players like Bielik have to go. You can have 6 good potential youngsters for his wages. Even if you can afford to pay him anyway. He must be on 20k a week?

[MadAmster]

It would be interesting to see the wages these 95% are on though.
Any new contract negotiations are going to be massive reductions, to comply with the reduced income.
Players like Bielik have to go. You can have 6 good potential youngsters for his wages. Even if you can afford to pay him anyway. He must be on 20k a week?

Wages are all guesswork aren't they? I just Googled "Derby County player wages" and had a look at a few sites. They don't agree with one another. One had Roos on 18K, another had him on 5K. Most of the younger lads wages were in the same ball park though. Thomson, Cashin McDonald and a couple of others on around 900. Sibs on 1800, Festy 1700. I've seen Bielik at between 17K and 23K. Let's split the difference and go for 20K We could indeed pay half a dozen wages rather than Bielik's but how much would we lose in performance? Also, depending on which rag/clickbait site you read, we still owe Arsenal between £5M and £8M for him. What might we get for him? IMO not a lot. He needs to prove his fitness. Played 21 games in 19/20 and then did his ACL. Out for the rest of that season plus till January of the following season. Came back and in his 13th game he did the ACL again. Out for a year. This year he managed 15 appearances starting with his return from the bench against Brum and that 96th minute goal. Took a fair few knocks and missed the last 4 games with injury. Yet tp prove his long term fitness. £2M at best maybe? We'd still owe Arsenal between 3M and 6M on him. Hardly good business is it?

[Trickytreesreds]

Wages are all guesswork aren't they? I just Googled "Derby County player wages" and had a look at a few sites. They don't agree with one another. One had Roos on 18K, another had him on 5K. Most of the younger lads wages were in the same ball park though. Thomson, Cashin McDonald and a couple of others on around 900. Sibs on 1800, Festy 1700. I've seen Bielik at between 17K and 23K. Let's split the difference and go for 20K We could indeed pay half a dozen wages rather than Bielik's but how much would we lose in performance? Also, depending on which rag/clickbait site you read, we still owe Arsenal between £5M and £8M for him. What might we get for him? IMO not a lot. He needs to prove his fitness. Played 21 games in 19/20 and then did his ACL. Out for the rest of that season plus till January of the following season. Came back and in his 13th game he did the ACL again. Out for a year. This year he managed 15 appearances starting with his return from the bench against Brum and that 96th minute goal. Took a fair few knocks and missed the last 4 games with injury. Yet tp prove his long term fitness. £2M at best maybe? We'd still owe Arsenal between 3M and 6M on him. Hardly good business is it?

Well I agree it isn't.
But do you keep paying for his transfer+ 20k a week for a player not on the pitch?
That's dead money mucker

[MadAmster]

Well I agree it isn't.
But do you keep paying for his transfer+ 20k a week for a player not on the pitch?
That's dead money mucker

Looking deeper at the Bielik question...... who is going to take a punt on him? Will a Championship club take a punt on a £2M transfer and similar/higher wages to what he's currently on? I doubt it very much. Is Bielik going to sign a contract elsewhere at £10K a week? I doubt it very much. Ergo a transfer is highly unlikely unless we let him go for nowt and that isn't going to happen, now, is it?

[ramAnag]

Looking deeper at the Bielik question...... who is going to take a punt on him? Will a Championship club take a punt on a £2M transfer and similar/higher wages to what he's currently on? I doubt it very much. Is Bielik going to sign a contract elsewhere at £10K a week? I doubt it very much. Ergo a transfer is highly unlikely unless we let him go for nowt and that isn't going to happen, now, is it?

Far too logical, MA.
Best case scenario is that Bielik can manage a Forsyth style recovery. Tbh I thought Fozzy’s football - not just his DCFC - career was finished a couple of years ago but all credit to him and he’s come back really well so it can be done.
If Bielik can do the same we have a game changing League One player on our hands, but I suspect we can’t build our ambitions around him and, as you suggest, I doubt anyone else is likely to at the price/cost that would be involved.

P.S. Although still only 24, Bielik’s career began eight years ago and he has still only made 96 first team appearances...the majority for us and Charlton (also when in League One). Tells a tale to any potential suitors I suspect.

[ramAnag]

That's the crux of the matter though rA. As things stand we have 3 players plus possibly 2 more IF the EFL eventually allows us to trigger options. No idea what, if any, sanctions we'll have next season. It's not a solid foundation to be predicting autos or even playoffs for that matter. This time next week players can talk to other clubs. We have heard from Rooney that he wants to keep 95% of the squad and that all the squad want to play for him. There comes a point where players will NEED to sort their future out and they will no longer wait around just in case DCFC gets sorted and we can offer contracts. Simply realism on my part at this juncture.

It is indeed...but I note that a lot of work is being done on the Pride Park pitch at the moment in readiness for next season and I think there are more reasons for optimism than pessimism at the moment.
As I said...I’m not one of those who believes in some sort of guaranteed success next season but having us in League One, as a result of our 21 points deduction and not as a reflection of our ability, is the equivalent of a team like Palace, Newcastle or Villa being relegated to the Championship for ‘wrongdoing’. If that had happened they’d be amongst the favourites to return next season.
It’s the same for us, imo...PROVIDING the problems we both agree on can be sorted and there are no further sanctions which I honestly don’t see any reason for at present.