The pitch

[GUNTERYY36]

Derby County are now playing on the most technologically advanced playing surface in the UK, having installed a brand new*SISGrass hybrid pitch*before the start of the 2016-2017 season.

The laser-guided installation took only five days to complete with two machines working round the clock – our fastest ever hybrid pitch installation. As well as the iPro Stadium, the club had*SISGrass*installed on four of their training ground pitches, after seeing the benefits at St. George’s Park, the training facilities of the England national football team.

...."We’re delighted to be able to provide Derby County Football Club with a new hybrid pitch. The players will feel more stability on the grass and it will recover faster, meaning the pitch’s quality will be consistent all year round."....

Phil Blackwell, SIS Pitches UK Project Director

I'm begining to wonder if we've let the pitch become like it is as a leveler, no point having a snooker table of a pitch to play on only to have the visiting team come and give you a footballing lesson, much better get them playing on a surface they're not used to while we obviously play on it every week

I'm certain a previous manager of ours said the same

Whatever the state of our pitch, you're going to get a good hiding on Saturday.

[MadAmster]

Whatever the state of our pitch, you're going to get a good hiding on Saturday.

Found your Yorkshire tinted glasses then, Gunt? Under normal circumstances in a normal season I'd be having a wry smile at your post. In this crazy season you might be right but it looks like Roo has got us sorted out at the back. Just the one goal against in our last 4 games, 3 wins and 3 clean sheets on the bounce.

It will come down to your tactics IMO. If you employ the full court press from the off and harry us into errors we will be vulnerable. If you try to play "proper football" a la "it's just like watching Brazil" then I think we'll win.

[GUNTERYY36]

Found your Yorkshire tinted glasses then, Gunt? Under normal circumstances in a normal season I'd be having a wry smile at your post. In this crazy season you might be right but it looks like Roo has got us sorted out at the back. Just the one goal against in our last 4 games, 3 wins and 3 clean sheets on the bounce.

It will come down to your tactics IMO. If you employ the full court press from the off and harry us into errors we will be vulnerable. If you try to play "proper football" a la "it's just like watching Brazil" then I think we'll win.

It's just another league match of no importance to us. We'll soon be playing a proper club. Maybe we'll rest our key players for the Chelsea game rather than risk the likes of Woodrow, Mowatt, Styles being injured. Perhaps you'll have another dodgy ref giving you another dodgy penalty. All the same, our squad players should win comfortably. I'll go for 2-0.

[Ericsladkilnhurst]

Found your Yorkshire tinted glasses then, Gunt? Under normal circumstances in a normal season I'd be having a wry smile at your post. In this crazy season you might be right but it looks like Roo has got us sorted out at the back. Just the one goal against in our last 4 games, 3 wins and 3 clean sheets on the bounce.

It will come down to your tactics IMO. If you employ the full court press from the off and harry us into errors we will be vulnerable. If you try to play "proper football" a la "it's just like watching Brazil" then I think we'll win.

What happened at New York Stadium then, er lost 3-0
Derby County never had a decent pitch, just sludge heaps.
Rooney in charge, can't you has supporters see, that the Derby board have used Rooney, & his name, to get players in, Rooney used ex-clubs he played for, Man Utd, & Everton, old England team mate Gerrard, the club borrowing money, can't pay players wages on time, the promise of a takeover deal.
Rooney's circus, with clowns running the club.

[MadAmster]

1. What happened at New York Stadium then, er lost 3-0

2. Derby County never had a decent pitch, just sludge heaps.

3. Rooney in charge, can't you has supporters see, that the Derby board have used Rooney, & his name, to get players in, Rooney used ex-clubs he played for, Man Utd, & Everton, old England team mate Gerrard, the club borrowing money, can't pay players wages on time, the promise of a takeover deal.
Rooney's circus, with clowns running the club.

1. Yes, you beat us 3-0. For 75 minutes the game was heading for a 0-0. We cocked up at a free kick and you scored. We then looked for the equaliser and you took advantage of the space to net twice more in the last 10 minutes. If you look back on threads in this forum you'll see us saying, pre match that it's be a struggle. Rotherham's in your face, pressing and harrying direct style is something we don't cope with at all well with. We'll struggle at Barnsley as well as they play the same game as you. That's football. It's also football that we have done very well against the top 6 whereas the rest of the bottom 8 clubs have struggled against the top clubs. Where the season will end, none of us know. Prior to the 3-0 loss at yours, since Rooney took over we were 6th in the form table and had conceded less goals than any other team. Congratulations on the win (both of them).

2. At the Baseball Ground we did, indeed, have a crap pitch more often than not but we haven't played there for 25 years. Since the move to Pride Park we have had a pitch recognised as one of the best in the country. The past few weeks it has been less than good but your "never had a good pitch" taunt is utter rubbish.

3. Rooney. I covered that in my answer to your first "point". Your "ex-clubs" jibe is only partly true. He brought players in from other clubs too. With regard to borrowing money, do you really think Derby is the only club doing that now that there have been no gate receipts for almost a year? Wages? Up to date. The proposed new owners are putting the club in a dodgy position though. They were supposed to have put money into a bank account to pay the December and January wages. They didn't. The takeover situation is worrying but we'll survive, one way or another.

[Ericsladkilnhurst]

1. Yes, you beat us 3-0. For 75 minutes the game was heading for a 0-0. We cocked up at a free kick and you scored. We then looked for the equaliser and you took advantage of the space to net twice more in the last 10 minutes. If you look back on threads in this forum you'll see us saying, pre match that it's be a struggle. Rotherham's in your face, pressing and harrying direct style is something we don't cope with at all well with. We'll struggle at Barnsley as well as they play the same game as you. That's football. It's also football that we have done very well against the top 6 whereas the rest of the bottom 8 clubs have struggled against the top clubs. Where the season will end, none of us know. Prior to the 3-0 loss at yours, since Rooney took over we were 6th in the form table and had conceded less goals than any other team. Congratulations on the win (both of them).

2. At the Baseball Ground we did, indeed, have a crap pitch more often than not but we haven't played there for 25 years. Since the move to Pride Park we have had a pitch recognised as one of the best in the country. The past few weeks it has been less than good but your "never had a good pitch" taunt is utter rubbish.

3. Rooney. I covered that in my answer to your first "point". Your "ex-clubs" jibe is only partly true. He brought players in from other clubs too. With regard to borrowing money, do you really think Derby is the only club doing that now that there have been no gate receipts for almost a year? Wages? Up to date. The proposed new owners are putting the club in a dodgy position though. They were supposed to have put money into a bank account to pay the December and January wages. They didn't. The takeover situation is worrying but we'll survive, one way or another.

Thanks for giving a good answer to my posting, we has fans are missing going to the games, but the takeover messing about must have you has fans pulling your hair out.

[MadAmster]

Thanks for giving a good answer to my posting, we has fans are missing going to the games, but the takeover messing about must have you has fans pulling your hair out.

You're welcome. With regard to the takeover, in a recent interview with the Daily Fail, Mel Morris told us that he had serious Covid abiut 10 months ago. More health issues which saw part of his bowel and parts of is back surgically removed which point to possible cancer. He also said his ownership has thus far cost him north of £200M and he will continue to fund the club until such time as the takeover is complete. Ill health is the reason he decided to sell up and he's going to stick around until a sale is completed.