Jayram

I don't think you have had bigger gates than Derby for some time, perhaps since the Prem days - and neither do Boro, even in the good times. The thing is with these investors is that they probably draw some sort of financial renumeration from the club for their expertise or as a consultancy fee -and its an opportunity for them to network with other influential & wealthy businesspeople. Maybe thats part of the draw. The board at Derby have done an ok job in stabilising the finances, but they get a bad press from some fans so its true that they can't really win.

Ploppy didn't really show enough to make the side for us after August. He always seemed a bit lightweight and tended to become more anonymous the longer a game went on. His club wanted him to play more games and that wasn't going to happen so he's back at Skonto Riga. I don't think he's the kind of player you need at this stage of the season.

If I were a brainless t w a t I'd be perfect for plod. There would be no point in calling you if I were burgled or if my dear old mum was mugged as all you'd do is turn up 3 days later and issue a crime number. Plod at football = "Cat C" c u n t s[ What pathos, what humour, what a c*nt.

I wouldn't ****** on one if they were on fire in the street. No, but if your house got burgled or your mum got mugged you'd call em then wouldn't you? You brainless tw*t!

As a regular football fan and a police officer who has been on public order duties at football matches in the past I can honestly say that it is generally only those who are looking to kick off and/or who are abusive to police that are treated robustly. There are always going to be individual cops who are overly officious at times, and innocent fans do get caught up in situations occasionally, but if you spent a day with officers policing a match you would see a completely different side of the story. I have been on duty on matchday in Reading for instance when the likes of Cardiff or Millwall are playing, and ordinary members of the public have come up to me, genuinely frightened and upset by the behaviour of these Stone Island wearing morons, who only seem to have the bottle for a scrap when they are in a large group intimidating innocent people. This sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable, and given that so many children and families attend matches these days you can surely understand why the police are so firm in their handling of such 'fans'. The bottom line is, if you are going to the match simply to watch the game, generally you will be treated decently. If you go with an attitude or an intention to have a pop at other fans or the police, you will get treated with zero tolerance. Policing of football matches isn't perfect, but its better than it was 20 years ago and does stop a lot of serious violence occurring that otherwise might affect everyone going to a game.

Well we were in this division for 5 seasons after our last relegation from the Prem in 2002 and our average attendances didn't drop below 22,000 even in our worst season, 2003/04, when we had a board similar to yours (well, worse actually; they are all going on trial at Crown Court soon for fraud) and a comparable lack of money. We currently have 23,000 season ticket holders and even with the credit crunch and a dodgy team I can't see us averaging less than 25,000. I guess we'll have to see. I don't blame fans for not turning out, particularly when their team isn't doing well; the cost of a day out at a CCC match these days is ludicrous. For me a home game (ticket, petrol, programme and something to eat/drink) costs a minimum of £60, which is impossible to sustain week in week out with a family and a mortgage so I have to pick and choose which matches I go to, like I guess a lot of Saints fans do right now.

Well yes I'll give you that, and I'm not convinced about Jewell being the man for the job, but it only needs a league win and things will sort themselves out. I think we'll just bump along in lower mid table for a couple of seasons but I can live with that after last season! Glad to see Holmes doing well - he's a good lad who didnt get a fair crack of the whip at Derby - I reckon he'll be good for you this season.

Just seen this having been away on hols for 2 weeks! Felt I had to correct a few inaccuracies here! 1. 'Northern Monkey'? I was born in SE London & have lived in Oxfordshire for 25 years - I just happen to support the Rams. And Derby is in the East Midlands by the way. 2. I didn't dance on the pitch during the play off semi - I stayed in the stands like the nice law abiding fan that I am! The nearest I got to a Saints fan during that night was in the toilets at Leicester Forest East on the way home - not pleasant, as he was bent over trying to dry his a*se using the hand dryer on the wall! 3. I think you may be right about the long old season - we're certainly not going to be troubling the top 6 this time round thats for sure, but we won't go down either. 4. My guess is that we will finish somewhere below mid-table, probably a couple of places above or below yourselves. 5. Which means that this tedious Saints - Derby 'rivalry' will drag on and on..... :-)

No you don't; thats just silly!

Hate is a very strong word and I think its a shame that some people see other football fans in that context just because of the team they support. There's nothing wrong with banter and a bit of needle - thats what makes football the passionate game it is, but for some Saints fans to say they hate Derby supporters is ridiculous. I know there was a lot of needle a couple of seasons ago because we were both going for promotion, and Rams fans were as much to blame for this, but it really is time to move on.