Fan's View FAN’S VIEW: 24/25 – No.36: DERBY AWAY
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Level: Callum O'Dowda
Essexyellows
Level: Cameron Brannagan
(311 Apps, 57 Gls)
A good read as ever........ stoic lot aren`t we? 
Paul B
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
We have to be.A good read as ever........ stoic lot aren`t we?
wrt the goal threat we pose, this has diminished since Tyler G has been missing. Hopefully he starts v Pompey
MarkG
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
Not a new ground for me as I went once when we were due to play Burton Albion back in the Conference days, but I think FA Cup fixture changes meant Derby played on the Saturday and so I went to see Derby - Stoke rather than abandon pre-booked train tickets. [Derby and Burton share or did share stewards so don't play same day]. I still went back the next day by car to see the Burton game.
The ground was only a 15-20 minute walk from the station, so an easy enough walk. The away "ale pubs" were in the wrong direction so went to the Harvester which was pretty much the same as the one at Stoke. Went for a Wingman (Brewdog) IPA. What used to be seen as a start-up independent craft beer company has seen many disappointments. Apparently a bullying culture at the managed pubs; I find the craft beers overpriced and not enough normal ale alternatives, and I read the B or C shareholders [public invited to "invest" £1000 or more] have seen their shares basically worthless apart from a discount on the beer price [no idea if that's still going].
Anyway, onto Pride Park. A decent new ground. For all the footie scran pictures of street food at Pride Park, the three vans on the way to the away end were burgers and chips and hotdogs. And £9 for a double cheeseburger. I thought there might be something nicer inside the concourse but it was just Pukka Pies 'pastry on the top, lava in the middle, and burnt on the base" as usual.
Mystery tour to find the stairwell to the safe-standing section [hidden behind a low ceiling concrete part of the concourse]. Like Stoke we were in the corner, but not quite so packed that we couldn't find a place to stand. Another pre-match sound and vision show. As for the rail standing, instead of bare steel scaffold poles, Derby had some sort of black plastic coated poles, so they didn't immediately take the heat out of your hands.
As for the game, pretty uneventful. They were better first half, we were better second half once Stan Mills came on and gave it a go.
More questions. Why does the home scoreboard only show home chances ? Why only home substitutions and not both sides, it can't be that difficult to program the team sheets in to whoever operates the score board. Why did the first half get called over when we were pissing around taking a throw in? Why was no second half extra time announced that i could hear, or show on the scoreboard? And 3 minutes seemed a bit light for lots of second half subsitutions.
Last points on chants and support. The Derby drummer was a bit of a boring "bang bang bang". Our fans sang the drummer song despite us now having one in the East Stand. Why didn't we sing the Yellow Submarine song given the Jim Smith connection?
The ground was only a 15-20 minute walk from the station, so an easy enough walk. The away "ale pubs" were in the wrong direction so went to the Harvester which was pretty much the same as the one at Stoke. Went for a Wingman (Brewdog) IPA. What used to be seen as a start-up independent craft beer company has seen many disappointments. Apparently a bullying culture at the managed pubs; I find the craft beers overpriced and not enough normal ale alternatives, and I read the B or C shareholders [public invited to "invest" £1000 or more] have seen their shares basically worthless apart from a discount on the beer price [no idea if that's still going].
Anyway, onto Pride Park. A decent new ground. For all the footie scran pictures of street food at Pride Park, the three vans on the way to the away end were burgers and chips and hotdogs. And £9 for a double cheeseburger. I thought there might be something nicer inside the concourse but it was just Pukka Pies 'pastry on the top, lava in the middle, and burnt on the base" as usual.
Mystery tour to find the stairwell to the safe-standing section [hidden behind a low ceiling concrete part of the concourse]. Like Stoke we were in the corner, but not quite so packed that we couldn't find a place to stand. Another pre-match sound and vision show. As for the rail standing, instead of bare steel scaffold poles, Derby had some sort of black plastic coated poles, so they didn't immediately take the heat out of your hands.
As for the game, pretty uneventful. They were better first half, we were better second half once Stan Mills came on and gave it a go.
More questions. Why does the home scoreboard only show home chances ? Why only home substitutions and not both sides, it can't be that difficult to program the team sheets in to whoever operates the score board. Why did the first half get called over when we were pissing around taking a throw in? Why was no second half extra time announced that i could hear, or show on the scoreboard? And 3 minutes seemed a bit light for lots of second half subsitutions.
Last points on chants and support. The Derby drummer was a bit of a boring "bang bang bang". Our fans sang the drummer song despite us now having one in the East Stand. Why didn't we sing the Yellow Submarine song given the Jim Smith connection?
Funny you mistaking Mills for Romney.
We did the same and were discussing on the coach how well he had done - until we were corrected
We did the same and were discussing on the coach how well he had done - until we were corrected
- Year of First Game
- 1995
I knew it wasn't Romeny but took me a few minutes to work out who number 44 was. It seemed inconceivable it was Mills because I hadn't expected to see him on the pitch so soon. I thought he was very good.Funny you mistaking Mills for Romney.
We did the same and were discussing on the coach how well he had done - until we were corrected
The Alexandra is one of my favourite away day pubs - friendly clientele, bar staff who get people served with minimum fuss, cobs, cracking selection of local ales, conveniently situated, railway stuff everywhere and a view of trains passing from the car park (can't really call it a garden).
Enjoyable read, as ever. And, strangely enough, I actually found the match itself quite enjoyable, watching the full replay via OUTV. But I would probably have hated being there and watching it live. I do like how well organised we look, and the fact that we are able to compete well in physical contests. The final third is a concern, obviously. No idea what or who the solution is, but 'in Rowett I trust' 
Kernow Yellow
Level: Mateo Corbo
(13 Apps, 8 Yellows, 1 Red)
I went in the Alex post-match on @Paul B 's recommendation. Yes very good. Used to enjoy the Brunswick back in the Baseball Ground days but they seem very anti-away fans now.
Also went in the Exeter Arms and Smithfield pre-match - great beer selection and quality in those as well, and friendly locals happy to chat football.
