Thread of the Week - New Chairman?
Thursday, 25th Oct 2007 01:20

The message board reflected the meagre diet of news received during slow periods when the Premiership stalls due to international breaks.

A few topics dominated the discussion and whilst there was chatter about the match at Fulham, mostly bemoaning Derby’s inability to score away from home or wrest three points from a poor Fulham team, much of the chat involved discussion concerned recent off-field events at Pride Park Stadium.

There was quite a substantial thread originated by geoffnearlondon, which discussed the investment proposals and the (necessary) encroachment of designer franchises in and around the football stadium as a prerequisite to a wider portfolio of lucrative income streams.

Generally, some fans have misconstrued certain misgivings expressed by others on MBs and in articles bemoaning that the arrival of the US coffee house, which also displaces one of the few locations where Derby fans could actually see artefacts from the 120+ years’ history of their club.

It isn’t a black and white issue of either progress or history and some posters strive to point this out. The absence of any provision to celebrate the ‘brand’ of Derby County by making its heritage available to view and enjoy isn’t a demand from those fans to cease the ambitions and corporate partnerships and investment.

That’s not what’s posited at all, because capitalising on the stadium development and capacity alongside greater income potential and integration of new investors and/or shareholders and allocating a morsel of the site for a museum or permanent displays are not mutually exclusive.

Fact is at present, the club hasn’t scheduled anything among all the expansion to preserve and display its very worthy and interesting history for Rams fans and all the Plaza tourists.

The unexplained departure of CEO Trevor Birch brought fans out in force to discuss the actual or rumoured relationships and power struggles that are as tightly hidden from sight at the moment as the gothic intrigue of the Sleightholme era.

Of course things are different and the regimes aren’t comparable in so many ways – and the old chestnut of confidentiality agreements currently seem to prevent any official comment to save face for all parties. It’s only us other 30,000 that are left in the dark after all, innit?

There were two long threads (see ‘Trevor Birch gone today’ and ‘Birch had problems with Wee Billy!’) on the subject, the instigator kingbilly of course wanting to give Billy Davies a good caning for the troubles Billy’s allegedly caused within Pride Park Stadium (forgive the pun??)

He succeeded in drawing many robust ripostes demanding fairness and patience in how the club’s progress is adjudged - alongside some in support of his sometimes hostile view!

Regardless of the inflammatory and controversial nature of the thrust of these two threads they could well have been selected as TOTW but a marathon thread emerged late on and is running to over 40 posts, with even more wide ranging views expressed the Birch diaries.

‘New Chairman?’ commenced by Mad Mick drew detailed comments from a small news story Mick posted from the Daily Telegraph, bringing up another ‘Adam Pearson for Derby’ investment assertion from the journalist and again opened the debate on new funding, the management and team progress, the financial/takeover rumours, the stadium development and the longevity of Peter Gadsby’s chairmanship and the future of his regime.

So my Thread of the Week wasn’t derived from a rant or essay from a passionate fan; Mick was only the coincidental forwarder of the national newspaper item and so claims the badge by default! The 5 pages of MB comment pouring forth from the ‘New Chairman?’ question throws open the ongoing hopes and concerns that fans harbour in the rapidly-changing fortunes and fabric of our wonderful football club!

Thanks to all the posters for some very substantial contributions this week and let’s hope we have more on-field cheer against Everton and other soon enough to focus our minds more towards the on-field matters, as the finance and intrigue threatens once again to consume our energies and opinions all too much.

Read the Thread of the Week here and keep the debate going!