After a heavy reversal at table-topping Southampton last Saturday, the Rams faced promotion-chasing local rivals Leicester City in a televised Championship game.

The position of ‘technical director’ has been talked about by Mr Glick for over 9 months and was aired once more this week, with Watford’s young administrator Scott Wilson again named in the media as a candidate. It has seemed that developments were imminent for weeks on end.

A scare-story emerged saying that Nigel Clough would walk if someone was appointed in such a position, the manager declaring that was untrue and both Clough and Glick reiterating that the recruit would be additional resource for the club. The appointee would deal with the transfer market responsibilities, as well as contributing to scouting and Academy matters.

Mr Clough was edgy about the alleged arrival of a go-between to link himself and the President and CEO Tom Glick. TG is both overworked as GSE’s figurehead in Derby and comparatively inexperienced when it comes to football administration and transfer dealings.

Perhaps Clough viewed reporting through a recently-promoted 28-year old Watford staff member with some disdain; many fans feel the club needs a senior mentor with experience and contacts. The controversy became academic when Wilson stated that he was staying with Watford FC.

The next bad news was that right-back John Brayford would be absent for another injury spell, expected to be six weeks. He has a torn thigh muscle. That’s a blow to the team and it’s a position where experienced cover is provided only by moving midfielder Paul Green to right-back.

The option of utilising Miles Addison in defence or midfield was eclipsed, as he moved out on loan to Bournemouth AFC. Miles is still only 23 and had a bright future - but his time at Derby looks to be ending. He must have looked at Cloughie the wrong way or be on a huge contract, courtesy of Paul Jewell to have his once-promising Derby career displaced in this way.

More international honours are likely for Paul Green and Jamie Ward, selected respectively for their Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland squads for their forthcoming friendly matches.

The Rams faced promotion-chasing East Midlands’ rivals Leicester City on Thursday evening, as Saturday’s local ‘derby’ had been annoyingly moved by DCFC for the lure of Sky TV money and the benefit of people who sit home to watch their football.

Mr Glick called it ‘unique’ to have a Thursday night fixture, though that doesn’t mean it is interesting or appealing to fans. Most supporters would very much like it to be unique - that is, a one off...It’s Sky money first, not ‘Fans First’ - and any other description or rationalisation is superfluous.

The Foxes have under-achieved in 2011-12 but have a strong and deep squad, recent managers recruiting freely with the club owners demanding prompt promotion. City hasn’t troubled the top six yet but The Foxes are now showing momentum under recently-returned boss Nigel Pearson.

City dispatched Derby 4-0 at the King Power Stadium in a televised game in October and Derby will be keen not to see a repeat. The Rams stood 11 points off the top six and it already seems like a distinctly tall order for Derby to fulfil Mr Glick’s promise of a top-six placing this season.

On current form and looking at the top six contenders it is difficult to see Derby winning 4 more games than any of the promotion pack or the other chasing contenders that lie above them in the table, including the Foxes, Hull, Blackpool and Leeds.

I expect Derby to finish between 10th and 17th place (despite my pre-season assertions) and for Mr Glick to recycle his exciting assurances of last May. The squad lacks goals and strength in depth, as it did back then - and without quality signings, the cycle of optimism and then disappointment is likely to be repeated. Not enough good players, little cover, too few 90-minute performances.

With John Brayford now ruled out indefinitely, troublesome injuries are beginning to loom again with key Derby players. Unsurprisingly, the only noises manager and club makes is to ‘go with what we’ve got’ despite the paucity of cover in the squad. A ‘make do and mend’ outlook for the next two months has already replaced pretensions of a top six challenge.

Craig Bryson has a persistent heel injury, having been withdrawn in recent games and missing the Southampton match. “He will be on a reduced training schedule in the next few weeks because of his heel problem but we just have to get him out there for the matches," said Nigel Clough.

The Scot was fit for the Foxes’ match, though Paul Green moving to right-back and Bryson on reduced power depletes Derby’s midfield. Sending Miles Addison on loan closed the option of using the big lad as the ‘holding’ player to push Jeff Hendrick or James Bailey further forward.

Still, all must hail to the great God of Wages - sending a player out on loan saves money. Football considerations can often seem secondary at Derby. Not so at Leicester, where the previous and current manager have spent lavishly. It may be too much of a stretch for Leicester to make it this season but their form is ever-improving.

Before the game, manager Nigel Clough urged Derby fans “to show their true colours” and to turn Pride Park Stadium into a black and white spectacle. Fans would (as ever) do their part and after recent disappointments, expected the team to show their true colours and play up to potential, too!

The fans turned up in numbers with a crowd of over 28,000; the team indeed showed their true colours for about 4 minutes at the start, tearing at the Foxes’ defence - but apart from a long-range effort from Tyson, Kasper Schmeichel wasn’t forced into action.

City withstood Derby’s early burst of energy and soon settled, looking dangerous and dominating the midfield. Frank Fielding was Derby’s hero on several occasions but the Foxes took the lead after 16 minutes when Dyer skinned makeshift full-back Paul Green and delivered a perfect cross beyond the Rams’ defence.

It flew across the penalty area for Neil Danns to slam into the net. It was a simple but devastating move of the kind that Derby can seldom produce.

City took over and the Rams were grateful to reach half-time at only 0-1. One might be forgiven in observing that the Foxes - with their expensive signings and telling quality - revealed Derby’s true colours; a dull shade of grey in comparison. Leicester’s ability, enterprise and confidence shone through and as in the Reading and Southampton games, Derby were ‘second best’.

Derby reappeared with more verve and pace in the second half and had a 20-minute spell where they tested Leicester. However, clear chances were not created, with a characteristically inadequate delivery and poor decision-making, alongside that perpetual lack of presence in the danger area as evident as ever.

As much as Derby huffed and puffed and coloured their faces bright red with effort, the Foxes showed the resilience and strength to hold off them off. City showed the greater threat when they did attack, with Fielding - and goalpost and bar - coming to Derby’s rescue of several occasions.

Nigel Clough talked up the performance in defeat and asserted that his side had ‘dominated’ the second half, which was rather stretching it a little. It’s becoming a bit of a tape-loop to hear a ‘brave faced’ interview and for Nigel commend the Rams’ valiant efforts then also to bemoan the lack of quality in the final third.

The introduction of substitutes Steve Davies and Theo Robinson was welcome for the variation and their return to fitness - but it didn’t alter the lack of a finisher.

We didn’t sign a striker, so we are suffering the consequences. What Mr Clough calls ‘a bit of quality’ that opposing teams possesses is a gulf, in reality. In their creativity and finishing, challengers Reading, Southampton and Leicester are a class apart.

The better squads are coming into their own as the season enters the final strait as Derby lag behind. Saturday’s Championship results saw Derby moored in 15th place in the Championship table.

In Dyer, Marshall and Danns, Leicester had variety and thrust in their play and they provided a good supply to Nugent and Beckford up front. With Peltier and Konchesky, they had top-quality full-backs defending well and supporting attacks.

Losing the attacking ability of John Brayford and having to switch Paul Green into that spot had the twin effect of depleting both Derby’s wing thrust and midfield ability...and it’s anyone’s guess why James Bailey didn’t figure in the matchday 16.

After four straight defeats without scoring, the fans have seen Derby’s top-six challenge evaporate, with the shortcomings in the squad exposed. The manager now appears to have written off the season’s challenge; he’s not pushing for a (loan) goalscorer to solve the drought and push back up the table, but declared: “that is something we have to address in the summer”.

The challenging clubs all have at least one striker in the Championship top scorer charts; Derby’s Theo Robinson - with 8 goals - doesn’t quite make it to the bottom of that list and goals from elsewhere in the team have become very rare.

Even from this position, I’d still expect Derby County can improve on last season’s disappointing final placing in the Championship table. If the team plod away in mid-league year-on-year, the better players will leave and we’ll have to start again - and good players we desire will join clubs with a forward vision and not just a survival mentality.

Progress at the club in 2012 might be more significantly measured in the reduction of the team’s average age and further scything of the player wage bill, now that the remaining expensive squad passengers have all departed. Now, the club needs to produce a better fitness record because a small squad decimated by injuries won’t succeed - and youngsters need mentors on the pitch.

The current slump in form has parallels earlier in this season and in previous campaigns, where ‘purple patches’ of winning form are book-ended with a bleak drought of points and goals. The inconsistency comes hand in glove with the club’s reliance on the scrag-end of the transfer market (or loans and developing youngsters) in key areas of the team.

In the summertime, fans will be waiting - perhaps in vain - for the investment group to show their true colours and back the manager. They are apparently underwriting the club’s operating losses - upon what terms remains unknown to fans.

Treading water with a thin and unbalanced squad won’t fulfil stated promises regarding GSE’s ambitions for the club, which are “to establish the Rams as a global brand and a Premier League force of the future”. When, exactly?

The club has coined an ‘early-early bird’ season-ticket renewal deadline that expires at the end of February, whereby renewers get a free home shirt and a £50 Shop DCFC spending voucher.

That’s a productive marketing ploy, as Derby report good sales. No doubt GSE will be content with sales of 15-20,000 season tickets for 2012-13 so if the marketing department reaches its target with flying colours, the investors will be in their comfort zone.

Results will have to improve if the mood is not to darken, and I’d expect colourful language from the fanbase if The Rams don’t deepen the Trees’ relegation worries on Tuesday 13th March.

After Birmingham City away next Saturday where little is expected given the Bluenoses’ current form, there are three home games in a row in which Derby need to rediscover a goal touch and put some points on the board.

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RamsWeek 9 last year saw the Rams fighting for points and trying to shore up a weak squad with loanees to pull the club out of the Championship danger zone.

The Rams lost 0-1 at home to Hull City in a game remembered by theatrical fitness problems for goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.

He visibly struggled with a muscle strain after an awkward clearance; the pantomine reappearance after the interval saw him retire as soon as play resumed.

With Saul Deeney injured and out for the season, rookie keeper James Severn had to deputise; he lost a cross after 71 minutes and Hull took the lead, and then held onto the points.

Clough moved quickly to re-sign Blackburn’s England Under-21 goalkeeper Frank Fielding on loan for a month. Blackpool defender Rob Edwards chose to sign on loan for promotion-chasing Norwich City instead of Derby County. Narrow escape, Rob!

Nigel Clough then signed 35-year old out-of-contract striker Adam Boulding on loan. A Preston striker, Paul Hayes, was mooted to be signing for Derby on loan but the Rams signed homesick Brum-born Millwall striker Theo Robinson until the end of the season.

A crunch match at struggling Sheffield United followed; loanee Robinson scored a crucial 27th-minute winner for Derby and then the Rams scrapped on to claim an important victory. Another stepping stone to a safer place in the table had been put in place.

GSE partner in the DCFC ownership consortium Jeffrey Martinovich was adjudged to have defrauded clients of his hedge fund MICG Investment Management LLC and was banned by USA financial regulators FINRA for life. He was eliminated from the Derby consortium. Cheerio, then.

Photo: Action Images

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