Following the sacking of Paul Clement, it seems the other shoe finally fell with the arrival of Harry Redknapp as a “football advisor” and a full review of the coaching staff promised at the end of the season.

This seems to me to be an appointment which is full of meaning for players, coaching staff, club’s management and ownership.

What can we fans draw from it?

First of all, it is hard to imagine two more different characters in English football than Paul Clement and Harry Redknapp. Clement of course is youngish and had no experience as a manager or as a player at football league level.

His background was entirely in coaching, where he had impressive credentials at the top level of English and of European club football and the appointment was a sign that the Rams were fully committed to the notion that all is possible in football with the right coaching.

Redknapp, by contrast is a throwback to an earlier era. Harry is much older; a contemporary to the likes of Alan Hinton and Roy MacFarland rather than a Paul Clement and Nigel Clough.

His playing career was winding down before Clement was even born and his first managerial job while Clement was still in short trousers.

Redknapp had a solid playing career in the old first division with West Ham, and has done it all as a manager, short of the England job. He is a shrewd transfer market operator and with his record must considered a capable tactician and motivator but he has always been thought of as a manager rather than a coach.

His career win percentage is at about the playoff level; allowing for the fact he has a couple of relegations in his record, the average seems exceptional to me; it goes a long way to explaining his longevity.

There can be few doubts about Redknapp’s managerial ability, but his achievements have perhaps been a little tainted by his “Del Boy” persona; he is seen as something of a London operator.

If Mel’s ‘Derby way’ truly exists, it is possibly in our disdain for having Del Boy characters in charge of our club. That said, after the Three Amigos debacle we may be more willing to accept anybody who offers the prospect of improved results on the pitch.

Given the above, however we all feel about Paul Clement and whether he should have been given more time as Rams head coach, this looks to me like an admission by the Rams’ management that the appointment of Clement as head coach back in June was a mistake. You cannot go from Clement to Redknapp without your opinion having undergone a major switcheroo.

One thing that Redknapp’s appointment does is give current head coach Darren Wassall a reprieve, at least temporarily.

Talks with Redknapp were announced a couple of days ago, which amounted to an admission by the Rams that Wassall could not succeed on his own. If no agreement had been reached with Redknapp, then Wassall’s position would have immediately become untenable and he would surely have been on his way out.

What can we expect for the coaching staff at the end of the season? If Harry is successful and the Rams are promoted, then he or someone like him has to be employed for next season. After the last couple of months, the Rams could not possibly leave Darren Wassall as head coach or manager on his own in the Premier League.

If Redknapp is not successful, and the Rams either lose in the playoffs, or fail to make the playoffs, then it seems to me as though the club will still have to bring someone in for next season. The stench of failure around the club would be too great to carry on with Wassall as head coach.

Just in case the upcoming match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday was not enough to perk up peoples’ interest, now it will be the match that ushers in the Harry Redknapp era.

It may be unreasonable to expect too much of a change in so short a space of time, but if the players cannot get revved up for this one, then they probably never will.

All of a sudden, the run-in to the end of the season looks much more interesting.

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls