Paul Jewell prepared for business in the transfer window as he conducted his post-mortem on the home defeat at the hands of Blackburn.

Jewell was shocked at the feeble display and needs to draft in more steel to arrest the confidence-draining losing streaks that see the team fold at every reversal.

He knows that the mentality of the squad has to be transformed, has declared that the ineptitude of the Rams’ defensive displays “beggars belief” and that the fans deserve better.

He’s not wrong, and the embarrassment inflicted on the Rams leads to stories like the bookies electing to pay out already on ‘Rams for relegation’ bets. It is more ignominy for supporters and most of us can’t wait to see some new faces supplanting some of the forlorn figures that currently play for Derby.

On Monday, Derby accepted a bid of £1.25m for centre forward and current Player of the Year Steve Howard. Few would disagree that Steve, now 31, has been a great servant to the Rams and of course steered the club towards the Premier League with his 16 Championship goals last season.

The move looks right for player and club, however, as Howard is struggling at Premier League level and will not solve Derby’s striking problems at this stage of his career. Steve won a three and a half year contract with the F*xes so it is a great move for him.

He clearly enjoyed his time at Derby and fans enjoyed his committed and whole-hearted displays: “Please thank the fans for their incredible support - and the memories. It’s been a brilliant journey for me”, Steve declared, his farewell typifying his honesty and sincerity. Good luck to Steve, except of course should the Rams and F*xes cross paths next season!

On New Year’s Day, a new striker - whom Jewell said was not a replacement for Howard - was being lined up in the persona of Emanuel Villa, a 25-year old Argentinian striker with a good record in the Mexican Primera Division.

Jewell had other firm transfer targets lined up too and was “99% certain” to land a Premier League player from among his wish list. Rumours about such as Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly (loan) and Robbie Savage interesting Derby then emerged. This writer wouldn’t favour either for different reasons.

Savage is an irritant and a battler but I’d be disappointed in Derby County if he wore our shirt. He is certainly a ‘character’ and our team are too ‘nice’ in the main and I guess it’s needs must if we need some spoiling and niggling. I hope we can bring some football style in, too - there has been too little of that this season.

Regarding Ghaly - does he have any value or bottle? He vanished this season back into the lower ranks of the Tottenham squad and is now training back in Egypt - and will be absent whilst away on international duty at the African Nations Cup.

He threw his shirt down at Spurs when he was substituted - has not played for them since - and followed that up by allegedly leaving Birmingham City immediately after signing because he didn’t fancy Steve Bruce’s training demands.

Would he roll up his sleeves and contribute anything? Tell me if I’m being unfair but I think that football is full of self-regarding journeymen millionaires and I don’t want the Derby team filling up with them!

Other movement in and out of the club was under way. Ex-Newcastle player and French winger Lauren Robert (who cost the Geordies £11m but is now a free agent) was on trial - Jewell liked what he saw and a deal looks imminent. Andy Griffin was being lined up for shipment back to Stoke; Mo Camara is staying on loan with Norwich for the rest of the season.

Lewin Nyatanga is back from Barnsley and Bob Malcolm is presumably sobering up in the sin bin, soon to face his Christmas drink-drive charges.

Paul Jewell still had plenty of injury worries ahead of the New Year game at Bolton Wanderers. Rob Earnshaw, who hasn’t started a League game for over 4 months, was doubtful and Stephen Bywater (shoulder), David Jones (suffering a hernia - which has now had surgery), Andy Griffin (calf), Stephen Pearson (shoulder) and Andy Todd (back/hamstring) are still out injured. With Leacock and Johnson nursing knocks too, maybe the manager would have to recall the out-of-favour Darren Moore.

Leacock was unfit and so central defence featured Darren Moore and Claude Davis, with Teale and Fagan starting the game. As the game at the Reebok progressed, the same old story of the Rams being dominated was unfolding until the Rams worked their way into the game before the break and showed some fight, with Craig Fagan going close more than once and Michael Johnson - a substitute for the injured Jay McEveley - slamming the bar with a ferocious 20-yard drive.

Numbingly, despite all their hard work in the second half to fight for a point and a clean sheet, Derby hammered another nail in their own relegation coffin as Stelios scored in injury time.

It stemmed simply from a hopeful downfield punt by the Bolton goalie but the holidaying Derby centre-halves kindly let the foraging Greek nod into an empty net as he pleased for another demoralising last-gasp opposition winner after he’d been allowed to run through undetected from his own half. It was a sickening blow and resulted from typically unprofessional defending.

Young Rams goalie Lewis Price, apparently incensed by his defenders’ incompetence at halting the final Bolton attack, had to be separated from a confrontation with Claude Davis as the final whistle signalled yet another Derby defeat.

Seeing the vacant acres that Stelios was able to romp through and score, I’d suggest that Claude was lucky that the travelling hordes from Derby weren’t close enough to slap him, either. Paul Jewell had another slap in the face as he awaited reports on Jay McEveley’s condition, which could be a serious knee ligament injury leaving the young defender sidelined for several months.

Attention turned back to the transfer market for manager Paul Jewell in his desperation to get fresh, competent blood into the squad and had the relief of a diversion to the FA Cup and a home tie with Sheffield Wednesday to prepare for.

Fans and manager want to see change through an upgrade in performances and results, which must involve better players signing for the club, and it’s a case of “Let’s See Action!” to get 2008 off on a better footing from the depression of late 2007. Jewell also acquired a new goalkeeping coach in the guise of Gary Walsh, with whom he’s worked before at Wigan.

Emanuel Villa arrived in Derby on Friday and signed for a £2m fee, though he awaits international clearance and was only a spectator against the Wendies. The experienced ex-Leeds and Liverpool full back Danny Mills was drafted in on loan from Manchester City after a stint at Charlton and he was able to play in the Cup-tie at Derby.

Off field, Adam Pearson was progressing talks with the American investors but still has nothing concrete to report. Here’s hoping the moves come off so we can build strongly for the future.

Michael Johnson mused over why it is that we keep giving away goals and losing games, in one of the pre-match filler interviews. You’ve been away Michael, so let me help - it’s because we don’t play for 95 minutes and show negligence and incompetence at key moments in a game!

Well, the FA Cup came around again; both club and fans liked the idea of some success in the competition though several Premiership sides took a tumble to lower opposition in the Saturday games.

Rams fans don’t want reminding of our torrid recent record in cup competitions! Sheffield Wednesday at home represented a side that Derby should dispatch comfortably and on Sunday we flocked in for some relief from the hard lessons of the Premier League, whilst remembering that Blackpool gave us one very early in the season in the League (Carling) Cup!

Andy Todd (surprisingly) returned to the starting line-up and Danny Mills made his Derby debut. The Owls had ex-Rams goalie Lee Grant and striker Marcus Tudgay in their team and Deon Burton made a subs’ appearance. For a half hour, another torrid Cup calamity against lower-league opposition was precisely what Rams fans received.

Wednesday started brighter; Lewis Price allowed a speculative shot from Mark Beevers to squeeze under himself after handling it weakly - then soon after, Darren Moore, epitomising the ponderous, ineffectual defending that is Derby’s trademark, elected to back-head a ball deep inside his own penalty area rather than simply bombing it out to touch with a proper header. Tudgay said ‘thankyou’ and doubled Wednesday’s lead.

Derby weren’t helped by Tye Mears’ withdrawal though Michael Johnson filled in reasonably well again.

Kenny Miller, a shining star among the drifting dud meteorites, turned and scored with a crisp response to rein in the Owls and Giles Barnes rapped in the equaliser as the Rams rallied towards half-time but the second half was an anti-climax. Miller and Fagan had missed good chances as Derby fought back and Eddie Lewis, presented with a great 2nd half opportunity a few yards out, looked as bewildered as a lamb on a pelican crossing when he had as good a chance to win a game as anyone could ever wish for.

The best that can be said is that Derby are still in the hat for the 4th Round draw. Jewell again condemned the slapstick defending but took comfort in the character shown by his team’s fightback. Fans can look forward to the basement clash with Jewell’s former club Wigan next Saturday and will hope for more new faces to line up alongside Mills and Villa, so that the remainder of the season brings more to cheer.

A Steve Howard double took Derby to the pinnacle and few then would have thought that both Simmo and Billy would be history at their respective clubs within the same 12 months.

The Cup came around too and the mercurial Arturo Lupoli destroyed Wrexham by blasting a classy hat trick in the 3-0 victory, the plucky giant killers for once not getting the better of higher opposition.

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls