Like him or loath him, Savage is a Ram. Who would have thought it?

Not me certainly but once you get past the initial revulsion towards the player, then perhaps like me you'll grudgingly accept that Derby County are significantly better off with Robbie Savage in the team than without him.

I know that sounds blasphemous but there you go; we need bite in midfield and Matt Oakley needs help in providing it. We need quality in the team and Savage has it; some have declared that Savage has very little footballing ability but that's a biased and inaccurate view. Savage is a decent footballer and must be to have sustained a career in the Premier League and internationally for Wales; he has the energy and desire that some of our players (read: Teale, Barnes etc.) lack and the team desperately needs both now and in the future.

Don't get me wrong; I have hated Robbie Savage for all that happened during 2001, the incidents with Deon Burton and Craig Burley are unlikely to fade anytime soon but considering the bigger picture I've come to the conclusion that we are better off and that's all that matters. It's not like he's committed human rights violations or anything.

Some might point to his age as a negative and whilst 33 is still getting on a bit football wise it's hardly time for the hard goodbye; footballers are carrying on their careers well into their thirties these days and Savage appears no different. He'll be 35 come the end of his contract but that's no age is it; Ian Taylor was 37 when he played for us and he was more than adequate.

He's not the only one through the door as we know; Emanuel Villa has formally completed his move from Tecos and Laurent Robert, well known for his Newcastle days, has signed a deal until the end of the season. I like the Robert signing, and the potential acquisition of Hossam Ghaly; both are risks obviously given the characters of the players in question but there is no long-term commitment to either player and both are likely to be playing for a contract for next season, whether it's at Pride Park or not remains to be seen.

Of course these are likely only short term quick fixes but given our position how can any sane fan suggest that we should be aiming higher; we are going to be relegated this season unless something miraculous happens and I don't see how throwing money at it is going to help; that's how we got into trouble last time. Very few players are going to see Derby County as a good career move if they want to play in the Premier League next season and therefore the only way to get in top quality players in their prime would to be to give them ridiculous amounts of money and I don't see that as an acceptable solution, especially given that the suggestion would be that said players are only interested in the money and do not care about what happens to the club.

In light of this, Paul Jewell has to be creative; he is trying to do a few different things and taking a few risks with the hope that his character and obvious enthusiasm will win over this questionable set of egos. I could be wrong but I don't think Billy Davies has the pulling power to bring in the likes of Robert, who is a quality footballer the likes of which we haven't seen at Pride Park for a good few seasons.

If Jewell can get something close to the best out of Robert and Ghaly then we might just have turned a significant corner; I personally don't think we will stay up and as such I'm of the opinion that both players will leave which has led to the suggestion that it's all a waste of time; that I disagree with as for me the remaining games we play in the Premier League this season are all about restoring confidence to the club and a few good results will help us to build for next season even if some of the players that help us achieve that confidence are no longer around.

We are going to be doing a significant rebuilding this summer whatever happens because we know that in order to survive in the Premier League we need to be better and we can't wait to get promoted again before that process starts. That's why Steve Howard was sold; we could have held onto him knowing that he would in all likelihood score a boatload in the Championship next season but the problem with that is that whilst I'm a big fan as we all are, the truth of the matter is that Stevie looked outclassed in this league (although his lack of service didn't help) and we need to move forward and build towards being a Premier League team.

Hopefully Tito Villa, Laurent Robert, Danny Mills (if he stays) and Robbie Savage are a big step towards that and with Paul Jewell at the helm; I can see the Rams becoming a much more worthy opponent for the big boys in seasons to come.

Robbie Savage player profile here

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls