In the aftermath of the heaviest-ever defeat at Pride Park, manager Paul Jewell was even more determined that they would bounce back in 2008-09.

Having nominally acknowledged that the ‘magic’ 16 points for this season looks like a distant shore well beyond Derby’s players, Jewell was declaring repeatedly last week that he was ‘very, very confident’ that the Rams would win promotion next season.

There were mixed messages coming out of the manager’s office, however, as Jewell declared that his job had been made harder because ‘the previous regime already spent next season’s parachute payments!’

It’s fact that Billy Davies built a squad (comparatively) ‘on the cheap’ due to his inexperience and lack of competence at Premier League level and/or the expenditure restrictions imposed by the board. Derby hardly broke the bank on players in comparison to any of their Premier League rivals, PJ!

Billy Davies spent £12m on transfer fees and wages rose by £13m (yes, great value for money from those contracts, eh?) The club have also had bank debts to repay. All that is hardly revelatory. Perhaps PJ’s comment was a sound bite for prospective agents and players, suggesting that Derby do not have bags of money to throw around in summertime.

GSE did promise Jewell ‘all the help he needs’ so expenditure on better players is a strong expectation of all the fans who have already backed the club with their money.

Fans wanted to see some steel and entertainment in remaining games to end the season ‘on the front foot’, as Mr Glick’s hopes of his team still giving Derby supporters some exciting experiences seemingly applies solely to visiting away fans!

After the goal flood against Villa, murmurings surfaced from some fans about the motivation, fitness, coaching and organisation of the players after 20 games in charge for the Jewell entourage, with so little improvement and end result apparent. One train of thought was that it is surely up to a new manager to get the best from the inherited players.

The 19,000 initial season ticket sales figure gives Jewell a guaranteed bedrock of massive support for 2008-09, though the negative statistics and nightmare humiliations multiply expectations and judgement come August. With the negative culture embedded in the club, talking up next season continually carries with it the danger of dramatic disappointment if Derby don’t hit the ground running with a winning team.

Meanwhile, Rams’ media man Matt McCann was on Radio Derby on Monday evening in a public spat with Derby city Mayor Pauline Latham regarding the office’s VIP seats in the Director’s Box at Pride Park Stadium. The new PPS board apparently reviewed the provision and the ceremonial office of Derby can no longer expect access to seats for Mayor and the required ‘minder’ of the chain of office.

The Mayor is not allowed into public areas with the chain of office and looked set to be denied a privilege of office that the club had granted for many years. The issue became a national news item and the club has drawn some more ridicule to accompany the disdain and humour with which the team is viewed.

Mr McCann seemed quite adamant about the club’s stance and kept asserting that the 19,000 paying season ticket holders would understand. Can’t say I do - why not continue the traditional provision for the Mayor? It all sounded like some very unseemly, unecessary bad public relations by both parties to me.

The Rams Reserves faced Arsenal @ Barnet Underhill on Monday evening and lost 1-5. Let’s hope the scoreline is reversed when the first teams meet at Pride Park Stadium in a week’s time!

Aussie Under-23 utility player Ruben Zadkovich (21) has signed a two-year deal with Derby County. He has spent time with QPR and Notts County and emerged from the same Wollongong youth squad as Mile Sterjovski. Zadkovich prefers a central midfield role and was a free agent after returning home from England, leaving Notts County for a spell with Sydney FC.

A number of clubs, including Crystal Palace, were allegedly tracking the player, whom Paul Jewell has called ‘a fantastic talent.’ Ruben  - like many players before him recently - is understandably enthusiastic about his renewed chance in English football, about the facilities, support and potential at Derby. Unlike many of his contemporaries, I do hope he can perform well on matchdays as well as at Moor Farm!

Paul Jewell declared that there were two other signings in the bag for next season so the manager’s quest for players carries on in earnest.

Ex-Hammer Tyrone Mears commented in pre-match interviews that ‘winning means everything to us’ and explained away the players’ lack of acknowledgement of supporters at full time saying it was ‘embarrassing’ to go up and face the fans straight after such defeats. Ho hum…it’s not a huge gesture in my book.

The players presumably don’t find it as embarrassing to bank their rich pickings, though! Memo to manager: if the players can’t say anything worthwhile, please tell them not to talk to the fans through the media at all!

Paul Jewell said: “We do not want to go down as the worst team but if that does happen and we come back next year, I’m sure nobody will remember it”. Well - the fans have to carry it, unfortunately, and it won’t be shaken off until we are back up there, beating the same teams that are humiliating us now.

Grzegorz Rasiak gave Derby a 2-1 win the last time they visited the Boleyn Ground to face West Ham but there was very little expectation that a similar result would be achieved on Saturday, even considering West Hams’ very poor recent form.

Leacock returned to partner Stubbs with Villa dropping to the bench because Jewell reinforced midfield with Sterjovski available again. Kenny Miller was alone up front in the starting line-up and Earnshaw was omitted again. The writing seems on the wall at Derby for the expensive goal-shy Welsh striker.

West Ham had a dozen players out injured and so the match was another chance for Derby to set a course and claw something from their day. The Hammers fielded four debutants, including two 18-year olds. The Londoners took control soon enough without testing Carroll, until Leacock’s dereliction of defensive duty allowed Bobby Zamora a simple free header on 20 minutes for the opening goal.

Derby’s initial resistance faded as usual but they recovered without carving out real chances. By half time, some belief had returned to the Rams; they mustered some enterprising play and West Ham happily took their lead into the break. Derby maintained a more spirited approach in the 2nd half and Mears burst into the Hammers’ penalty area, was shirt-tugged but shot weakly, so another half-chance vanished.

Moments later, however, Mears broke through again - and buried an equaliser! West Ham regrouped and pressed again, with Curbishley resorting to substitutions. The Rams have regularly been undone this season by subs - and so it was that another instant substitute, Carlton Cole, arriving on the pitch to a chorus from the home crowd of “You don’t know what you’re doing!” aimed at the Hammers boss, promptly restored West Ham’s lead after Ljundberg had cruised past Andy Todd to supply the cross.

Savage missed a close-range header in added time from a quality Sterjovski cross; the home crowd endured a nervous last-minute siege when Derby won a corner but West Ham held on for a narrow win. It was a greatly improved performance from the Aston Villa debacle, but yet another hard luck story.

At least Derby didn’t dissipate feebly as they have in so many performances this season. “In the second half we looked full of energy, full of life and we were passing the ball around but could not find that second goal”, manager Paul Jewell reflected. “West Ham were hanging on at the end.” Derby will need that kind of energy and level of performance in every game next season if they are to recover successfully.

West Ham as a club does typify what Derby would like to achieve as a top-flight side - consolidation then steady progress through investment and development. The Hammers spent plenty of money on players in 2007 but have been denied the services of many newcomers through long-term injuries, which demonstrate that strength in depth is essential.

They are comfortable in the Top 10 even though they’ve had a torrid recent period; Derby came along at the right time to rehabilitate them via a much-needed victory.

The Rams can perhaps anticipate the visit of trophy-shy Arsenal to Pride Park Stadium next Monday week with a touch more optimism than seemed possible a week ago. Fans won’t dare to expect the one surprise result of the season to be sprung but we hope that the players can raise their game above the level that again encourages the crowd to muster their own entertainment!

RamsWeek 16 in season 2006-07 saw the Rams clawing away to regain the automatic promotion spot that they had squandered with their poor post-January form.

Doomed Luton visited Pride Park Stadium and Derby recorded a fairly comfortable, if narrow 1-0 win to finally condemn the Hatters to relegation and place themselves in 2nd spot. Lewin Nyatanga bundled in the goal after Dean Leacock’s header had been parried.

Sunderland were still flying and Birmingham had games in hand, so Derby County needed to sustain their form and hope that the Bluenoses somehow got a nosebleed from their remaining games!

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls