It was not a transfer window that will be long remembered by fans but there were still some important pieces of business that took place both in and out.

The 4 million pound man still a Ram

It is of no surprise that there was some last day interest in Rob Hulse, a proven goal scorer at Championship level, as it seems more than one club came in for his services. It is believed that the club received an offer of more than £4 million with most speculation pointing to a final attempt by Boro to lure the target man away.

Derby fans will be heartened by the words of Adam Pearson who it seems was determined to retain his services but thought it best to leave the final decision to Hulse:

"Rob Hulse is staying with us and we are all absolutely delighted about it. One club in particular made very significant advances and we felt it was only fair to the player to keep him informed throughout the day”.

"In the end Rob has decided that his future belongs here at Derby with Nigel Clough, as he and his staff look to build this team into one that can bring success. I'm sure Rob Hulse will go on to be a very important player for us and we all look forward to seeing him produce the quality of football he did last season, when he was our top scorer and player of the year."

Encouraging words and definitely a poke in the eye for many fans who thought the club would take the money and run.

The decision shows there is genuine strategy in decisions at the club. Unlike previous regimes they have kept hold of a wanted player but made sure the player wants to stay and in turn is committed to the team. Derby has succeeded in doing both.

Well done DCFC!

Swap Shop: Stewart out and Hendrie in

With the news of the club finally ending the saga of both Martin Albrechtsen (contract terminated...hasta la vista!) and Claude Davis (off to Palace...i'm so sorry!), Nigel has managed to ship out one more player who was not in his plans.

Jordan Stewart has been out of the frame since Clough arrived at Pride Park and has found his new home at Sheffield United. Part of the deal was an exchange for former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie who like Stewart, has been out of favor with the Blades.

Lee Hendrie at the age of 32 has signed a deal that will see him at Pride Park till at least the end of the 09/10 campaign. He played more than 250 games for Aston Villa earlier in his career and earned one England cap but has not played for the Blades this season largely due to a four-match suspension.

Hendrie has fallen from grace since his move to Sheffield with loan spells at both Leicester and Blackpool. He will be hoping to reinvigorate his career with the Rams and I am sure all fans will be hoping the same.

The most interesting aspect of his signing is the fiery history between Hendrie and Savage. I am sure with the close working relationship Clough and Savage seem to have, the subject will have been discussed but it definitely adds some spice to the signing.

I managed to dig up a match report from back in 2000 that covers an incident between the two when a certain John Gregory was in charge of Villa. You can read the article here.

A more comprehensive report on Lee Hendrie and his signing will appear on RamZone over the next couple of days as more details emerge.

Rams soothe weekend pain in Spain

A trip to hot and muggy Spain for the international break has proven to be good therapy for the Rams with a 2-0 friendly win over Unión Deportiva Marbella who play in the Spanish Segunda División B - Group 4.

Ben Pringle continued his impressive scoring record for friendlies when he headed home the opening goal just before half time.

In the 78th minute Gary Teale was fouled in the box and sealed the win in front of 100 or so Derby fans, when he converted the resulting penalty.

The line up may point to a few possible changes when next the Rams run out as Leacock and Barker partnered in the centre of defense, while the much criticized Pearson found himself on the bench. He was joined by Rob Hulse who no doubt was forced to sit out the match with transfer speculation swirling around him.

Rams Team in Spain:

Bywater, Connolly, Leacock, Barker, McEveley, Croft, Pringle, Savage, Livermore, Moxey, Teale.

Subs: Deeney, Pearson, Hulse, Buxton

A full match report can be found on the official site here.

Photo: Action Images

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