You know, I do believe our American friends have finally come around on football.

They may not enjoy it or be particularly good at it but they know it makes a great deal of money.

Our new owner Andy Appleby appears to have figured this out and decided that he wants in and like the Randy Lerners and George Gilletts of this world, he’s put his (or at least his company's) money where his mouth is and stumped up a cool $100million to invest in our beloved football club.

There’s the first difference for anyone thinking of the Three Amigos' takeover; actual money from the ownership groups actual pockets. Another reassuring factor is the continuing involvement of Peter Gadsby and Don Amott, who will remain at Pride Park as non-executive directors; this is the big plus for me as, like many others, I tend to regard Gadsby’s word as gospel and if he’s willing to go along with this move then it's fine by me.

The records of our new directors certainly makes for impressive reading; football is actually my third favourite sport behind baseball and American football so I’d like to think I know a thing or two about some of the teams the new owners have dealt with; I’m not overly keen on basketball but I am aware that the Detroit Pistons and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have both won their respective championships within the last five years.

The new chief executive, Tom Glick, was involved with another basketball team, the New Jersey Nets who are one of the more profitable clubs themselves, as well as being a key figure in the move of the New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma following the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Mr Glick will be moving to Derby to run the club on a day to day basis whilst Mr Appleby remains in America.

Of course English football is a very different animal to basketball as the likes of Messrs. Hicks and Gillett have found out but we have the advantage of Adam Pearson who, it appears, will remain in control of the football side of things. I know Tom Hicks likes to give it the ‘big I am’ so such a relationship is impossible at Liverpool which has led to a string of embarrassing events surrounding the future of Don Rafa.

The opinion of Pearson appears to be mixed but I think most of us are in agreement that Billy Davies was just begging to be ditched and that the then Chairman, ridiculed by many at the time, was right in calling wee Billy’s bluff. Pearson’s task when he took over was to bring in external investment and he’s now done that; the approximate £50million injected into the club will at the very least clear the debts and set us up nicely for Paul Jewell’s hopefully complete rebuilding of the squad come the summer.

So some optimism at last and given Saturday’s debacle, not a moment too soon; it’s early of course and it could go badly wrong but I always choose to look on the bright side. At least I know that we have the money to buy out Claude Davis’ contract; if that doesn’t brighten up your Monday morning I don’t know what will!

Photo: Action Images

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