With Championship safety secured last weekend in the home draw with Crystal Palace, Derby had two games left in which to improve on last season’s final placing and points tally.

Manager Nigel Clough has initiated changes to the physiotherapy department with the aim of obviating any repeat of the injury toll that plagued this season.

It goes without saying that the Rams’ injury record - and recurrence of injuries with certain players - has been an utter travesty, given that the club has some of the finest training facilities in the UK at their Moor Farm complex.

Derby will still go into the summer break with numerous first-teamers striving to overcome injuries. Goalkeeper Stephen Bywater is nursing a rib injury and Saul Deeney will deputise; young keeper Ross Atkins was also recalled early from his loan spell at Kidderminster Harriers as extra cover.

Clough also moved to sign goalkeeper Saul Deeney on a further 1-year contract, to follow on from his initial year at Derby County. Deeney was pencilled in for his full Rams’ debut at Bristol City and a further first team start in the final game of the season, at home to Cardiff City.

Steve Davies had an ankle operation last Monday and Kris Commons is still recovering from his series of strains and pulls. Miles Addison is recovering from his foot operation and will be missing for an extended period.

No doubt Mr Clough would want to see the other members of that quartet available or in full training in good time for the new season.

The fans have been as up and ready as ever, despite it all - and the club reported that nearly 17,500 season tickets had been renewed before the expiry of the ‘early bird’ deadline last Sunday.

That’s almost 500 renewals ahead of this time last year apparently - though that rush may only indicate that fans were making more prompt renewals to avoid some very punitive post-deadline price increases and seating area regradings that now apply.

I’d expect there to be quite a slow-down, now that price hikes have kicked in.  Entertainment, success and value-for-money will be big factors in fan expectations in 2010-11.

Derby have almost 21,500 season ticket holders and are currently the 12th best supported club in England and 2nd only to Newcastle United in the Championship attendance table. Now we need a team that will put the club 2nd in the only table that matters - the Championship table itself.

The Rams’ reserves title hope were helped before their clash with 2nd-placed Burton Albion on Tuesday; West Brom had a 0-0 draw with  Sheffield United and so missed a chance to overtake Derby, whilst Port Vale lost 3-1 their final game to Macclesfield.

Tuesday evening saw the reserves with the chance to claim to totesport.com League’s Central Division title, with Burton Albion the visitors to Derby’s game played at Alfreton Town.

Derby had Liverpool forward Adam Pepper on trial again along with Rushden & Diamonds’ midfielder Jamie McGuinness. The reserves lost their game with the Brewers 2-1 - but they can still clinch their title if they win their final game of the season against Shrewsbury Town.

Despite fielding Pearson, Croft, Pringle, Teale and Moxey and again featuring Liverpool striker Adam Pepper, Derby fell 2-0 behind by the hour mark, before Greg Mills pulled one back. Young defender Mark O’Brien appeared as a substitute, a welcome return to action for him months after his major heart surgery last December.

Manager Clough has made his first signing of his summer squad development plan, securing Scottish international defender Russell Anderson on a permanent two-year deal to run on from his short term loan at Pride Park Stadium.

Anderson has proved solid and reliable since partnering Shaun Barker in defence recently and though he is 31, can provide stability and experience in the core of Derby’s back line. He wants to succeed, has resurrected his career at Pride Park Stadium and chose to stay at Derby despite competing offers. Russell’s application and loyalty is an example to many other Rams players.

His partner in central defence, Shaun Barker, picked up a supporters’ award for the Player of the Year earlier in the week and at least Derby had one hero emerging from the ranks this season to point towards a better future.

Bristol City look to the future with the experienced Steve Coppell as manager, though caretaker Keith Millen took charge of City’s final home game with Derby on Saturday.

Almost 1,800 travelling Rams fans were in traditional ‘end of season’ party mood, with nothing to celebrate apart from Championship survival. Derby had (another) chance to exceed last season’s unspectacular points total and to improve a weak away record in their final away fixture of 2009-10.

As mentioned, ex-Burton Albion goalkeeper Saul Deeney debuted, his first outing since his brief substitute appearance in the debacle at Reading last month in which he was sent off. Tomas Cywka retained his place up front alongside Chris Porter and Stephen Pearson returned after his suspension - but Paul Green pulled a muscle in the pre-match warm-up and was replaced in the starting line-up by Gilles Sunu.

Rob Hulse was not even named on the bench, as presumably his niggling injuries persist, or maybe his pressing ‘domestic issues’ were still impinging on his football career. Paul Connolly, back from his loan spell at Sheffield United, took up his place on the bench with Ross Atkins as sub goalkeeper plus Gary Teale, Ben Pringle, Dean Moxey and David Martin.

Bristol City scored within 3 minutes of the start - the prolific Nicky Maynard beat Jay McEveley at the far post to force the ball home from close-range, after Derby’s ‘cold’ defence failed to clear the ball. It was a bad start for Derby, which immediately handed the impetus to Bristol.

Derby spent much of the time on the back foot, though Cywka and Pearson combined to give Porter a shooting chance and the effort was blocked. A Savage free kick came to nothing. Sunu was withdrawn injured, Gary Teale replacing the Arsenal loanee before the 40-minute mark.

The Robins were worth their 1-0 interval lead; Derby’s attack fired as fitfully as ever in away games, though Cywka was lively. The next Rams’ injury was to Russell Anderson, withdrawn after 53 minutes and so ex-City star Paul Connolly returned to the Derby team. The Rams’ campaign was ending with injuries as prevalent as they were in the first half of the season.

The match opened up more in the 2nd half with Teale and Pearson featuring for Derby - but Bristol still looked the more dangerous side. David Martin replaced the injured Chris Porter after an hour as manager Clough looked for positive signs to take into the summer.

Loanee full back Nicky Hunt clumsily brought down City striker Nicky Maynard after 78 minutes, who got up to strike home the penalty and give his side a 2-0 lead. That all but ended Derby’s slender hopes of recovery.

As faithful as Nigel Clough’s so-called ‘barmy army’ are, some of them began to stream away from Ashton Gate, disappointed in yet another poor away display, to embark on another fruitless journey home. Mercifully, it was their last one of season 2009-10.

They missed a rare event by leaving early - a goal from a Derby County midfielder, as Stephen Pearson lashed in a shot to reduce the arrears with only 3 minutes to go. It was the Scot’s first goal of this season (he’s scored once in 18 months). Derby’s belated rally was however too little, too late - as it so often has been this season - and the Rams slipped to their 15th away defeat.

There were half-chances and flashes of decent play late in the game - but apart from a Nicky Hunt drive and efforts from Porter and Cywka, Bristol City ‘keeper Dean Gerken was not often troubled.

Derby sorely needs an effective midfield creator and a goal-getter like Nicky Maynard. If Sheffield Wednesday are relegated, Clough could also do worse than try and bring Marcus Tudgay back to Derby. He scores goals, works hard, and is fit for selection regularly.

Manager Nigel Clough thought that his team had played well even though they went into the game with 10 players injured and ended it with 14 on the injury list. Oh dear; I’ll only add that manager and fans will want a vast improvement in the fitness factor when August comes around.

Captain Savage then sought out Radio Derby’s Colin Gibson for an interview, saying Derby played ‘exceptionally well’; if an ultimately toothless but ‘brave’ defeat at Bristol City is ‘exceptional’, it demonstrates precisely how low Derby’s standards now are.

Possession and tidy play do not bring points, unless there is conviction and finishing power. Savage’s scatter-gun diatribe was as irrelevant as the Rams’ performance at Bristol had been perfunctory. Hear his excuses on this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007drgt/Sportscene_Live_from_5_24_04_2010/  

He clashed again with Colin Gibson, who’d said Derby had not played well. Savage carped on about injuries and whined about the Radio Derby commentary team’s criticisms of the Rams’ dreadful disciplinary record this season.

Robbie, grow up - Derby *do* have a dreadful disciplinary record, period! Robbie, your team now have one game left to exceed last season’s paltry points’ total. Savage was booked for deliberate handball in the 2nd half, his 10th yellow card of the season.

Sav proceeded to chastise the presenter, waffled about his appearance record and Welsh caps - and criticised Roger Davies for getting sent off in the European Cup!

Some of us saw that 1973 semi-final debacle - before Savage was born - and the Welshman clearly knows nothing about the cynical intimidation from Juventus, the victimisation of Rams’ players by the referee and the subsequent investigation into the match officials instigated by Brian Glanville of the Sunday Times.

Roger Davies is extremely ‘pro-Derby County’, as a club corporate and charity stalwart of several decades’ standing, a League Championship winner....Savage had no right to demean him. It is a matter of conjecture as to whether this self-proclaimed ‘specialist’ World Cup commentator will enhance the BBC’s coverage of this summer's competition. An apology from you to Roger is due, Mr Savage.

Next, Sav ridiculously accused the station of organising critical calls to the weekly phone-in programme! It seems that the fans and media are unentitled to their opinions. Enough is enough, Savage - stop your disrespectful, accusatory claptrap! He wants everybody to ‘pull together next season’; Rams fans want the Derby players to focus on their jobs and actually produce results.

Fans (me included) have already pulled together, Robbie - they’ve taken out their wallets to buy season tickets in vast numbers in anticipation for a better 2010-11.

I’m cheesed off with the season I have just witnessed; it is just not good enough for Derby County’s proud history. It is a very long way in the shadow of the achievements of Roger Davies’ era, and of several later periods, that’s for sure.

It has been a very lean time since Savage took the captaincy at the club. He wants to win and has passion for the club but is simply unable to deliver. His needy ego and misplaced self-regard is at odds with the cold, hard task of getting Derby County to SUCCEED.

Fans will turn on Savage if this rubbish continues and next season brings the same mediocre fayre on the football field - where Savage is becoming superfluous. Judging by the MBs, some supporters already have turned, among my favourite comments being: “I wouldn't even p*** on him if his Lamborghini was on fire at the side of the motorway.”

Perhaps Savage needs to deflect people from poor results and circulating rumours - and so chose to button-hole Mr Gibson again?

When I heard Savage going off on one again, I concluded that ‘truth is out of style’ in Robbie’s world. He is only deflecting attention from the sheer mediocrity of 2009-10 and the size of the task at Pride Park Stadium.

It is a job now beyond the capabilities of Mr Robbie Savage, that’s for sure. Masking his now-fading footballing abilities while straining for media visibility and credibility via frequent outbursts of half-baked vitriol is ultimately pointless, it achieves nothing.

With newly-promoted Leicester City making the play-offs alongside Nothingham Forest, the Rams are currently in the East Midlands’ shadow - except in supporter numbers and loyalty. Savage at nearly 37 won't deliver Derby to where they need to be - higher up the football ladder, and not just on the back (or front) newspaper pages every other week for the wrong headlines for indiscipline or controversy.

Derby have become harder to beat (though on some earlier showings, that’s not difficult to achieve!) but are still a very average ‘nearly’ team, punching well below their weight.

The manager needs to move the club away from the current well-rewarded, low-aspiration survival culture and ditch players that only talk a good game, including his captain who elects to indulge in rancorous exchanges and somehow blames local media or any other critics for the team’s shortcomings.

I’m not even sure that we are - as Clough says (‘with a full squad out’) - a ‘top-half side’. Essentially, only the goalkeeper and central defence fall onto the team sheet automatically.

The lack of pace, penetration and productivity in the team is symptomatic of far too many pedestrian, inadequate players at the club. The Rams are lacking the creativity, conviction and confidence to be competitive in the Championship - we are not in a false position after 45 games.

A real captain is needed first of all; when all’s said and done, Savage is holding the club back and Shaun Barker is the obvious candidate for that role next season. Barker is an effective battler and a winner - and prefers to let his consistently good performances speak for themselves.

So next Sunday we arrive at the final game of the 2009-10 season: the home fixture with cash-strapped but play-off bound Cardiff City, who beat Derby 6-1 in Wales earlier in the season. Here’s to the team giving us some summer cheer to go home with. Breath-holding is optional!___________________________________________________________

RamsWeek 17 last season was a case of ‘Derby pride’ as the Rams finally secured their Championship survival.

They lost 0-2 at home to promotion-chasing Reading in midweek but bounced back to clinch the vital points in the next match, with a 1-0 win at home to Charlton Athletic. Both games attracted crowds of 31,500 to Pride Park Stadium.

Rob Hulse scored the vital goal after 70 minutes, having collected the Jack Stamps Trophy as Derby’s Player of the Season before the kick-off. Miles Addison was Young Player of the Year.

Derby finished their home programme in 16th place on 54 points, a point and a place better off than they are today, a year later, also with one game to go.

The pre-match festivities included the incongruous opera tenor, Mr Wortley-Jones pulverising “Steve Bloomer’s Watching” with a ragged, out-of-synch attempt at the Rams’ anthem, and rocker Kev Moore in an altogether more appropriate, rasping delivery of his new song, “Commons People” from his set of rockin’ Rams songs on a CD launched before the game with the help of RamsTrust!

Photo: Action Images

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