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RamsWeek 4 - Slip Slidin’ Away
RamsWeek 4 - Slip Slidin’ Away
Monday, 24th Jan 2011 01:18 by Paul Mortimer

After a dreadful week in which they were knocked out of the FA Cup to non-League Crawley Town and then well beaten at Watford, Derby County had a week to prepare for their biggest home match of the season.

The visit of Nothingham Forest on Saturday was Derby’s early chance to salvage some pride. That was the theme of media sound-bites during the week - and the Rams badly needed to start a recovery of form.

Fans awaited actual transfer activity whilst the latest speculation linked Derby with young Leicester forward Martyn Waghorn. He is 20, allegedly quick and hard-working but has not figured in the Foxes’ first team plans this season.

Derby still have to wait for the Foxes to declare the all-clear on the fitness of Darius Vassell and other Leicester strikers before they deign that Waghorn is available for loan. Vassell, along with another Prem striker, Everton’s Yakubu, are both on loan at ambitious Leicester but Rams’ boss Nigel Clough is reliant on a fellow Championship club declaring that they have a surfeit of strikers.

Rams fans might well ask why it was that Yakubu went to Leicester and not Derby. Derby desperately need a proven physical presence up front; when Commons, Cywka and Bueno played off the bustling, awkward Shefki Kuqi, defences couldn’t cope with the power and movement of that blend and Derby scored freely.

Unless the forward line is strengthened, Derby’s ‘building responsibly’ philosophy might be interpreted as a euphemism for ‘making do’. There has been a feeling that we acquire those loanees who are available or can afford, rather than those who would do the best job, or cost a bit more. The club must be careful not to cause the team’s ‘arrival point’ to be perpetually deferred.

With 3 weeks of the transfer window elapsed, The Rams were able to make a signing. After several rejected bids for Notts County midfielder Ben Davies, Clough finally got his man on Thursday. Magpies’ manager Paul Ince had jumped around all upset, adding more hot air to Notts’ protracted opposition - they generated more publicity about the deal than Derby or other media!

Ince whined on about naughty Derby having the audacity to bid for his player; he should get over it, as that’s what happens in football - good players do well and bigger clubs snap them up!

Derby acted above board - and in fact Ince benefited when Derby winger Dave Martin went on loan to Notts for a month. Ultimately, Davies wanted to make the step up, and Derby signed him up on a two-year deal for a fee reported as £350k but officially undisclosed.

The saga had echoes of Derby’s bids for Swansea’s highly-rated Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde, over two years ago. The strutting Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins rejected Derby’s bids and ultimately, Bodde stayed put. He became injury prone and never did make it to the Premier League, or to full international level. Que Sera...

With Davies, all’s well that ends well. He has a good strike rate, is a dead-ball specialist (and Derby are very weak on goals from midfield) and he is an achiever. I expect him to make the step up and his extra experience should help such as James Bailey and Tomasz Cywka to mature further. Had the Davies deal failed, I hoped that Derby could act to acquire an experienced, proven midfielder like Michael Tonge - proven at this level and at this club. Maybe we still should do so?

The Rams are also poised to take 20-year-old Liverpool defender Daniel Ayala on loan. The Spanish centre-back had a successful spell on loan with Hull City but looks set to prefer moving to Derby rather than returning to the KC Stadium for his next period of experience.

The Rams fought out a 3-3 draw against Chesterfield in the Derbyshire Senior Cup at the b2Net Stadium, before going though on penalties after extra time. The Rams fielded a strong team but had to recover from 2-0 down. They eventually won the penalty shoot-our 4-1.

As Saturday approached, Rams’ captain Robbie Savage was in an unusually reserved mood during the pre-game interviews, saying there was no point in him just talking and that it was time for the team to perform. I’d certainly second that! Manager Nigel Clough wanted a performance with some pride reclaimed.

The Rams would have to play quicker, smarter, be stronger all over the park and show the collective desire to defend properly, to deny the opposition; the Rams have been a soft touch defensively on far too many occasions this season.

Clough rang the changes with the defence restored to a ‘normal’ formation; Dean Leacock partnered Barker in the centre and full-backs Brayford and Moxey took their proper positions. Ben Davies made his debut, Addison partnered Savage in midfield and Green was left on the bench.

The match, watched by over 33,000, was a typical ‘derby’; feisty and attritional with very little flowing football. The Rams were much improved and (for a change) looked as if they meant business and gave the opposition a game. Saturday’s performance was a valiant effort by Derby after their tepid and ineffectual recent performances and they deserved a draw.

Note to Rams players: that level of commitment, vigilance and work ethic is the MINIMUM that fans of Derby County expect from players in each and every game. If you can’t match Saturday’s output level in EVERY game, you’re not fit to be a Derby player. Rant over (for this week)!

There were a few tense set-piece free kicks for both sides from circa 25 yards out; fans bit their nails as the likes of McGugan and Davies & Commons lined up for a breakthrough strike - but none of them came to anything, and the goalkeepers were equal to the few that were on target.

Forest’s relentless verve told in the end; they were that bit quicker, slicker, more confident and purposeful. Although the Rams had their best spell after the break and might have got the upper hand, it was the Trees that nicked the game 1-0 with a late goal from Robert Earnshaw.

Trees’ substitute Earnshaw clinched the game when he was left alone to slot home the winner after 80 minutes from the edge of the penalty area. The Welsh misfit enjoyed his gratuitous celebration as much as it disgusted the Derby fans; he took so long that the teams were actually waiting to kick off - and by the time the referee booked him for time wasting, he looked ridiculous.

Regardless of his success in that moment, he will always remain in the minds of Rams supporters as probably the worst Derby signing in history; expensive, ineffectual and rapidly discarded.

In a game of few chances, Derby had a couple of reasonable openings but Porter shot tamely in the first half. It was a crucial moment and the goal was at his mercy. Lee Camp denied Ben Davies from his excellent volley later in the game, also scrambling away a Barker header that was goal-bound.

The Rams’ defence was much tighter, with Barker back to his best as Derby’s man of the match. With Chris Porter hemmed in by robust defenders, ill-suited to the lone striker role, the interplay between Bueno, Commons and Davies was fitful and lacking in penetration.

The sooner Clough gets a strike partner to play with Porter, the sooner the Rams will make chances and have more opportunities to win a game - playing one up front just hasn’t worked since Kuqi left the club.

Skipper Savage got the run-around by Forest’s lithe and quick-thinking midfield as they skimmed around Derby’s ponderous counterparts. He was frustrated at being withdrawn soon after the interval. He had been cautioned and was still tackling heavily so Clough had made the best decision for the team.

Sav has now declined a move to Vancouver so will hope for an effective and successful climax to his Derby career. Saturday showed why Derby (and Sav) must soon move on.

Substitute James Bailey perked up the play a little and perhaps Paul Green should have replaced the largely peripheral Bueno to add further bite and impetus?

Dean Moxey, having collected a yellow card for one reckless challenge, contrived an idiotic and crass dismissal. With the ball having already spun out of play deep in the Forest half, the full back slalomed recklessly into Earnshaw and received his second caution. With that temperament, he becomes a liability.

As the sending-off was in stoppage time it was irrelevant to the result but Moxey exasperated the manager and the home crowd by his rashness. Derby still does not have an immediate choice at left back, as neither candidate is convincing. Moxey’s dismissal means that (unless Clough has lost patience and signs/loans a player), Gareth Roberts will have to resume the role next time Derby takes the field.

Overall, the defeat to the club’s bitterest rivals confirmed what most fans accept - that The Trees (and a fair number of other Championship teams) - have eclipsed Derby County in terms of progress in a relatively short space of time. Investment is a significant component in that comparative progress for most (but not all) of those teams, yet only Leeds United can match Derby’s supporter loyalty.

Saturday’s 33,010 gate against Forest was almost 10,000 higher than the next biggest Championship attendances at Ipswich and Leicester; it was almost 20,000 bigger than leaders QPR could attract to their home game against Coventry City.

It’s uncomfortable to watch recently-promoted teams like the Elland Road club rocket up the League; Forest and Norwich also stride on quickly to sustain a challenge. Cardiff and QPR are big investors ‘going for the prize’ but Swansea, Watford, Leicester and others with very recent managerial upheavals are proving more successful and consistent, too - unlike Derby County.

In comparison, we’ve lost our way and look unlikely to challenge; the current downturn may become more deep-seated and damaging than the early-winter top-four flourish looked to have signalled progress; that appears less and less convincing by the week. Significant contributors in Fielding (a better goalkeeper than Bywater), Kuqi (an ideal target man who sparked the forward interplay) and Moore (who posed a threat with his skill and speed) propelled that upturn and their contributions are fading memories of another disappointing season.

It rankles with Rams fans that we are apparently backed by a super-rich consortium that (given the sorting out and wage-cutting that Clough has achieved over two years) aren’t investing in enough players that can perform consistently at Championship level or above.

Rams fans understand prudence, they have seen bad governance; they have endured decline and witnessed near-bankruptcy - more deeply than most fans - and don’t anticipate massive investment. They do not want to know how much Derby might have to spend, or how far they would invest in a ‘signature signing’. The club recruited a manager to sort out and rebuild - so give him the right tools for the rebuilding phase.

Supporters just expect to watch a capable team commensurate with their renowned loyalty. They anticipate that the regime will exploit the potential of the club, not just tap the fans’ pockets and shower them with discount offer trivia, or sign up more corporate partners than football players.

Manager Nigel Clough referred to the financial restrictions placed upon him when asked about the pressure brought on by Derby’s losing streak, and if he felt that his job might be threatened:

"It's got to be put into perspective; you can look at the last eight weeks or two years. Is there any other Championship club in that time that's brought in more money than it's spent and reduced the wage bill by nearly half?”

“We are still just about keeping our heads above water. If there's any other Championship club that's done that in the last couple of seasons we would like to know who they are."

Clough’s pointed comments were omitted from the official site’s reporting of Saturday’s interviews. Whether the board acknowledge it or not, their manager needs better players to work with. There’s been a January signing, but whilst Ben Davies has ability and promise, it is asking a lot for him to lift the team on his own. If Kris Commons leaves the club, the squad becomes even weaker.

Results show that the squad doesn’t have the depth or staying power to sustain a challenge. To highlight 20 games this season, in two contrasting blocks of results, shows just how alarming Derby’s fall off in form has been.

During autumn/early winter (from Sept 18th vs. Barnsley, to Ipswich on Nov 9th) the 10 games realised 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat; Derby scored 23 goals and conceded 7. We collected 23 points.

Here’s the contrast; after a defeat at Leicester, between Nov 20th (Scunthorpe) and Jan 22nd (Forest), the Rams won 2, drew 1 and lost 7 games. We’ve scored 10 goals and conceded 19, and have taken just 7 points from 30. These stats exclude the FA Cup debacle at Crawley.

Derby cannot show significant season-on-season progress on the field in terms of results; we’re just 4 points better off, have scored 10 more goals and won 2 more games than last season at this stage. The defence hasn’t improved.

Relegation was avoided by a small margin in 2009-10. Fans expected to be well clear of all that this season - but there’s been many a ‘pretty’ team that can play well between both penalty areas and get relegated. With 19 games to play, Derby has amassed 34 points - 57 more points are available. If we collect them at the current rate, Derby will fail to reach the 50+ survival target!

After the latest defeat in the big ‘tribal’ clash of the campaign - especially so soon after the heavy defeat at the City Ground - Rams fans can sense that their season is ‘slip slidin’ away’. Forest had never won at Pride Park Stadium before and had not taken a League ‘double’ off Derby for over two decades. Supporters are concerned at this slippery path of decline.

The Rams’ board need to repair supporters’ tattered pride and in the final analysis, only a better team can achieve that. The ‘building responsibly’ mantra sounds hackneyed in the light of recent statistics. Derby’s results must improve. “The nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away”; Paul Simon’s words seem more apt for Derby County at the moment.

At the very least in January, a proven strike partner is desperately needed for Chris Porter, forever battling to create and take chances by himself with two defenders breathing down his neck. A strong, consistent and reliable partner for Shaun Barker is required too, so that defensive solidity and confidence can be forged. If the spine of the team is strong, the team can make progress.

With no FA Cup game next weekend, the Rams now have 10 days to regroup before they face Paul Jewell’s Ipswich Town. The least the team can do is to give the fans the satisfaction of a victory against the statistically poorest manager in the club’s history!

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RamsWeek 4 last week observed a ‘crisis - what crisis?’ scenario at Pride Park Stadium, as the club denied media stories that they were £30m in debt and ready to sell all their players. DCFC said it was all ‘categorically untrue’, demanded a retraction and stated that any payments due to any party were on schedule.

As usual, fans were left to wonder upon the source and truth of such allegations. Then (as now) progress on the pitch will help to convince supporters of the regime’s commitment, sincerity and competence in the operation of Derby County Football Club.

The team had vastly disappointed fans during 2009-10 and the manager was at the end of his tether after some shocking performances.

Clough pressed on with his plans; Luke Varney went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, young goalie Ross Atkins went to Burton Albion on loan and Nigel hoped to bring in Arsenal forward Gilles Sunu and Millwall winger David Martin on loan. He also cancelled the contract of the hapless Rueben Zadkovich, one of Paul Jewell’s marginal signings.

Derby progressed to the last 16 of the FA Cup by defeating Doncaster Rovers in the 4th Round by a late Jay McEveley blockbuster. He let fly with three minutes to go, taking a chance and ending up an unlikely hero - just showing that teams can make their own luck and who dares wins!

The Rams were drawn against Birmingham City in the 5th round.

Photo: Action Images



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