Billy Davies put on his usual defiant face when facing up to the horrendous 0-5 home defeat at the hands of injury-plagued West Ham.

“I am still very confident and determined”, Davies declared. “I have lost no belief or confidence. I know exactly what we are and what we have to do. We will, as a staff, work very, very hard to give the players the confidence required to go and win matches in the Premier League.” It sure is proving hard work, Billy.

Messageboards and phone-ins were populated by grumbles and angry comments such as ‘shambles’ and ‘unacceptable’ and fans told each other that they expected more organisation, teamwork and productive energy from Derby players.

There were waffly words in the media from some of the guilty players, too: as Derby suffered their biggest home defeat for eight years, Tyrone Mears said it was ‘embarrassing’ and that he ‘didn’t know what to say’. Andy Griffin said: “Nowadays it's easy to blame the manager but, sometimes, the players deserve more stick than they get and, after that game, we deserve to be hammered. But what do you do? Do you hide and feel sorry for yourself? No you don't. You roll your sleeves up.”

Here’s a tip then, boys: go do your talking on the pitch, roll up those sleeves and get down to the task of at least trying to match teams physically, to impose yourselves on them and deny them the time and room to walk all over you, for every minute of every game. As Andy said - You deserved the stick - and the fans deserve much better!

With the players and management regrouping - apart from those with the diversion of their international call-ups – the Rams now had a fortnight to dust themselves down from their latest heavy beating to contemplate the visit of Chelsea FC on 24th November.

Davies attempted to sustain interest on on-field matters by declaring that he needed 6 ‘quality’ player signings during the transfer window. He seemed to acknowledge that the present squad could not carry the club forwards; Billy was voicing his demands and his upcoming January transfer agenda as the manager anticipated an influx of new blood to energise Derby’s Premier League survival bid.

New Rams’ chief Adam Pearson was in the United States meeting financial suitors interested in investing in the club, which were or were not funding houses and organisations that are closely or remotely linked to the Disney Corporation, depending on whom you wished to believe. Football hacks enjoyed the ‘Mickey Mouse team’ jibes they could indulge in and whilst Pearson called the reports “cheap and grossly irresponsible” they weren't declared simply untrue.

Soon enough, further reports suggested that Shamrock Holdings, the financial institution owned by Roy Disney, could indeed be one of the investors involved though they were only on of six possible investors in one US consortium that Mr Pearson was allegedly talking to. Pearson said he was progressing talks with ‘a number of parties’ and these were thought to include other US and Far Eastern interests.

As the Rams pursue a brighter future, the fraud squad tread onwards through the club’s murky recent past. It was revealed on Monday that former Rams Director Jeremy Keith has been charged by police investigating alleged financial irregularities at Derby County. A day later, a similar announcement told us that Mr Murdo Mackay, former DCFC Director of Football, faced identical charges.

They answered police bail and were charged with conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to conceal criminal property, this charge following soon after their colleague in the failed Sleightholme regime, former finance director Andrew Mackenzie was similarly charged the previous week with conspiracy to defraud. 

Another day further on and a certain Mark Waters, 47, was charged with false accounting and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.

Waters was linked to the Streamline Management funding vehicle involved in the Sleightholme takeover of Derby County in October 2003 and media revelations over a year ago alleged that some individuals benefited from commissions arising from loan transactions.

The accused are scheduled to appear in Derby Magistrates Court commencing 27th November. Another unnamed individual remains on police bail as police continue their fraud probe.

So, in a week where the club had no opportunity to heal the hurt inflicted by the dreadful West Ham defeat, the fans at least did have a few reasons to be cheerful. Several of the unloved Amigos were finally named in fraud charges relating to their 2003 takeover at Pride Park, new Executive Chairman Adam was chasing serious new funding for the club overseas and Derby couldn’t be defeated that weekend because the Premier League campaign was suspended in deference to the international fixtures!

Elsewhere, the managerial re-shuffling continued as Paul Jewell declined a return to Wigan Athletic. Joe Royle was favourite for the post before the instability at Birmingham City regarding the Carson Yeung on-off takeover deal tempted Blues manager Steve Bruce to talk to Wigan chief Dave Whelan. One-time Rams’ promotion rivals Preston North End have dispensed with the services of ex-Ram Paul Simpson.

Midfielder Bob Malcolm has gone on loan to QPR until January 2008 and few would expect his Derby County career to last much longer. Despite their very brave efforts, Bob’s Derby-based Scottish compatriots in the Scotland squad suffered glorious failure in their bid to qualify for Euro 2008 as Italy stole a controversial 2-1 win at Hampden Park.

It was announced that the first Brian Clough Trophy match last August between the Rams and the Trees raised £100,000, which will be divided between the two clubs' nominated charities and the Brian Clough Memorial Fund. Beneficiaries will include charities nominated by Cloughie’s Memorial Fund as well as those supported by Derby County and Nottingham Forest, the East Midlands Air Ambulance and the regional NSPCC.

A more recent former Derby County hero, the beanpole Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope announced that injury has forced him to retire. At 31 years of age, persistent knee problems have ended his career. Choppy scored many spectacular goals at Derby and was a genuinely gifted if unpredictable entertainer with great natural skill.

He could do so much with a football that he sometimes seemed to have too many options and beat himself as well as half the opposition with a flurry of feints, twists and shuffles!

No Rams fan will forget his stupendous debut goal at Old Trafford and the significant part Paulo played in Jim Smith’s entertaining cosmopolitan team of a decade ago. He also scored 45 goals in 75 international appearances. Thanks, Paulo - and here’s hoping you enjoy a long and happy retirement.

Paulo gave the pre-Abramovich Chelsea a good run for their money in past times and now the current squad prepare to face the expensive Londoners in the next Premier League fixture this Saturday!

RamsWeek 46 a year ago reported on what a turnaround there had been in the Rams’ fortunes over the previous season. Derby won their 4th game in a row, winning 2-0 at Luton, were fifth in the Championship table and had recorded no less than 6 away wins already that season.

Derby continued the squad building by taking Manchester United midfielder David Jones on loan with a view to a permanent £1m transfer in the January transfer window.

As the Rams moved to make significant signings towards an unexpected promotion push, Chairman Peter Gadsby revealed that Tottenham had paid only £600,000 for the precocious Tom Huddlestone and looked forward to the day that the full facts about Sleightholme’s stewardship of the club could be revealed.

Photo: Action Images

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