Bereft of any match action last weekend, Rams fans were left to consider the latest charm assault from the club’s new owners.

Season ticket renewal details alongside radio phone-in and fans’ forum appearances by Mr Jewell and the new board of directors kept the club in the headlines at the start of the week. 

They had a very positive and upbeat message for the fans and wanted to look forward to both short-term and long-term future of Derby County with an appeal to fans to stick with it and get on board for a promising future.

Tom, his fellow directors and the manager wanted to ‘tell it like it is’ and encouraged Rams fans to help them embark on a more successful rebuild of the club under the new regime in season 2008-09.

The club announced that a price freeze has been applied on season ticket renewals for a month commencing 15th March so it will cost fans the same as 2007-08 - and it’s effectively the third season at the current prices, as the tariff was not increased a year ago.

It certainly felt more like an added-value reward for loyalty when we won at Wembley last May than it does now, because of the disappointment and anti-climax that this season has been and the perpetual prospect of an early return to Championship football that has hung over the club.

‘Walk-up’ prices for individual matchday tickets next season have yet to be set. Tom said that they’d take a look at that a little later in the springtime. “We haven't made that decision yet because the schedule hasn't been announced,” said Glick. Errmm… the fixtures never come out until July, anyway Tom - and you’ll know who we play by May 31st, after all the promotion, relegation and play-off issues are settled.

I would have thought that DCFC would simply nominate a few more ‘Gold’ matches to maximise revenue if it should be that such as Sunderland, Birmingham, Newcastle or Nothingham Forest accompany us on the journey?

On the Monday evening Radio Derby phone-in, Tom said later that he “certainly didn’t see them going up” which implies that there will be a general reduction. Lower matchday prices might help swell the gates but it does seem at odds with the intention to reward the loyalty of season ticket holders who pay up front to enable the club to invest in the squad and are not selective about the games at which they will lend support to the team.

It’s inconceivable that prices would rise if they do expect to pack Pride Park Stadium for such as Burnley and Blackpool, even if lowering walk-up prices rewards the casual ‘fair weather’ fans to the detriment of the package value to the suffering season-ticket holders that Tom & Co are so keen to appease and retain.

We know that the city has the potential to host large top-flight League crowds, both from this season and our entire history. Wigan vs. Bolton - a tense local relegation ‘six-pointer derby’ played on Sunday - had fewer than 18,000 in attendance. So if we get things right on the pitch Derby can have lift-off and that 44,000-seat stadium expansion might well be back on the agenda.

Plenty of optimism and purpose was conveyed by the club and all involved have their heads down trying to make sure that Derby County has a successful summer of change on the playing side and that July sees a fresh mentality with a new crop of players hungry for success, capable of the job in hand.

Paul Jewell and his staff have visited several countries recently on scouting missions. Whilst he is running out the season looking forward to May 11th when 2007-8 fixtures end, he’s keen to confirm which players are worthy of retention and to give fans some morsel of pride and hope for a brighter time.

More skill, pace, power and athleticism are some of the qualities required to beef up the squad and Jewell needs to look beyond players of only Championship grade over the next year because promotion demands that the huge gap between CCC and Premier League is properly bridged next time around.

At least the work is being undertaken in advance and the manager is seeking hungry and ambitious players for his squad from far and wide. Clubs like Reading - and Wigan - have demonstrated that it is not all done in an instant and continual talk of bouncing straight back might have to be taken with a bag of salt.

Giles Barnes flew over to the States for knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman to assess his latest injury. Barnes has already undergone an operation on his troublesome under this highly regarded specialist’s supervision and will require another op pending recovery to hopefully sort out his injuries conclusively.

So on Wednesday night, it was back to the backlash boys as Chelsea, smarting from the famous FA Cup defeat at the hands of Barnsley were the Rams’ next challenge in a torrid season, home or away.

Despite Jewell’s promptings and his demands for some players to make a mark on his retained list, a predictable pattern unfolded as the Rams held out for half an hour - even squandering a chance when Miller shot across the goal (with a teammate well placed for a tap-in had he passed it). Derby got buried 6-1 and another embarrassing defeat was added to the sordid statistics of Derby’s worst season.

The Rams undid that stubborn rearguard resistance when Leacock, a first-half on for the badly missed Alan Stubbs, needlessly gave away a penalty which Lampard scored with ease on the way to collecting a four-goal personal haul in the game. Chelsea added a second goal on half time and then scored four more in a 15-minute second-half spell.

Thankfully, Chelsea relaxed despite availing themselves of substitutes such as Drogba and Shevchenko from a quintet of substitutes who in themselves were worth more than £80m.  The Rams even had the last word, when David Jones clipped in a neat goal straight after Chelsea had bagged their sixth.

It was another demoralising drubbing with the usual ‘poor Derby’ and ‘Chelsea bounce back’ headlines that everyone expected and the Rams seem powerless to rebuke the self-fulfilling prophecy of expected defeat.

It was obvious that Chelsea would come out roaring; we were not mentally or physically equipped to cope, as Paul Jewell declared afterwards. Again, the manager was publicly critical of the squad and was telling it like it is in a different context and repeated his rant that that the fans deserve better.

Forgive me, but I just can’t fathom midfielder Mile Sterjovski’s DET interview comment after the game. Can someone from Derby County please explain? He said: “We did get a backlash and I don’t think we were prepared for it. If we’d been fully prepared and put the effort in, we could have got a better result.”

For heaven’s sake, Derby County - apart from having a fortnight to prepare, you saw what we all saw: Barnsley chased their asses off and denied Chelsea the right to stroke the ball around, they refused to be overawed by a £200m team. Derby’s team cost many multiples of that Barnsley team, are paid vast amounts more to execute their professional duties and have far superior training resources than the Tykes.

Sterjovski is presumably one of Jewell’s ‘chosen few’ as a new recruit -and thankfully his attitude as well as his performance was transformed the following Saturday when he put in his first effective display in a Derby shirt against the Red Devils.

Chelsea legend Ron “Chopper” Harris called the Rams “an embarrassment” and sympathised with the fans. He dubbed Derby the worst team he’s ever seen at Stamford Bridge and suggested that the players should pay the fans to come and watch them. Ron could certainly be cutting when he wore football boots and pulled no punches there in commenting upon another woeful Derby display!

I remember Brian Clough’s young Second Division tigers stuffing Chelsea in the League Cup - Harris, Osgood, and the rest. The financial gulf now is of course massive - but oh, for a little of the Spirit of ’68!

I wrote those words on Thursday and the reward came on Saturday, as the Rams did put up a committed, hardworking and spirited show against Manchester United. Paul Jewell had to do without Alan Stubbs and dropped Ghaly and Pearson, starting with a positive 4-4-2 featuring Earnshaw and Miller up front.

United tormented Derby for the first quarter of an hour but couldn’t score to save their lives. Refreshingly, Derby gained confidence and came into the match and many fans probably had to rub their eyes as Derby sprung neat and thrusting counter attacks and ensured sure that debutant Ben Foster in the Red Devils’ goal was not a spectator. He made brilliant close-range saves from Miller and Sterjovski and Rams fans dared to dream that they could see their team get something from the game.

We can count on the fingers of one hand the type of committed, determined and entertaining displays that our players have put on for us this season and this one may well have been Derby’s best performance of the season.

The ever-threatening Ronaldo however managed to convert one of his chances, steering in a cross from Rooney with skill and care with 14 minutes to go, to demonstrate how relentless and powerful an all-conquering team like United are.

The narrow 0-1 defeat notched up Derby’s horrible minus-50 goal difference and extended the winless run but gave another capacity crowd a better feeling about the direction of the club on the field. Jewell’s players came out of the game with a little pride restored for once.

Robbie Savage was a busy presence and Mile Sterjovski emerged as a bustling midfielder that can make his presence felt. David Jones, for so long looking lightweight despite his considerable ball skills, put in a fighting and enterprising performance on his recall against his old club and gave hope that he can be amongst those players to turn Paul Jewell’s head and make him a part of a better campaign in 2008-09.

The much-maligned Eddie Lewis showed skill, energy and a good touch and the provision from midfield to Miller and Earnshaw was far better - against a world-class midfield & defence - than it typically has been against far more modest opposition. That meant that the Rams posed much more of a threat than usual and had one of the Rams’ chances gone in, it seemed that anything was possible, even against the champions.

We really need that urgency and determination to be maintained and secure some wins.

Paul Jewell was relieved to see some of his hard work come to fruition. "No one likes losing games but the way we lost is acceptable. I want that sort of performance to be the norm rather than the exception. I'm pleased the players put in a shift for the supporters.” Amen to that, Mr Jewell, here’s to some repeats!

The battling giant, Darren Moore, has echoed the rallying cry to his fellow players, saying that they must take the positives from the current situation and provide some momentum for next season, to always give of their best and for the younger players to learn from the experience.

Fans will now want to see the kind of heartening performance that the team gave against Manchester United sustained until the end of the season. That would banish the prospect of the unwanted ‘worst ever team’ tag and if that modest target is attained Derby will be able go into the close season with some fresh and positive memories from the next few weeks.

The visiting GSE Chairman Andy Appleby and other VIP investor guests will have enjoyed their Derby County day and the game was good PR to give our remote benefactors a taste of what could be - though they should be advised that it is not often going to be so glamourous when the Rams grind out their donkey work next term in the Championship to gain the right to play the Red Devils on a regular basis.

It’s the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough next weekend and the Rams must endeavour to carry on the good work against the inconsistent Teesiders. No match is easy but we should have a little more heart than we did a few days ago.

RamsWeek 11 in season 2006-07 saw the Rams give a poor performance at home in the midweek game against QPR. Derby only managed to salvage a last-gasp point in the 1-1 draw courtesy of an 87th-minute headed equaliser from Darren Moore.

It was business as usual the following Saturday and early pacemakers Cardiff City were comfortably beaten at Pride Park Stadium. Howard crashed in a first-half penalty, though Cardiff soon levelled.

Derby took control after the break as Giles Barnes latched onto a Howard through ball before ghosting past two defenders and stroking the ball elegantly home from 18 yards, before Steve Howard capped a fine display by blasting home the third goal to put the Rams firmly in charge after an hour.

Photo: Action Images

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