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RamsWeek 3 - Steve Bloomer's Watching!
RamsWeek 3 - Steve Bloomer's Watching!
Monday, 19th Jan 2009 00:26 by Paul Mortimer

After the postponement of last Saturday’s Championship game at Cardiff City, new Derby County manager Nigel Clough had a clear week to familiarise himself with his oversize squad.

After the postponement of last Saturday’s Championship game at Cardiff City, new Derby County manager Nigel Clough had a clear week to familiarise himself with his oversize squad.

With too many fringe players uninvolved in the action, Clough intends to trim the squad compliment and the first to go was Latvian forward Andrejs Pereplotkins. His season-long loan was cancelled. Andrejs is one of a collection of players that you wonder what purpose recent Derby managers saw in acquiring them.

It will be interesting to see what Nigel Clough makes of them all - whilst the two most recently departed Rams’ managers were in the media comforting themselves by talking up what a good job they’d both done at Derby.

Uncertainty surrounds the future of Argentinian forward Emanuel Villa, with the club believing a move back to South America would suit both parties, and defender Claude Davis, a calamitous £3m purchase by Billy Davies, has been linked with a move to Leeds United. Fine by me!

It’s also reported that goalkeeper Roy Carroll may be of interest to Tottenham Hotspur, though to date little has come of the talk and Nigel Clough preferred Carroll in his first starting line-up against QPR.

The Rams Reserves beat Mansfield Reserves 5-3 this week in a casino-sponsored knockout Cup, with Nigel Clough able to look at his players in action. Or is that ‘inaction’? Sorry, unkind after a victory of sorts but I’m not feeling charitable after Derby’s recent League displays!

Before the QPR game, the long-awaited bronze memorial bust to the Rams’ greatest striker, Steve Bloomer was unveiled in the presence of his grandsons, Steve Richards and Alan Quantrill.

Steve's 352 League goals, 332 of them for Derby, was equalled by few in the game; his tally kept him at the top of the all-time British record goalscorers for 20 years after he achieved them.

Looking imperious with arms folded, Steve is mounted on bricks saved from the Baseball Ground rescued through RamsTrust’s endeavours in proposing and actioning the project in 2002.

Nigel Clough gave Giles Barnes his first start for 11 months and paired Todd and Nyatanga in defence. Albrechtsen was at right back and Hulse and Varney spearheaded the attack.

The game itself was no showpiece unfortunately, as Rangers spoiled the party and cantered to a 2-0 win. Despite dominating possession early on, Derby were neither forceful nor convincing and failed to take half-chances that could have settled them down and staked a course to victory.

Rangers prevailed through their skill, effort and organisation as well as from Derby’s familiar failings and despite losing their captain Martin Rowlands with what may be a serious knee injury after only 11 minutes.

Bloomer was known to flash angry stares at team mates who couldn’t pass accurately or produced poor play and had he been captain on Saturday, he would have assumed his irritated hands-on-hips pose, to glare at his team-mates until his corneas suffered certain strain.

‘Steve Bloomer’s Watching’ preceded the ceremony of revealing the bust to the 28,400 crowd, but Steve would not have liked what he saw from his vantage point in the home dugout one little bit.

Rangers gained the upper hand after Derby’s powder-puff start; QPR dominated midfield and had more power and width in attack. Rangers scored twice in the first half, both strikes stemming from dithering play by Derby that surrendered possession and allowed QPR to construct decisive attacks.

Little creativity came from Commons or Barnes in reply; Paul Green had an off day and even Miles Addison stuttered along. There was no tempo, no movement, and precious little penetration.

The home defence was run ragged once Rangers took hold. Todd was a shadow of the immense figure he was days beforehand against Manchester United; Camara was an absolute liability that exasperated me all afternoon as I longed to hear of his next loan spell or preferably banishment from the club in Nigel’s forthcoming shake-up.

Routledge tucked home the first goal in 21 minutes as he rammed in a loose clearance; then Routledge skinned the hapless Camara before centring for Lidgterwood to emphatically wrap up the game on 35 minutes. It seemed that Derby had few ideas or much inclination in how to get back into the game either before or after the break.

Clough no doubt left the field feeling as flat as the crowd that were streaming away from Pride Park Stadium well before the final whistle.

There was much sense and calm perception in what Nigel Clough said afterwards; somehow, although they were the familiar exhortations about getting back to basics, players ‘doing their jobs’ and not being frightened when they step out over that white line.

The words seemed more convincing when uttered by Clough without the defeatism and histrionics of Davies or Jewell. A situation must soon come about where Derby players are proud to follow in the footsteps of one of the game’s greatest players in Steve Bloomer and not be intimidated by the club’s history and the expectations of the best support in the League.

Though new to the club and the League environment in which he must soon produce results, you get the impression that Clough will find ways to improve things and make his mark where others failed with such monotonous repetition. It won’t be an easy task and fans must show patience.

Where next? Crikey, Old Trafford of course, for a Carling Cup semi-final 2nd leg against Manchester United that most of us are conditioned to expect the very worst from. Dare we dream?

Perhaps next Friday will bring some respite and Clough will have imposed more spirit, fire and organisation, as fans desperately want to see Billy Davies’ Nothingham F*rest shovelled out of the FA Cup in an eagerly-awaited 4th round tie.

Actually, I can exclusively reveal the painstaking planning behind the QPR defeat. Such a lukewarm performance would have totally thrown observers from Manchester United and F*rest; they’ll have not a clue how we’ll play against them. We’ll revert to Commons ‘in the hole’ at Old Trafford, nullify them and steal a 1-1 draw to make Wembley glory, 2-1 on aggregate!

Forest will be a doddle after that and the master plan is then to shift pallet-loads of Special Edition Adidas DCFC @ Wembley shirts, scarves, hats, flags, and books, do over Spurs and stride into Europe…and hope to bag United again in the FA Cup 5th Round!

Here’s hoping that RamsWeek 4 has lots of joy and celebrations to report upon for you!

____________________________________________________________

RamsWeek 3 in 2008 had the manager imploring of his inept team: ‘Don’t let me down!’

Paul Jewell complained about his side’s ‘usual schoolboy defending’ and observed that his side was playing without confidence, failing to move the ball. Yes, we really have had a year of all that.

Derby lost 3-1 at Portsmouth, promising spells undone by mistakes and the clinical professionalism of better opposition.

Chairman Adam Pearson was continuing the negotiations with an American consortium for new investment whilst the manager pursued transfer targets like Rangers’ goalie Roy Carroll.

Superstar fullback Tyrone Mears was ruled out for three months with a shin injury whilst Kenny Miller and Stephen Pearson came off the treatment table to resume training.

To think we pinned all our hopes on these players…. or was it a matter of two managers failing to get the best from them?

[Steve Bloomer memorial photo courtesy of Kalwinder]

Photo: Action Images



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