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RamBites: Nigel Answers The Call!
RamBites: Nigel Answers The Call!
Wednesday, 23rd Sep 2009 06:16

After four defeats on the trot it seems DCFC are working hard to bring in defensive cover while Nigel took the brave step of defending himself on BBC radio Derby.

 

Cover for Connolly... or Replacement?

It seems that the Rams former captain may be heading for a further demotion depending on what you read or who you listen too.

Reports have been flying around that Derby are in the market for a right back to provide cover for Conolly at right back but it seems his days may be numbered in the position.

Less than impressive form has had fans calling for him to be dropped and it is hard to ignore the amount times he has been exposed for pace and desperation this season.

Two 20 year olds have had their names firmly linked with the club over the last week as possible long term loan options.

Ryan Shotton from Stoke and James Vidal from Manchester City both seem to be on the shopping list for Clough who when questioned about the players gave nothing away.

"We are still making enquiries on a daily basis for players".

Thanks Nigel, question answered.

With that we can but wait and see what eventuates but I think with all the smoke that we may see some fire before the end of the week, just in time for the Rams trip to Bristol on Saturday.

Nigel Answers Critics

Listening to the football phone in shows on BBC radio Derby has been heavy going of late, especially straight after the match when you could be mistaken for thinking Clough was responsible for the global economic crisis and not just manager of a football team.

Sure the teams form is not great and four losses in succession is bad no matter how you look at it but the level of attacks has largely been unjustified and an overreaction to say the least.

Fans gave Billy and Jewell plenty of time to prove they were totally out of their depth and they had far more of the clubs money to waste.

Fair enough we are all sick of years being taken for a ride but now we seem to have been picked up by a genuine well intentioned driver, how about we just try and enjoy the scenery without complaining that the radio is too loud (don’t you just love overcomplicated analogies).

It seems that many fans have never heard of rebuilding and growing success from a foundation. Luckily it seems the owners and manager have and are going about their business to do so.

I would have thought two full seasons is the amount of time required time to genuinely judge the current regime and their plans; sadly many seem to think four losses is enough.

Clough obviously decided it was time to give the detractors something to think about and showed up on the Radio Derby talk back show on Tuesday night and defend his management so far this season.

It is here I hand it over to ‘DavRam’. A member of the RamZone forum who posted this report to our forum which I think is an acute and accurate representation of what was a very mature and levelled performance by Nigel.

Nigel Clough made a surprise guest visit last night to Radio Derby's "Sportscene Moan-In", and dealt admirably with callers' questions and the presenter's observations.

A caller had previously declared on-air that "we" don't want a “Conference manager and his Conference players”, and this specimen duly phoned in again to have a go directly at NC.

The caller complained about signing Saul Deeney, so NC had to remind him that Deeney is 3rd choice goalie who hasn't played a League game yet for Derby, so can't be judged against the highly paid Lewis Price.

A similar attack on Jake Buxton brought Nigel's response that Jake didn't replace Nyatanga (who is now struggling to get a regular place at his new club); Shaun Barker did.

Clough discussed the merits and inconsistencies of various other players, including Commons & Teale, and affirmed his philosophy of signing players with something to prove - either young & hungry improvers, or older players that want to make the most of what remains of their playing time.

He will not tolerate waste or wasters having come through the hard way & learning from the very best - his dad.

NC had far more well-wishers phoning through than detractors – self selecting? Maybe, but the empty spouters will seldom surface for intelligent debate or honest answers.

It ain't gonna be easy, and he'll make no false promises (like Jewell, etc) but I think we're going through a quieter revolution than Brian conjured from nowhere in '67/68.

To me, the Rams aren’t a branded fashion accessory to show off to “lesser” supporters – they’re my home town team and I don’t envy the Chelskis or Uniteds, so our recent fleeting successes amongst the struggles have tasted sweeter.

I'm not sure who else you RamZon-ers would trust more with the club's future than Nigel, even if we're still feeling the pain of change.

Stability and prosperity will only come when the hard work's been done. We've had the debris from Davies' foundations of sand and Jewell's supermarket splash of a big squad that he couldn't manage, so maybe we can all calm down a bit and take a longer term perspective of what the Rams are trying to do.

What if all the change and re-focussing of the club towards a sustainable entity should bring “proper” success? God knows, we’ve been patient, but it might just be worth waiting a bit longer for...

If the backing doesn't come in for NC at the right time to take us through future stages of development (that we're still working towards), I'll be grumbling as much as F****t fans are likely to be in the next year or so.

You can still catch NC’s stint on the BBC iPlayer if you missed it yesterday – worth hearing.


Well said DavRam! Thanks for taking the time to post on the RamZone forum.

I like Dav think that things will eventually turn around and as Paul McCartney sang “With a little luck”, namely a penalty, less injuries or just a referee who can see, the Rams could be back on track in no time.

With not much else to report this week and a stony silence being the way many fans are dealing with a run of losses, that’s it for RamBites.

Look out for more chomp size pieces next week on RamZone.

Photo: Action Images



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