There is one thing that must be said about Adam Pearson and that is he has not wasted any time in showing Derby County that he is now the boss.

Through my weary eyes at 4am last Saturday I witnessed a squad who showed when they apply their skills that they can compete against the very best. That is all most fans have been asking for all season and there is no doubt the team should have taken at least a point. Sadly the referee seemed to have other ideas.

After such a very encouraging performance against Chelsea, what came next left most dismayed. Davies and his comments regarding Pearson and the need to bring in more players (again) seemed bitter and badly timed.

I would love to say it was a shock that Billy parted company with the club this week but frankly he never really seemed happy. Whether it was players, co-workers, contracts or staff, there was always a problem to be found. Saying that, I always tried to support him fully, affording him the time he deserved after taking a club on the verge of destruction and leading it to the Premier League. It seems now that his time ran out but perhaps he was the one who wound down the clock.

This unsettled nature that he presented did nothing to cement his place in the fans hearts where, after his achievements, he should have more than established himself. Bizarre statements after games about the club and his commitment definitely had most fans undecided whether to take the passionate Scot to their chest or keep him at arms length until he proved long term loyalty. Those who chose arms length seemingly chose correctly.

Mr Pearson made a telling statement during the week regarding he was tired of hearing about the lack of quality in the squad and that he felt the players we have can produce so much more if they are believed in and in turn believe in themselves.
New Manager Paul Jewell followed this up with a report on the official site that he has given a clear message to the players for the Sunderland clash by asking the squad to, “Give me everything you’ve got”.

The one problem I always had with Davies style of media interaction was his readiness to state that the squad was not good enough and quality was required. At every opportunity he seemed to follow up his statement of pride in his players with a quote suggesting they aren’t good enough to compete. When you have a 3.5 million pound striker sitting on the bench it is hard to comprehend how he thought many would not question his judgement.

This attitude seems to be one that Pearson seems determined to turn around and instead promote a positive attitude and in Paul Jewell seemingly has found a manager that will provide that same message to players and fans and from Saturday attempt to sell it as the genuine article.

There is no way of knowing if and when things will change for the better on the pitch but without a doubt all the right things are being said. The team has a chance to build on their effort of last week the fans will be proclaiming Pearson’s hard line and the appointment of Jewell as another turning point in our recent history.

Whatever happens on Saturday no one can doubt we have a quality manager at the helm with a proven record in the Premiership and in situations similar to the one the Rams find themselves in. If Pearson can deliver the promised investment then perhaps we will see what Jewell can do with a larger budget than he has had at his disposal in the past.

His statement to the official site was one that any fan would welcome. “I want them believing in themselves and playing with pride in that shirt – the stadium is called Pride Park so let’s go put some pride back in it”. The job is there to be done and if he can deliver on that one single statement, then there won’t be one single Derby County fan who will not thank him for it.

Bring on Sunderland and the traditional change of Manager result!

C’mon Ewe Rams!

Photo: Action Images

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