We’re half way through the RamsYear, and as the World Cup grabs the headlines, (mostly the wrong headlines!) it’s been another quiet week at Pride Park Stadium.

Midfielder Robbie Savage continued his stint with the BBC at the tournament and said he’d learned a lot about working in the media from his media work in South Africa and had met many famous players.

He’s been entertaining sometimes (perhaps more so than when on the football field!) and he put his foot in it a couple of times too, apparently! He’s back home now, ready for Derby’s pre-season training.

The only headline of note regarding the Rams early this week was the verdict of turf accountants’ Ladbrokes on likely contenders for promotion from the Championship in 2010-11.

They’ve already accounted for Derby County’s chances by putting the Rams a fair way down the order in their odds at 6-1, with a Rams’ play-off appearance at 11-4 and the Championship title at 25-1. That’s hardly surprising given Derby’s weak performance since relegation from the Premier League, as Ladbrokes comment.

QPR, with new boss Neil Warnock hoping for the stability at Loftus Road that the bookies must have already assumed, are among the promotion favourites. They’re not short of financial backing and have been busy in the transfer market.

The bookies also have Burnley, Cardiff City and The Trees as promotion favourites. The lack of such pressure of expectation on Derby will suit the outlook of club and manager, who steadfastly refuse to put a time scale on progress.

Fans know that a decent season is a play-off spot (or close miss) and a failure on the scale of the last two seasons would heap pressure on the club. Dithering around the bottom six until the last week or two of the season should not be countenanced.

Given the success of Blackpool and the far superior performance of smaller clubs with much lower support and poorer facilities than Derby County, the fans expect (demand) that Derby turn up for games next season, that’s for sure!

Speaking of mediocrity, Jordan Stewart - a full back signed by Paul Jewel for £1m that Rams’ boss Nigel Clough soon grew tired of - has left the Football League. Stewart has joined Greek club Skoda Xanthi. He went to Sheffield United from Derby in a swap deal for Lee Hendrie; the less said either of them, the better!

Manager Nigel Clough knows that time is on his side in transfer dealings. Things won’t pick up until July arrives and the transfer deadline isn’t until 31st August - a lot can happen in the transfer and loan market in the next two months.

Rams’ transfer target Billy Sharp is still wanted by Doncaster Rovers, who look likely to increase their £1m bid for the Sheffield United striker. Burnley are also interested and have the advantage of their £17m of ‘parachute’ payments after relegation, so could outbid other clubs.

Burnley has money though Derby’s stadium and support could (and should) attract players. The Clarets might offer the player a better deal, and Sharp had a successful loan spell with Rovers last season. Perhaps Billy will opt to play his football in a Lancashire or Yorkshire backwater?

Fans of those clubs will probably see Derby as a Midlands’ backwater but just a bigger puddle! Derby’s prime target is still Scunthorpe’s Gary Hooper and fans expect the club to land a proven goal-getter.

Clough declared that he had six strikers, which should furnish adequate cover and variety in the Rams’ attack but I don’t share his optimism given the form and fitness seen last season. Derby now has Hulse, Davies, Porter, Commons, Cywka, and Varney. Sounds reasonable but there’s a fragility about our strikeforce that was shown in the low goal count last season, and midfield goals were virtually absent.

There’s a question mark over Hulse’s future; Commons and Davies are match winners when fit but simply weren’t fit very often, Porter had his moments but was plagued by injury too, Cywka has promise but little experience, and Varney is an outcast bundled out on loan throughout Clough’s managerial tenure. Negativism, or realism?

It’s only a few days until Derby County’s pre-season training commences and the focus is on players fighting to satisfy the medical staff that their persistent injuries are in the past.

Rams boss Nigel Clough said his three long-term injury cases - Commons, Leacock and Davies - had shown a ‘refreshing attitude’ in opting to come in to Moor Farm fro preliminary fitness work prior to the start of pre-season.

I must admit to stifling a yawn on seeing yet another medical progress report on these players and only hope to see them competing strongly for a team place every week next season.

More interesting news was that local hero Miles Addison was back ‘at work’ too; he has a longer haul back from his complex foot injuries and is not expected to play much part  - if any - in season 2010-11. Rob Hulse and Shaun Barker, both of whom have had minor operations this summer, were also back at Moor Farm doing light workouts.

Midfielder Stephen Pearson has had a knee operation and his rehab will eclipse his pre-season. We won’t see him back until October or later it seems, though we do have new midfielders who have the chance to establish themselves in the side.

Pearson hardly ever scores on the field (but thanks for ‘that’ Wembley goal, Stephen!) but has got himself a wife this summer. All the best to the Pearsons!

An unsolved injury saga remains; the case of defender Jake Buxton. Apparently, medical staff and specialists have not been able to get to the root problems of Jake’s groin and stomach strains. 

Who knows why the diagnosis has been unsuccessful after some three months treatment? The consequence is, we’ll be a defender short already it seems, as well as missing Miles for the season.

As with last season, I won’t be spending time listing who’s fit and who’s crocked when the action is under way, as the Rams’ ‘medical card’ was just too tedious to recount. It’s only the lack of other news that encourages me to include it this week!

TV coverage and police advice have shifted a few Derby County kick-off times already for the new season. The curtain-raiser at Elland Road, Leeds on August 8th will now be televised live on BBC TV at 5:15 pm, so it will be interesting to see how the Rams shape up in front of the nation.

Derby’s away match at Coventry City on August 21st. will be televised on Sky Sports and the kick-off is now 12:15 pm. The police have moved three Saturday home games forward to 1:00 pm kick-offs. The Rams’ games against Sheffield United (September 11th), Nothingham Forest (January 22nd) and Leicester City (February 12th).

Rams’ President and CEO Tom Glick has been elected to the board of directors of the Championship within the Football League admin structure. It’s good that DCFC are represented, even if the vacancy came about because the departing director, Owen Oyston, is now a Premier League chairman because of the success of his ‘little’ club at Blackpool. Make that your next goal, Mr Glick!

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RamsWeek 26 last year didn’t carry the heartache of another England international failure but time was up for a few notorious characters from Derby County’s past.

It was a case of ‘Here Comes the Judge’ for Messrs. Keith, Mackay, Mackenzie and Lowe in the fraud trial at Northampton Crown Court. They had been found guilty and sentences would be passed within a few days.

The Rams signed winger Lee Croft on a free transfer from Norwich with high hopes of him providing the Derby strikers with good service from the flanks. Ohh well..! Defender Dean Moxey completed his move to Derby from Exeter City but the Rams were less sure of landing Shaun Barker from Blackpool, with several clubs including the Trees chasing his signature.

The mediocre but self-possessed full-back Tyrone Mears was sold to Burnley for £500,000, set to play a starring role is Burnley’s inadequate defence as they sat at the bottom of the Premier League throughout last season. Cheerio, Tyrone!

Photo: Action Images

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