Derby County continued their build-up to season 2008-09.

There were with more friendly fixtures' action and further activity in the transfer market.

Striker Rob Hulse and midfielder Przemyslaw Kazmierczak duly completed their moves to Pride Park Stadium and were presented as Paul Jewell’s latest signings.

Hulse was signed on a permanent transfer in a 3-year deal for an initial £1.6m from Sheffield United; “Kaz” joined Derby on a season-long loan from Portuguese club Porto FC with an option for a permanent move.

Kaz comes as part of a new link up between Porto and Derby; the player is already saying he’d like to make the move permanent.

Manager Paul Jewell was still seeking to improve central midfield to increase his option and ensure competition for places. Trialist John Oster, available on a ‘free’ after being released by Reading, remains in training with the Rams and is being considered by the manager.

Jewell denied the Robbie Savage’s place at Derby County was under threat, saying, “…if Robbie is playing well he will be in the team. I want everyone to be on their toes to try to get in the team. Competition for places is vital.” Savage captained the team at Rotherham on 19th July and put in a solid display before being substituted.

Meanwhile, it seemed to be Stephen Pearson’s turn to come in through the out door as his £600,000 transfer to Birmingham City looked in doubt, due to fitness problems revealed at his medical. He has a groin tear, which is restricting his participation in pre-season.

However, comments attributed to Birmingham manager Alex McLeish in last week’s the Birmingham Sunday Mail did not suggest (as the DET had) that the deal was likely to be called off; “… it is nothing serious. Stephen is a player I believe will enhance out team, so that’s why we will proceed”. The Mail reported that Pearson would join up with the Blue Nose squad on Wednesday.

That didn’t happen, because Brum asked to convert the move to a loan with a view to a permanent deal - but Pearson declined the move so the Scottish international is still with Derby and undergoing treatment for the groin niggle. The move is thus ‘in limbo’ and Pearson is still a Rams player; he was allocated squad number 27 as Paul Jewell issued the numbers out last week.

Squad numbers can be somewhat meaningless in the modern era, save for Stephen Bywater’s use of No. 43 in memory of his mentor, Les Sealey (Bywater is now unlucky 13…!) Numbers used to denote the first team positions 1-11, though now even Derby have 30-odd first team players to officially label.

Roy Carroll has the number 1 shirt; Polish midfield star ‘Kaz’ is number 6, Robbie Savage is 8, Ellington and Villa are 9 and 10 respectively, Rob Hulse is 11. It’s a supposed new start to re-number every squad member, such is the dressing room psychology and superstition that apparently surrounds footballers.

Nowadays, the numbers are mostly irrelevant and it’s the performances that will matter! There’s a full list of the Rams’ new squad numbers on the DET website:
http://www.therams.co.uk/details.asp?back=true&key=1D29|0|2185366269754|R|536|13224272372008395221932&parentkey=1D29|0|2185366269754|p|536|0

After all that excitement, the Rams travelled to Oldham Athletic on Wednesday for another pre-season game. Commons (who had yet to play for Derby in their pre-season games), Stubbs and Hulse didn’t take part due to minor injuries.

Several Rams players are still short of match practice but Kaz started in midfield alongside Paul Green, though looked rusty and was substituted before the hour mark. Nyatanga and Albrechtsen were the central defensive partnership and trialist John Oster had another chance to impress Mr Jewell to try and earn a deal at Derby.

The game produced a stuttering performance from the Rams, Emanuel Villa giving the Rams an early lead in the first half for Derby to concede the equaliser soon afterwards in an unspectacular 1-1 draw. Derby manager Paul Jewell used 16 players during the game and the squad now moves on to Field Mill, home of Mansfield Town on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a date of August 5th was set for a tribunal to decide how much Derby County must pay Tranmere Rovers for Steve Davies. They’re entitled to compensation as he’s under 24, and wouldn’t agree a fee when out-of-contract Davies joined the Rams.

A different kind of legal case saw Sleightholme’s cronies appearing in court again for charges relating to the fraud investigation at Derby County. At a Northampton Crown Court hearing on 21st July, Judge Ian Alexander declared that the case centred on the £15m Panamanian loan that the Rams’ board acquired.

He said: “The Crown's case is that these defendants have decided to feather their own nests and take some for themselves. It's straightforward. Did the board authorise these people to charge themselves agreement fees and whether or not the defendants were honest or dishonest in doing so?”

The defendants - Jeremy Keith, Murdo Mackay, Andrew Mackenzie, David Lowe and Mark Walters -  have until mid-September to have submitted any application for the case to be dismissed, then the case moves to an October hearing. If the case goes to trial it would commence next March and continue for an estimated eight weeks.  And so it goes…

News came on the eve of the weekend that former Chairman Peter Gadsby was leaving the club as the board declared they were making changes. Gadsby had been a non-executive director since selling his shares several months ago when GSE took control of the club, with Tom Glick, Andy Appleby and Adam Pearson heading up the operation.

It’s fitting to record thanks to Peter Gadsby, for his long input to the Rams in assisting Lionel Pickering to rebuild the club in the 1990s, for having the persistence and the vision to push through the Pride Park Stadium concept and construction and for having the tenacity and skill to depose the Sleightholme regime and rescue the club from the torpor and jeopardy that John and Jeremy and others dumped it in.

The Rams board expressed their gratitude for Mr Gadsby’s contribution to Derby County and the club stated that "The change is part of a freshening up of the board and there will be more announcements to be made over the next few weeks."

This might be the signal that some of the mysterious partners will now enter the frame and assist with the running of the club, and fans will be keen to learn more as the local influence on the direction of their club withers away.

All things must pass and Mr Gadsby can reflect on some excellent contributions to the club he has followed all his life, at every level. He has been an integral component of many ups and downs during his sustained involvement.

Those refreshing and entertaining glory days of the mid-1990s as Mr Pickering funded the club’s renaissance sadly dissipated when Jim Smith lost his golden touch in the transfer market and Manchester United poached coach Steve McLaren. As results worsened, egos emerged in the boardroom and Lionel’s productive regime broke up.

Gadsby’s own regime ultimately did not have the harmony, stability and funding to carry Derby’s Premier League dreams to a happy conclusion and he may himself admit that the top flight is a different place to when Jim Smith’s exciting ‘foreign legion’ enjoyed six seasons there over the past decade or so.

Enhancements to Pride Park for fans, the local community and tourists - announced by Gadsby just over a year ago – are already in abeyance and the new regime has already cooled talk of the project in deference to other priorities.

GSE are making progress in building a better team and adding their enterprise to the club’s outlook and we will have a clearer picture of the success of their direction by next May.

Whilst the rapid promotion was exciting, the alarming paucity of Billy Davies’ squad and the manager’s shortcomings were married to an inability to fund a competitive team and attract top-class players to Pride Park Stadium.

It was stultifying and demeaning, as the club were catapulted back out of the Premier League instantly as a hopeless shadow of Derby’s all-star heritage, recording the poorest campaign ever.

Clubs will undergo major structural change as they endeavour to clamber onto the Premier League gravy train. Derby’s experience is a pattern we might well see repeated regularly for promoted clubs in this age.

Bridging the chasm between Championship and Premier League - to find stability and investment and work together with fans, sponsors and partners for a healthy period in order fund the squad adequately and sustain membership of the elite - is the main quest for many clubs.

That will be the biggest challenge to GSE as Derby County move further towards full overseas ownership and consign local links to history.

It was back to brass tacks on Saturday with another pre-season game at non-League Mansfield Town. Manager Paul Jewell enjoyed the availability of more of his signings, as Rob Hulse and Kris Commons were fit to participate. The Rams put in a patchy performance but came through to win 3-2.

Derby gave away a characteristically sloppy goal early on but soon levelled as Ellington and Oster combined to present Rob Hulse with the chance, which he volleyed home. Ex-Ram Mark Stallard put the Stags ahead again after 35 minutes.

A rash of Rams substitutes, including a busy stint by debutant Kris Commons finally pepped them up. Defender Alan Stubbs also got his first appearance in as a substitute.

Emanuel Villa headed home and then Paul Green, looking very effective - volleyed the winner. Roy Carroll saved a late penalty to ensure Derby chalked up another win and Paul Jewell utilised 19 players during the 90 minutes.

The Rams finishing so strongly indicated that stamina is building up nicely. Richard Eromoigbe, 24, a Nigerian defensive midfielder on trial with Derby, also participated.

There are just two more pre-season friendlies, with Rushden & Diamonds and Utrecht FC providing the opposition over the next week – then it’s down to business on August 9th against Doncaster Rovers at home!

The season edges ever nearer, signalled by the arrival of the season ticket, and the club announced several 5-game mini-season ticket packages to broaden the accessibility to more pockets.

Rams fans topped a Sky Sports poll for the most loyal football fans in the country last season, despite a campaign of disaster on the field and turmoil off the park. Rams fans questioned had attended at least 15 games that season and CE Tom Glick commented how proud the club was of Derby’s ‘fantastic fans’.
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RamsWeek 30 in 2007 saw the Rams riding the swings and roundabouts of perpetual transfer speculation. Manager Billy Davies revealed he would field several trialists in pre-season games against Macclesfield and Burton Albion; I’d name them but those trials came to nowt. Derby had lost 0-2 at Mansfield Town.

Derby were linked with a host of players in the media and no doubt Messrs Gadsby were plugging away at myriad players and agents busy shopping around for their next juicy contract.

Defender Claude Davis and young goalkeeper Lewis Price tied up their moves to Derby and Lee Camp joined the club that had wanted to adopt him for so long, Queens Park Rangers.

A Football League report disclosed that Derby County spent almost £237, 000 on player agent fees between January and June 2007, so a select few got value out of the later signings that Billy Davies made!

Photo: Action Images

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