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Clough Enters Emergency Ward As Beattie & Delaney Dismiss Derby!
Clough Enters Emergency Ward As Beattie & Delaney Dismiss Derby!
Wednesday, 16th Feb 2011 07:24 by Daniel J Sewart

Sadly it seems as long as the Rams look below their league position they can secure a loan. It's when they look above that no one seems to want join Nigel’s struggling squad. Ward is on the way but a growing list are not.

The Rams are set to finalise the signature of Sheffield United striker Jamie Ward from a struggling Sheffield United on an emergency loan, while Swansea and Ipswich are not willing to loan players to Derby.

First we had the ongoing Martin Waghorn debacle and then Paul Jewell reportedly convinced defender Damien Delaney to stay until at least the end of the season at Ipswich (who after their mid-week result have now jumped above the Rams on the table).

Then there was confirmation late yesterday that Swansea knocked back a loan approach from Nigel for Craig Beattie. Although mainly playing from the bench this season, Beattie came on to score the winning goal for the Swans Saturday and seemingly scuppered any chance of such a move taking place.

Timing and luck sometimes play a part in things and you start to believe after that, maybe the Rams have neither on their side.

Nigel also commented that he had been in contact with Manchester City regarding one of their strikers who may be available if other player’s fitness improved. Perhaps they gave him the number of Sheffield United as the search went from the top four of the Premier League to the bottom three of the Championship.

It seems Jamie Ward will join the Rams before this weekends clash against Scunthorpe with a view to a permanent move at the end of the season. The deal will most likely be completed today with the hold up apparently due to a medical being required because of the possibility it will become a permanent move before next season.

Statistics show Jamie Ward has definitely scored his fair share of goals at a lower level with 9 from 25 at Torquay and an impressive 29 from 67 at Chesterfield. He has only managed 9 goals from 63 appearances since 2009 for the Blades but has often been used out wide and is a handy winger with impressive speed.

Ward is a fan favourite at Bramall Lane but has fallen out of favour with new Blades manager Micky Adams. A reported training ground bust up between Ward and his gaffer has found him frozen out of the team. The row stemmed from Ward being dropped and obviously their relationship has now reached breaking point with him being moved on.

This could make Adams even more unpopular with United fans as after not winning any of his 8 matches since taking the helm at the Blades. You would think selling one of the fans favorite players will do little to help that situation.

One thing that might smooth things over for the Blades manager is securing two Premier League players on loan as re-enforcements for the relegation fight. Bjorn Helge Riise from Fulham and Sam Vokes from Wolves have joined the club and it makes you want to ask – WHAT ARE WE DOING WRONG!?!?

At 24 years of age Ward has age on his side as well as being the speedy striker that Nigel has stated he is searching for. The main concern is if a player cannot force his way into a bottom three team, you have to ask the question as to why he would be any better for Derby. Some players need a change of scenery to re-ignite the fire (see: Varney, Campbell, Kuqi) and hopefully this will also be the case with Ward.

Derby fans are just crying out for a signing to get excited about, someone proven at this level that can get supporters believing again that a player can truly make a difference to the team around him in actions alone.

The reports of Craig Beattie were exciting, not just because for once I actually knew who the player we were targeting was, (mind you that did help!) but because he has a reputation as a game breaker and that is exactly what the Rams need.

Too many recent matches have been good but never great and a player who can pop up and secure a result from a serviceable performance is exactly what the Rams need, especially with nerves and lack of confidence starting to become a major factor in the results.

No doubt Nigel will keep looking but as clubs try to finish their seasons in style anyone of any quality is likely to be preferred on their bench than our list. We will need to find a diamond in the rough if the Rams are to truly secure a player who can produce genuine impact on their run home this campaign.

Of course that is unless the board is willing to cover the wages of a player much higher up the food chain who could actually come in and grab the team by the scruff of the neck and pull it up off the deck.

Sorry what was I thinking? – April Fools Day is still weeks away!

 

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