So we lost on Saturday and we got booed off the field?  I find that so depressing – our own fans booing our players.

This time last year we were all telling each other what a relief it was to escape relegation and mid-table would be good.  And now we are in the Premiership – on a hiding to nothing.  Manure after winning the Premiership then went out and spent another £50mill.  Liverpool spent money like it grows on trees.  Torres alone cost more than all of our spending so far.

But I’m afraid this isn’t a new phenomenon – remember the old Baseball Ground with the grumblers in C Stand?  My father once overheard someone saying: “That’s my week ruined – I’ve got nothing to grumble about.”  I was just 14 then, and we’d just beaten Millwall 5–1 (in 1966).  I was completely bewildered – surely you should be ecstatic?  And over the years, the grumblers have always been in evidence.

What makes me particularly angry are those getting at young players.  It’s quite one thing to moan at seasoned professionals who know the score, but to tell a 17 year old he’s a load of rubbish? Remember Izale McLeod at that age?  I couldn’t believe it when people were screaming at him, likewise with Tom Huddlestone.  What is the matter with some people?  Do they think screaming at teenagers when they make mistakes is going to help them gain confidence?  Do they actually want our team to lose? 

There are times when I feel good about being a Derby supporter – for instance, I went to Crystal Palace last season and felt proud – here were our fans signing Que Sera... we played badly but on the whole we supported the team. 

But there are also times when I feel ashamed to be a Derby supporter and this is one.  Getting into the Premiership by determination and grit, but not much skill has always meant that we were going to struggle and find it a very steep learning curve.  Of course, we are going to struggle.  Let’s face facts, and accept that we may just have bitten off more than we can chew.

We need to think about the impact on players – if they’re sitting in the changing room absolutely exhausted, maybe to the point of being sick, and they’ve just heard themselves booed off the field, I wouldn’t blame them for thinking: “When the transfer window comes, I’m going.”

Players need encouragement to play to their maximum.  And that’s why I don’t agree with those people booing our players.  They’re not genuine fans in my opinion.  And I think they need to get a life – preferably as near the City Ground as possible.

Photo: Action Images

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