On the twelfth loss before Christmas, logic said to me, Derby will fall from the Premiership tree.

As the festive season approaches its penultimate day, Derby still have one more game to avoid not only their 13th loss of their underwhelming campaign but also equaling a record the club have achieved three times in their history. If they should fall to the Toon army then it is hard to see them avoiding setting a new record the week after against Liverpool.

With points desperately needed over a busy Christmas / New Year period, it’s unlikely Paul Jewell will be handing out many presents to his squad, especially in the form of MP3 players or on-field apparel after this week launching a stinging attack on today’s fashion conscience players. 

"Alice bands, gloves, earrings aren't really my forte, some people are more followers of fashion, more interested in how they appear than in how they play and that winds me up. It's not how you look, its how you play and how you actually affect the game I'm interested in”.

"Thierry Henry started wearing his socks over his knees and all of a sudden you see academy players doing it, second and third division players doing it, and putting their headphones on as they get off the team bus. The easiest thing to do is to wear your socks up like Henry does, or to wear a wristband like he does; the hardest thing is to play like he can."

His comments reminded me of a much revered Australian rules coach who warned his players that if they wore colored boots and sported outlandish hair styles, then they had better be ready for the attention it would bring them. He claimed not only would the opposition pay more attention to them but also the coaching staff. Most importantly his opinion was that if they were having a bad game, there would be nowhere to hide.

I doubt Paul Jewell was targeting any individual in the Rams squad but instead making a direct statement that he needs his footballers to concentrate on playing football above all else. There will be few fans who will not agree with that logic as Derby County requires players to focus every ounce of concentration on the task at hand.

In my own stellar football career I am guilty of wearing the odd wrist band, purchased boots that will never produce the skill that their price tag demands and even drank “Ravanelli” energy drink before an important game (mind you I did score that day, perhaps Fabrizio should have had a gallon or two!). That said the cold showers; lack of change rooms, toilet paper and even corner flags on occasions always reminded me of my position in the football world.

If Mr. Jewell can instill this “football first” mentality in his players then perhaps he will turn things around faster than any could anticipate but the hill seems to be getting steeper by the day. We can only hope he is more accepting of climbing gear.

On Christmas Eve (for me anyway with a 1am start in Australia) the Rams meet the one and only team they know they can beat in the league. Derby made Newcastle look very poor in their first outing and could have easily won the game by more than a solitary goal. Hopefully they can pack that confidence in their kit bags as they head to St James Park for the re-match.

The well known carol the 12 days of Christmas that I re-worked for the opening of this article has only the 12 versus so here’s hoping I don’t have to add a 13th before the 25th rolls around.

The much needed arrival of January 1st is closing in and if my Christmas wish of 2 wins and 10 points for 2007 comes true then maybe the New Year will hold some hope after all. With the leagues very own Houdini in charge you just never know…. but remember to play it safe and leave the bling in the jewellery box come match day!

On behalf of myself and all of the RamZone team I would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. In a busy 12 months that saw us find a new and much nicer home,  we thank you for your continued support and look forward to even bigger and better things in 2008!

Photo: Action Images

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