The Rams had suffered the concession of another late goal at Newcastle to deny them a win.

They embarked upon a busy Christmas week with yet another heartbreaking last-ditch defeat inflicted by Liverpool to lose the point within their grasp.  

Stephen Gerrard’s last minute winner for the Merseysiders robbed Derby County of everything but their pride after another encouraging display by Paul Jewell’s improving team.

Manager Jewell was (again) exasperated by Derby’s failure to hold onto what they had battled hard for in another game where Derby had cajoled themselves not to respect the opposition too much after a poor first half display.

When the Rams pick up the pace, play higher up the park and ask questions of opposing teams they can give supporters encouragement that all is not lost and that we will at least go down fighting if their fortunes should mean a return to the Championship in May 2008.

They had ruffled Liverpool’s feathers and staged a brave second half fight with Evertonian Jay McEveley’s emphatic equaliser capping the comeback but could not keep Liverpool out at the death when the Scousers broke away to steal a game that in all truth they should have sealed up well before half time.

Paul Jewell prepared for the televised home game against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday 30th December without almost a dozen players from his meagre squad. That is an alarming state to be in as a Premier League club - roll on January! Stephen Bywater had been a late injury omission before the Liverpool game - he joined Andy Griffin (calf), Matt Oakley (thigh), Andy Todd (back), Claude Davis (knee) and David Jones (groin) who were doubtful or already certain absentees.

Stephen Pearson suffered a stupid, heavy clattering from the lumbering Darren Moore in the Liverpool match and nurses a dislocated shoulder; substitute Rob Earnshaw pulled a calf muscle and limped through the closing stages of that game. Typically, the stoical Jewell said that injuries were no excuse and that the Rams had just got to get on with improving their position.

Several other players remain on loan. Mo Camara likes being at Carrow Road Norwich and Barnsley like young Welsh defender Lewin Nyatanga but will certainly lose him on January 1st as Paul Jewell has a part for him to play at Derby.

John Macken was recalled from Barnsley and his clubmate Michael Johnson, in favour at Sheffield Wednesday with a possible contract in the offing, had returned to Derby and put in a gritty stint against the odds versus Liverpool when he replaced the foolhardy Darren Moore at half time.

One of the other loan players, the very marginal Bob Malcolm who has been on loan with QPR, is not going to have a very happy New Year. The Scottish midfielder was charged and bailed on a drink-driving charge in Derbyshire on December 27th – he has been suspended by Derby County whilst remaining on loan at Loftus Road and the Rams are conducting an internal investigation.

Jewell declared that he has serious irons in the fire ready for the January transfer window and it seems there are five new players in his sights already. He repeated that there have been no offers for Giles Barnes, that two enquiries exist for Steve Howard and that he will trade players in and out of Pride Park if the deals are right for players and club.

He knows that he must ensure that Derby’s squad is a lot stronger at the end of January 2008 than it is now and club and fans are hoping for new talent and fresh impetus for the second half of the season. Chairman Adam Pearson expects to be very busy during the transfer window and it will be an important time in which to shape the future of the squad to face the challenges of the New Year.

The Blackburn Rovers game was set to welcome a 30,000 gate for Derby’s last fixture of 2007. The Rams needed to chalk a win up or wrest something from the game because results had left them cut adrift in the Premier League anchor spot. Other strugglers are not struggling as badly as Derby County.

Matt Oakley and Claude Davis returned to the side, Darren Moore was omitted altogether and Michael Johnson kept his place in defence after his battling recall against Liverpool. Derby’s squad was threadbare but the 2nd half display against Liverpool had given some encouraging signs.

The psychological boost of a good result would lift the players’ heads and make Derby a more attractive proposition to prospective squad newcomers as the Rams aim to salvage something from the season and look to the future.

Alas, it was not to be as Derby faltered with a bitty, error-strewn display that allowed a Blackburn side in a run of pretty poor form themselves (only 1 win in the last 9 games) to turn a one-goal deficit from Matt Oakley’s strike all too quickly into a 2-1 advantage that Derby never really looked like arresting.

After Blackburn’s bright opening, Oakley had given Derby the lead and they fatefully squandered a chance to go 2-0 ahead when Kenny Miller earned a penalty. Steve Howard’s shot was low and on target but lacked the decisive venom of many of his spot-kicks from last season and Brad Friedel saved comfortably.

Soon enough, Derby’s heads were on their chins and the unforced errors, misplaced passes and careless defending that have hallmarked this season were on sorry display for the Sky TV millions. It was familiar stuff as better-class opposition had enough in reserve to contain Derby and secure the points.

Blackburn grabbed two goals in a flash in taking advantage of Derby’s feeble defending and so the Rams reverted to type with a hapless surrender that makes Premier League survival all but a pipe dream.

The silent and sombre mood of the fans leaving Pride Park Stadium said more than any interview or comment from the club could and the fans want the squad reinforced so that some pride and dignity can be salvaged in the second half of the season.

Afterwards, Paul Jewell, sounding irritated by repeating identical post-match post-mortems slammed his side’s  ‘calamitous’ defending. He had locked the players into the dressing room to give them his thoughts before emerging to reiterate his disappointment at the poor standard of performance that the players put on for another bumper, loyal home crowd.

The Rams could readily have had seven precious points and an entirely different mood from their last three games. Only one point was earned and they have allowed teams to draw or win when points were in sight. “I Threw It All Away” occurred to me as a title for the final RamsWeek of this year, which I nicked from the Bob Dylan canon.  “I must have been mad, I never knew what I had - until I threw it all away”, Mr Zimmerman wrote (to a lost love) and the sentiment certainly fits Derby County’s reflections upon their recent efforts.

A win at Newcastle should have been taken, Liverpool could have been held with tighter defending in the final stages and the failure to grab a 2-0 lead against Blackburn only to then submit to them through characteristically poor, muddled play subsequent to Howard’s horrendous penalty miss has put the writing on the wall ever more vividly for us long suffering Rams fans.

The stuttering performance against Blackburn Rovers and the manner of defeat when the game was within Derby’s grasp underlined the hard work needed by Jewell and his staff to bring the strength and quality of the Derby squad up to scratch. He fully expects Derby to have some fresh faces on display by the time Derby meet Wigan Athletic at Pride Park Stadium on January 12th.

Few Derby players distinguished themselves; Oakley, Johnson and Miller battled on with some spirit but Davis and Leacock - neither looking fit - showed the paucity of Derby’s defensive quality. Fagan and Feilhaber tried to inject some freshness but it was all more huffing and puffing than genuine threat. Sadly, £5m for Giles Barnes would also seem an offer that we shouldn’t refuse as he isn’t providing a spark.

Any woes that the Rams are suffering this weekend were put into stark perspective by the sudden death of Hearts captain Phil O’Donnell, who collapsed during his team’s game on Saturday and did not recover. The shock death has left his family and football bereft of a well-liked professional and a fine sporting ambassador for club and game. Ex-Rams manager Billy Davies, once a team mate, was quick to join in the messages of condolence from across the whole football world.

In RamsWeek 52 last year the Rams had contrasting fortunes from their two home League matches over the holiday period. They lost 0-2 to a compact Wolves side on Boxing Day in front of almost 32,000 and turned out an ineffectual performance in front of their biggest crowd of the season so far.

They put it right in the last fixture of the year against a resistant Plymouth Argyle as Morten Bisgaard’s solitary goal won the points. The Rams were perfectly placed in 2nd spot in the Championship on 50 points (!) and maintained their chase for the top to replace Birmingham City – with a tasty game away to Preston North End to come on New Years Day!

It had been a year of momentous progress and both club and fans recognised that the early prize of a Premier League place was well within their grasp.

So, it’s into January 2008 and there will be off-field activity to boost the Derby squad. First off, the Rams face Bolton Wanderers away on 2/1/08 and then will have a rest from the pressures of the relegation fight when they take on Sheffield Wednesday next Sunday (2 pm) in the F A Cup 3rd Round. It’s well beyond time that Derby put in a good Cup showing, too…

A happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all RamZone regulars and Rams fans everywhere!

Photo: Action Images

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