A week of changes behind the scenes at Pride Park saw Stan Ternent’s departure and Chris Hutchings reunited with Paul Jewell.

Manager and fans looked to the new regime producing better results and as soon as Hutchings had found his way to Moor Farm the Rams had to face Arsenal.

The young, fluid, multinational Gunners team would end the season bereft of trophies but with growing admiration from connoisseurs of good football. 

Derby fans permitted themselves a little optimism after Derby’s spirited second half display against West Ham even though Jewell was now without Kenny Miller, Dave Jones and Dean Leacock through injury.

Consigned to seeing their team outclassed with monotonous regularity and hoping against hope that the 0-6 reversal against Aston Villa was the low point, Rams fans had to endure another team from another galaxy dismantling Derby in embarrassing fashion, as Arsenal ran out 6-2 winners.

Derby supporters learned nothing new about their team during this game but still spent long periods shaking their heads in bemusement at the sheer gulf in class at this level that has exposed Derby week after week.

As the 20-minute mark approached and a bright start by Derby had made Arsenal attentive, you almost waited for the collapse; it’s been so predictable, so often even though Sterjovski forced a smart save from Fabianski with a crisp 20-yarder as Derby held up a swift and skilful Arsenal early on.

Soon enough, the expected half-baked piece of Rams’ play occurred to fatefully give away possession and gift superior opposition just the platform they wanted to relax and play on to victory. Darren Moore presented Bendtner with the ball 20 yards out and after a swift one-two with Van Persie the ball was in the back of Carroll’s net before he could blink. Unforced errors, pathetic play, déjà vu all over again!

Surprisingly, Jay McEveley soon levelled the scores, having two stabs at converting a Robbie Savage free kick. It has to be said that the Arsenal players seldom allowed the hapless fullback more than half a chance to get the ball off them when McEveley attempted his primary defensive duties.

Shortly before the break, Derby awaited a non-existent offside flag as Robin Van Persie cruised through to restore Arsenal’s lead. Then, after RVP retired through injury, the Gunners’ goal machine, Emanuel Adebayor took over to destroy the remnants of the Derby defence with a second-half hat trick.

He’d already netted a treble against Derby at the Emirates Stadium and the havoc he wreaked enabled Arsenal to record 11 goals against Derby this season. Rob Earnshaw rapped in a rare goal in one of Derby’s sporadic attacks to make it 3-2 - though this only served to provoke the Gunners. ‘Earnie’s’ extravagant celebrations looked a tad incongruous in the context of his contribution this season and the destination of the points in this or any other Rams’ game in which he’s featured.

Arsenal were stung and just ravaged Derby, scoring three times in 12 minutes; had they won by a dozen goals there could have been no complaints. As it was, another 33,000-crowd saw the Rams goal difference exceed the minus 60 mark. Paul Jewell could say nothing he hasn’t had to re-phrase week in, week out as he surveyed the wreckage again:

"We're in the same league but we were a million miles apart. The whole mentality here must change. When adversity hits you, you have to be able to fight. I want to see some real men in the trenches here next year. We need this season to finish and we need major surgery. We must start to regroup and begin next season well."

Classy though Arsenal were, Derby’s defending was ‘comic book’ as Jewell said, tiresomely loose play and errors leading to simple chances for top-class players to convert. Jewel wants ‘real men with pace and desire’ to represent the club next season. So do we, Mr. Manager.

More details of Derby’s partnership with Dutch side FC Utrecht were announced and there will be a pre-season friendly between the clubs at Pride Park Stadium on 2nd August. There’s an initial two-year link that will involve and exchange of ideas on coaching methods, player recruitment, loan agreements and youth development between academies and liaison on any sphere of activity that can benefit the clubs.

Derby County’s end-of-season dinner saw Darren Moore awarded with the club’s Player of The Year.  The battling bruiser deserves an award for his honesty and commitment and not least his community involvement but truthfully, there won’t be a PoTY this season in many fans’ eyes as a highly-paid squad has produced the worst season in our history, so it’s not really a time for heroic recognition.

The players awarded us fans with their award for PoTY; they were presumably too embarrassed to vote for one another. Present us with points, boys - that’s the best reward! Kenny Miller won ‘goal of the season’ (his searing winner vs. Newcastle) and 2nd-choice goalie Lewis Price took the Young PoTY Award.

The week ground onwards in preparation for (mercifully) the final away game of the season at Ewood Park, Blackburn. Alan Stubbs was ruled out for the remainder of the season because he’s undergone an operation to clean up a cartilage. Jewell was therefore bereft of his best defender but Kenny Miller and Dean Leacock were fit and back in contention.

Savage, Todd and McEveley would no doubt mouth the often heard but seldom substantive Rams’ rallying cry of  “I’m gonna do well against my old club…”

Rams fans were travelling to Ewood Park in numbers - some 4,000 tickets were sold - with fans buying up bright holiday clothes, beachwear and gaudy Hawaiian shirts ready for some sort of relegation party. They lived in hope that the team would give them something to celebrate at the final time of asking but whatever; Derby fans are ‘the fans of the season’ by any measure!

I was a little disappointed (given repetitive platitudes and praise heaped on the Rams’ faithful by players and the board) that the club didn’t make a gesture of paying for all the coach travel or sponsoring the Blackburn tickets - other clubs have done this at the back end of either a wonderful or a horrible season.

There is a so-called ‘Fans’ Day’ at Pride Park Stadium on the Reading home match date next Sunday, with face-painting, live music and other family attractions but recognition of the real die-hard travelling hard core would have meant much to many of the faithful, in my opinion.

Jewell sprang a selection surprise, selecting young defender Miles Addison for his Premier League debut to partner Darren Moore in central defence. Kenny Miller returned up front with Earnshaw as his strike partner. Rams fans gave the game a fantastic pre-match atmosphere with their colourful beach-themed turnout, beach balls bouncing around and all manner of inflatables being waved, wobbled and wagged.

The game started competitively and the Rams were raiding in between Rovers’ attacks - then Kenny Miller sprang Blackburn’s offside trap after 19 minutes to coolly fire the Rams ahead!

Derby kept Blackburn at bay for most of the first half and Earnshaw flashed a shot across goal. Then, Carroll let a long-range Pedersen effort bounce off him for Santa Cruz to pounce for the equaliser right on half time.

True to form, Derby proceeded to self-destruct immediately upon the restart. Andy Todd took his turn to gift the opposition a goal as he immediately presented Jason Roberts with the ball 15 yards out for the Rovers’ hit man to stroke in an easy goal. It’s exactly what Derby did at home to Blackburn - they took the lead then rapidly surrendered two avoidable and embarrassing goals.

Blackburn were in now charge and Derby had capitulated as usual. They reverted to their rabbits-in-headlights personas and no longer matched Rovers, after being relatively comfortable in the first half. As Blackburn dominated possession, the relegation party was stalled among the Rams’ travelling hordes when their team went back into their shell, only attempting to contain Rovers’ attacking forays.

Jewell threw on Villa and Sterjovski to pep up the team as a conga broke out among the travelling fans. Before the game, Rams CEO Tom Glick had commented somewhat naively on what a ‘good sense of humour’ Rams fans displayed during the 0-6 home defeat by Aston Villa. In fact, Tom, it was dark humour, defiance and irony - as was the banner at Ewood Park that accompanied the fancy dress displays from the Ramsfan ranks, that declared: “Joke Costumes for a Joke Season”.

On the field, Roque Santa Cruz rapped in a regulation far post header after 76 minutes to make it 3-1 to Rovers, as Derby keeper Carroll and his ‘defenders’ started the usual recriminations amongst themselves. The Rams had again folded feebly as Blackburn ran out comfortable winners. 

Clad in their depressing black strip in contrast to their fans’ bright garb, they acquired the unwanted tag of the worst-ever Premier League team because even with a game to play Derby can no longer even equal Sunderland’s pathetic tally of 15 points from the Black Cats’ 2004-05 season.

It was conclusively a funeral for a friend, the relegation wake completing a full season without an away win for Derby County. Post-match interviews were repetitive and I’m not inclined to waste space on them. Will Derby at least remove the monkey of a record winless streak next Sunday, at the 32nd attempt?

Whilst Nottingham Forest secured automatic promotion to relish clashes against Derby next season, the Premier League relegation battle swung against Birmingham City and Reading, both beaten on Saturday. That makes the Royals’ last game of the season at Pride Park Stadium next Sunday a do-or-die affair for them. Fulham and Bolton both won - so Brum, Reading and Fulham are still under threat for the drop.

It was a seesaw Sunday in the Championship too, as WBA secured the title, being promoted with Stoke City; the furry Foxes from Leicester were relegated as Coventry and Southampton squeaked to safety.

Derby appeared powerless to influence their own fate for months on end but will certainly have a say next Sunday for the final reckoning of the season regarding who accompanies them into the Championship!

As May arrived in RamsWeek 18 2007, Derby put Leeds United out of their misery with an easy 2-0 win over them in the final game of the regular season.

Even though their chairman, the lovable Ken Bates, spoiled Derby’s anticipated fun of relegating Leeds by putting his club into administration a couple of days prior to the game, so incurring the 10 points’ mandatory penalty, the Rams cemented their third-place finish 8 points clear of West Bromwich Albion.

Tyrone Mears and Darren Currie netted for Derby and Leeds had a man sent off, as League One beckoned for United and Derby prepared for the Championship play-offs.

Photo: Action Images

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