A bright start by the Rams at Blackburn led to yet another capitulation in the 3-1 defeat.

Fans were left to confront the reality of their club recording the ‘worst-ever’ Premier League campaign.

The final fixture on Sunday was Derby’s last chance to conclude the season on a higher note and record a win at home against relegation-threatened Reading. The Rams’ team of losers at least owed their fans that marginal feat.

Jewell was hurt by the ignominy of earning Derby’s ‘worst ever’ tag and inflicting their worst season and longest winless run so far in his managerial tenure and declared that he wanted Derby to win promotion as one of the ‘best ever’ Championship sides. That seems a very long step from the shapeless and inept collection of players that currently wear the black and white shirts.

Fans are keenly anticipating the retained list and even more eager to learn more about the various deals for new players that we are told are more or less confirmed. Manager Paul Jewell remained tight-lipped on growing speculation about his transfer targets, with F*rest’s Kris Commons, Paul Connolly of Plymouth Argyle and Jordan Stewart (just released by Watford) all being closely linked with the Rams.

All three players are out of contract this summer and free to talk to other clubs. With other rumours surrounding F*rest’s known interest in Derby’s expensive failed striker, Rob Earnshaw, could a swap be on the cards, Commons for Earnie? Cardiff City and QPR reportedly want Earnshaw as well: suits us, sir!

Sheffield United forward Rob Hulse is reportedly also a Rams transfer target. He’s been a decent striker with Crewe, West Brom and Leeds before his stint the Blades but with 24 non-scoring Championship appearances (14 a sub) on record this season I hope we’re not swapping our non-scoring strikers for others who can’t find the net - because we cannot afford another squad that doesn’t produce the goods.

Adam Pearson stated in his matchday programme notes in the Reading edition of RAM Magazine that “we are already certain to complete on five new additions to the squad.” Bring it on!

With the Championship season ended and a large chunk of Derby’s squad returning from loans elsewhere, Paul Jewell has plenty of work to schedule in resolving the future of his surplus players. He is to meet them all one-to-one to discuss the future.

Craig Fagan is involved in another play-off dream with Hull City so his loan has been extended, whilst stalwart defender Michael Johnson agreed a one-year deal with Notts County, turning his loan into a permanent move.

That signalled the beginnings of an exodus from Pride Park Stadium as the manager advised Andy Todd that he could leave the club on a free transfer. There are other veteran defenders among those who won’t figure in Jewell’s future plans and straight after the Reading game, fans will expect to see several further departures and learn more about incoming deals that Derby have allegedly already tied up.

The postponed development of a National Football Centre at Burton was finally authorised by the FA after years of deferment and procrastination. In that time, the football authorities have vastly overspent on the protracted Wembley Stadium rebuild, and the fate of the partly-built Burton site was undecided because some FA suits wanted the Centre to be closer to London. How surprising!

£20m has already been spent on the Burton site and confirmation is good news for the area, which will be the fulcrum of English coaching and the eventual base for the national team. The Centre is due to be up and running in 2010.

Ex-Chairman Peter Gadsby was more forthcoming this week regarding Derby’s financial predicament upon promotion last May and the turmoil that Billy Davies created with his apparently disloyal comments and selfish priorities immediately after Derby’s Wembley triumph over WBA.

With the disadvantage of time spent in the play-offs the club was in poor shape all over off field - despite the heroic rescue of the club from the abyss of administration, the resolution of £54m debts and the banishment of Sleightholme’s incompetent Amigos only a year beforehand.

The paucity of Derby’s transfer kitty, the gazumping that took place with agents and players and other clubs when Derby seemed to have secured the services of such as Kenwynne Jones, David Nugent, Michael Chopra, Carlton Cole and others only to be foiled when players chased their fortunes greatly added to Gadsby’s burden.

Fans who sent abusive messages to him demanding that the board must let the transfer money run like tap water through Davies’ hands showed no understanding of the situation and gave no respect or patience to Derby’s owners.
 
Gadsby had been quelling Billy’s discord at the same time as allowing him to build up his management entourage and needed to gear the club up operationally with a new complement of commercial and financial personnel, including the abortive appointment of short-lived Chief Executive Trevor Birch.

It’s clear that we were promoted when vastly unprepared financially, managerially and operationally - as well as possessing very few players with a potential Premier League future. The then board of directors - already disunited - ultimately couldn’t provide a stable, solvent and secure platform for the Rams to operate at the top level either and the writing was on the wall before a ball was kicked in earnest.

Derby singularly failed in the immediate task of obtaining a Premier League team; there was too little money, too little time, and too many priorities being handled simultaneously. Putting Derby back to square one with a £50m+ debt within months of salvation by overspending was not an option.

It took a further five months to enter the international funding arena and to secure the GSE deal and of course it might have been quite different if we were getting promoted this May instead, as the team would have been further improved and higher finance would be in place. We will never know, however, how long Billy Davies’ tenure would have lasted given his aggressive, irascible nature and his total inexperience at Premier League level.

So here we are, rock bottom but apparently on the threshold of The Jewell Revolution! Next season is certainly a pivotal one, in Derby County’s 125th year of existence.

Fresh news from Pride Park Stadium was scant as the Sunday season-closer against Reading approached; Rams fans hoped that Derby would step up to the mark and put on a performance - as no doubt, the Royals would need very little incentive as there were playing for their very Premier League lives. Reading hadn’t scored a goal for 6 games and on a losing run, so Derby would appear to have been ideal opponents for such a critical game.

Derby’s role as inept chopping blocks tempted their mediocre opponents into a bout of disrespectful expectation of points at Pride Park Stadium. Reading’s assistant manager, Kevin Dillon, delivered a motivational sermon as useful to the Derby squad as to his own players, saying ‘If we can’t beat Derby, it will be hard to take.” Hopefully that would sting the Rams’ players to put in a winning performance.

Whilst Dillon’s comments might be relevant for last weekend, it’s not long ago that Reading were mere minnows, readily beaten by top-flight teams on the rare occasions that they played such opposition. But for Madejski’s money and vision, there they would have remained and after Dillon’s unwise comments, Derby fans hoped their players would play their part in returning Reading to relative obscurity!

Rams’ boss Jewell wasn’t impressed with Dillon’s remarks, either. “It lacks tact. You would think Reading had been playing Champions League all these seasons instead of down in the Championship and the Second Division, where Derby and Wigan also came from,” said Jewell. “I know they have been banking on three points from Derby. Maybe they shouldn't because when you take something for granted in life, it doesn’t always happen.”

There was plenty of talk from the Derby camp about winning for the fans and ending the season ‘on a high’ (if beating Reading is a ‘high’!) I for one didn’t plan to hold my breath on the way to the stadium!

The club promised a ‘Fans’ Day’ pre-match atmosphere at Pride Park with extra activities around the stadium, ‘fans of the year’ parading on the pitch at 2.30 pm and a fancy dress competition with a £50 Shopdcfc prize. It wasn’t stated whether or not the players would be turning out in clown costumes.

Dean Leacock was absent from Jewell’s squad as he is to undergo a hernia operation. The official site said that he would be ready for the 2008/09 Championship season though some fans, your writer included, would honestly not be upset if Leacock’s campaign was with another club. Jay McEveley had a hamstring problem but David Jones was fit and available.

Roy McFarland paraded the Jackie Stamps trophy around the stadium before kick-off, as the fans had voted themselves the Player of the Year. The guest ‘fans of the year’ winners accompanied Mac on his jaunt and it was a treat to see a real player for a change.

Some feel it demeaned the award for a squad member not to have claimed the trophy but it was the fans’ own vote This year, they adjudged that it would have been a hollow award for any of the squad to have been recognised as PoTY.

Mears and Lewis started the game at full back, Jewell jettisoning unwanted Andy Todd and loose, ineffectual Jay McEveley. Lewin Nyatanga returned to partner Daren Moore in central defence.

The match was a debacle as far as Derby were concerned; goal-shy Reading were in command from the first kick, won the game as the pleased and could have won by more than the 4-0 margin but for a few smart Carroll saves. When Roy Carroll couldn’t complete the defensive job after saving, there was always a Reading player or two quickest to the ball to renew the danger or convert the chance.

Derby were abject, lacking effort, spirit, pace, strength, and teamwork and it was 39 minutes before they mustered a shot against a team supposedly nervous and also on a horrendous losing run. Reading looked like a top four side and ran rings around the Rams.

The Royals had threatened several times before they scored in 14 minutes as Derby huffed and puffed like an outclassed Sunday League side. Fans were disgusted and by the time the third goal went in, “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” was a recurrent chant.

Savage was withdrawn at half time after his aimless, turgid first half display which had also characterised the hapless rabble around him. If he is a promotion-winning captain next time around, we will need ten very good players to carry him. Young Paris Simmons was given a taste of action as a late sub.

Reading’s professional, sharp display was all to no avail because Fulham’s win at Pompey consigned them to relegation alongside Derby and Birmingham City, who turned over Blackburn Rovers 4-1 in their fixture.

Among Paul Jewell’s after-match judgement of his players was the phrase: “I’m sick of them”. So are we. See that revolving door at the top of this article, boys? It’s there just for you lot - please use it.

RamsWeek 19 last year was of course nirvana for Derby County fans. A fantastic 2-1 win away at Southampton in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final dispelled the disappointment of fans dismayed at Derby frittering away automatic promotion and it set up the second leg at Pride Park Stadium for the Rams to book their glorious Wembley date.

After Andrew Surman had slammed the Saints into an early lead, the Rams hit back. Steve Howard levelled with a firm header and then reliably rammed in a penalty to send the travelling Derby hordes into delirium.

Southampton were wasteful in front of goal and also rattled the woodwork but Derby earned their vital win. Pride Park Stadium would witness an epochal night in the club’s history in a few days’ time!

Photo: Action Images

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