With the comprehensive defeat at Wolves to get out of their system, Derby County faced bottom club Charlton at The Valley on Monday evening and then a home game with another basement team Watford on Saturday.

Inconsistent performances and injury disruptions have caused Derby’s inconsistency and a slide down the table; fans and club wanted an improvement in results and a signal that the direction of the club was upwards. The manager has cited bad luck and injuries and the Rams have been affected by some laughable refereeing decisions.

Frequently, however, they have failed to attend the basics, exhibiting a carelessness that has allowed other teams to capitalise on errors and loose play. The Rams had won just one in eight games and Charlton hadn’t won for 12 matches. The Addicks are currently under caretaker management, Phil Parkinson having taken over from Alan Pardew.

Jewell selected Teale and Ellington to replace Rob Hulse (a flu victim) and Tito Villa (who reverted to the bench) in the starting line-up - and lo and behold, Giles Barnes made the subs’ bench, his first appearance of the season in a Rams’ first team squad.

Traffic problems in SE London delayed the Derby team coach and the kick off was put back to 8.00 pm. One memorable image of the evening was the return to action of the giant Super Rams flag, fluttering aloft the Rams’ contingent in The Valley. Good stuff, and a rather better use for the flag than it sitting in someone’s garage for a year.

The game progressed as a distinctly forgettable affair, the direct but unproductive football failed to raise a serious goal attempt by either side in the first 20 minutes. Derby almost presented the opposition with the customary gift goal after Kaz gave the ball away and Lloyd Sam strode off and struck the post with his effort. Shortly afterwards, Zadkovich headed wide of the Charlton goal from 7 yards; a bad miss.

After 33 minutes, Darren Powell failed to intercept a harmless-looking cross; Andy Gray slid the ball gratefully home and give Charlton the lead. Derby dithered unproductively to half time in a game that gave poor value to TV subscribers and especially to fans that travelled to the New Valley to witness such mediocrity.

Commons replaced Kaz at the interval as Jewell looked for a spark; Powell was booked after a clash with Bouazza on the edge of Derby’s box and straight after, Giles Barnes came off the bench for his first action of 2008-09.

Teale had a goal ruled out for offside, and then Derby won a penalty for handball, which Nathan Ellington converted for 1-1. Within 2 minutes at just over an hour mark Charlton regained the lead, Waghorn’s shot deflecting past Bywater off Paul Connolly. Soon after, Tomkins replaced Powell in the unconvincing Rams’ defence.

It looked like being a forlorn night for Derby but Nathan Ellington struck in the 94th minute to salvage a point after a quick throw-in by Connolly gave him the shooting chance. Huge relief came from the Derby contingent in avoiding defeat though it didn’t mask a lacklustre display. The 2-2 draw at least broke Derby’s worrying losing sequence.
 
Jewell admitted that the Rams were ‘fortunate’ to extract a point and (again) called the latest performance an embarrassment. The poor run of form doesn’t help confidence, injuries are disruptive as well - but fans are getting testy over the style of play, the lack of constructive football and Derby’s current inability to compete at Championship level.

I assume (hope!) that Jewell had in mind assorted media hacks that question Jewell’s future when he refers to ‘snakes in the grass’. He needs the fans’ ‘onside’ in these trying times and must engender their patience and loyalty - just as much as he needs his signings and tactics to bear fruit soon to propel the club forwards.

Derby’s current mediocrity was forgotten for a time as Tom Glick announced that Pride Park Stadium will host the Women’s F A Cup Final next May Bank Holiday. Whilst the event may come a little too soon for Derby County Ladies to be contenders, it promises to be another excellent national event.

Derby County have hosted England Under-21 games and a Full international with great success and it has to be considered that we could set the record (30,000-plus) attendance for a UK ladies’ game next summer to sustain the year of celebration at our 125th anniversary.

Derby were linked with the prolific Scunthorpe striker, Gary Hooper - but Jewell claims he actually went to watch Derby loanee Andy Todd on duty for Northampton.

Just as well, because Scunthorpe’s chairman is fantasising just like Swansea’s chairman does over Ferrie Bodde when he scoffs at the suggested £800k price tag, saying that wouldn’t even secure the deposit on his striker!

Fans' thoughts turned to the Saturdasy game against desperate Watford. Head-scratching had occurred amongst fans regarding Derby’s defensive selections, given the crass goals being conceded. Neither James Tomkins - a loan signing of some quality - or Lewin Nyatanga, a Welsh international who figured well in Derby’s good run, can get a look-in.

Many fans think that Darren Powell should just provide cover and otherwise can’t add anything to Derby’s progress. Thoughtless lumped forward balls and unforced errors from the squad alternatives are tedious indeed. Supporters want better football, sustained signs of improvement and some consistency.

Quite a number of Jewell’s signings over the past year remain of questionable quality on the evidence so far that’s not just my opinion - look at the messageboards and listen to phone-ins!

Stressing the long rebuilding job in hand, telling us to forget last season’s trauma whilst declaring that the club is recovering from last year’s negative, defeatist mentality has not filled the fanbase with optimism for 2009.

Despite the much-vaunted "6 months extra preparation for our assault on the Championship" of a year ago and a renewed squad said to be bursting with pride, passion, power and purpose, the team is spluttering. Wins and good performances are few and far between.

Apart from the defensive conundrum of playing old professionals or raw young pretenders, Jewell had other worries with captain Paul Connolly now ruled out for a month with ligament damage. His formation for the Watford game would change, with the Derby boss still beset by injury disruption and patchy form.

We recorderd a large Christmas crowd of almost 28,000, most hoping to see Derby turn the corner, or at least approach another bend! That was the 2nd biggest gate from 17 Saturday matches (including 5 Premier League fixtures) - only West Ham vs. Villa exceeded Derby’s attendance and Birmingham vs. Reading attracted less than 20,000.

Mercifully, Jewell did put Tomkins and Nyatanga together in central defence for the first time, moving Albrechtsen to Connolly’s right back berth. The manager selected Teale and Commons on the flanks and Ellington and Varney in attack.

There was a pre-match buzz when Jewell awarded the captaincy to 19-year old Miles Addison. Paul Jewell was brave in his selections, his captaincy and substitutions. The  young guns had been given a chance (no doubt partly by necessity) and they took it!

It wasn’t a great game (will we ever see one again?) and there was wastefulness and inaccuracy evident, as befitting the standing of the teams.

Hulse has had an illness but came off the bench on the second half - as did Barazite and Barnes - to crucial effect, top scorer Rob scoring the winner with only seven minutes to go after both sides had either squandered numerous chances or seen fine goalkeeping deny them.

Tomkins and Nyatanga showed strength, composure and quality and hopefully the duo can remain together until the Leacock-Albrechtsen axis can resume.

Keeping Tomkins and Barazite on further loans will (I hope) be Jewell priorities when January comes. Barazite can be a threat and adds a touch of the unexpected to give attacking impetus; that can set tiring opposition defenders on edge and help turn the game our way, though many do not like to see a creative player sitting out most of the games on the bench.

New captain Miles Addison rose to the challenge, proving a fine young leader. Most had tipped Albrechtsen to lead the team in Connolly’s absence but Addison’s promotion, given his spirit, honesty, talent and power, is more likely to accelerate his maturity yet further than burn him, out as some fear. Go for it, you young guns!

Derby gathered four points from the week and returned to winning ways without ever looking convincing or providing enough football to ease fans’ worries of a season of mediocrity. If they can achieve the same over Christmas week against Preston and Ipswich, the season will be getting back on track.

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In RamsWeek 51 last season, there was a ‘Fog on the Tyne’ as Derby came close to pulling off a rare win at Newcastle United.  The Rams took the lead twice and put in a battling, competitive 90 minutes for a change, though were pegged back to 2-2 in the end through a Mark Viduka brace.

There were expectations that Adam Pearson would soon conclude a finance deal with American backers and that the club would have new owners early in 2008.

The 2007 Christmas programme would see the Rams face Liverpool on Boxing Day, then Blackburn Rovers, in slightly better heart after their performance at St James Park.

Finally, a very happy Christmas to all RamsWeek readers and RamZone regulars; Have a good holiday and a great New Year!

Photo: Action Images

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