Derby County had the relief of halting their four-match losing streak last week with a 1-0 home win over Bristol City, though had to contend with a lengthening injury list with two games to play this week.

The first news of the week was sad indeed. Full back Geoff Barrowcliffe, a Rams’ legend during the Fifties when he made 503 appearances, passed away aged 77. Geoff’s dedication and loyalty were characteristics from a bygone age compared to many modern players, let alone his versatility and skill as a footballer of high reputation. RIP, Geoff  - you are a Derby legend.

Manager Nigel Clough had virtually a full team on the treatment table as his resources were being stretched to the limit. Several players had knocks from the Bristol game but longer-term injuries were mounting up. It seemed we were limping along with two games to go until the next international break. It also appears that the medical/physio department is being reviewed.

Miles Addison is still suffering with his unhealed foot; Paul Green is recuperating from his recent additional foot operation. Kris Commons has a hamstring pull. Clough was still without Jake Buxton and other casualties Steve Davies, Chris Porter and Giles Barnes. Stephen Pearson’s groin muscle tear will keep him out for a month.

Late in the week, Academy defender Mark Dudley (19) was loaned to local Blue Square North side Alfreton Town for a month. Full back Jason Beardsley has had his contract terminated. The loan signing of Fulham defender Fredrik Stoor was timely because right back Paul Connolly (sore foot) was ruled out of the Tuesday evening match at Cardiff City.

Clough made two changes for Derby’s first visit to the new Cardiff City Stadium, Swedish international Fredrik Stoor replacing Paul Connolly whilst Lee Hendrie made his first start. James Vaughan (carrying a knee injury) reverted to the substitute’s bench - on which Clough named only six players, Derby starting in a 4-5-1 formation with Rob Hulse as the lone striker.

The Bluebirds had suffered three straight defeats and so the Rams went to Wales anticipating a backlash whilst hoping to build upon their victory against Bristol City.

Derby started sluggishly with no punch; Cardiff soon got the upper hand and went 1-0 ahead after only 10 minutes through Peter Whittingham, who was thoroughly ordinary when on loan to Derby from Villa a few years back. He netted a cross that Jay Bothroyd put in from an offside position. Again, Derby players failed to play to the whistle. Why can’t they learn the basics?

The Bluebirds maintained their grip on the game with Derby making no impact upon Cardiff’s defence in the first half hour, save for Lee Hendrie managing a shot in a rare raid. Then, Dean Leacock went down with another injury and was withdrawn. He has a hamstring strain so it doesn’t look like he’ll re-establish himself in the Derby defence anytime soon.

Jay McEveley took over; I fear the worst whenever McEveley is allowed out and my cynicism wasn’t misplaced. Soon enough, Chopra scored a simple goal ten minutes before half time to give Cardiff a 2-0 lead. A long hopeful ball travelled in to the centre and found Chopra unmarked to help himself.

Derby started the second half mounting an attack and scored immediately, Hulse managing to prod in Lee Hendrie’s centre. It had been crucial for Derby to show something and at last they were back in the game. Soon after, Hulse put a header into Cardiff goalie David Marshall’s hands when he might have done better. Instead of improving, Derby then simply collapsed.

Hulse’s miss was punished immediately and Rams’ revival was short-lived as Chopra claimed his second goal (and 10th of the season), tucking in his shot tidily on 57 minutes when a short flick fooled Derby’s defence. Straight after, Chopra claimed his 2nd hat trick of the season as Derby’s defence left him to a ball over the top. 4-1 with 25 minutes to go, then: oops - sorry, 5-1 with 24 minutes to go after Chris Burke was invited to thump in his shot by an obliging defence.

Embarrassing, inadequate, inept, bereft and pedestrian against a Cardiff team that had lost 5 out of their last 6 games. Injuries or not, it was inexcusable to be so outclassed in the Championship. Debutant Stoor had a poor game and Cardiff’s attackers frequently exposed him and Dean Moxey on the flanks.

The Rams tried to salvage pride; Hendrie prompted briefly but Cardiff soon scored again as Chopra received the ball unmarked to advance and fire home: 6-1. Add ignominy and disgrace to earlier descriptions, as Derby’s lack of quality and strength in depth was cruelly exposed.

Cardiff played out the final 15 minutes as they wished and Derby manager Nigel Clough couldn’t cite his previous summaries that Derby’s defeats have all been narrow ones. He said it was a poor display and did not excuse the manner of the drubbing. He cited a lack of desire in his players, saying that Derby made it easy for Cardiff. The manager felt sorry for the travelling fans and said it was the lowest he’d felt for quite some time.

Before the game, winger Gary Teale had said that Derby aimed go out and silence the home crowd at Cardiff. Well, that didn’t happen. Afterwards, Bluebirds fans would have laughed as loudly as Rams fans grumbled had they known about Teale’s big claims.

Before the season, we were told to expect an improvement but not to expect the earth. We didn’t, but we do expect more than this. We were told that there would not be a fitter squad in the Championship, but it’s already been decimated by injury in the mild August-though-September weather. Nowhere in the team is there a settled partnership.

It was also said that every player would be a genuine first team squad member, ready and primed to step in and do a job as soon as they were called upon to play. That’s bunkum, because players like McEveley - by his loose, feeble and catastrophic display against Cardiff - demonstrated an inability to approach the required standard.

On Friday we were treated to Robbie Savage telling us that we weren’t a big club despite the big attendances and that “if we stay up…that’s success…mid-table would be great”. Well, thanks, Robbie, that’s inspirational; I wonder what Igor Stimac would have made of those comments? Stimac put his team on a 20-match unbeaten run in fact. Fans hardly expect that from Savage and his crew but we don’t need defeatist waffle that talks the club down, either.

We were but a small step away from hearing that appalling double-barrelled whinge we had from Paul Jewell and Tyrone Mears late last year, those losers saying that the team didn’t like playing in front of big crowds because of the pressure - that they preferred playing away.

Clough dismissed thoughts of a relegation dogfight and no doubt hopes his players can back up those expectations. There is no further excuse for letdowns like Wednesday night in Cardiff.

Fans don’t need to “curb their expectations” as they have very few. A RamZone fans’ poll at the start of he season showed that the majority expected a mid-table finish at best - but we DO expect players to do their jobs, work as a team, give of their best and not just surrender feebly. 

It all seems to be a load of mixed messages from players and club - the bottom line is that we seemed nowhere on the road to recovery, let alone just needing patience and good luck. Small wonder that reactions from fans range from acceptance to blazing enragement.

Well there were ‘just’ 18,500 at Cardiff last Wednesday night. They’re not as ‘big’ as Derby but show more ability and commitment. Our club forever seems too big for players and managers to cope with; so who CAN handle it? I suggest that the manager gags the players and tells them to talk with their feet on a Saturday afternoon - as Clough’s father would no doubt have decreed.

Derby fell to 20th in the Championship and fans feared a relegation fight. If that materialises, what chance of the few stars we do have (like Rob Hulse) staying, come the January transfer window?

Clough said that Jake Buxton was making a very quick recovery from his hernia operation and was in contention for a place in the team against Sheffield Wednesday. ‘That’s the type of lad he is’, Clough commented, saying if Jake had to bust his stitches for the team then he would do.

Sounds all very laudable and highly committed - but what about earlier declarations that anyone returning from injury wouldn’t be rushed back, whatever the situation? We never seem to know nowadays if new or recurrent injury disruptions are going to abate and give us a reasonably fit squad, or if relapses are the norm with the club literally limping from game to game. Gawd ‘elp us when the winter sets in: some resilience and selection consistency is essential.

Whatever…it didn’t mean much in the context of such as Dean Leacock’s fitness and readiness. It emerged on Saturday that fitness coach Nigel -Ashley Jones had departed the club, though in the absence of an announcement from the club it is not known whether this development has stemmed from Derby’s recent dreadful injury and fitness record.

Leacock was out of contention for the Owls’ game; Loan striker James Vaughan returned to Everton for his swollen knee to be assessed. Miles Addison has to rest his troublesome foot for a month - so another prolonged, repetitive injury absence was added to Derby’s perpetual casualty list. Jake Buxton was able to appear on a five-man Rams’ bench. Clough had to put McEveley alongside Shaun Barker in defence and Paul Dickov started up front with Rob Hulse.

What a transformation! Derby - whilst having a couple of wobbly moments and being thankful of wayward Wednesday finishing - were a completely different proposition and put Wednesday away 3-0, with a surprisingly complete performance of panache and passion, qualities so badly missing at Cardiff. 30,100 (minus the 3,000 Owls fans) were delighted with the improvement.

The defence was solid and tempered the Owls attack from early on, with Fredrik Storr looking powerful and Barker standing firm. Wednesday will know they had a couple of glaring misses themselves but there was no denying Derby - their best performance of the season following their worst - and had Derby been steadier in the final third, they could have scored six or seven.

Savage’s output was prodigious, giving Wednesday no time on the ball in the middle and Livermore was persistent and consistent, for a change. Teale was inaccurate but persistent; Croft tormented his markers and tackled fiercely when needed.

Paul Dickov was strong, busy and supportive up front and so Hulse could absorb his customary battering from the centre halves and the blindness of the officials whilst Derby’s wide men enjoyed possession to cause the Owls more problems. Dickov spun his defender to lay the ball on for Croft to slam in the opening goal on 17 minutes.

Then there was Jay McEveley, admittedly one of my least favourite players ever - because he seldom performs adequately and has had many a shocker. I’d resigned myself to tolerating his presence because Clough is determined to give every player a chance whilst attempting to get value for money out of the contracts they enjoy. Plus, Nige was reduced to having to select Jay!

Fair do’s to Jay - he was superb! Can he do that regularly, make himself a career and solve some of Derby’s defensive headaches? Time will tell, because McEveley may be called on again whilst Leacock, Addison and Buxton recover from their injuries. Jay headed, kicked, tackled, anticipated and dominated like a real defender. Astonishing. Clough will tell him that is now his standard, not the dross he had shown at Cardiff or so often under Paul Jewell.

Jay even stormed through to score Derby’s 2nd goal, carrying on his run as the Rams broke up an Owls attack; McEveley thumped in a firm 15-yard left-footer from Croft’s inviting pass after 65 minutes. It was an important, settling goal and Derby comfortably saw out the game, adding a third as Rob Hulse rammed in a late penalty to cap his own typically battling performance.

For Nigel Clough, the game had been a case of “use what you got”, with so many players absent - but he had demanded a recovery from the appalling display at Cardiff and duly got one. Players like McEveley, Stoor and Dickov also demonstrated that they could contribute significantly

Clough let Gary Crosby deal with the after-match media duties and characteristically the coach played down the transformation, looking for more of the same when the Championship programme resumes in a fortnight after the international break. Derby have a more gentle warm-down on Monday evening, with a friendly game at Ilkeston Town - as part of the deal which brought young Ben Pringle to Derby County.

The convincing win over the Owls sent Rams fans home into the Championship break happy for a change. With players returning to fitness during the autumn, we might even dare to look up the table again soon. Keep it up, lads!
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RamsWeek 40 in 2007 seemed to signal “the turning of the tide” as Paul Jewell’s Derby side was now showing a little fight and collecting points on a regular basis.

The Rams took on pacesetters Birmingham City at Pride Park Stadium in midweek and took a 1-1 draw from the game, Steve Davies snatching a late equaliser for Derby. Not only that, the Rams went to Norwich City the following Saturday and stole a 2-1 win despite having goalkeeper Roy Carroll sent off for clattering Leroy Lita.

Clingan scored from the resultant penalty - equalising Rob Hulse’s earlier goal - but the Rams won 2-1 after Ellington scored a simple goal with five minutes to go when Norwich’s keeper had been cut adrift by a poor defending.

Transfer rumours still surrounded out-of-favour Robbie Savage; Port Vale wanted him, there was a hint of a player-coach role for him at Wrexham FC but he elected to join Brighton & Hove Albion on loan.

Jay McEveley went on emergency loan to Preston North End; given his form at Derby at that time, it wasn’t clear whether PNE needed him urgently or if Derby had to get him out of the door as soon as possible! Things could be turning for Jay late in 2009, though; fingers crossed, Nigel Clough may yet make a player of him!

Photo: Action Images

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