Derby has released a player who at one stage was not just a fan favorite but considered a future England star and capable of bringing Premiership success to the Rams.

The Ego Has Left! 

In what became a cluttered Friday the biggest news of all was that the ever promising (but rarely delivering) Giles Barnes has left the club by mutual consent.
It seems the club have agreed to terms with Barnes and cancelled his contract with immediate effect.

Once upon a time this would have been devastating for Rams fans as Giles was once seen as the exciting young starlet that could help shoot Derby back into Premiership contention.

Sadly in recent years he has been seen as nothing more as an injury prone, walking ego who hogs the treatment table while receiving wages that would make most of us dizzy, especially if we could get them for doing next to nothing.

I admit to being one swept up in the Barnes juggernaut in the early days as he became a potential match winner for the Rams. Sadly like many players with immense natural talent (Kinkladze etc) he seemed to switch it on and off at irregular intervals and often went missing for long periods of matches.

His cameo appearances became nothing more than a tease as he matched moments like a great goal against Manchester United with long drawn out injuries and an obvious desire to leave the club. His stocks plummeted at Pride Park while in his own mind they seemed to rise as although constantly unavailable was happy to proclaim that he was too good for the Championship.

It seemed Nigel was never overly happy with inheriting the walking ego and rarely mentioned looking forward to his return from injury, while regularly mentioning other players he hoped to have back soon.

If you can read between the lines as well as me then I think Clough’s comments on his departure pretty much say it all:

“It is unfortunate that his career here has been hampered by injury for the past two years, but Giles is a determined character and we all wish him well in the future”.

Replace “determined character” with “raging egotist” and I think we have the reality of the situation.

Whispers have begun about a possible home for the wounded Barnes with Steve McLaren apparently a big fan and interested in taking him to Twenty Enschede for a shot at the Dutch title and Champions League. Wouldn’t that just do wonders for his ego! If the move comes off then expect an even bigger haircut to hide the further expansion of his cranium.

I rarely don’t wish departing players ‘good luck’ but I think Giles has treated fans very badly and never even attempted to return the adoration that they heaped on him. To me the talent is wasted on him and hope one day he wakes up and realizes, before its too late, that talent is one thing but regrets are far worse.

You can read the official club statement about Barnes on the official DCFC site and about the McLaren interest on mirrorfootball.co.uk.

The Other Pearson Stays

After his agent talking up the fact that clubs were desperate to whip the soon to be out of contract Stephen Pearson away from the Rams, the player has now signed a new 2 year deal to keep him at Derby till 2012.

I will admit like many Derby fans (and Celtic fans before us) I have had my reservations about the ginger haired scot. There is no doubt that he is an immensely talented footballer and can produce moments of sublime skill coupled with a tireless work rate.

The doubts have stemmed from much of that work rate seemingly being poured into off the ball sprinting that has little involvement or result in the actual play. The other concern has been his injury history that had Stephen miss much of his time at the Rams due to various knocks and complaints.

Since returning this season I will admit that I have been much more impressed with his role in the team and he seems to work well with Savage and Green when all three can get on the pitch at the same time. It is a tactic that Nigel seems desperate to employ and hopefully it can be given the run of games that it seems to deserve.

As the body ages it is unlikely that injury problems will improve but hopefully in the case of Pearson (27) this will occur. Sometimes you feel that some of the Derby players need to look at the example of Robbie Savage, a player of advancing years who is fit and full of running. He constantly belies his age by avoiding injury and long periods on the sidelines, yet never backs out of a contest or shirks a challenge.

Is it a case of luck or more a case of what pain a player is willing to play through to get on the park? In many cases I feel it is the second but only the player themselves can truly answer that question.

Good luck to Stephen and hopefully we are still to see the best of you in a Derby shirt. The promotion winning goal will take some topping but we would appreciate you giving it your best shot!

You can read the official statement on Stephen Pearson at the DCFC site.

On the subject of new contracts, Jake Buxton and Ben Pringle were handed one year extensions this week. Congratulations boys!

Glick Speaks About The Future!

Tom Glick has spoken to TheRams.co.uk at length on his vision for the future of DCFC and what the board hope to achieve.

There was definitely a need for the club to speak about Cloughs recent comments on the need to perhaps sell more players to balance the books.

With rumours of Rob Hulse moving on in January, supporters are becoming increasingly worried that the Rams will be left with a weaker squad and no money from sales to strengthen what is left behind.

Glick was quick to pour water on such speculation and instead paint a more positive picture:

“As we have said before, if we have the right offer that is good value for the club, we will make the player aware of it and we will consider it, if it is good business for the club".

"We have had no offers. If they come – and they may come – we will consider them. What we are looking to do is build a side and building a side is about making the right acquisitions. At times, it is going to be about moving the right players on and that is something we will always be looking to do".

"It was very public that we did have an offer from Middlesbrough for Rob Hulse back in August and that was a very significant offer".

"Ultimately, we did not progress on that and Rob's decision was to stay in Derby and we are glad he did. But whether it be for Rob or for any player in the side, if we had the right offer we would be prepared to make the player aware and ultimately follow through with it if it was good business for Derby County and allowed us to build the side by bringing in other players that work into the manager's plan going forward for the long haul".

"If we did get offers, the money all gets reinvested into building a side."

Glick went on to say that this could include permanent moves for players who have done well for Derby such as Dickov, Stoor and Campbell as well as making moves to sign new players that Clough has reportedly had his eye on.

The most important factor in his opinion was keeping the clubs wage bill down and looking sensibly to the future. That future would include a return to the Premiership but he was not willing to commit on a timescale for that part of the plan.

The full article makes for interesting reading and answers most of the concerns being aimed at the club in recent weeks, it’s well worth a read at TheRams.co.uk.

Fans of Derby County have good reason to be suspicious after years of abuse of trust and continuing heartaches that found the club lurching from one disaster to another. In this case though, suspicion and a willingness to jump to conclusions are getting a mixed together in large doses.

If the club keeps its word and these types of comments are a genuine statement on what the club is working towards then most fans will respond positively. It will be only if the current board sell a player for a substantial amount and are not seen to re-invest it that the wounds fans are still carrying from Huddlestone and Rasiak will re-open and very quickly turn nasty.

I for one will pass judgement when there is something to judge as until anything actually happens it is just jumping the gun. Manager and Board have received a real spanking from fans so far this season and frankly most have been somewhat unwarranted.

If in the medium to long term, the board and manager produce a financially stable club with a team that is capable of competing for promotion and in turn retention of Premiership status, we will all look back on this integral part of the rebuilding process in a more positive manner.

January looms as an important month for all involved.

Savage Ramblings  

If you are not one of us who have regularly been enjoying Robbie Savages light and sometimes crazy articles for Mirror Football then now is the time to jump on board.

Sav definitely has his head screwed on the right way and the articles prove he seems to understand his role as the pantomime villain and class clown. It is a role that he seems to have evolved into as much an act as it is based in reality.

His most recent article details his time at Manchester United in which for a player review he appeared on stage in front of Sir Alex as Snow White, with a certain D.Beckham as one of his dwarves.

You can catch up on the Captains madness at mirrorfootball.co.uk and if you enjoyed it as much as me I would suggest reporting back regularly for his weekly ramblings.

Speaking of ramblings…. mine ends here!

Have a great weekend, unless of course you’re a Watford player!

Photo: Action Images

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