Transfer deadline day saw Derby’s top scorer heading to London and the Rams relying on the loan market to fill the gap.

It was a slow day at Pride Park Stadium in comparison to several other Championship clubs doing business - and Rams fans have now lost top scorer Rob Hulse to Championship rivals QPR. No fee has been disclosed.

Rangers also landed ex-Ram Tommy Smith so have signed proven forwards to bolster their promotion bid. If the club stays stable and Warnock gets them battling all season like they did at Pride Park Stadium last Saturday, they could well go all the way.

It will be hard for Derby fans not to feel like poor relations at this time. Memories of the deadline day departures of Tom Huddlestone and Grzegorz Rasiak in the bad old days of the Amigos might nag in some minds.

The Hulse deal appeared to go down to the wire and remained ‘subject to FA approval’ as reported on Radio Derby an hour after the deadline of 6.00 pm on Monday evening.

Rob is therefore reunited with his old boss from his Blades’ days, as Neil Warnock swooped to secure Hulse’s services for the ambitious Loftus Road club. They are top of the League and continued to strengthen their squad, signing ex-Ram Tommy Smith as well.

Selling Hulse at over 30 years of age and in the last year of his contract was sensible business, even if he did go for a fraction of the £4m offered by Middlesbrough a year ago.

RamZoners will be disappointed to see the centre-forward leave but he has been a good servant to the Rams, albeit rather more injury-plagued than anticipated (who isn’t at Derby?) and he will no doubt continue to knock goals in at a regular rate.

Derby found a replacement; they took 22-year old Spanish forward Alberto Bueno from Real Vallidod on a season-long loan. He looks to be a technically-accomplished striker and if he stays fit and adapts to the hurly-burly of the English Championship, could become a crowd favourite at Pride Park Stadium.

With the loan departure of Luke Varney to Premier League Blackpool last week and now the sale of Hulse to QPR, Derby have freed up significant wage funds, which Nigel Clough must be allowed to utilise.

Derby also allowed young defender Arnaud Mendy to move on loan to Tranmere Rovers until January 2011. The loan transfer system kicks in next week - and fans will expect the club to further reinforce their squad.

Whether Clough will pursue other targets such as Ben Davies and Danny Green, or Everton’s James Vaughan, and others on loan, we will have to wait and see what transpires when the management returns from the training break in Marbella.

Injury absences have again made any consistency of team selection impossible for Nigel Clough. Whilst performances show some pleasing signs and a reasonable togetherness, points have been hard to come by and need to be gathered at a faster rate if discomfort in the lower reaches of the Championship table is to be avoided for the third season in a row.

The reliance on other clubs allowing surplus players out on loan is hazardous and temporary and does not fulfil the declared philosophy of building a side that grows together and becomes ready for promotion and then Premier League duty.

Rams fans acknowledge that housekeeping and wage-slashing had to follow the lavish and long contracts awarded to some very ordinary players by Billy Davies and especially Paul Jewell and Clough has had to undertake more than one substantial squad clearout during his time so far at Derby.

With the wage bill under control, some substance and permanence to the squad will be expected during this season. Another patched-up team featuring a mixture of itinerants whilst struggling to exceed 50 Championship points would not encourage those several thousand fans currently exercising caution and economy.

What’s good for the goose...some have decided - and they’ve kept their money firmly in their pockets, as have GSE’s ‘partners’ regarding serious investment  in the squad; they are steering clear of the stadium until something exciting happens.

Loans don’t excite supporters even if they are a necessity of prudence. Players who come on loan are eying match-fitness and a place in their parent club’s first team squad, a way back from the wilderness of the reserves. Injury rehabs are the most mistrusted temporary recruits where fans are concerned.

It’s not that some won’t give honest effort when on loan but they are often inconsistent, ineffective, and unable to sustain fitness. Many add little to the host club’s season even if they go back ‘home’ in better shape to challenge for first team duty.

Clubs like Derby that (through financial choice) utilise the loan market to make up half their team are at the mercy of availability from parent clubs. They can also suffer sudden squad depletion when a parent club recalls the loanee due to (for instance) an injury crisis at their own club.

The Rams landed forwards David Martin from Millwall and Polish forward Tomasz Cwyka during the close season after promising loan spells late last season. Let’s hope that Alberto can make an impact to get among the goals for the Rams this season and add another dimension to the Rams’ attacking options.

Photo: Action Images

dave added 16:13 - Sep 1 im sick to death with it i said before ive stopped going to slide park im totally f***ing hurt and embarrased about the downfall of derby if i had a wand id go back thirty years and choose another team to support THATS WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE NEW GENERATION we were a top ten side when i started supporting biggest mistake of my life my local pub looks harder for players than this sack of shite. like many others i was glued to skysports yesterday hoping hulse would stay or that derby would come up trumps and sign le fondre, although deep down i thought that one was to much to ask those tight b******s at the GSE . please no matter how well we play in the games until the next transfer window in january MAKE A RACKET AT SLIDE PARK PROTEST IF YOU WANT TO SEE A SIDE CAPEABLE OF BEING THE BEST IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

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