Some fans were in favour whilst others weren't and some of the negative comments were quite derogatory to say the very least! This for a man who has been our best striker many times.
Martin originally arrived on loan when Nigel Clough was in the managerial hot seat and played thirteen games scoring a couple of goals. His performances were steady but not spectacular.
Martin became a full transfer prior to the commencement of the 2013/14 season and it he was signed on a free transfer from Norwich City. I for one really didn't know what to expect from him, but in those days we usually bought from the bargain basement.
To say his first full season was good would be massively understating it! In fifty one official appearances he managed to rack up twenty five goals! He had started well under Clough and when Steve McClaren took over, he flourished! Not only did Martin come up with the goals but he also had a hand in setting up players for many more! He got noticed for his hold up play and he showed he could also take a pretty mean free kick too!
the following season he grabbed twenty one goals in forty two games and the year after fifteen in forty nine games. Obviously these figures include cop games and play offs.
After McClaren and then Paul Clement had come and gone, Nigel Pearson took the reins and we entered a period with some of the worst football I've ever seen by Derby County sides. Pearson signed Matej Vydra who I'm convinced would thrive playing off Martin like he did with Troy Deeney at Watford, but Pearson let Martin go out on loan!
Vydra struggled in the loan striker role and wasn't a success til the next season when he played alongside David Nugent, but Martin had started well at Fulham.
There's many figures banded about and some suggest a hefty loan fee was paid by the Cottagers for Martin's services. He seemed happy and settled and then things changed!
Fulham had been given an option to buy Martin at the end of the loan spell. I believe they would have bought him too had it not been for one thing! Steve McClaren was starting a second spell in charge of The Rams! He didn't waste any time in stating that he wanted Chris Martin back at Pride Park!
Obviously this didn't go down too well with the Fulham hierarchy who dug their heels in and kept Martin for the remainder of the season despite McClaren persuading him to extend his Derby contract! Not the greatest lesson of diplomacy!
McClaren was dismissed for a second time before he got the chance to use a returning Martin and Martin himself was frozen out of the first team squad for two seasons.
Two unproductive loan spells at Reading and Hull City followed and his goals return was very low! Now whether it was because those sides weren't playing him in his familiar role or the fact he was fighting colitis I don't know! Its a horrible disease and would certainly have a bearing on his physical output.
Philip Cocu gave Martin a chance this season to stake a claim for a team place and he has grabbed the chance! He's not going to score twenty goals but he is beginning to look more like the Chris Martin the Derby fans love. He has scored late goals against both Leeds and Forest which will always go down well and he's proving himself to be an asset to the club again.
Being out of contract when this season finally ends leaved us all wondering what will the next episode bring. I'm hopeful that something can be sorted out by the club and the player that means he will still be a Derby County player next season.
In my opinion this free transfer has been one of our best pieces of business in the last fifteen years!
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