It comes as no surprise that during the coronavirus lockdown, teams are now negotiating with players to defer payment of wages. Obviously with very little income most are struggling to pay all of their bills.
It's no great secret that most championship clubs are paying out more in salaries than they are actually accumulating through income. The quest to pursue the Premier League dream comes at a very large cost! Obviously the clubs who were relegated from the sports top division have the advantage of parachute payments.
Marquee players such as Wayne Rooney will obviously be on massive wages in comparison to youngsters who have recently graduated through the clubs academy. Indeed all the experienced professionals will be on considerably more than those who are at the start of their careers.
Derby County have as we all know placed all non playing staff on the governments furlough scheme whereas they will receive 80% of the wages due from the government. It's also been announced that the Under-18 and Under - 21 players not on professional contracts will also be furloughed.
Due to the lockdown Derby County have taken advantage of the three month extension in submitting their annual accounts.
This is no surprise as it will actually be very difficult for them to submit accurate accounts should the league revalue the stadium at less than the sale price submitted in previous accounts, but with our owner requesting players to defer 50% of wages rather than 25% it does seem to suggest that we are staring at serious problems in balancing the books.
Henry Gabay was announced as a potential investor of the club and then Michael Dell (Though it has since turned out he is expected to be considering a £30m loan) and Mel Morris has been searching for investment for many months now!
I am sure that I am not alone in worrying about our future. To be honest if we remain in the current situation for many months many clubs will struggle to keep their heads above water.
The PFA are refusing to sanction large deferrals of players wages, but if Football doesn't restart very soon, many of the players they represent may find themselves without a club to play for!
The Coronavirus Pandemic has caused chaos for the game. Whilst everyone will acknowledge the fact that lives are much much more important than sport, it could have brought the game a reality check as something like this wasn't expected or planned for!
The game is going to need a lot of common sense from all of those earning a living from it otherwise the damage will be irreversible.
Sunday, 26 April 2020
Monday, 13 April 2020
D for Docherty and Destruction
I am one of the lucky ones who as a young boy saw the great Derby sides of Clough and Taylor and then Dave Mackay. Such heights have never been reached again and the big question asked by many is where did it all go wrong?
Well the truth is not the appointment of Colin Murphy who took over from Mackay as a complete rookie in the managerial hot seat, but the man who replaced Murphy!
Firstly I have to say that Mackay's sacking was the second most stupidest act by a Derby County board being beaten only by their acceptance of the resignations of Clough and Taylor.
We were going through a tough spell and a loss of form, but there was enough class in that squad to pull through it. Mackay nearly got us to league champions gain, but an injury to Charlie George left a big hole. We had covered well in 1974-75 when Roy McFarland had missed much of the campaign through injury as Peter Daniel stepped up to deputise magnificently. George we couldn't cover for.
Charlie George made his debut at the curtain raiser of the 1975/76 season against West Ham in the Charity Shield and was a main player in the side and we looked good for another title and an FA Cup until he got injured. This left a big hole in the Derby attack and the season fizzled out.
We started slow in 1976/77 and the board made the blunder in sacking Mackay!
Mackay had inherited an excellent side that won the title for Brian Clough and Peter Taylor and made his own mark on it by signing the likes of Bruce Rioch, Francis Lee, Charlie George, Leighton James etc. He also oversaw a famous 4-1 thrashing of Real Madrid in the European Cup though due to some dubious refereeing in the return leg we went out 6-5 on aggregate. He definitely deserved much longer to get us back on track.
Just over two and a half years after winning us a second league title Mackay was gone!
Colin Murphy was appointed, though no-one believed he was going to be a long term appointment. No, Derby County were about to make their worst managerial appointment in history! Tommy Docherty!
Docherty had secured a return to the first division for Manchester United after their shock relegation and won he guided them to an FA Cup final victory.
His past at Chelsea though had raised eyebrows when dropping several players who broke a curfew the Wednesday night before a game on the Saturday. That arguably cost Chelsea the league title!
He was sacked by Manchester United for having an affair with the wife of the club physio Laurie Brown! This after promotion and an FA Cup Final win.
He was appointed as Derby manager in September 1977 and had a squad that many managers would have been envious of! Three of the back four were England internationals! It wasn't long though before our best players were going through the exit door and Docherty was signing unproven and unheard of names.
Colin Boulton the clubs greatest ever keeper was soon discarded with! To add insult to injury his replacement John Middleton not only saw the exit of Boulton but also Archie Gemmill! The most stupidest of deals ever!! To our main rivals as well!
Leighton James was swapped for Don Masson and he was eventually swapped for Steve Carter from Notts County! Leighton James to Steve Carter in two moves!
Charlie George went as did club legend Colin Todd and that one really hurt|! Just tossed away like he was any old player!
Billy Hughes has started to show some real form up front and before you knew it, he was gone to Leicester!
Absolute shambolic transfer dealings! Gerry Daly who joined us from Manchester United before Docherty arrived was unsettled as he left United to get away from him, but fortunately he stuck it out. Daly was a fine player too!
Terry Curran arrived from Forest and had some good patches of form, but he lasted a season before being sold to Southampton. He went on to better things with Sheffield Wednesday.
Docherty brought back fans favourite Rioch from Everton, but second time around wasn't the success of his first spell.
The only signing that Docherty made that proved to be a long term success was Steve Buckley, a left back signed from Luton Town. He eventually replaced club legend David Nish and evolved into one of our best No3's ever behind Nish and John Robson.
Other signings weren't a success at Derby or any other top flight side! Vic Moreland, Billy Caskey, Jon Clark and even Gordon Hill the winger who was responsible for knocking us out of the FA Cup under Mackay when he was a Manchester United player. We had gone to signing unknowns and players who simply weren't up to the job.
Docherty also brought shame on the club off the field when he tried to sue Willie Morgan and Granada TV.
Morgan was on their soccer show Kick Off and stated that Docherty was the worst manager he ever played under. Docherty took exception to this and this led to a court case lasting three days where it was concluded that in giving evidence, Docherty had told a pack of lies!
Derby fans drew a huge sigh of relief when he finally jumped ship to QPR though the damage would take years to repair and much of it was irreversible.
Well the truth is not the appointment of Colin Murphy who took over from Mackay as a complete rookie in the managerial hot seat, but the man who replaced Murphy!
Firstly I have to say that Mackay's sacking was the second most stupidest act by a Derby County board being beaten only by their acceptance of the resignations of Clough and Taylor.
We were going through a tough spell and a loss of form, but there was enough class in that squad to pull through it. Mackay nearly got us to league champions gain, but an injury to Charlie George left a big hole. We had covered well in 1974-75 when Roy McFarland had missed much of the campaign through injury as Peter Daniel stepped up to deputise magnificently. George we couldn't cover for.
Charlie George made his debut at the curtain raiser of the 1975/76 season against West Ham in the Charity Shield and was a main player in the side and we looked good for another title and an FA Cup until he got injured. This left a big hole in the Derby attack and the season fizzled out.
We started slow in 1976/77 and the board made the blunder in sacking Mackay!
Mackay had inherited an excellent side that won the title for Brian Clough and Peter Taylor and made his own mark on it by signing the likes of Bruce Rioch, Francis Lee, Charlie George, Leighton James etc. He also oversaw a famous 4-1 thrashing of Real Madrid in the European Cup though due to some dubious refereeing in the return leg we went out 6-5 on aggregate. He definitely deserved much longer to get us back on track.
Just over two and a half years after winning us a second league title Mackay was gone!
Colin Murphy was appointed, though no-one believed he was going to be a long term appointment. No, Derby County were about to make their worst managerial appointment in history! Tommy Docherty!
Docherty had secured a return to the first division for Manchester United after their shock relegation and won he guided them to an FA Cup final victory.
His past at Chelsea though had raised eyebrows when dropping several players who broke a curfew the Wednesday night before a game on the Saturday. That arguably cost Chelsea the league title!
He was sacked by Manchester United for having an affair with the wife of the club physio Laurie Brown! This after promotion and an FA Cup Final win.
He was appointed as Derby manager in September 1977 and had a squad that many managers would have been envious of! Three of the back four were England internationals! It wasn't long though before our best players were going through the exit door and Docherty was signing unproven and unheard of names.
Colin Boulton the clubs greatest ever keeper was soon discarded with! To add insult to injury his replacement John Middleton not only saw the exit of Boulton but also Archie Gemmill! The most stupidest of deals ever!! To our main rivals as well!
Leighton James was swapped for Don Masson and he was eventually swapped for Steve Carter from Notts County! Leighton James to Steve Carter in two moves!
Charlie George went as did club legend Colin Todd and that one really hurt|! Just tossed away like he was any old player!
Billy Hughes has started to show some real form up front and before you knew it, he was gone to Leicester!
Absolute shambolic transfer dealings! Gerry Daly who joined us from Manchester United before Docherty arrived was unsettled as he left United to get away from him, but fortunately he stuck it out. Daly was a fine player too!
Terry Curran arrived from Forest and had some good patches of form, but he lasted a season before being sold to Southampton. He went on to better things with Sheffield Wednesday.
Docherty brought back fans favourite Rioch from Everton, but second time around wasn't the success of his first spell.
The only signing that Docherty made that proved to be a long term success was Steve Buckley, a left back signed from Luton Town. He eventually replaced club legend David Nish and evolved into one of our best No3's ever behind Nish and John Robson.
Other signings weren't a success at Derby or any other top flight side! Vic Moreland, Billy Caskey, Jon Clark and even Gordon Hill the winger who was responsible for knocking us out of the FA Cup under Mackay when he was a Manchester United player. We had gone to signing unknowns and players who simply weren't up to the job.
Docherty also brought shame on the club off the field when he tried to sue Willie Morgan and Granada TV.
Morgan was on their soccer show Kick Off and stated that Docherty was the worst manager he ever played under. Docherty took exception to this and this led to a court case lasting three days where it was concluded that in giving evidence, Docherty had told a pack of lies!
Derby fans drew a huge sigh of relief when he finally jumped ship to QPR though the damage would take years to repair and much of it was irreversible.
Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Hands Up!
OK hands held high! I was one of those maoning about team selection last week. I felt that Sibley, Whittaker and Knight should have been with the Under-19's in the UEFA Youth League and a stronger team put out in the FA Cup v Manchester United.
Cocu proven right though with his selection as Sibley was actually suspended from the Under-19 game and played very well in the cup game.
Sunday afternoon I wasn't in a confident mood prior to the game with Blackburn. No Holmes, Lawrence or Rooney!
Enter Louie Sibley into the ten role and the rest is history. An excellent game where we destroyed Blackburn who were looking at gatecrashing the top six had they beaten us.
A fantastic 3-0 victory now sees us only five points outside that play-off zone! How crazy is this division?
Feet need to be kept on the ground this weekend though with a visit to Gary Rowett's Millwall. The Lions destroyed our near rivals last Friday night and Rowett has certainly had a decent start at The New Den.
If the game should survive the Coronavirus scores its a game where we will need to be patient and try and not succumb to the well known tactics of Rowett. He's a wily old Fox and I'm sure every single Rams fan will want to put one over on him.
Cocu proven right though with his selection as Sibley was actually suspended from the Under-19 game and played very well in the cup game.
Sunday afternoon I wasn't in a confident mood prior to the game with Blackburn. No Holmes, Lawrence or Rooney!
Enter Louie Sibley into the ten role and the rest is history. An excellent game where we destroyed Blackburn who were looking at gatecrashing the top six had they beaten us.
A fantastic 3-0 victory now sees us only five points outside that play-off zone! How crazy is this division?
Feet need to be kept on the ground this weekend though with a visit to Gary Rowett's Millwall. The Lions destroyed our near rivals last Friday night and Rowett has certainly had a decent start at The New Den.
If the game should survive the Coronavirus scores its a game where we will need to be patient and try and not succumb to the well known tactics of Rowett. He's a wily old Fox and I'm sure every single Rams fan will want to put one over on him.
Monday, 2 March 2020
Martin & Forsyth
Derby came away from Hillsborough with an impressive 1-3 victory on Saturday and again we saw another very good performance from Tom Lawrence. I have been amongst those who have been critical of him in the past, but credit where it is due and he has certainly been one of our better players in recent matches.
Max Bird again put in a very competent display playing alongside Wayne Rooney.
Whilst we aren't yet out of the chase for a top six place, I prefer to think we are lying some very good foundations for next season.
The summer will give Philip Cocu a chance to make more of his own additions to the squad though we may be limited on what we can actually spend due to P & S constraints!
Much of the talk recently has been about certain players who will be out of contract over the summer. Chris Martin is one of those! He has been the biggest bargain of a signing for what must be fifteen years or more.
Nigel Clough brought Martin to Pride Park on a free transfer from Norwich City after a thirteen game loan spell in 2012/13. He scored 25, 21 and 14 goals in his forst three seasons before being loaned out to Fulham where he hit double figures.
Unproductive loan spells at reading and Hull saw him back with us for this season and he has not only scored goals but last Saturday came up with three assists. there was many fans writing him off earlier this season and to be quite honest some comments went beyond disrespectful!
I am all for giving him at least a one year extension, but so far there has been no news of any new contract being offered.
Craig Forsyth was another Nigel Clough signing and joined us from Watford as a left sided midfielder. He was converted to Left Back and he has come back from serious injury three times now! That is the mark of a good professional.
Forsyth for me is still our best player in that position though Max Lowe is now starting to challenge that status. Both of them appear to be ahead of Scott Malone in the pecking order.
Like Chris Martin, I believe Forsyth deserves a new contract!
There are fans who will say that we should be looking to bolster the squad, but we can't guarantee that we can actually bring in players who are better than what we have already got!
To better our squad in these areas will cost big money and although Mel Morris may be wealthy, the rules will prevent him from splashing out!
We have many bright young prospects now moving on to the first team squad and the areas that need addressing appear to be goalkeeper, centre half, and a good wide man! Anything else will be a bonus! There is so much potential within the current roster of players that we may have the core of a good team already!
Max Bird again put in a very competent display playing alongside Wayne Rooney.
Whilst we aren't yet out of the chase for a top six place, I prefer to think we are lying some very good foundations for next season.
The summer will give Philip Cocu a chance to make more of his own additions to the squad though we may be limited on what we can actually spend due to P & S constraints!
Much of the talk recently has been about certain players who will be out of contract over the summer. Chris Martin is one of those! He has been the biggest bargain of a signing for what must be fifteen years or more.
Nigel Clough brought Martin to Pride Park on a free transfer from Norwich City after a thirteen game loan spell in 2012/13. He scored 25, 21 and 14 goals in his forst three seasons before being loaned out to Fulham where he hit double figures.
Unproductive loan spells at reading and Hull saw him back with us for this season and he has not only scored goals but last Saturday came up with three assists. there was many fans writing him off earlier this season and to be quite honest some comments went beyond disrespectful!
I am all for giving him at least a one year extension, but so far there has been no news of any new contract being offered.
Craig Forsyth was another Nigel Clough signing and joined us from Watford as a left sided midfielder. He was converted to Left Back and he has come back from serious injury three times now! That is the mark of a good professional.
Forsyth for me is still our best player in that position though Max Lowe is now starting to challenge that status. Both of them appear to be ahead of Scott Malone in the pecking order.
Like Chris Martin, I believe Forsyth deserves a new contract!
There are fans who will say that we should be looking to bolster the squad, but we can't guarantee that we can actually bring in players who are better than what we have already got!
To better our squad in these areas will cost big money and although Mel Morris may be wealthy, the rules will prevent him from splashing out!
We have many bright young prospects now moving on to the first team squad and the areas that need addressing appear to be goalkeeper, centre half, and a good wide man! Anything else will be a bonus! There is so much potential within the current roster of players that we may have the core of a good team already!
Tuesday, 25 February 2020
Wanted a Number One!
Swansea and Huddersfield aside our away form has been nothing short of atrocious this season. Yet at home we are top two material! How this is the reality is anyones guess, but if you are like me you'll be glad when tis season is over.
The big plusses have been Rooney and Max Bird establishing himself in the first team, but there are some gaping holes in the playing squad.
I'm sure that no one will disagree that a Goalkeeper must be the top of the shopping list during the summer! Kelle Roos has been a disaster and Ben Hamer has only been marginally better.
Now I supposed I am spoiled coming from an era when I saw the BBG's finest in Colin Boulton, but surely we can do better between the sticks.
I'm a firm believer in building from the back and when you remember such fine keepers as Boulton, Shilton, Poom, Steele, Wallington, Jones, Hoult etc. It is painful seeing are current goalkeepers struggle!
We have in Shay Given a goalkeeping coach that was one of the finest keepers of his generation, but either our men aren't bringing training ground form to the pitch or Given is banging his head against the wall.
Time after time we see our guys either dropping the ball, not coming out quick enough or getting beat at the near post!
Basics! Our keepers aren't getting the basics right! There must surely be a decent keeper out there for a reasonable fee! It's all very well that we strengthen our back four, but if the No1 isn't getting it right it'd like mending a puncture and then driving over glass.
The big plusses have been Rooney and Max Bird establishing himself in the first team, but there are some gaping holes in the playing squad.
I'm sure that no one will disagree that a Goalkeeper must be the top of the shopping list during the summer! Kelle Roos has been a disaster and Ben Hamer has only been marginally better.
Now I supposed I am spoiled coming from an era when I saw the BBG's finest in Colin Boulton, but surely we can do better between the sticks.
I'm a firm believer in building from the back and when you remember such fine keepers as Boulton, Shilton, Poom, Steele, Wallington, Jones, Hoult etc. It is painful seeing are current goalkeepers struggle!
We have in Shay Given a goalkeeping coach that was one of the finest keepers of his generation, but either our men aren't bringing training ground form to the pitch or Given is banging his head against the wall.
Time after time we see our guys either dropping the ball, not coming out quick enough or getting beat at the near post!
Basics! Our keepers aren't getting the basics right! There must surely be a decent keeper out there for a reasonable fee! It's all very well that we strengthen our back four, but if the No1 isn't getting it right it'd like mending a puncture and then driving over glass.
Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Racism Rearing it Ugly Head Again!
I had hoped to concentrate mainly on Derby's on the pitch performances this week, but once again the subject of racism has hit the headlines in the game and unfortunately Derby County are now in the thick of it!
Former player and BBC Radio Derby summariser Craig Ramage was making his usual end of match comments on Saturday and criticising our young players. He used the term "Young black lads" referring to Max Lowe and Jayden Bogle. Why oh why insert black into the conversation? Max Lowe obviously hearing the comments than went on to Instagram to rightly express his anger at what can only be seen as racist comment!
Yes they are racist comments because they were directed at certain players using their colour of skin. He could have easily made constructive criticism by using names, but chose ethnicity instead
The BBC recently broadcasted a programme that highlighted the problem of racism that still exists in the game. I see and hear it not only at professional games, but also at grass roots level where my youngest son plays.
We have well intentioned campaigns very year against racism at football league grounds, but the problem just won't got away.
Firstly the punishments are very soft! High profile footballers like Stuart Pearce and John Terry have in the past been guilty of making racist comments. Pearce now works for Talksport and Terry has a high profile job coaching at Aston Villa.
We live in a country where our Prime Minister has made many racist comments!
We had a national referendum on our membership of the European Union which brought out some of the most vile racist rants I've ever heard!
How do we address this? We may not be able to eradicate it totally, but surely in 2020 we can reduce it significantly.
Former player and BBC Radio Derby summariser Craig Ramage was making his usual end of match comments on Saturday and criticising our young players. He used the term "Young black lads" referring to Max Lowe and Jayden Bogle. Why oh why insert black into the conversation? Max Lowe obviously hearing the comments than went on to Instagram to rightly express his anger at what can only be seen as racist comment!
Yes they are racist comments because they were directed at certain players using their colour of skin. He could have easily made constructive criticism by using names, but chose ethnicity instead
The BBC recently broadcasted a programme that highlighted the problem of racism that still exists in the game. I see and hear it not only at professional games, but also at grass roots level where my youngest son plays.
We have well intentioned campaigns very year against racism at football league grounds, but the problem just won't got away.
Firstly the punishments are very soft! High profile footballers like Stuart Pearce and John Terry have in the past been guilty of making racist comments. Pearce now works for Talksport and Terry has a high profile job coaching at Aston Villa.
We live in a country where our Prime Minister has made many racist comments!
We had a national referendum on our membership of the European Union which brought out some of the most vile racist rants I've ever heard!
How do we address this? We may not be able to eradicate it totally, but surely in 2020 we can reduce it significantly.
Friday, 31 January 2020
Back with a Bang!
Whilst most clubs were conducting transfer deadline day business, Derby we're handing a recently rejuvenated Stoke City a real pasting under the lights, and in in front of the cameras at pride Park last night!
This was our best performance of the season and whilst it's wise not to get carried away, I think most Rams fans would have gone home very happy!
The whole side from Ben Hamer in goal to Chris Martin up front played their part!
I was particularly pleased for Chris Martin who had been written off by many on social media as past it! He certainly isn't and once again he weighed in with a goal! He cost us nothing in transfer fees and has always given his best in a Derby County shirt!
Martyn Waghorn though not quite hitting the levels of last season maintained his place at the top of the Rams score charts with the opener. His work rate was very impressive too!
Wayne Rooney rolled back the years with his perfectly taken free kick to score in the second successive game and once again was the controlling force in midfield.
Jayden Bogle showed his attacking credentials with a brilliant goal to put us four goals up!
Every single player had a good game, but for me the best out there was Duane Holmes! Always busy and looking to be an absolute bargain of a signing!
I have said it is impossible to make an accurate judgement on Philip Cocu as a manager due to the fact that he has had very little cash to splash, but every Derby County fan will want him to do well.
We failed to add to the first team squad during this window, but past January's have seen some dreadful business! We may not be promotion bound, but there's long talent within the squad and with a few clever tweaks in the summer, we might just have a team capable going for a top six place again!
Yes I am as fickle as the next fan! I have been very critical of the team, but it has proved that it can deliver and not wanting to get carried away, but we are only seven points from sixth place! The dreaded away form being our downfall!
We have another busy week ahead with the FA Cup 4th Round Replay against Northampton on Tuesday night and then a trip top South Wales to face Swansea on Saturday.
We didn't play well at The Sixfields, but I'm sure a certain Mr Rooney will be fired up to make progress with a trip to his former club at Old Trafford being the carrot!
This was our best performance of the season and whilst it's wise not to get carried away, I think most Rams fans would have gone home very happy!
The whole side from Ben Hamer in goal to Chris Martin up front played their part!
I was particularly pleased for Chris Martin who had been written off by many on social media as past it! He certainly isn't and once again he weighed in with a goal! He cost us nothing in transfer fees and has always given his best in a Derby County shirt!
Martyn Waghorn though not quite hitting the levels of last season maintained his place at the top of the Rams score charts with the opener. His work rate was very impressive too!
Wayne Rooney rolled back the years with his perfectly taken free kick to score in the second successive game and once again was the controlling force in midfield.
Jayden Bogle showed his attacking credentials with a brilliant goal to put us four goals up!
Every single player had a good game, but for me the best out there was Duane Holmes! Always busy and looking to be an absolute bargain of a signing!
I have said it is impossible to make an accurate judgement on Philip Cocu as a manager due to the fact that he has had very little cash to splash, but every Derby County fan will want him to do well.
We failed to add to the first team squad during this window, but past January's have seen some dreadful business! We may not be promotion bound, but there's long talent within the squad and with a few clever tweaks in the summer, we might just have a team capable going for a top six place again!
Yes I am as fickle as the next fan! I have been very critical of the team, but it has proved that it can deliver and not wanting to get carried away, but we are only seven points from sixth place! The dreaded away form being our downfall!
We have another busy week ahead with the FA Cup 4th Round Replay against Northampton on Tuesday night and then a trip top South Wales to face Swansea on Saturday.
We didn't play well at The Sixfields, but I'm sure a certain Mr Rooney will be fired up to make progress with a trip to his former club at Old Trafford being the carrot!
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