Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Where did it all go wrong? Whilst this is the title of a massively under-rated Oasis song, it is also a phrase that can be applied to Derby County’s run of form at the minute. Last month I wrote a mid-season report about The Rams and the topsy-turvy nature of the season already. Back then though they were doing well and were about to destroy bottom of the league Coventry 1-0 with a late goal at Pride Park, and in turn make it 5 wins in a row. Seven matches have been and gone since then and precisely 0 games have been won.  

Let us first discuss last night’s game against Leicester. I got off the train at 19:26 and headed towards Radio Derby. On my way I passed many people decked out in the black and white. As a punctual kind of guy my first thoughts were ‘you’re going to miss kick-off’ but then thoughts turned elsewhere. These people looked happy and optimistic (it’s amazing how much you can tell from someone after only viewing them for 3 seconds) and that surprised me. Looking at all the facts, there was absolutely no reason to be optimistic ahead of the match, but football has a tendency to bring out strange feelings and unnecessary optimism. In the failed Premier League season of 2007-08 my brother Chris, who shall remain unnamed, predicted a Derby victory before every single game. Look on the positive side, at least his prediction came true once.

Last night the optimism of one fan drained after 20 minutes. He rang the studio on his way out to say that he had left the ground and wouldn’t be renewing his season ticket. It was the sort of performance that induced pure irrationalism, and I have been known to do similar things on Football Manager, so I sympathised. Derby were worse than very average.

The decision to bring in Tom Carroll on loan and send Miles Addison out on loan to Bournemouth evoked confusion and despair. The decision to bring in Tom Carroll and keep ignoring Chris Maguire (a long term transfer target that simply never plays) evoked confusion and despair. Poor Tom Carroll appears to evoke confusion and despair, through no fault of his own. At a time when Gareth Roberts is the only left back and the now injured John Brayford is the only proper right-back, it seems strange that it was a midfielder Clough used the loan market for. The centre midfielders that have played the majority of the season, Craig Bryson and Jeff Hendrick, whilst both being very solid Championship players, are much of the same. Were one of them to play alongside an Inigo Idiakez type player then things would probably be different.

The strikers are as shy in front of goal as I am around females, and between you and me, you aren’t going to score with that attitude. Two goals in the last seven matches tells its own story. When was the last time Derby had an out and out goalscorer that the opposition feared? Leicester Reserves’ Steve Howard I do believe. Callum Ball has a decent future by the looks of it, Theo Robinson not so much, and it remains to be seen whether Nathan Tyson can stay fit long enough to even form an opinion. The return of Steve Davies offers a glimmer of hope as he has quality, but he simply does not play enough games (although I accept it doesn’t help when you’ve had your skull bashed in).

It is no secret that finances at Derby are very tight. Clough cannot ‘do a Leicester’ and attract high quality players for large money and wages in an attempt to try and buy promotion. His hands are tied in that sense, yet the unpoplular owners, GSE, who restrict these dealings may become more popular in future years if/when more football clubs (Rangers, Portsmouth etc) get into huge trouble for spending way beyond their means. Derby will emerge as a healthy club as a result of the scrutinised running, and despite what anyone says, it is better that there is a team to support than none at all.

In-depth studies into football finances state that the team with the highest wage bill should finish top, and the one with the lowest should finish bottom; any manager that takes their team to a higher placed finish than their wage bills is overachieving.  I find it hard to believe that a club of Derby’s size has a wage bill that is less than 18 other (based on last seasons finish) Championship teams, so on that basis Clough is underachieving*, and that is a view the majority will agree with However, it is about realism. Derby should be finishing higher than 19^th in the league, ABSOLUTELY, but they should not be shoe-ins for promotion every season just because they are heavily supported and won the league twice in the 70’s. A top half finish would be a realistic expectation at this point in the life of Derby County.

Clough has to deal with unrealistic expectations from many Derby fans, but their criticisms of the way Derby’s form fluctuates and declines so rapidly every season is a valid one. The way his team performs so inadequately for large parts of the season is not down to finance, but poor motivational and tactical skills. I suspect Derby are not going to get relegated this season, and they are 6 points better off than they were last season, but this season stinks of missed opportunities. A tweet last night read: “Derby were once a team to be proud of, but not anymore. Clough has got to go”. It is certainly a hot topic of debate. Does Clough have to go? Or will these violent swings in form deteriorate over time?

I started with an Oasis song, so i’ll end on a Take That song. Things can only get better. Surely?

*If it turns out that Derby’s wage bill is actually only 19^th highest in the league then this argument I have is wrong and I am happy to accept that

The Big One...

For those with a DE or NG postcode, Sunday’s match between Derby County and Nottingham Forest is the biggest match of the season. Live in front of a national television audience, the match has finally got recognition for what is usually a full-blooded and drama fuelled game (Stuart Atwell anyone?). City v United, Arsenal v Tottenham, Newcastle v Sunderland, Everton v Liverpool (I could go on, I really could. I have a list of all the world’s local derbies on my living room wall) are no different passion wise to the East Midland’s affair (and no Leicester, we do not care about you).

The difference with this game is that Derby are going into it as favourites. In previous years, a Nottingham Forest team led by Billy Davies were predominantly the better team and the ones with aspirations for higher glories. Now, after departing with Steve Mclaren, and welcoming (not sure many did welcome him, but hey ho) Steve Cotterill, Forest find themselves firmly in the middle of Struggle Street without a map to help them get off it. Few could have imagined Forest’s season would turn out so disastrously when they were 1 goal up and 1 man up against Derby with 88 minutes left to play at the City Ground in mid September. The comeback from Derby may well have been a hammer blow for the Reds. In previous years, such a thing would simply not have happened.

Derby on the other hand have eyes set on the playoffs. If it wasn’t for 3-2 defeat at Barnsley midweek they’d have entered the game in formidable form. They hadn’t conceded in 4 league matches, and were unbeaten in 6 (Ok, maybe not formidable when compared to other great records, but for Derby, that was pretty special form). They know how to grind matches out, unlike Forest who know how not to defend, and how not to score.

So on paper, Derby with home advantage look to be absolute certainties to win the A52 derby, and with it the Brian Clough Cup, but we all know that football is not played on paper. Form goes out the window for local derbies. I thought I’d dedicate this paragraph to footballing clichés, but I’ve ran out now, so let’s move on.

Former Derby man Danny Higginbotham joined Forest on loan in the week, and it is hoped he can do something about Forest’s terrible defence (a defence made weaker by the sale of Wes Morgan to Leicester). How the Forest fans must be hoping for the old ‘score against your old team’ piece of luck to be on their side.

Lee Camp cuts a very unpopular figure amongst the Derby faithful. Derby born and bred, he has done much to distance himself from his past. As well as saving a penalty late on for Forest (as a loan player) against Derby at Pride Park in 2008 and celebrating like a mad man, he struts around the pitch walking as if he has a roll of carpet under each arm. He has not been the most popular man on the banks of the Trent this season either after many poor performances, linked to him being unhappy at not getting a Premier League move to Swansea in the summer. His suggestion that Forest v Leicester is a bigger match than Forest v Derby also irked fans from both teams. Such suggestions come under the category of ‘bullshine’.

Up front, Forest look bereft of ideas. Unlike in previous years when they had Robbie Earnshaw and Dexter Blackstock banging goals in, they now rely on Ishmael Miller, who hasn’t hit it off at Forest, the very average Marlon Harewood, and Marcus Tudgay who is short of goals. Whether Blackstock can return to the form he had before his horrific injury and save them remains to be seen. A Burnley supporting friend of mine went to the City Ground midweek and gave me a report of “they’re a shower of shite mate”. That tells you more than any analysis I can give you.

For Derby, defence has been key. Fielding (no pun intended) a first choice back 5 of Fielding, Brayford, Shackell, Barker and Roberts, the Rams have been nothing but solid in recent games (forgetting Barnsley). Attacking wise they lack that cutting edge though. Callum Ball has emerged as a very bright prospect, and Theo Robinson will score 1 in every 35 chances but it could be a fit again Nathan Tyson that emerges as a match winner on Sunday against his former club.

It’s a match in which evokes pure dislike, but both sets of fans have been united on Twitter this week after a young Nottingham chav wrote for his wish for Forest fans to repeat the scenes in Egypt this week by ‘killing the sheepshaggers on Sunday’. He responded to fans from both sides telling him what a plonker he is by telling them they either had AIDS, or that he'd been with their mother the previous night. Seems like a character. You may not be surprised to know the police are involved, just a shame the hangman isn't.

Predictions... Lee Camp to be booed excessively by the home fans, Nathan Tyson to be booed excessively by the away fans, a cracking atmosphere and a few goals.

I’ve tried to write the article without indicating where my loyalties lie (even though 99% of you reading this will already know), so i’m ditching my objectiveness now...COME ON YOU RAMS!

Role Models.

Yesterday’s tennis match, perhaps the greatest one i’ve ever seen (Federer v Nadal in the Wimbledon final of 2008 comes close), showed not only what great athletes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are, but what great people they are as well.

Contrast that to the news today that footballer Lee Hughes has been charged with sexual assault. Maybe his stupid goal celebration was not enough to charm this particular lady he was after. Add this to his 6 year prison sentence for killing a man through dangerous driving, and then running off afterwards, and you realise that this is not a man who kids should be idolising. He will probably be idolised by murderers in jail for his footballing ability, but who cares about that.

John Terry, the England captain, cheated on his wife with his mates ex-girlfriend. He’s also been involved in other misdemeanours, including the current racism trial he is embroiled in. In my opinion, this is not the sort of person children should be looking up to. Likewise, Ashley Cole. Someone who cheats on Cheryl Cole should not be appreciated by anyone, for they clearly have faulty judgement. There are many other footballers that can come into this category (and yes, there are good role model footballers too).

In rugby, the gentlemen’s game (where gentlemen beat each other up and stand on people when they are on the floor), Delon Armitage has today been arrested for assault. Earlier in the month, Danny Care was stopped by police for drink-driving. He will not be considered for selection for some time for the England squad, and his club side Harlequins have made him take part in community projects, as well as fining him. A punishment, but parents of children who idolise the Englishman must be distraught at the damage this has done.

It’s not straight forward; these sport stars do not ask to be role models. Before they became famous they were normal people (I assume), and normal people do bad things (I once forgot all about Mothers Day). Their roles however mean they perform in front of millions of people, and with roles come responsibilities (as i’ve been told numerous times in my life). Young children are so easily influenced by their idols, it is dangerous. Obviously many will grow up and realise that those they used to adore were idiots, but some will see their actions and believe it is ok to do such things. They will grow up drink driving, assaulting women, cheating on their partners, and killing people in car crashes (perhaps not all at once).

So, back to my opening paragraph, and back to a happier note. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (include Roger Federer in this as well if you like) are some of the top sporting stars in the world, and will go down in history as sporting greats. When was the last time you saw one of the three in the papers for doing something scandalous? They have devoted their lives to being the best at their sport, but win, lose, or draw, they are gracious, free of scandal, family orientated and respectful. Before they say anything about their usually incredible performances, they acknowledge the other player and their team.

At a young age Uncle Tony, Nadal’s coach (and Uncle!), installed into the Spaniard that it is more important to be a good person than a good tennis player. Evidence suggests he has done pretty well at both. Children that grow up with Nadal, Djokovic and Federer as their idols will stand a good chance of turning into decent human beings and play their sport in the correct way. Other sports stars (and me when playing FIFA) will do well to look at these three and try and conduct themselves in a similar manner.

The Curious Case of Andy Murray

So it will be the Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open this Sunday, after the world number 1 saw off a great Andy Murray performance this afternoon (night, if you happen to be reading this in Australia).

I have been vocal in the past in dismissing Andy Murray as a genuine Grand Slam winner. “He’ll never win a Grand Slam” I’d say to anyone who would listen (usually one or two people, MAX). However, his performance today made me question my view. He isn’t going to win the Australian Open (obviously), but if he can perform like he did for the best part of 3 sets today in future tournaments, i’ll probably be eating my words. 

Novak Djokovic is super human at the minute. It wouldn’t surprise me if in future he is talked about with the same esteem as Batman, Superman, and Crocodile Dundee (amongst other superheroes). His defence today was unnatural; returning balls that he had absolutely no right to even get close to. The only thing that can stop him is probably a restraining order against the tennis ball, but it would be a strange move by the courts (no pun intended) to allow such a thing. Andy Murray’s defence wasn’t too shabby either though. These two slugged it out numerous times in almost 30 shot rallies. Winners were aplenty, as were poor challenges.

I said to my friend in the gym during the first set “Looks like Novak’s going to do this one easily” and he agreed. Then after getting fed up of inflicting unnecessary pain upon my biceps I walked home to find Murray in control of the 2^nd set.

The third set lasted as long as a football match. They were breaking each other for fun (but more likely to try and win the match) and one thought kept going through my head. “Murray is like Youtube. He’ll get ahead, and then the little circular thing that moves along by the second will catch up with that grey bar that shows how much has loaded, and hey presto, he’s buffering”. Murray often broke or played an incredible shot, before Djokovic replied spectacularly to regain the edge. He could never seem to keep ahead for long. That’s the point i’m trying to express.

Anyway, Murray overcame the buffering problems (much like I did when trying to watch a film on Youtube yesterday) and took the third set.

The fourth set was a bit of a disaster for the Scottish Andy Murray, so i’ll take you straight to the fifth set. Djokovic was serving for the match at 5-2, I tweeted something about Murray bottling it, and then he broke back, to show that I know NOTHING about sport. Murray found some energy, and his quality returned. It was squeaky bum time from here on in (or squeaky bumhole as one of my non-sporty friends once mistakenly said).

Djokovic prevailed, but Murray can be proud of his performance. If he was playing Federer today, he would have won fairly easily in my opinion. He might have even scraped past Nadal too. But this Serbian chap; he’s special. If Djokovic plays to his very best in at least 3 sets, he will win the match. Murray made him play that well this afternoon. One day though, he might only play to 95%, and that’s when someone will have a slim chance.

Some (me) will say Murray is a bottler. In the past he has been, without doubt. His quest for a Grand Slam still eludes him. It wasn’t bottle that lost the match for Murray today though, it was simply that he came up against a better opponent. Murray and Djokovic have always been close in the rankings, and years ago it was a question of which one would take the bull by its horns and kick on (don’t try this at home/in a field). Novak (i’m not actually on first name terms with him) has done that spectacularly.

With this new coach of Murray’s though, Ivan Lendl, it looks as if he is now also gearing up to kick on. If he does, people can stop using the excuse of “He’s unfortunate to play in an era of 3 greats”, and start saying “This era of tennis is fantastic, with the 4 greats we have on show”.

Today was a great day for tennis. One of the all time great matches; an epic. Novak Djovokic proved why he is the best in the world, and Murray proved why, one day, he CAN win a Grand Slam. Somewhere in a hotel room in Melbourne, Rafael Nadal will be overjoyed that Djokovic was pushed to his mental and physical limits today. Either that, or he’ll just be asleep.

How to solve a problem like Wigan...

Ever since the start of last season, I have been one wishing defeats against Wigan. Primarily because I had money on them to be relegated. “Their time of overachieving must come to an end” I said to myself, in a less sinister way than it probably sounds. Fast forward then to the end of last season, and Wigan defy the odds and win away at Stoke to escape the bottom 3, after paying a seasons worth of rent to the relegation zone. I lost my money, and I lost my temper. “They’ve got no fans! They don’t deserve to be there!” I remember saying, in a strop at 5pm on Survival Sunday. This view has been echoed by many recently, so, how do we solve a problem like Wigan?

Last night 16,026 turned up to see Wigan v Man City. Over 5,000 of these fans were affiliated to City, meaning just the 11,000 home fans. 9,000 tickets in the home end(s) went unsold, for a local match against top of the league. I’m almost done with numbers, so bare with me. They average 16,056 per game, and as a percentage that is just 63% of the ground that is filled.

Joey Barton took time away from being controversial and moaning about a red card, to make a good point on Twitter. "Wigan should give surplus tickets to local schools or kids homes or something. Better than having plastic chairs IMO!! Or 2 for 1 tickets". For those of you not familiar with internet/text abbreviations, IMO = In my opinion. It's vital the club try and convert the youngsters into Wigan fans, before they are abducted by rugby league.

Barton wasn’t the only one tweeting about the plastic chairs on show though. “Fancy dress at Wigan tonight. Fans turning up as empty seats” was a popular tweet. I smiled at the first one, but by the 127^th I knew what the punchline was. I got an overwhelming sense that people were angry that Wigan were in the Premier League, purely based on their lack of support.

There are teams in the lower leagues that could attract well over 30,000 a week if they returned to the top flight. Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County being casing points. Derby sold out their ground more or less every week in the 2007-08 season and got a mighty 11 points. So did they bring more (i’m talking metaphorically now rather than literally) to the Premier League than Wigan? Well, they signed some greats of the game, such as Claude Davis, Benny Feilhaber and Roy Carroll, whilst Wigan have only managed to attract the likes of Antonio Valencia, Huge Rodallega and Victor Moses (who was tipped to go to Barcelona, amongst others).

The Latics have done everything right on the pitch since they reached the Promised Land, and credit must go to Dave Whelan for his wise running of the club. Whether you like it or not (and I certainly didn’t like it last season), Wigan deserve to be in the Premier League because they’ve consistently been better than at least 3 other clubs. I suppose we could apply for a new ruling that states that only the best supported teams can be in the Premier League, but that sort of notion thankfully died out in 1945. Just imagine if Wigan filled their stadium every week. More income, more money to go towards players and wages. The likes of Emile Heskey would be flocking back to Lancashire, and the Manchester teams would probably (but almost certainly not) be looking over their shoulders, nervously...

Wigan is a town. A town famous for pies and rugby league. More fans turn up to watch Wigan Warriors than Wigan Athletic. In fact, in 2011 the Warriors smashed all sorts of attendance records for the sport. To put it simply, the people of Wigan would rather watch 20stone men run into each other at speed, than watch 22 people run around a pitch kicking a ”bag of wind” (this particular phrase was used as an insult to the game of football by an old friend of mine).

So yes, it would be lovely, if, when watching Wigan on television, we’d see the faces of some lovely Lancastrians’, instead of thousands of faded blue and red seats, but it’s important that we try not to discriminate against the actual Wigan team, and those that do turn up. Currently, they deserve to be in the Premier League more than the 72 teams below them. So to conclude, there is no problem to solve, and it’s much easier saying that when you have invested no money and are not wishing defeat on them every week. 

A 50th Minute Report on Derby's season.

With just over half the season gone, Derby currently sit 10^th in the Championship, on the back of 5 wins out of 6 in all competitions. It has already resembled a rollercoaster of emotions for the club though; a rollercoaster that has showcased the fickle nature of football fans.

A great start to the season saw the Rams win their first 4 league matches. Fans were ringing up Radio Derby expressing their delight at having Brian Clough’s son in charge.  Fans relief at sticking with Nigel Clough through the previous 3 years of poor times poured on to the airwaves. People were even talking about the dreaded ‘P’ word, despite the fact it was early enough in the season to get a suntan on Blackpool beach.

Then, as with previous seasons, came the sticky patch. Five straight league defeats in November woke the moaners up from their hibernation. Anger and petulance replaced relief from fans on the airwaves.  “Nige isn’t his fathers son. Get rid of him before it’s too late” is the sort of phrase that wouldn’t look out of place on a Jeremy Kyle show, but it was in fact the view of one Derby fan. Others were equally as damning, but they stayed away from bringing genetics into it. A Tottenham fan even waded in to the Nigel Clough bashing. “I live in the area and I feel so sorry for Derby fans. They’ve put up with so much rubbish for so long now. It’s not fair. They’re great people and deserve so much better than the tripe they’re getting”.

Transport yourself to late December. Santa has been, and the rollercoaster is emerging from the lowest depth of its course so far. Back-to-back home wins against high flying Leeds and West Ham cause giddy excitement. An away win at Hull in the new year sends fans dizzy with delirium. A home win against Palace in the FA Cup delights the 10,000 that turned up to watch, but makes others wish it was a league match whilst the team are in good form.

The moaners returned to the burrows. The airwaves opened to those wanted to portray Nigel Clough as the next Jose Mourinho (for the record, that didn’t happen, but you get the point). The good form coincided with the return from injury of key players; something that Clough has been robbed of for so long during his spell as manager.

Shaun Barker has formed a solid partnership with Jason Shackell at centre back, and John Brayford and Gareth Roberts have been in impressive form in front of Frank Fielding. Other key players have returned, such as Paul Green and James Bailey. The emergence of young striker Callum Ball has also been a positive for the Rams, scoring against Bristol City and a cracker against West Ham.

So Derby look to be on the up again, but even the most optimistic of fans will have a handbook locked away in a drawer somewhere, informing them of how many Derby fans deal with disastrous runs. 1) Boo excessively 2) Shout obscenities at players when they misplaces a pass (don’t forget to tell them they’re not fit to wear the shirt, too). 3) Start calling for Clough to leave 4) Ring up Radio Derby and rant about everything bad in the world. To the best of my knowledge, this book has not been published, but it is an insight into how things work for the moaners.

Where can it go wrong then? Bottom side Coventry visit Pride Park on Saturday. Short of form, short of good players, and short of fans. Were this match taking place on Football Manager, the pre-match teamtalk would be ‘Don’t get complacent out there!’. The Rams need to keep playing as they are and hope for an injury free run to key players. Fans also need to stay calm and positive. Whilst at Derby, Robbie Savage remarked that it can be unpleasant playing at Pride Park when things are going wrong, because of the negativity of some fans. Derby are the second best supported team in the Championship - behind West Ham - with an average attendance of over 26,000. So when it goes wrong, as it has so often in recent years, there are plenty there to witness it. But when things are going right, there are even more there.

This season now should be one in which they do not flirt with relegation, but instead time they started on the road to becoming like their next FA Cup opponents, Stoke (without the long ball), rather than next league opponents, Coventry. The angry Tottenham fan has a point; Derby fans do deserve better, but you never know, that might be just around the corner...

RIP Gary Speed

I usually try to make anything I write interesting. Try being the main word. You can’t fault a try-er. Much has been said about Gary Speed, but here’s my little take on the situation I found myself in this afternoon.

I was walking by Bramall Lane on my way to interview some people at a homeless shelter (I know, what a joyful day), and saw a shrine in the main car park. A shrine I have seen pictures of on the internet. I popped by to see it for myself. I took the picture below.

The shrine starts at one statue (Joe Shaw) and finishes at another (Derek Hooley). It’s about 10m long. I took my headphones out my ears and started viewing the tributes from one end. Flowers, pictures, shirts, scarves.  It’s very rare I get a lump in my throat (apart from the constant one that is my Adams apple), but on this occasion I did. It was deftly silent. The rain had soaked many items through, but the messages and colour still stood out.

I was then joined  by a middle aged woman, a teenager, and an old couple who replaced some old flowers with a new bunch. Then a mother and her son turned up. Her son was about 8 and he had an a4 sheet of paper with a photo of Gary Speed on it. On it he had written “Sleep tight with the angels Gary. I’ll miss you”. The moment was ruined slightly when the sheet blew off. At 8 years old one would imagine someone would be aware that paper blows away in wind, but, it was no problem. His mum weighted it down with a bunch of flowers and called her son a wally.

Sheffield United items led the way, but also on show were Newcastle shirts, Leeds shirts and Sheffield Wednesday scarves. Any other time, these items would have probably been urinated or spat on.  Not on this occasion.

On my way out I passed a vessel who goes to the gym I go to. He's a security man for Sheffield Hallam University and is the biggest man to go in the gym. When he comes in, I quickly go out, because he puts what I can lift to shame. He has a shaved head, tattoo’s all over, and has enough muscle to rival Fatima Whitbread. You simply do not mess with his type. He turned up to the shrine with his young daughter to pay his respects. He’s a Sheffield Wednesday fan.

I brushed shoulders with Gary Speed at Pride Park in September for the John Hartson charity match. I was armed with a FlashMic ready to interview all the famous people, but I was too star struck to say anything to him. He stood out.

I’ll never forget the Sunday just gone. Never before has the death of a famous person got to me, but this one did. It ruined my Sunday.

RIP Gary Speed.