I can't speak for every supporter of Derby County Football Club obviously but, right now, I'm finding it very frustrating being a Rams fan.

After last season's heroics, I'm not used to witnessing the Rams get totally over-powered and out-played by their opponent's on the football pitch, or to seeing Derby County sitting 2nd bottom of the league table.  Both of those are currently the situation we find ourselves in and it's not a nice place to be.

After good performances against Portsmouth and Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur thrashed us 4-0 at White Hart Lane to provide Derby County with an all too stark reality check about life in the Premier League.  After going 3-0 down in the opening quarter of an hour it could, I suppose, have been so much worse.

But that's little comfort when Billy Davies admits after the game that the players failed to execute the instructions they'd been given all week and, particularly, just before the game.  Last season Derby County's planning and preparation was meticulous and, according to many of the players, the main reason we defeated West Bromwich Albion in the playoff final.  Such instructions from Billy Davies, Ned Kelly, and the rest of the backroom staff need to be listened to and acted upon.

Having said that, a slow start to a football match shouldn't have come as such a surprise because Derby County were notoriously slow starters to football matches last season.  I could point to numerous examples but I'll pick just two - the playoff semi-final 1st leg at Southampton and the playoff final itself.  At St. Mary's, the Rams weren't at the races in the early exchanges and it took Andrew Surnam's early wonder strike to wake us up.  At Wembley, West Brom were the better team and for the first ten minutes or so and penned us back in our own half.  Team spirit and determination, once we'd warmed up and got ourselves a foothold in football matches, pulled us through in the Championship - but, as Spurs so clinically proved, make a slow start in Premier League football matches and we're in real danger of getting pummelled.

Of course Derby County also made a slow start to the Championship last season.  A home draw with Southampton (2-2), was followed by a defeat at Stoke City (0-2), before what looked like being an away draw against Hull City turned into a fortuitous victory (2-1).  We then drew at home to Norwich City (0-0), giving the Rams five points from four games and 17th place.  Certainly not a start to the season that suggested anything close to the exciting promotion season we would ultimately witness.

Last season Billy Davies was still signing players, and selling players, right up to the transfer deadline and it looks like going right down to the wire again this season.  The gaffer warned us before the season started that this would be the case, because we were three weeks behind everybody else, and negotiations and potential deals would go to the last hour.

How often has Billy Davies said our season doesn't start until September 1st?  He's obviously right in the sentiment of what he says, but it's frustrating because the truth is he's wrong - by September 1st our season is well underway as the Rams will have played four Premier League games and one League Cup game by then.

For the supporters it's very frustrating hearing talk like that, seeing the plethora of players we're being reliably or speculatively linked with in the media, hoping players will be signed in time for the next match, but then not seeing them come in quickly enough, hoping for that elusive quality signing, and not understanding why even players with potential who have not yet proved themselves at Premier League level choose to snub the opportunity to sign for a great football club like Derby County.

I'm sure it is equally frustrating for Billy Davies and everybody at Derby County but at least they know the real situation, the reasons for the timescales involved in deals and, of course, have first hand knowledge of each and every plate that is spinning, when to spin it some more, when to let it fall off and smash into pieces, when to spin a brand new plate?  For the supporters, it's a frustrating time waiting for any news, hoping for good news, and receiving loads of misinformation from the various reputable and not so reputable media sources out there.  And, of course, even when transfer targets are confirmed -  like Eddie Johnson, Mika Vayrynen and Kenwyne Jones - there's no guarantee Derby County will actually sign them.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, the media sources are now speculating that the Rams need to sell to raise money for those signings and Steve Howard and Darren Moore have joined Giles Barnes as the most likely players to be sold to increase the available transfer kitty.

It's all very frustrating.

And then, whilst we are waiting for September 1st and the start of Derby County's season, there's more football matches to be played and Premier League points to be won.

Will Claude Davis and Tyrone Mears be fit to face Birmingham?  Possibly Davis, we're told, Mears unlikely. Will Benny Feilhaber and Eddie Lewis make their debuts?  Will any new players be signed in time?  The answer to these questions ... we won't know until Saturday afternoon.

At least against Birmingham City we don't have to worry too much about any aura or myths surrounding the Premier League.  Just like us, Birmingham City were promoted from the Championship last season.  Just like us Birmingham City have one solitary point to show from their three Premier League games.  There was hardly anything between the two teams last season and both have spent a similar amount in the transfer market this season.  Derby County are at home and should have the advantage going into this football match.

It's too early, surely, to start talking about must win games but the home game with Birmingham City is a game Derby County should target for three points.  Four points from four games, whilst still behind our 42 points from 38 games target, would make the Premier League table look so much better in the Sunday Newspapers.

So two games to go before the transfer window slams shut.  Birmingham City in the Premier League, followed by Blackpool in the League Cup.  Two very winnable games in my opinion and, hopefully, the players will heed the words of wisdom from the manager, assistant manager, and back room staff and do themselves and the supporters proud!

Then we can see what the transfer window delivers.

This waiting though - It's frustrating.

Copyright Stuart Hughes 23rd August 2007.

Photo: Action Images

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