A classic Australian anthem ‘Waltzing Matilda’ tells of a ‘jolly swagman’, a travelling worker who becomes a sheep thief. A modern version could tell of a swagman named ‘Attwell’ who steals from the sheep.

The song goes on to detail the police arriving, pursuing the swagman who flees and ends up drowning in his attempts to evade capture. Now before you jump to conclusions, by using this analogy I am not for a moment suggesting that we form a lynch mob and chase Mr Atwell until harm befalls him (not now I have calmed down… at 2am Monday morning Oz time, I may have thought differently).

There is little I can write that has not already been written, said or expressed by journalists, manager, players and fans over the last week. It was one of the most frustrating games I have ever experienced as a Derby fan and the fact that people looking in from the outside have been just as enthralled and appalled by the antics of the officiating referee, I can only surmise my second eye was wide open during this one.

I will give Mr Attwell credit for one thing, the fact that he managed to upstage the most highly anticipated clash in the midlands for many a year. His solo performance was such that it would not surprise me if Las Vegas casinos are already lining up to sign him for a series of shows. Perhaps a magic act along the lines of ‘when is a goal not a goal’ or ‘pulling a foul out of thin air’. A performance of such skill would be a roaring success especially with Forrest fans, which would no doubt make the pilgrimage to see such an unbelievable show starring their new found saviour.

Although there is no doubt the Rams were fleeced of the points, they definitely took their time to make an impact on the game. If the trees had been nothing more than slightly less flat in the first half then the team could have been in much more trouble early on. By the time the boys finally found the accelerator Derby were a goal down and looking straight in the eye of an embarrassing defeat.

The fact that they did find the resolve to mount a rear guard action is a testament to Paul Jewell and the team he has built. It is nice to know that no matter how bad things are going, the team have plenty of determination to call on and can kick up a gear to bring any game back from the brink.

Looking back it is hard to believe that only months ago I wrote an article blasting PJ and calling for him to step aside. The blind emotion involved in writing that piece was, I still believe, justified considering what every fan was going through but I now see the logic of it was premature. His passion and belief has finally rubbed off on to his chargers and it is comforting that whatever happens in a game the Rams aren’t done with until the final whistle.

The disaster of last weekend aside the club has moved on quickly with a good cup run coming together and a massive game this weekend against high flying Reading. With the Rams form this season seemingly only faltering against lower placed teams, it should then be an easy assignment for Derby to steak the points. We can only hope that will be the case.

So it’s the hoops on the weekend and a chance to prove how far the team has come since the final day of last season. That followed by a chance on Tuesday to knock our 2nd best enemy Leeds out of the cup. Could it get any better than that? Not unless Mr Attwell decides his best years are behind him and retire but I can’t see it happening… then again it seems neither can he.  

C’mon Ewe Rams!!

Photo: Action Images

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