The Rams lost to Forest on Saturday but frankly the result no longer matters, in fact I don’t give a stuff. It was the other loss after the match that only highlighted that the club is being run by an incompetent rabble who put a mans Rams management career to death because he had towed the line they dictated to him for over 5 years.
If you want a match report then here it is quickly as there are more important things than the game to cover here.
Forest dominated early but the Rams worked themselves into the match and overall shaded the home side for quality possession and genuine chances on goal.
The Rams went to sleep and an unmarked Hobbs scored a headed goal with the greatest of ease. Derby should have done much better after absorbing a lot of pressure, especially early in the half.
The Rams were very unlucky not to take at least a point with a fighting display in what was at best a match of average quality.
Derby dominated possession for long stretches and Forest found the best way to stop them was with petty fouls and the final count of an amazing 26 to 8 shows the tactic they employed to stop the likes of Hughes and Russell.
In the second half Keogh was sent off after a poorly timed tackle but Lee Grant made a great save for the penalty in what was a man of the match performance from the Rams stopper.
Sammon could have squared it late but as the play opened up for a shot on goal his tame effort was easily covered by the Forest keeper.
And frankly as far as a report - what came after is the real story of the day.
Only hours after the match Clough was sacked and the club released the following:
"Derby County have this evening parted company with manager Nigel Clough with immediate effect. The club would like to place on record their thanks to him for his tireless efforts to bring stability to Derby County, and his hard work and dedication throughout his tenure.”
"However, after much consideration, the board feel it is time to move Derby County forward to the next level, which will necessitate a comprehensive review of the club's football operations."
Well isn’t that just the ultimate kick in the teeth.
A man who has divided many fans but for me I have always felt the over the top, vocal fans against Clough, were in the minority. Most level headed fans, even those who were not always happy with his tactics, new that Nigel had operated within the owners penny pinching, budget slicing regime.
I am sure most of the same fans would have been happy to give him a chance to show he could spend a large wad of cash if it had ever been handed to him.
He did what he could with what he was given while teams like Forest went out and allowed that odious Scot to splash out 6 million so far this season. Whatever Clough has brought in this season, he also had to sell arguably our best player in Brayford and further reduced overheads by releasing other high wage earners from their contracts.
Did Forest look like a 6 million pound better side? No bloody way!
Is Clough a worse manager than those that are languishing in the bottom reaches of the table but hanging onto their jobs? No bloody way!
Has Clough rebuilt Derby from the ground up, making our academy the envy of other clubs and been the driving force behind finding amazing young talent like Hughes, Hendrick & Bennett? Yes he bloody has!
Today the players far from disgraced the Derby shirt but the owners of our great club disgraced the club itself.
They sacked a man who had towed their 'sensible' business plan into reality on the pitch and improved each year despite spending next to nothing and still unearthing some amazing talent like Bryson, Brayford, Martin and Coutts for near nothing from lower level clubs.
They sacked this man after losing to a club where he was a legend as a player and his father was a legend as a manager. Our archest of enemy that will delight in this dissection of our management team after defeat.
They sacked this man whose father was also a legend at our club and on signing stated he felt his family had ‘unfinished business’ at Derby. The hurt of the original split reverberated through decades at Derby and the way this has been handled opens that wound again, rather than retain the healing that had been done over the last 5 years.
Worst of all this man returned to Forest only months after losing his mother, a trip that would have been full of emotion for Nigel with so many memories that must have been flooding into his head as he entered the ground.
Nigel didn't falter through this personal loss and knuckled down, working hard for DCFC and its fans during a time many would be excused if they had wanted some time away.
Was any of this taken into consideration, did it matter to the board that this disgraceful act could have been better executed on another day?
I think not.
Does it matter to me and any Rams fan who cares about the Clough story, our history and preserving legacy, rather than adding more bad taste to the already sad story.
Maybe it was time to go, maybe Nigel wasn’t the long term answer for DCFC but does that mean a proud family should once again be disrespected by our club in making this ridiculous decision so close to losing the match, only compounding the hurt this man must feel inside by doing it on that day, after losing at that venue?
Does this matter? Does the fact we show weakness to our greatest rival by giving them this satisfaction only hours of the loss matter.
Obviously not.
Cold.
These are not Derby people, these are business people.
People who care more about 'Rams Lotto' and 'Preferred Partners' than the proud history of the club and its fans.
As outsiders, the name 'Clough' can have no genuine fondness to them and today they proved it.
Today I am sad.
Today I am angry.
Today I want our club back.
He wasn’t his father and maybe he wasn’t the man for the job but today our owners proved they just don’t get it.
They don’t understand what the name 'Clough' means to Rams fans.
He deserved better, his family deserved better, we deserve better…..
Pack your bags and get out!
I never thought I would say; ‘I don’t care we lost to Forest’ but today we lost something far worse.
We once again lost what Derby County should stand for as a club.
I’m sorry Nigel, I’m so sorry — there should have been another way.
Teams:
Doesn’t seem important. 11 were on the pitch for both teams until we only had 10.
Match statistics:
We were really dominated by the 6 million dollar thugs as you can see!
Shots:
Forest 14 — Derby 12
On target:
Forest 6 — Derby 2
Possession:
Forest 47% - Derby 53%
Corners
: Forest 7 — Derby 5
Fouls:
Forest 26 — Derby 8
26 - 8... and it was us that had someone sent off??
Next Up For The Rams:
Hopefully the owners selling up and sodding off.
Anyone have Peter Gadsby’s number?