As Derby County’s relegation from the Championship was confirmed, you could forgive their fans for pining for what might have been. After all, if you take away the mammoth 21 points in deductions that were handed to the Rams this season, they would have been more than comfortable in mid-table and would have had a platform on which to build.
Alas, those penalties were simply too much to overcome for Rooney and co. It was a season where despair turned to hope and then back to despair again. At one point, it looked as though they were going to do the unthinkable and claw their way to safety despite the online betting odds being stacked against them. But it wasn’t meant to be, and now Derby must reckon with their first campaign in the third tier since 1985-86.
The club’s off-field malaise has ultimately made the difference, and you can’t help but feel sympathy for Rooney and his charges. They’ve had their backs up against the wall, but perhaps there are still some positives to glean from this challenging campaign. Let’s have a look at a couple of them.
Bravery in the face of adversity
When Derby were handed a 12-point deduction at the beginning of the season, many felt they would struggle to overcome it given the club’s financial struggles. When a further nine points were taken off them, it was considered a certainty that they would go down.
However, few could have anticipated the spirited effort that this Derby team would put in to try and save their season and retain their Championship status. The squad had been built on a shoestring budget, taking advantage of free agents and youth prospects to bolster the ranks, but suddenly they began to perform to levels that not many thought they would.
Their best run of form came over Christmas and New Year, where Derby recorded four wins and a draw in five matches, and it looked for all the world as though they were going to turn things around in dramatic fashion.
Unfortunately, they just couldn’t maintain that form, as the demands on the squad were just too much to cope with. Nonetheless, Rams fans were able to take pride in their team for never giving in despite everything going against them.
The emergence of Rooney as a coach
Another thing Derby fans have been able to take heart from is the qualities Rooney has shown as a coach. He has said all the right things throughout the club’s plight, and it’s a shame that Derby’s turmoil does not adequately reflect the good work Rooney has put in at Pride Park.
Indeed, the former Manchester United striker demonstrated outstanding loyalty in turning down an opportunity to take the reins at Everton midway through the campaign. That kind of thing will always go down well among a fanbase, and Derby know they’ve got a good man at the helm with Rooney in charge.
It remains to be seen whether Rooney remains at Derby for next season, or if he will finally be lured away by another club with greater resources, but the Scouser’s conduct this season has been exemplary and is something the Derby fans won’t forget in a hurry.
