Ollie - Sky Sports Expert

Nigel needs time

Derby have travel sickness but Clough can count on FanZoner

Posted: 23rd November 2009 18:14

Send an email to OllieEmail Ollie

Nigel needs time

Nigel Clough: under pressure

Also see

We're in trouble. Our away form is as bad as it was in the Premier League and against Swansea City, our ambition reached no higher than unsuccessfully trying to defend a 0-0. So pathetically backward was our performance that we never registered a shot on target.

Although we deservedly beat Sheffield Wednesday, Bristol City and Coventry City at Pride Park, those wins stand as islands in the sea of despond our season has become. In the last six away games, Derby have scored just one goal - and that was answered by six of the best from Cardiff City.

Some fans have been against manager Nigel Clough since the get-go and the difficulties of this injury-ravaged season have been grist to their mill. For those of us who are still behind Clough, it's becoming harder to sustain that support as loss follows sapping loss - but some of the protest voiced by the disaffected don't stand up to much serious analysis.

Unfair criticism

One charge I've repeately seen levelled at Clough goes something like this - "The manager is an amateur and has brought an amateur backroom staff and attitude to the Championship, with inevitable consequences".

Clough was a full England international and spent virtually his whole playing career at the top level, so to describe him as an amateur is nonsense. Furthermore, the work he did (and loyalty he showed) in preparing Burton Albion for league football was exemplary.

OK, he hasn't been capable of turning around what was essentially a disaster area within 12 months and now some people want him sacked. To me, that would only add to the chronic instability that has surrounded Pride Park for years now.

Nigel needs time to put his own stamp on the squad he inherited. Let's see what he can do in the January transfer window. Without the window system (and why exactly does it exist?), I'm sure he would have acted to bring in reinforcements already.

Perturbed

Some supporters seem perturbed by the fact that Clough doesn't have a specifically-titled assistant manager - Gary Crosby essentially fulfils this role, although the label hasn't been attached. It's slightly unconventional, but I don't think it matters. Paul Jewell had experienced number twos in Stan Ternent and Chris Hutchings, yet still failed miserably - burning a fortune on hapless players in the process.

Before him, Billy Davies got us promoted without an assistant and within months of finally getting his right-hand man, David Kelly, from Preston North End, had gone - taking his hugely experienced director of football Craig Brown and a whole coterie of staff with him.

Other critics have claimed "the manager's signings have been poor". Be fair, he's hardly had the chance to make any. He was bequeathed a bloated, yet rubbish squad and the club had to spend most of the summer finding buyers for the unbuyable and negotiating contract terminations.

Of the few that have come in, Shaun Barker is starting to look the part at centre back. Dean Moxey is a good young player, although I think he's in need of a break, having been one of the few men to start every match this season. Jake Buxton, signed as defensive cover, hasn't let anyone down when he's played.Winger Lee Croft has been out of the team of late, but provides width and some decent crosses - he's certainly not a bad squad player. Chris Porter scored three goals in two games before he got injured, so hopefully, he can pick up where he left off when he returns next month.

Dross

At any rate, these lads are better than much of the dross Clough was left by his predecessors.

"The manager is at fault for the injury crisis, he obviously doesn't know how to run a training session". I can't see any grounds for this innuendo. Sheffield United, Everton and Liverpool have all suffered similar problems this season - is that because Blackwell, Moyes and Benítez can't organise training properly? Incidentally, all three of those clubs' results have suffered, too.

A lot of injuries have occurred in games (Vaughan, McEveley, Addison, Barnes) and other players, such as Pearson and Commons, are notoriously injury prone - those two were signed by Davies and Jewell respectively.

Bottom six

I'm not saying Clough is getting everything right, because we wouldn't be in the bottom six if he was - but I also believe we'll be OK this season. Better teams than us will get turned over by Swansea, who should make the play-offs this season, but that's not to condone the attitude we went into the game with, which was all wrong. You're going to be very lucky to get anything out of a game if you play Attack v Defence for 90 minutes - I didn't know it was possible to be thrashed 1-0.

The 4-5-1 system might work a bit better with Pearson or Commons fit to play as an attacking midfielder, but without either of those two (and we usually are without them), Hulse is left isolated, with nobody to benefit from his aerial prowess. Had Paul Dickov, who has played very well in recent weeks, started at the Liberty Stadium, we might not have spent the entire game entrenched in our own half, completely unable to retain the ball, or build any sort of response to our superior hosts' slick passing. Of course, we might have been tonked 5-0, you don't know - but fans have every right to be angry when their side can't even muster a shot.

We must now beat Reading. Although we've managed 15 home points so far, winning against the division's poorer teams at Pride Park is not enough. The crisis in our away form is manifestly killing us and if it doesn't end, could erode support for the manager and board very quickly.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of skysports.com

Post to your View!

Be the first to post a comment on this story

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private