Derby County squandered an excellent opportunity of getting a place in the playoff berths after trembling down rapidly of late. Nigel Pearson, who was in charge of the Rams for merely four months, was sacked in October owing to the fact that he failed serially to come up with noteworthy results and the Derby based club were desperately searching for something galvanising. Post Pearson era, in came Steve McLaren who brought a breath of fresh air with him and the scenario started to get tilted in their favour.
Under the tutelage of McLaren, Derby County sprung to life as they registered seven wins on the trot to reclassify themselves from a relegation-threatened side to promotion hopefuls. However, the merry period didn’t last very long as the former Newcastle United manager could muster only one win in his last nine league outings. In the process, Derby County fell as low as tenth in the league table and Mel Morris’ patience ran out.
Eventually, Morris decided to show McLaren the exit door and as a matter of fact, he became the fourth manager on which the axe has fallen within a space of 22 months, which included Paul Clement, Pearson and McLaren himself. In a managerial reign which lasted five months this time around, Mclaren’s failure could be attributed to reasons beyond his inability of bagging points on a regular basis, for the team cohesiveness, winning mentality and morale were in a rapid decline.
Derby County did make handsome investments into the club, had the necessary armoury to lock swords with the heavyweights of the Championship but despite all the facilities, the 55-year-old had at his disposal, he wasn’t unable to come up with the goods.
The tempo, which existed at the onset of his arrival, ceased to exist soon and the primary reason for the same could be traced to his inability to rotate his men in a befitting manner.
All the aforesaid drawbacks compiled to conclude his second spell at the Pride Park Stadium and Morris is left scratching his head to fill the void left by McLaren. Yes, the start looked relishing and promising at the same time but to be honest, the feeble shows from his comrades of late always tended to imply that his stay was on the verge of being questioned.
Just like two preceding seasons, Derby County have choked midway into the season and whosoever is to be the next gaffer, the element of consistency must be cultivated to ensure a stronghold in the Championship and to eventually construct a way to the Premier League.
