Derby County: Wayne Rooney on a mission to restore 'pride and dignity'

Derby boss Wayne Rooney helps Manchester United's Shola Shoretire to his feet during last month's friendly

After finishing 21st in the Championship last season, it appears Derby County are further away than ever from a return to the Premier League.

With the club up for sale and subject to English Football League sanctions including a transfer embargo, it has been the toughest of managerial baptisms for Wayne Rooney.

He was put in charge following the departure of Phillip Cocu in November 2020 and two months and nine games later was confirmed in the post.

Instead of plain sailing, though, England's record goalscorer has had to navigate the roughest of rough seas.

And he has even had to resort to sleeping in his office in his efforts to strengthen his squad.

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The Rams were relegated from the Premier League in 2008 and have now spent 13 seasons in the second tier.

But speaking after their recent friendly against Salford City, Rooney indicated that his job, because of the off-field issues, was not just about team selection and tactics.

"It's my job to bring some pride and dignity back to this club," he told BBC Radio Derby.

At that time, the transfer embargo imposed for breaches of EFL financial regulations was still in force and Rooney said: "We need help or we won't be able to compete. We need help from inside the club, from outside the club."

He added: "It would be easy for me to walk away because this is not ideal at all. But I've been in some tough moments in my career, on the pitch and off the pitch. This is another tough moment."

Derby had to hang on for the last 12 minutes for a draw against Sheffield Wednesday after twice being behind

It was only thanks to a 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season that the Rams secured their Championship status, having twice been behind in the game.

With Rooney having decided to end his playing career when his appointment as boss was confirmed at the start of the year, Colin Kazim-Richards was their top scorer in 2020-21 with just eight goals.

And Martyn Waghorn, who netted a brace against Sheffield Wednesday but only found the net five times in 32 games last term, and Jack Marriott, with one goal in 17 league appearances, have both since left the club.

Rooney only had nine senior players available for a game against his former club Manchester United, the weekend before the 2-1 defeat by Salford, and several pundits have predicted Derby to go down this season.

Asked afterwards about the hurdles he had faced since being appointed, Rooney told BBC Radio Derby: "I don't know about hurdles, it felt like mountains to climb over. We still haven't reached the peak, we still haven't got to the other side."

Rams timeline

• 7 April - Sale of Derby to Erik Alonso's No Sports Limited agreed

• 14 May - Erik Alonso's attempt to buy Derby is called off

• 24 June - Derby fined £100,000 over some of their accounting practices

• 9 July - Derby escape points deduction that could have seen them relegated and Wycombe reinstated in the Championship

• 20 July - EFL allow Derby to sign free-agent players, providing they follow strict wage limits

Now the embargo has been eased, allowing Rooney to sign free agents providing strict wage limits are applied.

After securing the signatures of Richard Stearman, Curtis Davies and Ryan Allsop on Friday, he said of his remaining targets: "I slept on the couch in the office last night. I'll sleep in the office again tonight to try and get these players over the line so we don't lose out on them."

Meanwhile, the return of fans to Pride Park has given the squad fresh belief - and they could certainly do with a lift, having won only six of their 23 home games last season.

"When you play in empty stadiums, it's never nice. Having those fans back will give us a massive boost and hopefully they can drive us on to some great results this year," said Wales international Tom Lawrence, the man entrusted with the captaincy for the new season.

Tom Lawrence (left) scored with a Panenka penalty against Notts County last weekend

Derby's best finish since relegation was third place under Steve McClaren in 2014, but they lost to QPR in the play-off final, and were also beaten at Wembley by Aston Villa when Frank Lampard took them there again in 2019.

So how does the 27-year-old, who has played 146 games for Derby since arriving from Leicester four years ago in a deal believed to be worth an initial £5m, regard gloomy predictions about Derby's prospects?

"We as a group don't even look at that," Lawrence said.

"If people want to write us off then we're happy with that and then we'll surprise them all."

Analysis

BBC Radio Derby commentator Ed Dawes answers some key questions ahead of the new season:

What did Rooney get right after taking over last season?

When he hung up his boots, it was clear he had to stamp his mark on the squad. He changed the style of football. Under Phillip Cocu, Derby were about laboured, possession-based football. Under Rooney, it was clear they would try and play the game in the opposition's half of the field. The strategy is the right one for the Championship, but he did not have the players to do it effectively.

What did he get wrong?

It is difficult to pinpoint a lot that the novice manager did do wrong. With limited options they were always going to be in trouble. Could he have played on a bit longer? Perhaps. His loan signings seemed desperate and last-minute. That isn't his fault, I'm sure he has had a lot to contend with behind the scenes.

Which areas of the team does he most need to strengthen?

The whole squad needs strengthening from goalkeeper to the subs bench. Derby County are short in quality and depth. They were very fortunate to survive last season on the final day.

How important is it that the ownership situation is sorted out?

It is the main issue. The fighting with the EFL has taken the heart out of this once great football club. Fans believe they are hated by all other clubs and that stems from the happenings behind the scenes regarding the amortisation of players and selling the stadium to the chairman - it is a cocktail for finger pointing. The club needs a fresh start, with new people to take it forward.

Where will Derby finish this season?

I cannot see them finishing in the top half. I think it will be a fight to the death once more. Do they have the players to do it? I'm not sure.

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