Thank you, Derby!
28/04/04 |
by Alan Fisher
Walking back from that embarrassing defeat to try to find the car we’d hastily parked somewhere in deepest darkest Derby was a trial in itself. Listening to the inane babble of the delighted Sheep fans, understandably delighted to have seen their team trounce their hated rivals. Utter torture. Now I’m not the kind of football fan who’s into
hatred – even Derby fans aren’t really worth that. Sure, I’ll call them all the names under the sun during the 90 minutes of play, and have a bit of banter with them either side if the opportunity arises before or after the game. But I must admit it tried my patience that day because of the utter capitulation of my team to the decidedly below-average side that is Derby County these days. It wasn’t so much what they were saying – it was the truth of what they were saying that was so painful so soon after the game.
Now that performance was unacceptable, we all know that – we all lamented it at the
time. Why am I bringing it up again, just after I’d put it to the back of my mind after Johnno has secured us
Division One safety with two goals at Portman Road? Well, let's look at what happened after the Derby
game: we beat Crewe easily at home, we beat Sheffield United away, we drew with Stoke, Preston and Millwall – in all but the Stoke game we were perhaps unlucky not to register the
three points, and finally we clocked up three points against Ipswich, and sealed our safety. That’s one hell of a run against some decent
teams – it’s a six game unbeaten run.
So I’d like to thank Derby, for showing us that level of humiliation, to make us look so piss poor, for making us lose all hope in the face of such a terrible display against our bitter rivals. Because the fact that we can bounce back from that and catapult ourselves to safety with a string of
six games unbeaten gives me a great sense of optimism for the future. While the fans were despairing that we would be facing
Division Two, the team knuckled down and worked their arses off to drag us as far from the foot of
the table as they could.
Now, who knows? Maybe we could have beaten Derby and still done this, but the fact that we can do so after such a shameful showing just goes to show the steel and resolve we have in our midst. True, the inspired loan signing of Paul Gerrard and the addition of Paul Evans to the team have also been big factors in this
run and, of course, the timely return of David Johnson – even when not quite fully fit – just goes to show the quality we’ve missed in his absence most of the season. What might have been had he not broken his leg last September...
But we can’t live for what might have been’s, we strive for what can be’s – and whilst I’m rarely victim of unbridled optimism I must confess to having a good feeling about next term. True, it’s unlikely that Doughty and Kinnear will come out with limiting messages after such a disappointing season – Doughty at least is a businessman and will use positive spin on the latter games of the season to try to damage-limit season ticket sales in the wake of such a
sub-standard campaign. Whether or not he goes so far as to drop the prices he hiked last
year remains to be seen. But certainly I can’t see Kinnear colluding in such a cynical a ploy, and he seems to genuinely believe he will have the resources at his disposal to push the club forward. He has cannily signed a 12-month rolling deal to enable him to easily step away should he be disappointed.
So, thank you, Derby. Certainly our game with yourselves was one of the lowest lows in a season of lows, but the fact that we came back from such a humiliation not only intact, but stronger than ever, whilst you continued to fumble your way through dodgy results has given me and my fellow fans enormous faith. I’m not going to go as far as Kinnear and shout for the
play-offs, but I wouldn’t be too surprised to see us at least challenging in the top half – and frankly after the cold sharp shock of this season that would make me more than happy. If this time next year we’re looking at being the next Premiership whipping boys then, well, who would have thought it?
To all those Derby fans I know in real life as well as on numerous message boards, you’ve been a little quiet of late – when you do strike forth to comment there’s rarely a sentence before the 4-2 score-line is
mentioned. But while you take your hollow pleasure in our humiliation on one day, take some time to examine the league table at the moment – you’re out of the relegation zone now but you’re not too far
away. Admittedly, a final-day showdown with the not-so-mighty MK Dons will undoubtedly see you safe, but don’t pretend to me you’re not terrified it will all go horribly wrong.
Finally, one particular Derby supporter I know – or knew – because he was a very good friend to me, and passed away not too long before the match on 20th March. I’m sure you had some beyond the grave influence on that game – the suspicious wind that helped you in the first half and stopped in the second gave it away. Well, I can’t blame you, in your position I would have probably done the same – but maybe your plan backfired! Rest in peace, because I think you’re going to get away with it this season, and I guess you’ll see the funny side in inadvertently helping us out in the process!