Guest Blogger Elliott has his say on the managerial changes at Derby
Too many poor decisions have been made at Derby County in recent times and the result of those decisions leaves them rooted to the bottom of the Championship.
Phillip Cocu was hired at the start of last season, he blooded a few youngsters and trimmed the wage bill. Surely there could have been other managers that would have been able to achieve that. He came across as a gentleman and he must be praised for his charity work, but his appointment looks a very poor decision.
At his time of arrival Liam Rosenior was also appointed at Derby as another coach and he was quite highly regarded whilst at Brighton. Then came the arrival of Wayne Rooney as player-coach and the mess of a contract with 32Red. Derby are now trapped with Wayne Rooney on their books and are forced to play him for the remainder of the season regardless of his form or fitness.
The problem here should be clear for all to see. Mel Morris appointed three people who were all looking to work as a manager. How could it be possible for three people with totally separate ideas to be forced to work together and come up with a winning formula. Did Mel want ready made replacements if Cocu failed?
With their recent comments since Cocu's signing, it seems that Rosenior and Rooney didn’t exactly back the Dutchman. It should not be forgotten however that Rosenior and Rooney were still a part of Cocu’s coaching setup so comments like these should probably be avoided as they will only enrage the fan base further.
It could be argued that the performance was better against Bristol City, but why? Bristol sit off all the teams they play, they are more than happy to surrender possession. Derby were inevitably going to have more of the ball but couldn’t make their possession count with once again, with there being zero attacking threat in the final third.
It seems that Derby are more than happy to let the club be used as a step stone for these so called ‘aspiring mangers’. Both Rosenior and Rooney want nothing more to be the manager of the club and if they do well they will no doubt be off straight away. The majority of the fan base would like to see a manager come in with some experience of how to win games, as right now Derby are in a precarious position. Right now Derby need someone who can just get points on the board by whatever means.
As and when a new manager is appointed they should be allowed to choose their own back room staff and now be dictated by the owner of Derby County. It would make their job easier if they could walk into Moor Farm with no other members of staff vying to be the manager to avoid any conflict. Whether there was any conflict between Cocu, Rosenior and Rooney remains to be seen but it is odd that only a portion of the coaching staff lost their jobs.