Football and Derby County

Tonight Blyth Spartans became the eigth non league club to reach the 3rd round of the FA Cup which is a record. I believe that this is a symptom of the number of foreign players, some of them without any justification, who have invaded the Premiership thus relegating our home grown talent to the lower divisions.

Our boys are hitting back in the only way that we allow through the FA Cup! They are exacting their revenge and long may it remain. The standard of the lower leagues is often far higher that the match I watched last night when Charlton and Derby punted the ball aimlessly around for ninety minutes.

For over sixty years I have been a Rams Fan and I could not believe what Paul Jewell has reduced us to. I know he is the mate of the Chief Executive but the players that he has signed were generally good players before they arrived. How come all that they do these days is punt the ball aimlessly forward hoping that something will happen?

Route one football will never replace skill. The players on show were uncomfortable with their instructions. The preferred first team goalkeeper is on a two week sabatical for confronting the boss, a right back grabbed his boots and ran to Marseilles, a player who cost three quarters of a million pounds has never played one game for the Rams but has recently scored four goals in two games for Blackpool
who, of course, are in the same league.

He paid a fortune for a supposedly washed up premiership footballer who cannot even get into the squad never mind the team. Last Saturday on a SKY TV programme he announced that his 'legs had gone'. Hell most of us could see that! Robbie Savage has got a great contract from Derby for doing nothing.

This is madness! A good manager is a shining beacon even at the lower level. Good players are good players but it takes a talent like Martin O'Neill to put them together. Martin and his good mate John Robertson were players under the famous Clough/Taylor regime and are now hell bent on challenging the big 'four'. Their teams play football not kick and rush.

In my opinion Paul Jewell is devoid of ideas. He has recruited his previous number two Chris Hutchins as his current number two. Neither has ever shown that they have tactical nous but both advocate the tactic that might is right! Clearly Paul Jewell believes that his team should bully the opposition into submission. In the meantime the clever players sit on the subs bench.

The only player who has consistently succeeded is a guy called Miles Addison who actually came through the youth scheme. So the question I ask is could decent players be picked up for peanuts from lower divisions or the youth team? Of course they could but the really special players come from everywhere and some of them are English.

Good Managers build teams. Look at Harry Redknapp! He has succeeded everywhere because he recognises a good player and knows the player who influences his teams. I look forward to Glen Johnson of Portsmouth engineering his move to Spurs.

You see one has to recognise a great player before everyone else does and that is why Brian Clough signed the nonentities he signed. Nobody had ever heard of McFarland, Gemmill, McGovern or Peter Daniel but they all won Division One nedals.

Forget the balance sheet Mr Jewell and look at what is already available in your Youth Team. If nothing is available then sack the youth team coach!