Derby County

I can hardly believe that less than twenty hours hours after my post on Paul Jewell he resigned. It was the right thing to do but so rarely do we see people doing the right thing that I am still gobsmacked.

It now means that we go into a really important week for the club without a manager. I am sorry but Chris Hutchins has only ever had a job because he was Paul Jewell's mate and he is not the person to take us through games against Forest Green Rovers and Manchester United.

The other thing that has recently bothered me is that the columnist Neil Hallam has been banned from Pride Park for criticising the heirarchy at Derby County and questioning the motives of the new American owners.

Now I have been reading Neil Hallam since the seventies. Even when I was in Berlin I asked my parents to send me Neil's column because it was interesting witty and committed. No Derby fan can ever question the commitment of Neil Hallam to the cause of Derby County. So if he has been banned then somebody has something to hide and he knows it.

Hard on top of that Adam Pearson the Chairman who appointed his mate, Paul Jewell, to the job of manager, has just announced that there will be no money for new players in the January transfer window because Paul spent it all!

As I understand it Neil Hallam has been banned for questioning the financial commitment of the new owners. I see the Americans, who were recruited by Adam Pearson, have arrived but they don't have any money! What?

Derby County are in the top fifteen best supported clubs in England. We have a magnificent modern stadium, wonderful training facilities and development potential. So why is there no money for players in January?

The backers who Adam Pearson have brought in have a goldmine here. They rival the billionaire playground which the Premiershiip has become and yet there is no more money for a player in the transfer window? Perhaps Neil Hallam had a point!