Derby County: Rooney & Rosenior, a power vacuum & an inability to score goals
Derby County got rid of Phillip Cocu but didn’t eliminate their problems. Those issues will stick around for much longer without some clarity at the top…
The dual-managers experiment has rarely succeeded in the past and didn’t start brilliantly for Derby County at the weekend.
Liam Rosenior and Wayne Rooney (plus whoever else they’ve got jabbing at iPads on the bench there) took charge of Derby’s first game since the dismissal of Phillip Cocu at the weekend, a game that ended in a 1-0 defeat to Bristol City.
Of course, this was only one game, but it did also display the weaknesses and problems that, according to our panel on The Totally Football League Show this week, will significantly hold them back until they’re resolved.
“Rosenior definitely wants the gig – he could achieve anything – but Rooney is the best player we’ve had for 20 years,” said Sam Parkin, about the tussle for power at Pride Park.
“What they haven’t got at the moment is a particularly good team or squad. They were marginally better at the weekend but still no potency going forwards. Until they solve that they’ll be fighting to stay in the division.
“They need to get Knight back into his best position, they need to integrate Sibley back into the side, but the biggest thing is finding someone to get them the goals. The performance was better, but not enough in the final third.
Flo Lloyd-Hughes took a broader view of the problems that will continue to dog the Rams.
“There’s a complete leadership vacuum, there’s nobody who has control really of the tactics, the strategy, the dressing room. Everyone’s on an equal playing field, and I don’t think that works when you’re a club in trouble.
“You need someone to be taking the lead and to be in charge. It seems at the moment that nobody really knows what to do.
“When you move someone who’s been a core part of the team, then say “right, you’re player-manager but you’ve got three other coaches with potentially equal responsibility” – it doesn’t work.
“The best case scenario is get the takeover done, bring someone external in so the power and structure is reasserted, and keep Rosenior on as assistant.
“You need a bigger presence there. I think they will climb out, but they just need to make a definitive decision now, because otherwise they’ll start slipping further and further back.”
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