Derby owner feels pinch

DeRbY owner Mel Morris, who caused the Football League plenty of angst with his vocal criticisms of their TV rights strategy, is himself now feeling the pinch. All departments at Derby, who have lost manager Gary Rowett to Stoke, have been told to make cuts with the Championship club said to be losing £3m a month and a £10mplus financial fair play bill in the offing.

Departures reportedly will include operations director John Vicars and chief technical officer Stuart Fisher, and a number of academy staff. The football budget will be slashed in a new austere regime. Morris, who has got through six managers in three years and is facing a multi-millionpound High Court battle with former CeO Sam Rush, is said to be increasingly disillusioned with football club ownership. A club spokesman claimed Morris was still fully committed to Derby and the near £2m in compensation for losing Rowett would help with the financial deficit.