Passion for Rams clear to see on the field in dark times

ON SHOW FROM PLAYERS

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DERBY County may finish bottom of the Championship this season. There may have to be a fire sale in January and with the prospect of more points deductions on the way, who could blame any of the players for having one eye on the exit?

These players are giving everything for the cause, leaving it all out on the pitch every single game.

There can be no doubting the commitment of any of the players who wore black and white in the last three matches.

It feels harsh to single out one player in particular but late on in the 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane last month, Graeme Shinnie dug deep and produced a lungbursting run to try and set up Tom Lawrence.

To find that level of energy and concentration having played halfan-hour with 10 men against promotion battlers deserves praise – as does putting in that level of performance amid the backdrop of the well-documented uncertainty at Pride Park.

The same can be said for last week’s 1-0 defeat of Reading.

Supporters packed out the South Stand and it is hard to remember Pride Park being as raucous as in the 89th minute of that game as Derby battled to victory.

When Derby’s players got ready for a goal kick, a huge roar came from the East Stand and an even bigger one a few minutes later on the full-time whistle.

The connection between the players, fans and staff is reaching peak Steve McClaren or Frank Lampard levels. Perhaps even greater.

It was telling that Shinnie came over to the travelling support at Bramall Lane and saluted the fans, who sold out the lower tier of the stadium, and did the same against Reading.

Derby’s fans were magnificent in Sheffield and were as good against West Bromwich Albion in the previous away game. The Rams’ supporters will be key on the road as Wayne Rooney’s side look to wring out every possible point.

In June, I asked where the pride had gone from a club who have won English football’s top trophies.

Mel Morris has put the club into administration and he is now history as far as fans are concerned.

He has, in effect, almost condemned the club to relegation with a dozen points coming off their tally after a good start to the campaign.

That was despite Rooney operating in a transfer market with severe restrictions limiting who he could sign, how many players he could bring in and for how long.

It feels like the pride is back at Pride Park.

No matter what division the club are in, there will always be a healthy support but what fans want to see most is passion, commitment and dedication.

We are seeing all that and more from the players, manager and staff.

You cannot doubt for one second that these players care.