‘My son begged me not to take the Derby job’
Manager Gary Rowett tells John Percy he wants to make Rams fans proud in Cup tie at Old Trafford
Jose Mourinho has already suffered an upset this season against one of the Championship’s emerging crop of English managers. Tomorrow, it will be Gary Rowett who has the opportunity to enhance his reputation by following in the footsteps of Bristol City’s Lee Johnson.
Johnson’s side stunned Manchester United last month in the Carabao Cup, with a dramatic 2-1 victory, and Rowett takes Derby to Old Trafford fearing that shock might have made this FA Cup tie infinitely more difficult.
“I sent Lee a text after they beat United to say what a magnificent achievement it was, but it’s not done us much good,” says Rowett, sitting in an office at Pride Park yesterday. “That defeat has probably made it harder for us because United will be mindful of it. I’m sure there will be more pressure on them to ensure losing to another Championship club doesn’t happen. Bristol City proved it can be done, although playing at their ground was obviously a big advantage. We’re determined to show no fear but, let’s face it, whatever Jose puts out will be far from a weakened team.”
Rowett will make changes himself, for he has guided Derby to second place in the Championship after seven wins from 10 games. It is nearly a decade since Derby nosedived out of the Premier League with acute embarrassment, yet optimism is building that this could be a memorable year, after so many false dawns. Rowett’s return to Derby in March has delivered the anticipated impact and the 43-year-old is renowned as one of the most forward-thinking managers outside the top tier.
A reliable defender as a player, making his name at Derby, Leicester and Birmingham, he retired at 30 after a serious knee injury. Yet it seemed inevitable he would become a manager.
“Finishing my career so early, there was a huge motivation and challenge to prove I’m a better manager than a player,” he says. “I’ve always felt I would be more successful as a manager – people who saw me play will probably say I’ve already surpassed that!
“I feel I’ve got more potential as a manager, I feel I can affect more things. I was an OK player, not unbelievable, so I don’t think I know everything.
“I have a little bit of humility. I played in just about every position, so that unselfishness has always helped me focus just on the team, more than myself. I look towards managers like Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe for that inspiration. I’m not on a par with those two because they’ve been promoted out of this league and won games in the Premier League.”
Rowett’s ultimate ambition is to manage there with Derby. Yet it is perhaps indicative of the fear that grips Premier League clubs that he is not mentioned when vacancies arise. Johnson and Brentford’s Dean Smith are arguably in the same bracket but were barely discussed when Swansea, for example, searched for a manager last month. “Do I think I could handle the Premier League as a manager? Yes, of course I do. I’ve got complete belief in the way me and my staff do things. But I’m open-minded enough to know how it works,” he says. “If your club gets £180 million for staying up, then owners will go with someone with experience. Does it grate on me? Not really, because I’m more focused on Derby. I fully understand and appreciate managers coming in from different countries, because it’s a global game. It’s what makes it great but we also have a duty of care to build young English players and coaches at St George’s Park.
“If we’re educating people and they never get higher than League One, then we’re not doing our job as a football association.”
Rowett, who completed his pro licence last year, has already amassed an impressive list of achievements as a manager. At his first club, Burton Albion, he managed a play-off final and
semi-final before reviving Birmingham in a two-year spell.
After inheriting a club second from bottom, he turned Birmingham around into a top-10 side before his controversial sacking in December 2016. He left with the club seventh in the Championship. “I was at home and got a call asking me to meet the new owners [Trillion Trophy Asia]. They really wanted to meet me, apparently, but when I got there they weren’t there. The two directors I already knew gave me the news and that was that. I’m thankful they did it because at least they were fair. Once I got handed the papers, that’s it. If someone chooses to sack you and there’s no legal challenge, you’ve just got to move on and focus on the next one.
“The thing that bothers me is how people said I wanted to leave anyway. If I felt like that, I’d have left. The people at Birmingham know I was committed long-term.”
Rowett could not feel more at home with Derby. He lives in nearby Duffield, his home of the past 12 years, and has a close affinity with the club and supporters. “My son, Alfie, begged me not to take the job because all his mates are Derby fans. He thought it would be a nightmare for him. He didn’t want loads of stick when I lose games.
“But I understand the last 20 years of this club. It’s easier for me to get it, I’ve played at the Baseball Ground, played in the team which got promoted. I feel I’ve got a connection with Derby. For the last 22 years, on and off, I’ve been here.
“We’ve got 5,500 fans going up on Friday and we want to make them proud, whatever the result.”