WE WANT ROO!

Disintegrating Derby desperate for Wayne’s arrival

THE road linking Derby and nottingham serves as a 15-mile reminder of the standards by which every manager in these parts is judged.

on saturday, Phillip Cocu headed back down Brian Clough Way feeling the glare of the spotlight more than most.

Hours earlier, with the Derby manager’s hair flopping, his beard greying, Cocu looked like a man in need of a break.

sabri lamouchi, his opposite number at Forest, meanwhile, was a picture of calm after overseeing the third consecutive win over their rivals — their best run since 1990, when Clough himself was in charge.

Down the road, Cocu has spent much of his short tenure fighting fires. After a poor start to the season, and that dark night of drinking and driving, the real circus is about to roll into town.

Wayne rooney recently spent time with the Derby squad, and when he begins life as playercoach, at the top of his agenda may be nurturing Jayden Bogle, whose awful pass across his own penalty area presented lewis grabban with the winner.

tom lawrence could do with rooney’s help, too. lawrence was abused throughout this defeat for his part in Derby’s night of shame. He squandered an early chance and was later lucky to escape a red card.

Fortunately, rooney is wellversed in coming through controversy.

rooney (above) can’t play until

January 2, but he will begin work sooner than that. How Derby need him.

In 16th place, they have scored just 18 goals in 16 Championship games. of the five teams with fewer goals, four of them are in 20th place or lower.

‘I think he will give the team a lot,’ Cocu said, ‘not only on the pitch and in training sessions, but also during the games with his experience as a player, his quality as a player, I think everybody will benefit.

‘We just have to find the right balance from his transition from the usA. But with a lot of experience and cleverness as a player, he won’t need long I don’t think.’

But where, at 34, does rooney want to play? ‘I think it’s more important where I see him playing,’ Cocu said, pointedly.

‘He can play as a striker or an offensive midfielder… he feels good in both positions.

‘It depends on the connection with other players. It’s always like a puzzle, a team. We have to benefit from his qualities, he has to feel good and the players around him need to understand him.’

How his manager could do with someone to share the burden, too.