The sporting rivals that are united in strife

ARTIME aside, I wonder if there has ever been a time when fans of two of the fiercest rivals in professional football have been so united in misery.

Separated by just 15 miles of the A52, they are worlds apart – proud, passionate and often-bitter rivals, both led to their finest days by the same man: Brian Clough.

I wonder what he would have had to say about the dire straits Nottingham Forest and Derby County now find themselves in.

They say you can never be a Red AND a Ram and the near-religious fervour that divides supporters runs through building sites and boardrooms alike.

But these huge names in the annals of English football, between them past conquerors of England and Europe, now face a common nightmare: the prospect of relegation to League One.

Such a blow to the prestige of our region is almost unthinkable. This time next year, football fans in this neck of the woods could be without a team within even striking distance of the top flight while the City Ground and Pride Park host scraps for third-tier survival against the likes of

Cheltenham and Accrington Stanley.

Forest sit bottom of the Championship, run by a board unable – until now at least – to choose the right manager to choose the right players from a squad littered in recent seasons with feeble signings and, according to friends and longterm season ticket holders, playing the worst football seen at the City Ground in years. If owner Evangelos Marinakis is serious about bringing back the glory days, he must give newlyappointed head coach Steve Cooper the support – and freedom – to build a team capable of staying up, because once you start to slide down the leagues, getting back is an almighty task. Ask Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic…

Derby’s plight is, of course, far worse. Up for sale, in administration, facing a deduction of at least 12 points, the club is a shambles. Owner Mel Morris says he has personally invested

£200 million in the club and gives various reasons for its present state – the coronavirus pandemic among them – but at the end of the day, a business of such size and stature should have the financial structure and practices in place to safeguard its future.

One of the few bright lights in these dark days for Derby has been the behaviour of Wayne Rooney. In his first managerial role, he has handled himself with great dignity in front of the media, despite having to learn from TV that the club was being put into administration.

Derby join Portsmouth, Bury, Macclesfield, Wrexham, Boston United, Leeds United, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic in visiting the hall of shame marked Administration.

How many more clubs must follow before football gets an independent regulator to ensure that owners coming into the game can fulfil their obligations?

I wonder what Clough would have had to say about the dire straits Nottingham Forest and Derby County find themselves in.