Right call is crucial for the Rams

TO SAY this has been a difficult season for Derby County and all who follow their fortunes is an understatement. The very future of the club has been in jeopardy and the Rams have spent six long months in administration. In that time there have been plenty of false dawns and you can understand why anyone of a Derby persuasion is reluctant to raise their hopes that good times are just around the corner.

Yet perhaps we are finally on the verge of seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Administrators Quantuma announced on Friday that bidders had to make their final offer that day. The joint administrators are analysing those bids this weekend and identifying their preferred bidder.

In a statement, they said: “This will be the bid which we feel best secures the long term future of the club.

“Early next week the joint administrators will commence discussions with the EFL. Further to their approval to proceed, we will then be in a position to publicly name the preferred bidder.”

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this timeline is followed as it’s about time Derby’s future was resolved.

Ex-Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has been widely linked with the Rams as has former Derby chairman Andy Appleby, though Quantuma ended talks with the Binnie family after deciding their £30m offer was too low.

Whoever does get the nod will have a major task on their hands given the club’s precarious financial position, but there is no doubt Derby County are a club with huge potential.

On the pitch, Wayne Rooney’s troops have performed heroically in the Championship to still be in with a chance of staying up despite a 21-point deduction for the club’s various ills.

With an eight-point gap to safety and just seven games left, the Rams may fall just short, but, in the overall scheme of things, whether Derby are in the Championship or League One next season is immaterial – the important thing is the administrators make the right call now to guarantee the club’s long-term future.