Clough and McClaren - OUT!

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Blades & Rams fans got anything to say?

[derby1884]

Coincidentally, I just dropped you an email about 10 minutes ago on this very matter, Pete!
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[smk06]

From what I can gather, Clough spent significantly on transfer fees and wages (Brayford won't have been cheap) so was expected to win promotion.

I think McClaren did a good job overall for the Rams. The games I have attended over the last two years have been entertaining and always involved attacking football. The last time a Derby team played good football on a consistent basis was in the late 1990s under Jim Smith/McClaren. I can see why the ownership group sacked him though. Mac has only just come out to say that he was two years into a five year project - I don't recall him saying that at any point during the season. They are running a football club and were not 100% certain Mac was committed to the club.

[cardiff55]

Cough bought the average Brayford from us (Cardiff) for a reported £2m! He was on Prmier League level wages. So he did Cardiff a favour as we got his replacement , Peltier, for nothing and he is just as average.

McLaren played the price for a mess up like we had in 2009, sitting nicely in the Play Offs 8 points clear of Swansea and Preston and with a +18 goal advantage over PNE . We picked up one more point, and lost 0-6 at Preston and missed out to them on goal difference. But McLaren had Derby at the top only a few months ago and they missed out, so I suppose the owners weren't that happy to say the least.

[sharrowblade]

Been away for a couple of weeks, so just read this thread.

Looking inwards it might appear a strange one with regards to Nigel.

He took over with us in the bottom 5 of the third division after 20 odd games. He came in, re-organized us, and it worked.

In the last 18 months, we reached the FA Cup Semi Final, and the League Cup Semi Final. We've beaten Aston villa, Fulham, Forest, West Ham, Southampton, and QPR in those cup runs. We made the Play-offs this season and became the first team to score 5 goals in the away leg and still go out.

On the face of it, it appears to have been a blast, and the Cup runs were fantastic.

The close season was a disaster however, Brayford had gone back to Cardiff, Coady had gone back to Liverpool, two loan players who epitomised the spirit of revival of the previous season.

After a friendly at York, there's a bit of a disagreement, our two first choice centre halves are bombed out of the club, Butler our new signing played just once in the League Cup (and scored), Collins never again. Two potential Captains. This rightly or wrongly raised issues over his man management skills. We had already lost Harry Maguire to Hull the week before. The centre halve issue was never addressed and we had to make do with full backs or central midfielders taking on the role. Many felt he was being stubborn and if you didn't agree you were out. A feeling that would plague his tenure.

He and his brother Simon (head Scout) brought in a succession of players with links to Derby or Blackpool and a sprinkling of Scottish midgets. Worse still many of these players had a history of being injury prone.

The football was sterile, especially at home, and his refusal to adapt any flexibility to the system would do him no favours. I can name two assistant managers who both said United were 'too predictable'.

The owners believe they backed the manager, which by our standards they did. One could argue, as Nigel always pointed out that it was three year plan. And I have a degree of sympathy for him on that account.

What I think ultimately went against him was his performance in the Play-off semi finals against Swindon. It was generally felt that whatever the outcome Nigel would be allowed to see that 3 year plan to its conclusion.

But, from the 1st minute of the 1st leg the danger was obvious, Kasim to Bryne everytime. He never addressed it, . Yes, the referee was the worst seen at the Lane for years, but ultimately the game was lost due to his inability to react to the situation.

Incredibly, the second leg begins like Groundhog day and we are 3-0 down after 18 minutes. Nothing's been done, Kasim's still got the freedom of the city, Bryne looks a world beater and our Nigel is sat on the bench with his head in his hands. Would it have been too much to ask for some kind of direction with our backs against the wall. It gave the impression that he didn't know what to do.

On the way back from Swindon, my youngest said that Preston would hammer them because they wouldn't allow Kasim space to pass it to Bryne. He's 10 years old, if he could see that, then Mr Grayson would see that but our Nigel couldn't?
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