“This will sound controversial” Derby County, Wayne Rooney claim made in manager debate

Derby County are preparing to make their return to Championship football next season, with an important summer ahead.

Paul Warne’s side booked their place in the second tier for the 2024/25 season, with a second place finish in League One.

With David Clowes’ takeover long completed, a manager who’s getting the best out of his players, and a fanbase with renewed optimism their club is on the right track once again, Pride Park is alive with optimism.

But there was a time in the not so distant past when days of optimism seemed a lifetime away, as Rams supporters merely hoped their club would still exist when they woke up each morning.

And it’s the man who was in the Derby dugout during the club’s darkest days, that our fan pundit believes deserved more time in the East Midlands…

Derby fan pundit: Rooney ‘was unbelievable’

Football League World spoke to our Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, to see which Rams boss he believes deserved more time than they were afforded by the club.

Shaun said: “This will sound controversial, and I’m sure a lot of people probably won’t agree with it, but I’ve got a lot of time for Wayne Rooney.

“What he did at Derby in his short spell was unbelievable. He galvanised the team, the fanbase, everyone around the club. We really were as one.

“We fought together as a whole club, and yes, alright, the circumstances probably meant that it suited him almost as a person, and his fighting spirit and never say die attitude.

“We always had that siege mentality under him, which I do think suited him in a way, because it was almost like a no-lose situation.

“But nevertheless, he was unbelievable, he really did get every ounce out of that squad. And we almost pulled off a great miracle of staying up, and I know he had a tough time at Birmingham, but I genuinely believe that given time at Plymouth he’ll do well.

“I think he’ll showcase his abilities as a manager, I know a lot of people will completely disagree with me, but I hope he’s a success there.

“I’ve got a lot of time for the guy, as a manager and as a person, and what he did at Derby in his short time was brilliant. Albeit under difficult circumstances, but it’s a time I’ll never forget as a supporter, so I’ve got a lot of time for him.”

After a couple of months in charge as interim manager, Rooney was handed the reins to Derby County on a full-time basis in January, 2021.

With a takeover still in the works, and players wages remaining unpaid from December, the job that awaited the Manchester United and England legend was far from an easy one.

Rooney would keep the club in the Championship by a single point in the 2020/21 season, but further turmoil was about to reach Pride Park’s gates.

The Rams were placed into administration in mid-September 2021, and were handed a 12 point deduction just days later.

It was soon to get even worse for the football club, as they were docked a further nine points in November 2021, after admitting to breaches of EFL accounting rules.

This would leave Rooney’s Rams sitting on minus three points, and 18 points from safety. Needless to say, his task of keeping the club in the Championship now looked certain to fail.

Miraculously, however, Rooney’s side fought valiantly against this foregone conclusion, and despite finishing 23rd and thus being relegated to League One, the club only fell short of survival by seven points.

That fighting spirit that Rooney instilled gave Derby fans hope when all seemed lost, and gave the fans so many reasons to be proud of their football club, and its players.

But it wasn’t just that, his side found ways to win during a period where nobody would’ve handed out criticism or blame should they have lost.

That speaks to the culture he was able to build at Pride Park, and ultimately, he left the playing squad and the club in a far better place, both on and off the field, than when he arrived.

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