By Norm Anton
August 13 2003

In his own inimitable way Norm looks at our less than impressive start to the new season and on other things that want looking at down Pride Park way. Disaster of epic proportions is the only way to describe the Rams start to the season, slaughtered by a Stoke side that only just survived relegation last year, followed by humiliation by third division side that terminated any hopes of a cup run last night.

Again some of the fans are blaming Burley or individual players for harsh criticism and this just makes Norm’s blood boil.

What has happened? To our fans I mean. Do they really think that Burley would be able to put together a team on less than a shoestring budget that would be capable of surviving in the first division let alone mounting a challenge for promotion.

Look I’m going to give it to you straight and it may hurt.

Derby are finished, they have no money, the bank is running the finances and the club are just left to carry out the spin. Lionel hardly ever comes to the games any more, his director of football is the reality equivalent of ‘Where’s Wally?’ – maybe there’ll be a prize in the programme soon if someone spots him?

The Derby that we know and love is now just a shell, scrimping and saving and relying on us the fans for its day-to-day income via season tickets and match day sales. The reality is that whilst not admitting it the club now needs us more than it ever has.

But instead of being honest with us Lionel through his spin-doctors continues to try to con the fans in to thinking that things will be okay and the debt is going down. The reality is that, this is not true, the debt remains high and the summer departures have done little to erase a huge financial black hole.

The truth is that anyone wishing to take over the club will have to make a huge investment simply to clear the debt. I said this prior to the season but for some reason fans got on the clubs waltzer and came off all giddy talking about play off places.
Forget it! Mid table at very best, the reality is another relegation battle, although Burley is being pitched in to battle by his chairman with rocking horses and plastic swords while other teams have tanks and bazookas.

What galls me more than anything is you can already see where the blame will go – fully on George Burley instead of to the top of the tree.

It really is time for Rams fans to wake up and smell the coffee, hit those message boards right to all the papers you can and let them know what you think of our chairman who is fiddling while Derby burns. Turn your back on the pitch at half time, do whatever you have to do to get this man out.

Good to be back

Norm Anton