Latest Fans view from Stuart Hughes

During the transfer window Nigel Clough made eight permanent signings with two more coming in on loan. Lee Croft, Shaun Barker and Dean Moxey were the main signings expected to figure from the start in the first team. Jake Buxton was expected to be back-up, developing into a player who could push for a first team place eventually, but due to injuries to Barker and Dean Leacock Buxton has been an ever present so far. Ben Pringle, Saul Deeney and Medi Abalimba have been brought in for the development squad. Lee Hendrie and on loan Jake Livermore bolster the squad in midfield and another loanee Paul Dickov provides much needed cover up front.

Shaun Barker the major signing of the summer

Perhaps the most impressive piece of business by Derby County was the offloading of somewhere in the region of sixteen players from the wage bill. Some of these were loans we opted not to follow up on like Nathan Ellington and Barry Bannan, but the majority were Billy Davies or Paul Jewell signings on long-term, high salary contracts like Andy Todd and Martin Albrechtsen.

In terms of both ins and outs, I would imagine the manager is satisfied with the way the transfer window has gone. With the exception of John Brayford, Clough appears to have signed every one of his publicised targets and not missed out on any of them despite competition from other clubs. On the Brayford transfer, Clough commented early in the window that right-back wasn't a priority as we had Paul Connolly and Jason Beardsley. More recently, it appears that money just wasn't there to raise the bid to a level Crewe Alexandra would find acceptable. The more pressing matter of buying Albrechtsen and Claude Davis out of their contracts would have been an expensive higher priority.

Am I happy with the transfer dealings this summer? That's a difficult one to answer because, if I'm honest, I'm struggling to get my head around what a financially stable football club looks like in this new recession hit credit crunch era.

At the end of the day what matters to me is the performances, the results, and our position in the league. The manager signs the players he wants and hopefully that's enough to meet, or preferably exceed, expectations. Previous managers have tried the big name big money approach; this manager is trying the small name small money approach.

The loan strategy though has taken me by surprise and I'm not sure I fully understand the logic of it. Take the goalkeeper situation. Stephen Bywater is clearly number one but Lewis Price, a very good goalkeeper in his own right, has been loaned out to Brentford for the season and attempts are being made to loan out Ross Atkins too. As back-up, Saul Deeney comes in as number three, apparently, but so far a number two goalkeeper has not been signed after moves for Blackburn's Frank Fielding could not be concluded and trialist Jimmy Walker has gone to Tottenham.

A similar thing has happened with the strikers too where Luke Varney, who still has a Rams future according to Clough, has been loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday with Paul Dickov coming in on loan as cover.

Is Deeney a better goalkeeper than Price? Is Dickov a better striker than Varney? Right now, Clough must think so, but I find myself wondering whether these curious loan dealings are driven by football reasons or a need to reduce the wage bill?

Already the speculation is starting again as the loan market opens up in less than two weeks. Will there be another attempt to bring in Sam Vokes? Maybe John Brayford will make a loan move, with a view to a permanent signing? Maybe there'll be some more Rams players loaned out?

Right now, "small" is the way forward for Derby County Football Club. A small squad, bolstered by small name signings, for small financial outlay.

Billy Davies and Paul Jewell tried it the big way without success. Let's hope that in doing it the small way Nigel Clough has more success...