What a difference a year makes in football!
Just twelve months ago Derby County were finishing eighth in the Championship after manager Steve McClaren left the club to join Premiership Newcastle United.
McClaren with his reputation fully restored after failing with Nottingham Forest and a disastrous time managing the England team was enticed to the Geordies by the promise of Premiership football and a huge budget.
Would he have been better to have waited and taken his Derby County side to the Premiership? Greed and the underhand way in which Newcastle effectively poached McClaren away from the Ipro has left most Rams fans with a bad taste in their mouth and loathing for both McClaren and Newcastle United.
Fate has a lovely way of dealing out Karma however and last evening Newcastle’s arch rivals Sunderland were in an ideal position to deal out retribution for all the pain and suffering Rams fans endured. A 3-0 score line sent the Stadium of Light into raptures of delight and I dare say a few thousand Derby County fans as well, as the win meant relegation for Newcastle and a side crafted, if that is the right word, by McClaren.
Derby meanwhile has a date with destiny and could, if Karma allows, replace Newcastle in the Premiership in just 16 day’s time.
Our fingers are crossed and in Wassell we trust……………………so COME ON YOU RAMS!