While I don’t care for Derby County, it’s heartbreaking to see a side managed so well by Wayne Rooney, given their clear limitations in the Championship, relegated to League One.
The third tier of English football.
Derby County last held the status of a Premier League club in 2008. That is a long time and there could be more bumps on the road, especially if Rooney decides to jump ship to manage a club in the higher divisions.
It won’t be long before a Premier League club shows interest in having him as their manager, and he will want to build a portfolio that could see him land the Manchester United job one day.
However, when assessing Derby County’s relegation this season, you can’t ignore that they were deducted a total of 21 points in the Championship. The chances of Rooney keeping them up – for a second season in a row – were incredibly slim.
- Derby were deducted 12-points at the beginning of the season after entering administration.
- Matters were made worse on November 16 when Derby were given a further nine-point deduction for breaching EFL accounting rules.
Absolutely gutted with the outcome from today. Proud of all the players and staff, unbelievable effort from everyone. Thanks to all our fans for the incredible support through some tough times. Hopefully we can start to rebuild as soon as possible. 🐏🤍🖤 #dcfc @dcfcofficial pic.twitter.com/iTf4kBVYFu
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) April 18, 2022
Rooney deserves credit because his players have fought valiantly until the very end. In many ways, I think he has grown into the managerial role superbly, and has shown a number of strong points in a short period of time.
He’s a real leader. There was no whining this season as he got on with the job without throwing out the excuse book.
Throw in the fantastic connection he has with the fans and the willingness to go against all odds in attempt to pull off a miracle.
Wayne Rooney speaks to the fans of Derby County who have gathered outside their training ground after their relegation today…
Fantastic from Wazza! 👏
📹 @gasmanscott1#DCFC pic.twitter.com/BUWHoeohkq
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) April 18, 2022
The former United striker – and the club’s all-time record scorer – can’t be blamed for any of the reasons that saw Derby deducted points. And, without the deduction, the Rams would be on 52 points and 17th in the Championship – after 13 wins.
Derby will be doing all they can to keep Rooney as manager.
