As those who control Derby’s future struggle to halt the club’s slide towards extinction, Wayne Rooney is rapidly running out of patience.
The former England captain has led the Rams with courage and dignity throughout one of the worst periods in its 138-year history. Ahead of Sunday’s match with Birmingham at Pride Park, which is set to be a sell-out, Derby know at least that they have funds to get through February. Thereafter, nothing is certain.
At the heart of the matter – though not the only problem – are compensation claims from Middlesbrough and Wycombe, relating to Derby’s breaches of spending rules during Mel Morris’ ownership. If they were upheld, a new owner would face a bill of about £51million, on top of existing debts of about £60m. That is a huge risk even for the wealthy.
Wayne Rooney wants key figures involved in Derby’s saga to see the bigger picture
Derby have been given an extra month to prove they can complete the Championship season
Administrators Quantuma say they cannot name a likely buyer for the club until the EFL decide on the status of those claims. The EFL want Quantuma to settle on a preferred bidder before they make the decisive calls, and are frustrated that they have still not done so.
The EFL also privately feel they cannot prevent Boro and Wycombe from suing Derby, and indeed may get sued themselves if they tried. The EFL hierarchy feel their best hope is mediation but making it happen is easier said than done.
In the eye of storm stands Rooney, somehow trying to keep Derby in the Championship, They have been in administration for four months and have had 21 points deducted, yet still they fight on. Rooney has kept the team united and given the circumstances, performances have been excellent. But now wants the key players in this saga to see the bigger picture.
‘It goes through the administrators, the EFL, Middlesbrough feel they have a claim, Wycombe feel they have a claim,’ said an exasperated Rooney. ‘Come on, grow up. Let’s just get it all sorted.
‘It’s something which needs resolving as soon as possible because I need assurances, the players need assurances. If we get through this period, and hopefully we do, I’ve got the majority of my squad out of contract in the summer and I need to know we can move forward.
Quantuma remain hopeful of naming a preferred bidder before the new March 1 deadline, with former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley one of three parties to have shown interest
The players need that, the fans need that, the staff here need that, so it needs to get sorted out one way or the other.’
Morris still owns Pride Park and whoever buys the club will have to negotiate with him. What isn’t known is where the administrator is finding money to keep the club going, but the assumption is funds have been found, perhaps via a loan, otherwise player sales would have happened. Instead, Rooney was assured on Friday that nobody would be sold in this window.
Rooney has been scathing about Morris since Derby have been in administration yet while his disappointment was clear, he sought a slightly softer tone here.
‘I haven’t had any communication with him since this happened,’ revealed the former England captain. ‘In fact I didn’t even have any communication with him while he was still here for the last three or four months before we went into administration.
In the middle of the saga Rooney is doing his best to keep Derby up in the Championship
Rooney has been scathing about Mel Morris since the club went into adminstration
‘I know it was tough for Mel because he’s from the area and it’s a club he had big ambitions for. Maybe he’s gone in over his head and obviously he couldn’t continue funding the club. Unfortunately he’s put us in administration.
‘I know there’s a lot of anger amongst the fans, a lot of disappointment amongst the fans, myself, the staff, for this club being left in this position.
‘Mel had a dream of getting Derby County to the Premier League. That’s great, we can all dream. But there has to be a realism as to what you can do. More often than not, when you chase things, it doesn’t end up in a good way.’
Derby fans are still anxiously awaiting more news regarding the takeover of their club. There were four parties interested in buying last month before American businessman Chris Kirchner pulled out. That leaves former Derby chairman Andy Appleby in the running, along with former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and two American brothers, Adam and Colin Binnie.
Kirchner had met top EFL officials before he withdrew. Appleby has also done so, while Ashley and the Bunnies have not, yet.
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