Wayne Rooney has revealed what it was like to be Derby County’s manager during a time of hefty point deductions that eventually contributed to their relegation to League One.
The Rams’ spell in English football’s third tier appears to be coming to an end this weekend, as all they need is a point at home to Carlisle United, who are at the bottom of the table, to earn promotion back to the Championship. But the voyage down to this level will not be forgotten.
Derby lost 21 points during the 2021/22 season. According to the Derby Telegraph, the club received nine penalties for violating profit and sustainability standards, and an additional 12 when it went into administration.
If they had not received these severe penalties, they would have finished 17th in the second tier rather than 23rd.
| Championship table (2021/22) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Points | |
| 20 | Birmingham City | 46 | -25 | 47 |
| 21 | Reading | 46 | -33 | 41 |
| 22 | Peterborough | 46 | -44 | 37 |
| 23 | Derby County | 46 | -8 | 34 |
| 24 | Barnsley | 46 | -40 | 30 |
Derby’s manager at the time was a former Manchester United and England legend. This was his first position as a manager in professional football, and while he couldn’t save them from relegation, the now 38-year-old did a great job.
The former Rams head coach has spoken out about what it was like to lead a team that was in freefall owing to financial concerns.
Wayne Rooney discusses his experience as Derby County manager during point deductions.
The former England forward was a pundit for Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool. Everton has received two point penalties this season owing to financial regulatory violations, resulting in an eight-point drop in their overall score.
During an interview with broadcaster Kelly Cates, Rooney was asked about his experience leading Derby County during difficult times.”It’s difficult,” admitted the former Birmingham City manager.”Like Everton, we had it in two distinct spells. We received 12 points [deducted] at first, followed by nine points several months later.
“It’s quite challenging for the staff around here. Employees were laid off. All you can do is attempt to keep everyone calm, be honest with the players and staff about the issue, and provide as much information as possible.”
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Wayne Rooney almost kept Derby up should be discussed more.
Seven points. This was the distance between Derby and safety in the 21/22 season. That’s only one-third of the points they’d been deducted all season.
Overcoming a point deduction is not simple. Yes, teams in the English Football League, such as Everton and Reading, have been able to do so this season, and their siege mentality, as Rooney mentioned, will have benefited them greatly. However, this does not diminish the enormous obstacle that the Evertonian faced at Pride Park.
Derby averted relegation by one point the previous season. If Sheffield Wednesday had not lost 18 points, the Rams would have been relegated sooner.
Rooney was not working with a heavy team. This team was nowhere like the caliber of the 18/19 squad that lost to Aston Villa in the play-off final.
Nonetheless, Rooney was able to lead the team 11 points ahead of where they were last season.
It wasn’t enough to keep them going, but it shouldn’t detract from the fact that they were on the verge of surviving after being sentenced to death with two points deducted.
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