Opinion - Walking On Water? Or Up The Creek Without A Paddle.

It was only 10 weeks ago that Derby County were riding high in the Championship, sitting pretty in 4th spot looking to push on and substantiate a promising start to the season.

Fast forward to the present day, and The Rams are a mere 7 points from the relegation zone and on a run that has garnered only 2 points from the 18 available in the last 6 games. Since Boxing Day they have been beaten home and away by Forest, lost to a Sven inspired Leicester and knocked out of the FA Cup by Blue Square Premier side Crawley Town in what was arguably the shock of the 3rd round. The next 3 games include must win fixtures against fellow relegation strugglers Sheffield United and Scunthorpe, and failure to net a minimum of 6 points from 9 could see them looking even more nervously over their shoulders at the teams below them.

However, it is unfair to look at these statistics and stories without putting them into context. Former manager Billy Davies took Derby into the Premier League through the play-offs in 2007, and the future seemed bright at Pride Park. Yet a dour campaign with only one win courtesy of a Kenny Miller wondergoal against Newcastle saw them finish with a record low points total of 11. Even the appointment of former Wigan manager Paul Jewell failed to stop the slide, and Derby were forced to slink back to the 2nd tier of English football having been relegated before April.

It seemed as if Derby had got into the habit of losing and Jewell found himself on the wrong end of the "it's not you, it's me" talk commonly heard in boardrooms up and down the country, shortly followed by the clinking of champagne glasses. Now, after being given a run of 2 years in charge, it seems as if Nigel Clough could be following the same fate.

When Clough took the hotseat at Pride Park, having previously been courted by the side he scored over 100 goals for, he was lauded as being a potential saviour of a team in dire need of a kick start. Who better to provide this than the so called "Son of God"?

If we lived in a perfect world, Clough would be able to bring the players in he needs whilst offloading the deadwood holding a sleeping giant back. He hasn't been able to hold on to his best players whilst relying on loanees such as Alberto Bueno and Daniel Ayala to shore up a team that seems to be in terminal decline.

Yet losing your best players should be no excuse for demotivating and publicly castigating the ones that he and the board have been able to retain. Dean Moxey and Tomasz Cywka have both been singled out for criticism as Derby slid down the table. Poor man-management, uninspired team selection, a team clearly short on confidence and an inability to formulate, let alone action a Plan B has led to Derby fans protesting spontaneously. Couple all the above problems with Chairman Tom Glick and his promises to invest in the summer, and you finally understand the frustrations that Derby fans contend with on a weekly basis.

Come Saturday though, standing on the touchline at Glanford Park the heavens open, Derby fans will find out whether the "Son of God" will walk on water, or whether he will sink into obscurity.