Mel interview

[Day]

For its final edition of the season, Derby County chairman, Mel Morris, sat down for an in-depth interview with the club’s award-winning matchday programme.

Compiled across 10 pages of the Wolves instalment of The Ram, it was an interview which covered a wide-range of topics – on and off the field.

As a result, this interview was split into three sections covering the past, present and future; which includes: the impact Gary Rowett has had on the club, what challenges the Rams face ahead of the 2017/18 season and what mistakes he feels have been made along the way as we approach the end of the campaign.

At the beginning of this month the club’s annual financial report, for the 2015/16 season, was released and Mel spoke candidly of his opinions about that period.

Over that campaign, Mel felt ‘reactive’ mistakes were made by the Rams in both transfer windows. Moves to increase the first team playing squad he suggested, had a negative impact.

Derby’s chairman described this period as a ‘real big lesson’ for himself. 

“I think we over spent during the 2015/16 season. A large part of that was down to the injuries we had early on. That was a really difficult period. It was a lesson for me in that we bought two permanent signings in when we maybe should have explored other options. 

“I believe we have two talented players, but with hindsight, we probably should have been looking in the loan market too. We might not have got as good a quality of player going that way, but we would have been close and it would have also meant that the squad size would not have got blown up as much as it did when the injured players returned for duty.

“I think in the January window we did reactive purchasing at a point where the squad size was already a bit top-heavy and I’ll put my hand up along with the rest of the recruitment and executive team for that. We got it wrong. 

“Those two windows accounted for a significant chunk of the spend that we could have avoided and caused a lot of challenges for us – that’s not just the first team, but the Academy as well. 

“Once the squad was increased to fill the void left by some of those who were injured, it was always going to be a tough call to justify why we bought in these top players, if they were being sidelined by a youngster. 

“I don’t think we killed off any chances from the Academy, but I do think we deferred them a bit. If you are a youngster, then that is really disappointing. That was a real big lesson for me.”

With two games of the 2016/17 campaign remaining, Mel also spoke a great deal about the current season as a whole – one which has seen managerial changes at Pride Park.

His assessment begins with the Rams’ Play-Off Semi-Final clashes with Hull City at the end of last season.

“We ended the 2015/16 season with a stunning game (the 2-0 second-leg win over Hull) – one of the best that we had seen for a long while and it typified what we wanted from the players. It was good football, it was entertaining, a great result and it was just a shame that we had messed it up in the previous match. 

“The aim was to build on that sort of performance, because our belief was that we had a squad that had, pretty much for the last two or three seasons, delivered a top six performance. We set out for the 2016/17 season with the intention of taking the squad we had and making some minor tweaks to build on what we were trying to do in terms of overall playing style and approach. 

“The basic question was ‘how can we get the 10 to 15 points more we needed to take the next step’? 

“There were several aspects we identified where that would have to come from, which being fitter as a team, doing better at set plays, both offensively and defensively. We hired a new manager, in Nigel Pearson, who was clearly tasked with the mission of addressing the issues. 

“We started the season full of massive expectation and that expectation was that we would, at least, be top six and maybe even nudging for those first and second positions. Pre-season was something that we had been so much looking forward to, but even at that stage, it appeared that we were radically moving away from the structure that we had set out.

“Being candid, that surprised me. We knew what Plan A looked like and I was wondering if this was just a case that we were looking at alternatives. Plan B, though, evidently became Plan A. 

"We lost a lot of belief from the supporters in the club and the players from that and people were wondering what the plan was. We had the worst start for however long it was and circumstances transpired that we needed to change the manager. We hadn’t envisaged the need to do that. 

“It wasn’t something that we had planned to do. We had those two games, which were under Chris Powell, and they were very interesting. The Cardiff game was a credible performance against a very physical side – the sort of team that, typically, Derby have not done too well against in the past. 

“We got the win, which was great, and then we had the Reading game after that. We drew there after conceding a goal right at the end, but what those two games did show was that with the team playing in a formation that they were familiar with and prepared for, they were more able to get results. 

“At this point, we got Steve McClaren back and we got back to, pretty much, what we had seen from the 2015/16 season in terms of playing style. That didn’t surprise me. I knew that there would be some smiley faces around the Training Centre and that people would enjoy the style. We went on a great run, recovered our form, and got back into a good position. 

“Expectations started to build again, but it then just went flat. We have been flat before and I hate that. You could go flat because you have peaked or you can go flat because everything you have got is working to the best of its ability and you just flatline somewhere. If, when you flatline, that is good enough to be top of the league then, naturally, you do not mind so much. 

“If where you flatline is something where you aren’t able to sustain your position, then that’s a concern. When you flatline on poor performances, that is the concern. At that point, I had to make a judgement call and in this scenario, we changed manager again. That brings us to where we are today with Gary Rowett at the helm.”

To anyone involved in Derby County, one thing that has been hugely noticeable is the unequivocal backing Gary Rowett has had since his appointment as manager.

Often, when new managers are appointed at football clubs, it can take time, and a few wins along the way, to earn that level of the support from a club’s fanbase.

This was not the case for Gary, though. He has had the Rams supporters right behind him from the very first day he walked through the door.

On that point, Mel said: “I haven’t seen, or heard, a supporter reaction to a manager at our stadium like the one Gary had. I have not witnessed that before. Maybe it was the frustration the supporters have got that they want it so much to work. Maybe it is the way they view Gary as well, but I haven’t seen anything of that level before.”

Today will be Rowett’s eighth game in charge since becoming Derby County boss in the middle of March.

The 43-year-old is considered one of the brightest upcoming managers in the English game and during the period of the interview dedicated to this subject, it is very easy to see why.

Over the last month a number of the club’s players have spoken publicly about what Rowett brings to the table, but what qualities does Derby’s chairman think he offers to the club? 

“I have believed in every manager that we have hired, so I have got to be careful in how I answer that! I have already spoken of the differences we have seen this time compared to previous managers and the biggest one is that he is just so natural. Nothing fazes him. 

“I’ll be candid, during the interview, Gary spoke to me about potentially coming to a club that has got rid of three managers in a short space of time so what is it going to be like for me? He wanted to have that conversation and we did.

“With Gary, there is no attempt to try and dress it up and there’s certainly no spin. It’s very much if I have got an issue with him, then we talk about it and vice versa if he has got an issue with me. Manager relationships are incredibly difficult. There’s a massive pressure on him and he just diffuses situations. 

“He doesn’t inflame them, he diffuses them because he is always prepared to look at it from the other perspective. Because of that, he is very disarming. There’s no confrontation, there’s discussion. If we have, it’s been more so over a bit of banter rather than anything of actual substance. 

“That’s the other thing, you will end a meeting with him with a smile. He just wants to make it work and if he thinks you are out of order he will just tell you. That way, you don’t waste time pretending to go down a path and then find out it blows up in your face a little further down the line. 

“I don’t care whether it is a football manager, or managers from other businesses, but a straight-talking approach is the key. Gary enthuses that and is the epitome of that. 

“He is ambitious and he just wants to do his best and he is always looking to take things forward. In business, we would call him an ‘incrementalist.’ That sounds like a derogatory term, but what I am talking about is that I want every last ounce of things I can improve. 

“So, going back to flatlining, I am looking at how I can get that bit more, where is that edge going to come from and how do we deal with this? All of Gary’s staff, very clearly, understand what they have to do because of that attitude. Therefore, you haven’t just got Gary, you have got a whole raft of people behind him working in unison to get to where we want to go. 

“The last time I saw that sort of attention to detail was from Billy Davies. As much as Billy and I didn’t have the most harmonious relationships, in terms of his attention to detail and planning, he was really meticulous. Gary is probably even more so.”

As you can probably sense, it is that eye for detail which has particularly impressed Derby’s chairman. It’s the way he manages people too, which has especially caught Mel’s eye.

“He has come in and implemented what he and his coaches have done at Birmingham and, for our players, that has been a big step up in terms of the comprehensiveness with which he approaches the coaching and management role. There’s a certain attempt to really manage people at a level I have not seen before. 

“That’s palpable in everyone he touches in the organisation, from me as the chairman, to the executive team, to the rest of the organisation. That’s a really fundamental and positive attribute for someone to have. 

“One example that I think is a massive statement to what Gary brings to the party is that he asked me whether he could have an App to help organise the players. I said he could have whatever he wants, but unless he has got one in mind, now is probably not the best time for us to start reviewing that. 

“I gave him the opportunity to pick several to look at and he came back to me and said that, at Birmingham, he used Google Drive and he wanted to implement that here. It works well and it’s free!

“What he has implemented is that each of the players have their own Google Drive folder and what’s in there is everything they need to be focused on from diet, to training, to exercise, right the way through to competitive clips of the players they are coming up against in the next game. 

"When you look at that, you realise how significant that is – to the extent that the players have asked if they will get that for every game! ‘Of course you will’ I replied. ‘Have you never had this?’

“Take the television screens too. We have got them right through the corridors of the Training Centre and, whilst one manager just wanted them all permanently turning off, Gary is looking at how we can utilise them, exploit them, and get the best out of them. 

“Those are tangible things. It’s how someone manages people, how they communicate with people, how they deal with issues and Gary has got all of that. 

“Overall, I end this season thinking that it’s another season gone and another lost opportunity in pursuit of our collective ambition. Looking at it now, though, I’ll take what we have got going forward with Gary into next season.” 

Ever since the play-offs have been out of reach, all eyes have been focused on how Derby County can right the previous wrongs when it comes to the 2017/18 season. 

Mel spoke at length about the various things that need to happen to get the Rams back to the level he, and everyone else connected with the club, wants them to be at.

The first talking point was the challenge Gary Rowett faces to shape his squad this summer and expectations for the next campaign.

“I think the key thing, for Gary, is that he has got to do a lot of work in the summer to shape the squad. He’s got a completely free-hand in doing that – and I mean completely – whatever he wants to do, across the board, that’s fine. 

"We have got some financial targets to meet as we want to be FFP (Financial Fair Play) compliant, but within that, the highest priority for Gary is that he believes, at the end of that, he has got the core 15 to 18 player mix that will make us a strong top six contender. 

“We have got to sort out the squad and that will probably mean some players will depart. Of course, from Gary’s perspective, the most important things are what are the areas of the squad he wants to improve, but because he has got to balance the books, he has got to be very mindful of how he goes about doing it. 

“We know we have to trim what we have. Assuming, at the back end of the window, Gary has got all the improvements that he is suggesting he would like to make, I can’t see why we can’t be looking to be a strong top six contender in 2017/18. 

“If someone asked me is the target promotion then I would say of course we would love that. We would always love that, but whilst I know Gary is going to be pushing like crazy to achieve it, I think it would be unfair of us to say promotion is an expectation. 

“It’s an aspiration; we will do everything we can to put a stronger team together to do that and, who knows, maybe we will pull it off. Does it mean that I am running away with expectation for next season? No, but what I do know is that he will have a dedicated approach to trying to build what we have to ensure that we do not plateau like I mentioned earlier in this interview.”

The second important topic in this section was the Academy.

After admitting earlier there had been ‘set backs’ in bridging the gap between the first team and the Academy, Mel, a firm believer in the latter’s importance, was keen to address what steps are being taken to ensure it has a big role to play in the future.

“The Academy is starting to show some great statistical numbers in terms of the younger teams coming through, so I am happy with the work that Darren Wassall is doing there and we are starting to build the grass roots of a strong Academy. 

“One of the things that I have tasked some of the Academy coaches and guys working on the Own the Region project to do is to go to Iceland. Why Iceland? Well, Iceland has almost the same population as Derbyshire, yet they have to produce a national side from that catchment. 

“As we saw last summer, they punched very much above their weight so it can’t just be that they happened to produce a number of fantastic footballers, so there has to be something in their set-up that works for them. 

“I want us to understand that because we have got some really strong players who have a big chance of breaking into our first team and it is about ensuring that they have a pathway. 

“For example, we have spoken about having a four-tier structure of players from next season. There is a top tier, which is where you expect your highly-talented, high earner, players to be and we would estimate that there would be six or seven players in this category. 

“Tier two is very much your workforce of the team; the bulk of the squad, and there would be eight or nine players in this tier. 

“In tier three, you have your Academy, your aspiring youngsters, and you expect to have five to seven players within that. 

“Beyond those three, you have loans to top up whatever is required. That cannot be implemented straight away, but over the course of two, three or four windows, we want to be in line with that. I think that’s when these younger players will realise where they fit into that.”

Away from the on-pitch matters, one of the biggest projects Mel has been working on over the last 12 months is the restructuring of the EFL media rights agreement.

To conclude this interview, Derby’s chairman took time to address, what his ambitions are, not just for Derby County, but the entire Football League pyramid as he aims to close the gap between them and the Premier League.

“One of the first aspects is that we want to begin distributing our game footage out to the biggest possible audience. For all sorts of reasons, I want to create interest around Derby County as far afield as we can and that’s important for the standing of the club. 

“The second point is that there must be an air of quality around how we go about that. If we are going to put footage online, I want it to be comparable to if you were watching it on a mainstream television channel. That means it has to have proper commentary, with high quality camera footage and with decent analysis. 

“We can all talk about how lucrative the Premier League is, but the money has allowed them to create presence, it has allowed them to create quality and it has allowed them to create branding.

“We have to start that process in the EFL – otherwise the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is just going to get wider. We must get the entire structure of media rights to be proportionate, in order to create as much of a level playing field as is possible. 

“Because of the gulf, the Premier League’s money has allowed them to push on and make them more valuable during a time that we haven’t been able to. 

“We are trying to find ways to put ideas on the table that says ‘what if we can get the Championship to step up? What if we can make it more attractive? What do we need to think about when it comes to the quality of how a production goes out and can we properly stand up and negotiate deals with media companies that have real value to them?’ 

“If we can do that, then the revenue in Championship and EFL clubs will grow significantly. That will help all the clubs, but it will especially help out the smaller clubs. It will increase their presence, their branding and their awareness and, eventually, you almost start a snowball rolling. 

“It could be transformational and we’re at the forefront of a lot of that. 

“It’s going to be an exciting future.” 

http://mobile.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/read-the-rams-wide-ranging-interview-with-mel-morris-now-3695815.aspx

[angieram]

Spent £3 on a programme today as was sold as an exclusive interview, only to find it's online already. 

[rynny]

Jeez that's about as long as one of @Alpha's post

[Chester40]

Can't argue with much of that....!!

Exactly what I want to hear.

Not sure it says what will happen if we aren't 'strong top 6 contenders' whilst cutting the squad and saving money. 

I can guess tho...

[ramesses]

27 minutes ago, rynny said:

Jeez that's about as long as one of @Alpha's post

only mentions SM once, so easy to tell the difference.

[Van der MoodHoover]

******** Nora. 

Is there a twitter version? 

[Alph]

38 minutes ago, rynny said:

Jeez that's about as long as one of @Alpha's post

I can do you a two word post?

[RadioactiveWaste]

A lot of good things said, although I still detect a slight undercurrent of "You are completely free to do things the way Mel wants"

Did strike me that a) Nigel Pearson's idea of tweaking a team that was a small am out off amounted to "I'm just going to do what I do" - he had freedom to do that but it wasn't Mel's way so it had very little "indulgence" when results were poor. B) He recognizes Rowett's approach and likes it - probably because he's a detail man and so is Mel would be my guess.

 

[rammieib]

Until success is delivered on the pitch I genuinely find it hard to take MM seriously anymore. The comments are much of a muchness after every manager that comes in.

out of interest what happened to our game against Leeds that was going to happen over Easter?? When did that plan get scrapped?

[GboroRam]

TL/DR

[The_Sheriff]

I wish he came out and said I've made mistakes with hiring managers and rowett will be given time.

stability please!!!!!

[Alph]

9 minutes ago, rammieib said:

Until success is delivered on the pitch I genuinely find it hard to take MM seriously anymore. The comments are much of a muchness after every manager that comes in.

out of interest what happened to our game against Leeds that was going to happen over Easter?? When did that plan get scrapped?

I'm in with this too. 

I think his heart is in the right place but we need something we can physically see happening. 

Too many false dawns. Too many "he's the man"

I believe he believes what he says. I don't think he lies. It's just faith doesn't come free now. Show us something Derby. No words will cut it.

[GerryDaly]

I like Mel. 

Mel is good for DCFC . 

I love DCFC .. 

Newcastle United were a train wreck hitting the Championship ... with suspect owners ,,, 

Newcastle United invested in the team and they are now in the Prem ... 

Mel ... You've invested in DCFC .... but we are MID TABLE at best .... 

Why is that ? 

[Mick Brolly]

6 minutes ago, GerryDaly said:

I like Mel. 

Mel is good for DCFC . 

I love DCFC .. 

Newcastle United were a train wreck hitting the Championship ... with suspect owners ,,, 

Newcastle United invested in the team and they are now in the Prem ... 

Mel ... You've invested in DCFC .... but we are MID TABLE at best .... 

Why is that ? 

Because most of the players we invested in are w##k

[Rev]

Heard it all before, in public and private.

As @Alpha said, we need tangible proof things are now different, I hope they are.

Time will tell, I'll give him one thing though, he doesn't interfere in the running of the team, even when he's doubtful of the managers capabilities, so he's correct when he says he's backed every manager fully.

If Rowett can reduce the running costs, yet move us forward it will be some achievement!

[GerryDaly]

6 minutes ago, Mick Brolly said:

Because most of the players we invested in are w##k

That was actually my point ! 

So SACK some Fkers at PP ...

Someone somewhere .... 

Is ACCOUNTABLE 

[Pearl Ram]

See the where is Sam thread. 

[GerryDaly]

What role does SAM RUSH play now at PP ?

[Pearl Ram]

That my friend is the 64,000 dollar question this evening.

[Day]

Let's say next season it all goes wrong, horribly. At what point would it be justifiable to sack Rowett?

Calling for stability is great, everybody wants it, but are we asking the club to sit on their hands and watch things crumble to say, well we gave him the time you all wanted?

Stability will come naturally when the team and manager are hitting their objectives or key performance indicators in our case..

If the players enjoy having Rowett around they can keep him in a job by doing their jobs on the pitch. Simple really. Derby under Pearson, Leicester under Ranieri this season just shows how much power the players have, I'm not talking about secret meetings with owners but performances on the pitch.

Part of the job is keeping those players happy otherwise you're out the job.

"Sell the lot of em"....this isn't a video game, it's not that simple or financially viable, the manager will always be the one to be shown the door. Not saying it's right or fair, many good managers have lost their jobs over players underperforming but that's football.

Don't get me wrong I've been just as frustrated with everyone else to see managers shown the door after a short period of time, even more so when it's happened after their first rough patch, said it a thousand times you need to give a manger the full season. BUT and this comes from no ITK information at all, more to this football club than the 90 minutes you see on the pitch each week, football manager's job is 7 days a week. Pretty sure Mel would have loved to still be on his first manager but the club believed for whatever reasons they had to go.

You could also argue stability doesn't automatically give you success, Watford for example are not doing too bad. Not saying that's the way to go either! more ways to skin a cat that's all.

Yes it would be nice to see Rowett around for the full tenure of his contract and sign a new one, then another and another, become our Ferguson but ONLY if he's doing a decent job 7 days a week, let's not call for stability for the sake of it.