tabula rasa

[Norman Hull]

Sixty years after my first match at the Baseball ground this is finally the year that I almost lost my faith. Even when we were relegated to Division Three in 1984 I didn't become pessimistic: I knew we would bounce back. That optimism left me during this dreadful year. I got to the point of almost switching off, burying my head in the sand, afraid to look at the football results because it was so deeply depressing. 

I'm hugely relieved that our club has survived to fight another day in the second tier of English football, but a clean slate (tabula rasa) is necessary and absolutely vital. To achieve a clean slate the dirty slate needs to be wiped clean. That means - in the first instance - getting rid of Rooney and his coaching staff. I admire Rooney as a great football player, but sadly he is not very bright. A great ship like Derby County needs a good captain on the bridge. Rooney is not that captain. He's little more than a Cabin Boy.