It’s 3pm on Monday afternoon. Derby County’s Executive Chairman Mel Morris, CBE, has been in and out of internal and external meetings for the majority of the day.


He’s been discussing the week ahead and his plans for the future and now his latest meeting is with The Ram for his in-depth annual end of season review.

Like last year, this interview spans over three sections – covering a wide-range of topics, on and off the field – which includes his thoughts on Gary Rowett’s first full season in charge, his relationship with the Rams’ manager, the future model of the club, the progress of the Academy and the work that is due to take place in the summer…

THE 2017/18 SEASON

As we stand today, Derby County only need one point to secure their place in the end of season Sky Bet Championship play-offs.

Throughout the season, Rowett and his players have told us their thoughts on another season of twists, turns, highs, lows, thrills and spills. The sort that only football can seem to throw up.

But what does our Executive Chairman think of how it has unfolded?


“We had a relatively poor start and that’s something we all recognised. We had the Bristol City game, which we lost 4-1, and that was one of the low spots of that early door scenario, but after that we got three draws, including the one at Cardiff City, and we went on that fantastic run.
I suppose, to an extent, that run possibly exceeded expectations. We always felt that we would be aiming for top-six, borderline having the opportunity of pushing for the top two. I don’t think anyone could have expected more than that from Gary’s first full season, particularly from the changes that had taken place from the previous two or three.”

Up to second right up until the middle of February, a dip in form saw Derby’s grasp on the automatic promotion spots slip away.

“We went on that fantastic run, got ourselves into second place and then came what some call the ‘winter wobble’. I don’t think you can actually simplify it like that. There were a number of different factors that came into play at that time and when you are a team in second place, you are evidently doing a lot right. If you’re in second place you garner a lot of attention and there’s a lot of focus from other teams. Derby became a team to beat and, therefore, the opposition put more effort into the competitive analysis of your play and what you’re doing. Everyone likes to see a settled starting XI, but the trouble is that the competitive analysis becomes even easier because there’s little variation to what you do. So, the question is, when do you move away from that? It’s hard to abandon that and move away from what worked so well.”

In recent weeks, Rowett has utilised a switch in formation – a big call to make, considering the three games that he made the change for.

The Rams faced a key week in which they would take on Middlesbrough, Cardiff City and Aston Villa – three sides in the top-six – but the response to that has been there for all to see, with the win over the Bluebirds ranking as the best performance Morris has seen this term.


“We have had a change in formation and what is interesting is that Gary and the team had four days preparation time leading into the Middlesbrough, Cardiff and Villa matches collectively to work on it. This week, leading into today’s game, they have had the equivalent. The Middlesbrough game wasn’t brilliant, but it was still encouraging, and you could see what we were trying to achieve. We were unlucky not to have been more clinical with some of the chances we created against them and I still think there were a few decisions within the game that didn’t help us. That being said, we lost it. Gary chose to stick with the same formation going into the next game and I thought it was one of the best performances of the season – I’m still struggling to see which game goes ahead of it. As a game of football between two teams both going for it, it was pretty close to a local derby. We performed well.”

Lessons are always learned in this game. Rowett learned a great deal over the second half of the 2017/18 season for sure, but what has Morris learned?

“In every season you learn new things. People commented about our business in the January transfer window and that it wasn’t strong enough. In contrast, I heard a lot about Aleksandar Mitrovic’s move to Fulham too and that was something that hadn’t been pre-planned in the week leading into January. That was a chance scenario that happened on the last day of the transfer window when an opportunity for Mitrovic to move abroad fell apart. Fulham were in the right place at the right time to capitalise on it and what a signing it has been. You could argue the flip side of that. We were looking at Ademola Lookman and we were convinced that we were going to get him on board, but it went the other way. It’s not a case of we want a wide player, and anyone will do, we wanted Lookman. We didn’t get him. End of. They are the things you look back on because when you have a preference, and you’re hanging for that preference, sometimes you get disappointed.
“The other thing we learned is that nothing robs energy more than a downturn of form. A goal goes against you, the team that scores goes up 10 per cent, the team that concedes drops 10 per cent and that transforms everything. I think we have to admit that the run of draws, collectively, was a bad run of form. It robbed energy from everyone and that’s difficult sometimes to turn around.”


And what about the overall job that Rowett has done over his first full season in charge?

“The first point to make is that Gary is very easy to work with. Easy doesn’t necessarily mean that we always agree on things, it just means there is a balanced relationship there that allows us to discuss and share views openly with each other. A lot of things have matured under his leadership. Whilst we haven’t seen a lot of academy players in the first team, he’s put a lot of time and effort into understanding and shaping the pathway. That bodes well for the future in terms of having a level playing field. Of course, if we are going to play academy players, we have to understand that there is a chance of risk that it may not go perfectly to begin with. We have to ride that through.
“There are some players that you have to take a risk with, especially whilst they are young, to give them the best opportunity to showcase their abilities early on. Are they going to be perfect? Of course not. Even Ryan Sessegnon still has much to learn. That doesn’t reflect whether or not he is a good or bad player, it’s just how it goes when you are young, inexperienced and coming through. Gary’s has been very focused on what the Under-23s are doing and where they are at, but it is hard to include them when you’re bordering on that line of trying to win promotion.
“Gary is great with everyone at the club, everyone respects him, gets on with him and share their views with him. He’s a good manager, there’s no question. Gary is ambitious. He wants to succeed, but he understands that the club has needs and objectives that it has to meet. He is very realistic about that and is always willing to understand and work within those parameters. He’s a talented manager and I’m sure with every passing month he will continue to improve.”


WHERE DERBY COUNTY STAND TODAY

The second part of this interview is dedicated to where Derby County currently stands.

The first question is simple, is our Executive Chairman happy with the Rams’ 2017/18 season?

“We’re one point away from getting ourselves into the play-offs and that was always our target. Is falling from a second disappointment? Sure, but when you look at the teams that have been in that top mix, teams I thought would endure, you take a different view. Bristol City are one of those. They played some fantastic football and got into a great position, but they have completely missed out on the play-offs. Millwall, over the second half of the season, have been absolutely fantastic, but have just fallen short too. Then there are the teams that everyone thought would be there or thereabouts and they are nowhere near the play-offs. I also have to put into perspective that here we are as a club, not on parachute payments, competing against Fulham, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, all of whom are receiving parachute payments – somewhere in the region of £25 and £43 million extra income – this season. If we can pull off a top-six finish, it’s a good result. If we do get there, then I believe anything can happen. I’m still very optimistic.”


This was the first time spending power was raised in this interview, conveniently leading on to how the club stands today financially.

“We have been challenging against parachute payment teams for three or four years now and that’s not a sustainable model. That’s not me trying to be difficult, that’s just the way it is. We’re looking at a whole raft of things we need to do, one of those being how we can get those revenue levels up. We’re looking at projects that will help us do that and we’re looking at how we can get our running costs down.
“Equally, though, we want to continue to be a competitive club whilst balancing all of those factors at the same time. It’s going to be a very interesting summer ahead of us because we don’t know which league we are going to be in. Being blunt about it, if we get promoted then it is much easier to see how you are going to shape the club in those scenarios. If we don’t get promoted, that then becomes much tougher and the constraints are much harder to manage.
“Someone said to me earlier this week ‘are you really going to give away these season tickets if we get promoted’? Our revenue in the Premier League would be approximately £150 million higher than it is today. If we give our season tickets away, should we get promoted, that figure is still going to be in the region of £135 million – compared to the £25 million today. It’s almost like the ticket revenues are relatively insignificant by comparison to what they are in the Championship.”

Away from the football and one of the things that Morris does take a great deal of satisfaction from is the work that Derby County is doing within the community.

Last month, the club was named as the Community Club of the Year by the EFL as great strides continue to be made both locally and internationally.


“The work that Simon Carnall, Paul Newman and the rest of the team do with the Community Trust has been phenomenal for a long time. What’s been different over the last year is that we have brought them closer into the club. We recognise that they are a key asset of what we do and whilst we have always helped them, we have tried to make that more of a bond. The football club is a key cornerstone in the community and the work we do through the club and community are both pivotal to that.
“We recently unveiled the ‘Golden Rams’ which has been put together to reward our long-term season ticket holders, who are now 85+, with a free season ticket for 2018/19, a free blanket, coat and a monthly coffee morning for them to get together. It’s not just about giving out gifts and rewards, it is about trying to create a sense of community because a lot of people they know have since passed away. Now they have a chance to make new friends, find new interests and communicate with similar people about a common subject – football. To see how that group of people identify with each other was fantastic on the day. That’s just one example of what I mean when I say we need to be more involved with the community.”

That ideology is something the players are well on board with too.

“The players have been fantastic. Bradley Johnson with his Black & Gold Gala was brilliant and raised nearly £50,000 for a local school to put a playground area in for disadvantaged kids to use. We can point to the work that Matej Vydra has done himself out in the community – that’s been fantastic. Scott Carson and his role in the #MyRamsHero initiative was one of the most touching things I have ever seen, and Scott now has a bond with Macauley too.
“I hear a lot about our players raising money for lots of great causes and most recently, they donated to the ‘Ramsterdam’ challenge, which takes place in June. There are a lot of good things we are doing and we’re always looking at how we can affect the community in a positive way and be a source of inspiration. We will continue to do that.”


THE FUTURE

There is nothing that encapsulates this section more than the Derby County Academy.

In terms of achievements, the Rams continue to raise the bar – that under a challenging domino effect which began with a number of young players being sent out to gain first team exposure on loan.

“The Academy is probably one of the hardest things to get perfect. If you look at where we are, we have got an Under-23s squad that has a younger average age than anyone else in the division. That is because we have tried to push the age range down as far as we can to try and bring forward the extreme talent and give them the opportunity of playing at a higher level than their age would normally imply.
“Over the last two years, we have taken the Under-23s group and pulled out some of the better players and sent them on loan – while giving Darren Wassall the challenging task of staying in the division. What we have seen, though, is that every time we have done that, they have stepped up and continued to perform. We’re the only Championship club left in Premier League 2 Division 1. Whilst I know it is not all about winning games, it’s about developing players, the measure of the Academy talent coming through can be seen by the fact that they are playing at the highest possible level. We’re holding our own in that, despite taking some of the better players from that team and sending them out on loan.
“That decision is partly an admission that, whilst we are pushing for promotion, it’s hard for those players to push into the first team here. Of course, we want them to break into the first team and play senior football because if you can put a young player in and he can hold his own over 10 to 20 games a season in the first team, his value will soar. We have a fantastically talented group of players who are getting close.”


A big part of the club’s future is the Derby County Ladies too.

“We have helped them financially for a few seasons now. This year is different because we are inviting them in and they are going to be using our facilities to be able to do their coaching and training. That’s a key point. It means they are using first-class facilities, which will help them recruit better players and improve their coaching standards.
“They wear our badge. They are part of our club now and that’s an important distinction, which will hopefully help them get to that Super League level. That’s important for them. This is a great opportunity and something that can only benefit them and the Derby County brand too.”

One of the big things that remains high on Morris’ agenda is RamsTV.
In the space of 12 short months, that particular facet of the club’s media operation has grown exponentially, but how does Morris feel it has developed?

“Firstly, the benefit of RamsTV can be seen in many different ways. Starting with revenue and RamsTV has been, I think, a key part in why so many of our sponsors have renewed, why so many new sponsors have come to the club and why our yield from sponsorship has probably been higher than it has been before. That’s a key part of being able to provide additional promotion to those brands, but also provides tangible evidence that promotion is working for them. The second-part of RamsTV is that we have got excellent coverage of our first team games, which is helping our international followers to see the games and keep them connected to the club.
“The quality of the coverage, I believe, is still the best in the Premier League and the Championship, but it’s the coverage of the Under-23s games and the youth teams that is probably one of the biggest benefits we have. One of the things I don’t think we have done too well with RamsTV is actually promote itself. We get more than 25,000 Derby fans watch the game live at Pride Park each week, but how many of those realise that they can watch a lot of RamsTV content for free? If we’re in the Championship next season, hopefully we’re not, our UK audience will be able to watch many of our games on RamsTV. As for the Premier League, we’re not sure about the state of the broadcast agreement at this point.”

And last, but certainly not least, we turn our attention to what we can expect this summer.

Until this season is done and dusted, it is difficult to discuss Derby County’s plans in the transfer market, but whilst Morris briefly touches on that point, he also revealed some of the other work that is going to be taking place ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

“Even just to stand still, there is a massive amount of work to be done on pitch renovations, both at Pride Park and the Training Centre. There’s huge, almost seven figure, sums to be spent just doing those bits. One of the discussions I was involved with earlier this week was should we be having top quality pitches up at the training ground or have a range of different pitches and conditions to train on, allowing the team to practise on pitches most akin to what they will face in their next away game. We have a lot of work going on as we try and fit out our yoga and judo dojo, which will be available to the Academy and first team players next season.
“We have also got a number of recruitment options, be it in the Championship or the Premier League, that the recruitment team are looking at. There’s a lot of work going on in that area and we have also got a number of players out of contract in the summer. There are a lot of balls up in the air that we need to think through during summer period so it’s going to be a very busy time for us, no matter what league we in at the end of the season.”