3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney has stressed that everyone at Derby County must stand tall and together as one in the face of adversity.
Derby formally entered administration on Wednesday afternoon after a club statement from the Board of Directors last Friday evening signalled its intent.
Andrew Hosking, Carl Jackson and Andrew Andronikou, managing directors at business advisory firm Quantuma, have been appointed as the club’s joint administrators as a result of the news.
Derby have been docked 12 points by the EFL for entering administration and that means they now sit on -2 points at the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table.
Rooney has admitted it has been a difficult moment for everyone associated with the club in a week that has contained a number of staff meetings.
After sitting down with the administrators on Thursday morning, following a phone conversation on Wednesday, Rooney has admitted he feels more comfortable about the situation moving forward.
“It has been a strange week for everyone at the club,” Rooney told RamsTV. “Coming off the back of a very good win against Stoke City last Saturday and then coming in this week and having the reality of what is going on, it’s been difficult for everyone.
“The unknown for some people - there will be some people that lose their jobs over this - that’s been a difficult part.
“As I said to the administrators, the important thing is the communication which we have will allow me to communicate openly to the players and staff.”
He added: “The administrators have their job to do which is understandable as well, I get that, but I am more comfortable meeting them than I was before, if I’m being honest.
“They know what we are trying to do here in terms of with the team. We have to realise that there are jobs at stake as well, so I just have to manage that. I have to manage the players and staff.”
Rooney has spoken to his squad on several occasions since the news initially broke last Friday.
He has heaped praise on his players for the way they have conducted themselves on the pitch and particularly for how they stepped up to record a 2-1 home win over Stoke City last weekend on an emotional afternoon at Pride Park Stadium.
The 35-year-old, who celebrates his birthday next month, knows it is important to try and keep his squad’s focus on matters on the pitch as much as possible.
“The important meetings this week were about how we are going to move forward and what the situation is, but we also can’t forget we have a very important game we have coming up on Saturday,” he said.
“I have had to focus on that as well in getting the players ready. I’ve got nothing but praise for the players. The way they have handled this situation is remarkable because they could down tools or lose interest, but they have been fully committed and their attitude in training has been fantastic.
“They will be ready to go out and put in a good performance and try to get three points at Sheffield United on Saturday.”
On the fact Derby have been deducted 12 points, Rooney added: “What’s important is the players understand how they are performing. We have started the season okay, we are bottom of the table at the minute but on their form, we are in 12th place, so we have to look at it both ways.
“We have to be realistic and know where we are in the table, but also what is important to the players is to know how they are performing. I will remind them of the position they would be in as opposed to the one we are in.”
Rooney has emerged as a real leader for the football club in recent weeks.
The fans have shown their appreciation towards the Derby boss, his staff and players and the former England and Manchester United striker has made it clear that now is a time for unity and strength right across the club.
He is also confident that the Rams will come through a tough period in their history far stronger.
Rooney said: “In tough times, whether that is in football or other workplaces, in life you get tough moments and it’s important that you stand tall to it, you be brave and stick together.
“I spoke to all the staff at the training ground and that’s the message that I gave them.
“I said to them: ‘I am here with you, I am standing alongside you’. We are going to have some tough moments, we know that, but we all have to stand together. We will get through this moment and come out of it stronger.
“We have to be focused on dealing with some of the issues which will come up over the next few weeks which there is nothing we can do about and we have to deal with it the best we can and in some ways, I feel it is a positive that we are moving forward and not being held back anymore. We have to take a backwards step to move forward.”
