Derby sack Paul Clement

Hiney said:

Remember that game against West Ham in the first Amex season. Something like 70% possession (most of it back and forwards across the back four) but a 1-0 defeat at the end of it

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Tony Meolas Loan Spell said:

Very much Gus.

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Hiney said:

Remember that game against West Ham in the first Amex season. Something like 70% possession (most of it back and forwards across the back four) but a 1-0 defeat at the end of it

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mikeyjh said:

So, the principle is that they play the same way from the U8s through to the first team, progression is enabled through the age groups etc etc - The youngsters are coached the same way all the way through, couple of people I know have kids in the academies that speak about this, 2 touches pass, move and so on, it's quick and attacking. Clement's style, while much more focused on the primary objective of ball retention, so it was quite negative. I think the stats will show we have a very % possession, but most of that was with the back 4 and it got predictable, teams could press and press, eventually we'd lose the ball and you know what happens next....

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Blue Valkyrie said:

The Chairman needs to step back and take a critical look at his own behaviour.

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Tony Meolas Loan Spell said:

Very much Gus.

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Mellor 3 Ward 4 said:

It seems everyone but the Chairman knew that when he was appointed though?

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wellquickwoody said:

With Pellegrino being released (effectively sacvked) at Man City after delivering the Premier title only 18 months ago and currently lying third, this sacking shows again of all that is wrong with modern football. If our club ever goes the same route, sacking people doing a perfectly good job, then I will walk away from football, Albion or no Albion.

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hans kraay fan club said:

How come you are still here now then, and didn't walk away when Wilkins was sacked after leading a bunch of kids to a seventh-placed finish, on a shoestring?

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hans kraay fan club said:

How come you are still here now then, and didn't walk away when Wilkins was sacked after leading a bunch of kids to a seventh-placed finish, on a shoestring?

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wellquickwoody said:

Probably because I did not see it the same as you, or I was younger and cared less?

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Hiney said:

Remember that game against West Ham in the first Amex season. Something like 70% possession (most of it back and forwards across the back four) but a 1-0 defeat at the end of it

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ditchy said:

Big Sam, having gone 1-0 from a Kevin Nolan Fluke , then said basically that we can play football as much as we want in 2 /3rds of the pitch but you are not going to get anywhere near goal in the final Third .

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wellquickwoody said:

Probably because I did not see it the same as you, or I was younger and cared less?

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Ernest said:

Watford showed how to do it last season SACK a manager the minute he FAILS to win a match or do it the Bournemouth way and totally IGNORE FFP and spend MILLIONS you haven't got. Both are SAFE in the Premier League NOW, Derby should have learnt from them as we should do

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hans kraay fan club said:

There had to be more to it than purely the results of football matches.

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El Presidente said:

..........and indeed, there was.

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Ernest said:

You just got OWNED by HKFC

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MEL Morris says Paul Clement departed from the plan first discussed when he was appointed – and that was the main reason he is no longer with Derby County.

Morris, the chairman and owner of the Rams, was addressing a press conference called to explain the reasoning behind Monday evening's shock sacking of the club's head coach.

Derby have asked Academy director Darren Wassall to take over first-team matters until the end of the season.

The Academy and the development of players was also a key factor in the gulf which grew between Morris and Clement, it emerged, the chairman saying the pair were not "in sync."
Here are some of the key points from the press conference, as they happened.

Q) Why was PC sacked?

A) We had a plan that was spelt out to Paul before he took the job.

We had a number of conversations during the season about the plan and where we were and we felt for quite a while that we weren't actually getting to grips with some of the key parameters of that.

One was the style of play and the other was this constant search for player and team improvement.

A couple of weeks ago we had another conversation around that and my belief was we hadn't moved forward at all with that.

To a degree, the very fundamental thing we are trying to achieve, we were not quite hitting the mark.

We can talk about results and points and promotion but to me it is more important we see the team performing on a rising tide of performance and we just haven't been seeing that.

Q) In November you told a fans' forum you would not sack PC this season. Also you have heaped praise on PG on the season ticket documentation that has recently gone out to fans. What has changed in the last couple of weeks?

A) I don't think anything has changed.

I was very emphatic that it was not about promotion this season, it was also not about points and not about results.

It was about performance and improvement in performance and I have been consistent with that right the way through.

The run of recent games is not the reason.

It is actually about where is this improvement in performance we have been looking for?

Eventually, when you look back and it has not been there you have to make a judgement call is it ever going to be there?

My belief was we were not making progress and I don't believe Paul was actually in sync with us on trying to achieve that goal.

Q) You said Paul Clement could be Derby County's Sir Alex Ferguson, you said he would be here for the season, period. Do you regret those comments now?

A) No, I really don't.

I honestly believe had Paul worked with us on this plan that would have been possible.

Maybe for Paul, his horizon was slightly shorter than ours.

If you are focused on promotion being the primary goal then you don't see the thing in the same perspective as we do and I think that was a part of the big issue.

I don't regret saying that because I think it was possible that could have been achieved, even up to the last couple of weeks, if Paul had said "look, I understand what you are saying about this plan, the style of football and those things, I will work with you on those things," then he still would have been here.

My belief still was what we tried to do with Paul was a good thing to try.

Paul is a good guy. Don't think that this is a guy who has gone off with any intent to try to cause any issues, not at all. This is a guy who just simply had a slightly different plan to ours and that was getting further and further apart.

Q) There has been some suggestion PC did not share your focus on youth and what you are trying to do at the Academy. Is that fair?

A) I think it is fair, I don't think he did.

Q) If that is the case, why did you allow him to sign the number of new players that came to the club?

A) Firstly, I believe in a no-excuses policy so if a manager is saying to me he needs to hire a new striker or he needs to cover at left-back, I can hardly say no to that.

Our plans for the Academy have been sort of difficult because Max Lowe would have come in to cover for Craig Forsyth. He is still going to be out for another three or four months, at least.

So the factors really aren't quite as clear, as Paul didn't embrace things, but one example is Jamie Hanson, probably the best example. We had George Thorne injured for quite a few games this season. I think every time Jamie Hanson has played he has done well. I thought he might have featured more or at least been on the bench more than has been the case.

I don't think Paul was quite as clearly focused on the Academy as we wanted him to be.

Q) Something else that has been intimated is that PC was not responsible for all the signings that have been made this season? Is that true?

A) Paul has had sole sign-off on every player that has come in this season. Absolutely. Paul has had the final say.

Q) Something else that has been suggested is that you have tried to influence team selection. Is there any truth in that?

A) Absolutely no truth whatsoever.

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