Derby County has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years, from near-bankruptcy to a long-term return to the Championship.
The Rams cannot be accused of having had a dull season recently. The club was on the verge of extinction until chairman David Clowes saved it in 2022, investing an estimated £55 million.
Derby fans cheered, and two seasons later, they are back in the Championship.
Looking farther back, the Rams fans will remember their most recent Premier League season for all the wrong reasons, despite their record-breaking 11 points in 2007/08.
But 15 years later, how far away are Derby from returning to the promised land?
“We don’t want to fall back into the trap” – Derby urged to be patient with Premier League return
Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, has urged the club to be patient when it comes to their Premier League ambitions.
He said: “If I’m being totally honest, it would be a big ask to be in the Premier League in five years. I think David Clowes is a legend at the club for what he’s done for us and saved us from extinction.
“I don’t think he has the clout and the money behind him to really give us that push to the Premier League and even if we did manage to get up, we would struggle unless we have major investment.
“To be honest with you, a couple of years of consolidation and then look to bring in someone else alongside Clowes or Clowes to sell it himself.
“We don’t want to fall back into the trap under Mel Morris, and we need to be patient. If it takes five, six, seven years, so be it.
“Patience is the key, and we have to remember what happened last time when we chased it. If we were to go up this year I wouldn’t complain, but the likelihood is we’d come back down and have players on big contracts who wouldn’t want to be at the club.
“A couple more years of consistency and sustainability, and I’m more than happy.”
Rams must be careful not to go down the same path
Derby’s focus should be on the present rather than a bold move for the Premier League.
They must be careful not to return to their dark days under Morris, whose unsustainable ownership of the club nearly cost them everything.
There were bright periods during his tenure, and the team came close to Premier League promotion, but chances were taken that could have been deadly for the Pride Park side.
What they need now is sustainability and consistency to let them gradually rebuild before they can credibly dream about returning to the top flight. Clowes appears to be the perfect owner to instill such values, as evidenced by his actions in recent years.
The focus may eventually move to the Premier League, but for the time being, staying in the Championship and rebuilding must be the first goal.
