David Clowes End Of Season Statement
If the overwhelming emotion this time last year was elation, today it's relief. But that's relief tinged with real pride.
Pride that the players have pulled off a magnificent achievement in avoiding relegation when everybody thought Derby County were dead and buried.
Pride that the fans have been rewarded for their incredible support even in the darkest days of the season.
And pride because this will undoubtedly be a stepping stone towards an even stronger and brighter future for the club.
It might sound a bit daft to say we've achieved our aims for the season when, even going into the last day, we couldn't be certain what division we'd be playing in come August.
But before we kicked a ball last year, we knew that remaining in the Championship had to be the absolute target. Of course, it would have been nice to be comfortably sat in mid-table - and when I wrote my notes at Christmas, that's where it looked like we might be heading.
Football, though, has a nasty habit of destroying that kind of confidence and the run of results at the start of the year made it clear we had to make a change, as tough as that is to do when it means losing somebody you like and admire as a person.
If you do roll that particular dice, you have to be confident the next man is going to make a difference, and with John Eustace we were sure he could turn things around.
His track record tells you that but even putting past achievements aside, you only have to meet him to know that he has that something special, those innate qualities of leadership and determination to get the job done.
I have to take my hat off to Stephen Pearce on the appointment of John. He quickly identified the man we needed and then worked tirelessly to get the deal over the line when nobody believed a manager would swap the play-off places for a team stuck at the very bottom of the Championship.
Of course, John knew all about the club and what makes it special from his playing days so we had an advantage. But we also had to convince him that, no matter what happened this season, there was a clearly defined plan for the future of Derby County and that it was an exciting one.
He understood and bought into that vision and has already taken a giant step towards it by making sure we are a Championship club. From the bottom of my heart, I thank him, his staff and a group of players who never knew when they were beaten. Their strength of character has been underlined time and time again in these last few weeks and they deserve every second of praise that comes their way.
Now we start again, a fresh page in front of us that will be filled with new targets, new adventures, probably a few inevitable disappointments but always with hope and a determination from everybody to do the very best for Derby County.
Enjoy the summer and enjoy still supporting a Championship club!
David Clowes.
