The Athletic’s Derby County correspondent Ryan Conway answered viewers’ questions during his post-match live stream following the Rams’ 3-0 Championship loss to Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening and one of the topics that he was asked about during that live stream was whether or not Derby fans are getting any closer to seeing their club appoint their next permanent manager.
Derby have been led by a four-man interim coaching team consisting of Liam Rosenior, Wayne Rooney, Shay Given and Justin Walker ever since Phillip Cocu was sacked by the East Midlands club earlier this month.
This coaching team has now overseen two league games and the Rams lost both of them. Due to their poor form and the fact that they currently sit at the bottom of the Championship table, perhaps some fans of Derby will be eager to see their next permanent manager take charge and so, maybe it’s not a big surprise that one particular Derby supporter asked Conway if Rams fans are “getting any closer” to seeing a new manager appointed during this live stream, to which the journalist responded by saying:
“My understanding is no, but these things are fluid because my understanding was no before they just got hammered 3-0 by Middlesbrough – these things are very, very fluid.
“I imagine that what will happen is the next manager will be named and then, the day after, the takeover will be announced as complete.”
Should Derby have had a replacement lined up before sacking Cocu?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts on what Conway had to say about the appointment of Derby’s next manager…
After Cocu was sacked, Sky Sports reported that Derby’s next permanent manager would not be appointed until Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan‘s impending takeover of the club is completed and they claimed that the takeover would likely be finalised by the end of November.
During this live stream, Conway indicated (9:39) that he still expects the takeover to be completed by the end of the month, however, judging by what the journalist said here, it appears that the club’s new manager will now be appointed first and as we are nearing the end of November, perhaps Rams fans should expect to see the next permanent manager take charge at Pride Park in the next few days.
Additionally, as the journalist stated that the situation is “very, very fluid,” could Derby’s poor form speed up the process and lead to the club’s next manager being appointed even sooner than just one day before the takeover is completed?
It would seem that the formal process of selecting the club’s next manager began just after Cocu was sacked, so if they now have targets in mind for the position, then maybe it would be better for the club to get the new manager into the job as quickly as possible, to give them the best chance of keeping bottom-of-the-table Derby in the Championship and so, perhaps it would be wise for the club to not leave it much longer before appointing their new manager.