Paul Jewell arrived at Pride Park full of optimism and was confident that he could improve Derby’s fortunes. However, it appears as though the Rams were a lot better off two seasons ago (apart from financially of course) when Billy Davies was at the helm, steering the underdogs to promotion at the first time of asking. It now appears as though the scouser could be joining his predecessor as a former County manager.
It’s been an appalling reign for Jewell, whose stock has fallen badly since he took the job. Previously, he had done extremely well at Bradford and Wigan, securing promotion with both clubs from the Championship. However, this seems a distant prospect at Pride Park with just one point from their opening three matches. The Daily Mirror report that he could be on his way this week.
Paul Jewell is under threat of the axe at Derby – just three games into the season.
The Rams boss has now gone a staggering 27 matches without a League win since he replaced Billy Davies last November.
In fact, Jewell’s calamitous time at Pride Park is the longest managerial reign in English football history without a League victory.
In total, Derby have not seen three points for 35 matches stretching back to September 17 last year when they turned over Newcastle.
But the club’s American owners, who stuck by Jewell last season in the Premier League, have lost faith in his ability to turn things around.
Derby’s latest defeat saw them comprehensively outplayed and humiliated in front of their own 27,000 crowd by cash-strapped Southampton.
Is the Derby manager stuck in a rut that he can’t get out of, or should he be given more time to turn things round? The defeat to Saints will be especially galling, with Southampton having to cut costs to stay afloat, compared to County’s summer splurge in the transfer market.