“My first thought was of people losing their jobs and how that’s going to affect their lives away from the club”
Wayne Rooney has admitted that he has sympathy for Derby County employees who might be made redundant when the club goes into administration.
It was announced on Friday that the Rams are facing a 12-point deduction after confirmation that the club, its holding company and all its subsidiaries had filed ‘notices of intention to appoint administrators’ in order to protect themselves.
Understandably, Rooney admitted that it was “a sad moment for the club” and stressed that his immediate thoughts were with the club’s employees.
“I take my job seriously and I care about the people I work with,” the former Manchester United and England striker told BBC Radio Derby.
“My first thought was of people losing their jobs and how that’s going to affect their lives away from the club – mortgages, bills, rent.”
In a statement by the Derby board, it was revealed that, despite negotiations with a number of “credible parties”, identifying a buyer for the club was unlikely to happen in the short term.
The Rams are currently up for sale and claim that the COVID-19 pandemic has cost the club – who are owned by Mel Morris – around £20m in lost revenue, which has left them “unable to service its day-to-day financial obligations”.
Despite the fact that a 12-point deduction for going into administration would put Derby bottom of the Championship on minus points, the players were able to provide the fans with something to smile about when they beat Stoke City 2-1 at home on Saturday afternoon.
Considering the situation, it would be understandable for Rooney to feel pessimistic about Derby’s chances of avoiding the drop to League One. However, he says the club can “still dream” about new investment and remaining in the Championship.
“We have to do everything we can to get through this and come out the other side. Performances like today will help that,” said the 35-year-old after the Rams’ victory at the weekend.
“I spoke to the players and we have to be professional. We know we are in a difficult position and there will be a points deduction coming our way but we have to do our job.
“It will make us more attractive to new investors who are potentially interested in coming into the club.
“But that has to be the right people – that has to be people who care and are going to run the club properly.”
Prior to their win over Stoke, Rooney revealed that the first time he had heard anything about the prospect of Derby entering administration was when he was watching TV on Friday night and that he had not spoken to Morris about the situation.
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney reveals he found out about the club going into administration while watching Sky Sports News…
What a mess pic.twitter.com/Eekfvad8ki
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 18, 2021
“I spoke to (chief financial officer) Stephen Pearce after, but initially I saw it on the TV,” said Rooney.
“This morning it was a bit flat because, by me not getting all the information, the players had no information and they saw it on Sky as well.
“I haven’t spoken with Mel. I am sure he has got other things on his mind.
“I’ve had no contact with Mel for a while now so it’s been very difficult for me to address the fans when I don’t know what the situation is.
“All we can do is play with a lot of pride. My job is to bring some dignity back to the club.
“I’ve said a few times I’m committed to this club and to the group of players and the staff, I care about them, so I’ll keep doing everything I can to help us get through this.
“I think we will get through this for the better. We are going to have tough times ahead in the near future but it’s my job now to start rebuilding this club and trying to put it back together.”
