Wayne Rooney says he wants to ‘bring happy days’ back to Derby and is proud despite their relegation to League One… though admits the club have ‘paid the price’ for what previous owner Mel Morris ‘left behind’
- Derby were relegated to League One following their late 1-0 defeat to QPR
- Wayne Rooney’s side showed great resilience despite a points deduction
- The manager said he ‘fears’ for the club if they can’t get a takeover secured
- He wants to ‘bring happy days’ back to Derby and bounce back from relegation
- Rooney added the club ‘paid the price’ for what was left behind at the Rams
Wayne Rooney wants to bring the ‘happy days’ back to Derby after their relegation to League One – despite having fears over the future of the club.
The Rams were relegated from the Championship after their 1-0 defeat to QPR and Reading’s incredible comeback from 4-1 down to salvage a point against Swansea.
Rooney’s side showed great resiliency throughout the season as they had to contend with a 21-point deduction.
Derby were relegated to League One following their 1-0 defeat to QPR on Monday afternoon
After the match, Rooney said he was ‘proud’ of his side and insisted the club need a takeover to ‘happen quick’.
In his post-match interview, he told Sky Sports: ‘In some ways we can draw a line under everything that’s happened and really start the rebirth of this club and try and move it forward.
‘We need the takeover, that has to happen quick. The quicker that can happen, obviously we know what league we are going to be in next season, the quicker we can try to develop this squad, bring players in who we can feel can get us back up.
The Rams’ future is uncertain but Wayne Rooney wants to bring ‘happy days’ back to the club
Rooney wants to rebuild the club if the are to get taken over following their relegation
‘The takeover has to happen and if it doesn’t happen I fear for the club, I fear for where the club will end up. Obviously the club’s future is in doubt, if that doesn’t happen my future’s in doubt.’
When asked if he would stay at the club if they could seal a takeover, he said: ‘Yeah if it happens, I want to rebuild the club.
‘You see what it means to the fans every week. This is a special club, we’re all proud to be here and I want to be the one that brings those happy days back.’
The former Manchester United and England star also admitted that the club ‘paid the price’ for what previous owner Mel Morris left behind.
This season, Derby were handed a 21-point deduction due to breaches of profitability and sustainability rules.
Rooney said: ‘I feel for the players more as we’ve picked up 52 points and we’d be safe now under normal circumstances. We’ve paid the price what the previous owner has left behind.
Rooney says the club ‘paid the price’ for what former owner Mel Morris ‘left behind’
‘It’s no-one’s fault, not mine, not the staff, not the players, other than the previous owner. I am sure it’s a sad day for him as well, I know Mel’s a Derby fan and I’m sure he will be very disappointed.’
Rooney’s side looked like they might be able to fight another day despite Luke Amos’ 88th minute winner for QPR in a 1-0 defeat.
It would have left their chances of survival hanging by a thread, likely needing to win the final three games.
However, Reading came from 3-1 down to score an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time to send Derby down to League One.
It is the first time that they will play in the third tier of English football since the 1985-86 season.
Rooney and his players went over to the travelling Derby fans after the final whistle to applaud them and recognise their support.
Derby were still onto fight for another day despite Luke Amos’ 88th minute winner for QPR
Tom McIntyre’s stoppage time equaliser for Reading against Swansea relegated Derby
He didn’t discover that they had been relegated until going down the tunnel after the game.
When asked how he can sum up his feelings after the relegation, he responded: ‘Bad, it’s a strange feeling because everything we’ve been through as a group has been really positive.
‘We’ve been relegated but I’ve never seen a team get relegated to have a reaction from the fans like that, I thought it was incredible. Of course disappointed, sad, upset but proud.’
It was previously reported by Sportsmail that serious doubts are emerging over the viability of Chris Kirchner’s bid to rescue Derby after his attempt to buy Preston North End ended with him failing to prove source of funding and unable to produce his own business plan.
It is also understood that the American’s period of exclusivity to complete a deal for debt-ridden Derby expires on May 7 — the final day of the season — at the same time the Championship club will run out of money.
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