Derby County offer Mel Morris update following recent claims | OneFootball

Highlights

Derby County have denied suggestions that former owner Mel Morris has been present at board meetings.

It was claimed by the Price of Football podcast that representatives of Morris had attended recent meeting between board members.

Morris was the owner of the Rams as the club found itself going into administration.

Derby suffered through numerous financial difficulties, which led to a series of points deductions that ultimately saw them relegated from the Championship under Wayne Rooney.

The former owner also owned Derby’s stadium Pride Park separately to his ownership of the club, but sold both to Clowes Development in 2022.

What is the latest surrounding the Derby County ownership?

Responding to suggestions that Morris still had some involvement in the running of the club, Derby have denied the claim as “categorically false,” via BBC Sport Derby.

The League One side confirmed that Morris has “no influence, representation or involvement” with the club anymore, over a year after he officially sold the Rams.

The current owner David Clowes has previously denied Morris’ involvement with the club, distancing himself from Derby’s previous relationship with their former owner.

Morris was not a popular figure among supporters due to the way he ran the club, which put their future in serious doubt before the sale to Clowes.

It was an incredibly turbulent couple of years for the Derbyshire outfit, whose existence was in question under the ownership of Morris.

Administration saw them handed a significant points deduction penalty, which all but ensured their relegation to League One in the 2021-22 campaign.

Under the more settled ownership of Clowes, Derby almost earned promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt.

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Paul Warne’s side finished seventh in the League One table, narrowly missing out on a play-off place.

The Rams are aiming to finish inside the top six this year, under their far more stable ownership.

Warne remains in charge, although is under mounting pressure after a difficult start to the new campaign.

It was hoped that Derby could compete for a top two spot, but Warne’s side is currently seventh in the third division table.

The gap to the automatic promotion places is eight points after 17 games, with their goals scored record keeping them out of the play-off spots.

A 3-0 win over Barnsley last weekend should have eased the pressure on Warne a little ahead of a few big games before December.

Next up for the Rams is a clash at home to Bristol Rovers on 25 November.

What next for Derby County?

Confirming the lack of involvement of Mel Morris will be something every Derby supporter wants to hear.

Morris is not a popular figure among the fans for the way the club was nearly destroyed under his ownership.

Clowes has done a good job overseeing a stable first year in his ownership, and the club certainly has the ambition to get back into the Championship

It remains to be seen whether Warne is the man for the job, but he has earned just enough good results in recent weeks to ease the pressure on his position.