"10/10, Can do no wrong" - Claim made on Derby County owner David Clowes | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County are just six games away from a return to the Championship, but their automatic promotion hopes still hang in the balance.

The Rams suffered their 10th defeat of the season last Saturday afternoon, losing 1-0 away to Northampton Town to remain four points clear of Bolton Wanderers, having played a game more than Ian Evatt's side.

But for many Derby fans, they are happy to see their club playing football week in, week out, having been saved by local businessman, David Clowes.

The lifelong fan purchased Derby in 2022 after fears of a , with Clowes now into his second season as the owner of the Rams.

Derby County owner David Clowes praised by Rams fan pundit

Given the situation regarding the ongoings at Pride Park off the pitch just under two years ago, to see Derby back fighting at the right end of the table is a sight that many football fans love to see.

Derbyshire-based property developer Clowes ensured the city kept their football club, which has become an attraction for those visiting the East Midlands.

While his actions off the pitch have reaped rewards, the team's performance on it has also been admired.

And according to Football League World's Rams fan pundit Shaun Woodward, Clowes gets a perfect rating for his stewardship at Pride Park, but insisted patience is needed among the supporters when it comes to potential transfers in seasons to come.

"10/10 for me - David Clowes can do no wrong," Woodward told Football League World.

"He knows what he's doing. He wants to do it his way, which is the right way, and we have to be patient with him as fans and trust the process.

"It's not going to be if we see a player, and we go and buy them because we are Derby County, and chuck loads of money at them. That isn't going to be the case now.

"We are going to have to start living within our means, and it might take longer to where we want to be, but that's the right way to do it. We don't ever want to return to those dark days of almost losing our club.

"So for me, 10/10 and long may it continue - we are just going to have to be patient."

Derby County's recent accounts show what a good job David Clowes is doing

Derby recently published their accounts for the last financial year, which covers the first season out of administration under Clowes' ownership.

The club reported an operating loss of £10.6m in the period until June 30, 2023 from a base figure of £30.4m although £19.7m of that is a statutory write-off of goodwill and is an accountancy procedure.

Other headline figures include the fact that Clowes paid £33 million for the club, having also paid administrators Quantuma £13.2 million - the amount it cost to run the club during the nine months it was in administration - and £19.7 million in creditors.

Derby's wage bill was £17.2 million which includes staff at all levels of the business, from casual workers to senior management. It is understood the wage bill for the first-team squad was £7.3 million last season, which saw Derby recruit all their signings on free transfers.

Under EFL calculations that equates to 42 per cent of their turnover being spent on wages. Derby's turnover was £20.4m of which £15.1m was helped by season ticket sales, sponsorship and hospitality.

Clubs who are relegated from the Championship are only allowed to spend up to 75 percent of their turnover on wages, which shows the club's commitment to sustainability.

It shows the club is making decent progress in its attempt to rebuild from the ashes of administration, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire praising the work done by Clowes since his arrival at Pride Park.