“My mind was blown,” Curtis Davies says as he remembers sitting in meetings with accountants and realising that Derby County were sliding towards oblivion. Davies, who has seen it all during his long and distinguished career, could not believe what he was hearing.
Derby had lost their way under Mel Morris. He wanted a sale but potential buyers were all talk and no action. Derby had become a cautionary tale: just another Championship club paying the price for overspending. Relegation was on the cards when they were docked 12 points after entering administration at the start of last season. It was inevitable when a further nine points were deducted for a breach of English Football League accounting rules.
