'He shouldn't be at the club' - Claim made on Stephen Pearce situation at Derby County | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit has weighed in on Stephen Pearce's role at the club and if he should still be with the Rams.

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's January transfer window was a poignant one in the club's future, with four of their League One promotion heroes making way, and being replaced by four new faces, as well as Dion Sanderson's loan move becoming permanent.

Ebou Adams' £500k to Portsmouth helped fund Oscar Fraulo's arrival, with Sanderson's deal from Birmingham City also being influenced by the midfielder's departure and those at the top of the club will rightly be praised by supporters.

However, Stephen Pearce remains a divisive figure at Pride Park, having been at the club during the 2021/22 campaign when they were put into administration by former owner Mel Morris.

Yet, he has been kept on by David Clowes in his position as the CEO at Derby, and the rebuild that has been undertaken in DE24, his reputation is slowly starting to transform, and he should be given credit for his role. Nevertheless, one supporter is still wary of Pearce.

Derby County fans may still have split opinions on Stephen Pearce

The Rams have upped their spending power over the course of the last year, with multi-million pound moves for Patrick Agyemang, Max Johnston and Lewis Travis all joining the club for seven-figure fees in the summer transfer window.

Despite this, the feeling about Pearce still remains relatively 50:50, and Football League World's Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, has clear feelings about the CEO: "Stephen Pearce really does split the fanbase. I think a few years ago, you'd have probably said 99% of the Derby fans would have wanted him gone and we were all very surprised that he was still around when David Clowes took over.

"Pearce was very much part of the Mel Morris regime, and I don't think a lot of fans will ever forgive him for his role in that. Personally speaking, I'm still in that camp. I still believe he shouldn't be at the club. We're lucky we've got a club now and he was very much part of that team that almost liquidised the club.

"So, for me, no, he shouldn't be at the club. Yes, he's part of a successful team now that's rebuilding the club, but I'll always feel that he shouldn't be there. I know there are a lot of fans now that will say that he should be forgiven, and we should move on and thank him for what he's done in the last few windows etc., but I don't know."

Shaun continued: "For me personally, I find it's a hard one to accept. I'm going to stand my ground, and I'll always believe he shouldn't be at Derby, and I think once he's gone, we can fully say that the club is rebuilding, and it's had a complete overhaul and fresh start.

"But having said all of that, I do trust David Clowes and I do believe he's doing what's best for the club. If he feels Pearce is part of that team to rebuild the club, then I support Clowes. I just don't support Pearce."

Stephen Pearce has put affordability at the top of Derby County's priority list

For Derby supporters, spending big money on players in the past has come back to haunt them. However, the days of substantial fees on Championship players with very little sell-on price look to be over.

Instead, the Rams are spending smart, and with Agyemang already rated at £20m by those at Pride Park, they are quickly going to find themselves in the green and Pearce has made it clear that this is the way the club will be run.

He explained to BBC Radio Derby: "From our perspective, we're not the biggest payers in the league. We operate within our means. And for us, you've got to be able to compete, so you will see certain elements of the squad that are naturally paid more because of experience and others that aren't. But we always make sure that it fits in the budget of where we are, the affordability of what we can do and looking forward."

While some sections of the fanbase may still have their worries about Pearce, it is clear that owner David Clowes has full trust in him and Derby are continuing to go from strength to strength.