£3.5m ex-Derby County striker slammed for Rams stint - He "couldn’t wait" to join Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

FLW's Rams Fan Pundit believes Robert Earnshaw is one player disliked by the majority of the club's fanbase

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…

There is one former Derby County player who is claimed to be disliked by the majority of Rams fans - and he's played on both sides of their bitter East Midlands rivalry with Nottingham Forest.

Having arrived at Pride Park in 2007 for a then-record fee of £3.5 million, this striker would go on to only play 25 times for the newly-promoted Premier League club - whilst only scoring two goals.

Seeing that Derby would eventually become the worst side in the league's history that season and finish on 11 points, it's perhaps clear that a player supposedly disliked by everyone played in that team.

But what makes this player stand out, is the fact that the ex-Wales international signed for rivals Forest a year later.

If you haven't guessed by now, FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, named Robert Earnshaw as the player disliked by Rams fans the most.

But it wasn't the easiest of choices for him to make...

Honourable mentions for three Derby County players who "split the fanbase"

In truth, Woodward wasn't short of candidates when reflecting on which ex-Derby County players split or were frankly just disliked by the club's fanbase.

"There are a few players that come to mind that have split the fanbase over the years," Shaun told FLW.

"I think of the likes of Tom Lawrence and Richard Keogh for the way it all ended with them, which I don’t need to go into, but obviously it didn’t end well for them and a lot of fans were quite angry with them.

"And I would also say [Fabrizio] Ravanelli, for the fact that he fleeced the club for so much money," Woodward added.

To add some context, Lawrence was sentenced for drink-driving alongside another ex-Ram, Mason Bennett, after a team-bonding session. Their cars were involved in a collision, and Richard Keogh was the passenger in one vehicle.

Whilst the first two carried on playing, Keogh was later sacked for 'gross misconduct'. The ex-skipper then sued the club and was awarded £2.3m for breach of contract.

As for Ravanelli, the Italian striker was earning a reported £38k-a-week when Derby were in debts of £30m, and he was eventually paid off to end his contract early.

But Earnshaw takes the number one spot in Woodward's eyes.

Robert Earnshaw "never put in the effort" at Derby County

Seeing as though the then-26-year-old had scored 150 senior goals, Earnshaw arrived with high expectations, having enjoyed prolific spells at clubs like Norwich City and Cardiff City.

However, as Woodward put it, the second he put on a Derby shirt he was "atrocious".

"It was like he’d never played football before, he couldn’t hit a barn door," the Fan Pundit added.

Out of his two goals for Derby, only one came in the Premier League. Their top scorer that season was Kenny Miller with four, and the pair of them cost the East Midlands outfit a combined £6m.

But Woodward also pointed to Earnshaw's apparent attitude on the pitch, by saying, "It’s not just that it’s the way he played, he played like he really couldn’t care less that he was playing for the club and it’s like he couldn’t get out the club soon enough."

The fact that Earnshaw seemed disconnected from the squad and the club’s struggles did little to endear him to supporters, whose frustrations were summed up by the team's results.

Obviously, Woodward thinks what irritated Derby fans the most was the fact that Earnshaw completed a move to their fierce rivals Nottingham Forest following his forgettable season in black and white.

"He went to Nottingham Forest, which obviously didn’t go down too well, and then he went on to have two or three really good years for them as well, and I just get the feeling he never enjoyed himself at Derby," Shaun said.

"He ever put in the effort to want to succeed at the club, couldn’t wait to leave and to make it worse he went to our arch rivals," Woodward concluded.

Upon leaving to play in Garibaldi red, Earnshaw bluntly said, "Derby was disappointing but that's the way it goes."

Earnshaw went on to manage 17 goals in all competitions across his first season for Forest, which was before he then scored 15 league goals in 20 starts in 2009/10. By the time his spell at the City Ground came to an end, the Welshman had scored 38 goals in 105 appearances.

Clearly, for a club whose fans like to see commitment and fight from their players, Earnshaw's supposed lack of drive explains why Woodward - and many other Derby fans - find it hard to look back fondly on his time at Pride Park.