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Sat 22 Aug - Posted in Breaking News Time to read: 3mins I’ve only been in football for four years, but even in that relatively short time, I thought I’d seen most things. But nothing I’ve ever experienced in either business or football compares with what we all went through on Monday 10th August, a date that will be forever seared in my mind. Because nothing can prepare you for something like that. We started the day expecting completion of a takeover and ended it stunned, in a daze and pondering steps we didn’t expect to have to take. I’m not going to apportion blame because that doesn’t serve any kind of purpose. We are philosophical and pragmatic; we dust ourselves down and go again with our resolve strengthened and our commitment as total as it has ever been. It was a very difficult day. We went from the belief the club was going to take the next steps in its proud history, to a degree of unease that things seemed to have reached an impasse, to being hit by the ultimate bombshell. One thing I want to make absolutely clear is we have no issues with either the Independent Football Regulator or the EFL. Both have been nothing but supportive, professional and transparent in all their dealings with us and we thank them for their part in the process. When the message was delivered via our lawyers, the first thing I had to do was tell John. Of course, he was disappointed because he obviously had his own plans and ambitions, but his reaction was the mark of the ultimate professional. I wanted to give him the reassurances he needed, that our commitment was total and that we would back him in the transfer window with the plans that had been put in place earlier this year with the same budget we’d agreed. The targets we had then, in line with what we needed to strengthen, came back into play. Yes, we’d lost some time because we were forced to tread water as a potential purchase progressed, but thankfully, we hadn’t missed out on the vast majority of our targets. And that’s the same message I want to give to our amazing supporters. You don’t know how much it meant to me to read so many of you offering your backing in the aftermath of the shockwaves. That you still believe in the club is testament to the intense loyalty of every single Derby County fan. I have always said it’s been the privilege of my life to have played a part in the club I’ve loved since I was a schoolboy and nothing that’s happened these past couple of weeks has diluted that. We are totally driven to bring success to Pride Park. We will do everything within our means to match your ambition. And we will back John and the players to build and better what they achieved last season. Nobody is pretending that it has been – or will be – easy. Football is so demanding that every setback can be demoralising. What Derby County stands for, though, is the ability to fight back from adversity. Frankly, the club has been through darker times in recent years, but we’ve rebuilt foundations to the point where we are strong, healthy and resilient as a group and individuals. I’m not wasting any more time on what might have been, hence why we have taken the club off the market. This is no time for further distractions; we have a job to do and, until somebody tells me otherwise, I intend to devote myself to that task. And I know you will all be with me. David Clowes