Mel Morris | Vital Football

Mel Morris

ramAnag

Vital Reserves Team
Okay it’s simmered a little on the ‘Welcome’ thread and threatened to boil over on FM before the main protagonist scarpered, so let’s have it out...Mel Morris...hero or villain?

You’d have thought at times that MM was to blame for all our ills.
I just can’t see it that way. To me he’s a generous owner and, as a DCFC supporter - man and boy - clearly has the club’s welfare at heart in a way that other, more opportunist, owners simply can’t.

He’s made mistakes...though perhaps not as many as we think. Sacking McClaren the first time was, imo, inevitable. Clement has proved since that he’s a coach not a manager. Pearson was always a gamble that went horribly wrong and although I never understood bringing McClaren back a second time we’ve eventually, imo, ended up with the right man.

Throughout that period we have never fully understood how much of the responsibility lies with Morris and how much with Rush who MM ‘inherited’ and did not actually appoint.

It seems that bad, possibly financially very dubious, advice was given about the signing of certain players which will hopefully eventually all ‘come out in the wash’.

Throughout what is now nearly three years since he took charge he has financed huge deals, invested in the academy and the stadium and backed a number of supporter initiatives. In return we have come close, but never close enough, to promotion and he has endured taunts and ridicule from a vociferous minority of supporters who have accused him of everything from ignorance to egotistical interference.

Despite all this he’s continued to back the club in every possible way. Seems to me he’s now owed a little bit back, in terms of respect and support, from those who are constantly sniping.
Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
As I have said previously the man has made mistakes and has meddled too much in the past, but hopefully he may have learned his lesson from that. The main issue I have had with him is he has been very trigger happy, which had not been good for the reputation of the club.

He must take the lions share of the blame for what now seem to be very poor managerial appointments. Why appoint Clement and then sack him soon afterwards when we were 5th in the table? If as it seemed, he did not fit MMs idea of a suitable manager, why the heck appoint him in the first place. This to me smacks of not doing his homework and due diligence before offering him the job. Surely, he would have known he would never manage the "Derby Way." The appointment of McClaren for a second spell seemed ill conceived and not well thought through, as was appointing Wassall, his mate, when we were still in with a shout of automatic promotion and the play offs. As for appointing Pearson, he must have known that they would clash as they both have massive egos. Every supporter at Derby could see that was going to be a marriage made in hell. It is decisions like this that have made me be critical of Morris. If he learns from his mistakes and is not quite so gung ho and trigger happy in the future he may earn my respect and praise.

Just because he is local and a supporter does not sway things in his favour as far as I am concerned. Yes he has been generous but most of the signings have been quite poor and much of his money has been pissed up against the wall.

I am still hopeful he will come good for the club, but I do not look at MM through rose tinted glasses as many do on another forum I sometimes frequent.
 
He’d been a chairman for literally moments when Clement was appointed OTR.
McClaren’s disloyal behaviour had provoked a crisis that had to be resolved. Yes we were fifth when Clement was sacked but the football was dire, we were in freefall and he hasn’t exactly proved himself as a manager since.
As I say Pearson was always a risk...will be where ever he goes...always easy to be wise after the event.
Wassall has, imo, been hard done to...he almost rescued the season don’t forget, although I accept it’s rarely seen that way.
I’m not looking through ‘rose tinted glasses’, I’m aware he’s made mistakes but he deserves respect for his effort and commitment imo.
 
Clement was still his appointment regardless how long he had been in ownership of the club.

The McClaren signing just did not make sense bearing in mind the circumstances behind his first departure.

I am not criticising Wassall as was thrown in at the deep end, but I am critical of Morris for putting him in the situation in the first place, bearing in mind his total lack of managerial experience in relation to the task in hand.

Pearson was a gamble and one that could have paid off in the long run, we shall never know and I don't think we would ever know the answer to that one, even if he had been fairly successful in managing the team. He would never have worked harmoniously with MM in my opinion and parting of ways was always going to be inevitable.
 
1. He is doing his best and seems to be learning from his mistakes
2. If he walked away who would buy the club?
3. How many of us wouldn't want a piece of the "train set" if we had the money?
 
Clement was still his appointment regardless how long he had been in ownership of the club.

The McClaren signing just did not make sense bearing in mind the circumstances behind his first departure.

I am not criticising Wassall as was thrown in at the deep end, but I am critical of Morris for putting him in the situation in the first place, bearing in mind his total lack of managerial experience in relation to the task in hand.

Pearson was a gamble and one that could have paid off in the long run, we shall never know and I don't think we would ever know the answer to that one, even if he had been fairly successful in managing the team. He would never have worked harmoniously with MM in my opinion and parting of ways was always going to be inevitable.

Yes, but you can surely be forgiven for initial mistakes and besides, how much influence did Rush have in Clement’s appointment?

Wassall did okay...better PPG record than all except McClaren (1) and Rowett and he took us to the play offs so not a bad appointment imo.

You can understand the Pearson appointment given his record...he is always going to be a hero or a liability. Seemed to fall out with the players before Morris.
 
He could and should have had some control Rush. Maybe not appointing a proper Board did not help either as other ears and eyes may have helped him to not make some of the poor decisions he has made. At the time, wasn't the Board just him and Rush?
 
I dont thinkMel is any mopre or less intrusive on team matters than most other owners - apart from one or two perhaps unfortunate moments in dressing room perhaps, but I suspect he has learned from that.

I think what we have to remember in all this though, is that its his hand that goes in the pocket when investment is required and his head that is on the block as a director of the company - and for a long time there were only 2 directors.

Yes, he has appointed a manager to run things, but actually, in complying with his role as a director, he cannot sit back and leave it all down to the manager. That would be a breach of fiduciary duty almost as much as the alleged one by Sam Rush: or at least an act of omission rather than commission (allegedly).

We sometimes forget that football clubs are legal businesses and directors have legal responsibilities. the interference that he stands accused of maybe inappropriate for a non director shareholder, but he is a hands on executive director and so has to be more involved.

Everyone can make wrong decisions - I am sure we all have - but do not confuse "interference" with a director doing his duty and protecting the shareholders' assets. Then ask yourself to name another owner who is a hands on director who would not do the same. Especially now the actions of his only fellow director at the time (and CEO) have come into question - rightly or wrongly.
 
If rumours are to be believed then Clement wasn't sacked for footballing reason ALLEGEDLY
 
Last edited:
Okay it’s simmered a little on the ‘Welcome’ thread and threatened to boil over on FM before the main protagonist scarpered, so let’s have it out...Mel Morris...hero or villain?

You’d have thought at times that MM was to blame for all our ills.
I just can’t see it that way. To me he’s a generous owner and, as a DCFC supporter - man and boy - clearly has the club’s welfare at heart in a way that other, more opportunist, owners simply can’t.

He’s made mistakes...though perhaps not as many as we think. Sacking McClaren the first time was, imo, inevitable. Clement has proved since that he’s a coach not a manager. Pearson was always a gamble that went horribly wrong and although I never understood bringing McClaren back a second time we’ve eventually, imo, ended up with the right man.

Throughout that period we have never fully understood how much of the responsibility lies with Morris and how much with Rush who MM ‘inherited’ and did not actually appoint.

It seems that bad, possibly financially very dubious, advice was given about the signing of certain players which will hopefully eventually all ‘come out in the wash’.

Throughout what is now nearly three years since he took charge he has financed huge deals, invested in the academy and the stadium and backed a number of supporter initiatives. In return we have come close, but never close enough, to promotion and he has endured taunts and ridicule from a vociferous minority of supporters who have accused him of everything from ignorance to egotistical interference.

Despite all this he’s continued to back the club in every possible way. Seems to me he’s now owed a little bit back, in terms of respect and support, from those who are constantly sniping.
Thoughts?
Agree entirely, Mel has been a life long supporter and he would never knowingly do anything to damage the club. He has put a great deal of his own money in where others just speculated and eventually took their money back.

The club was put on a firm financial footing by the Americans and their good work has been continued by Morris and more improvements to the ground and Academy etc.

How anyone can say he is not doing his best for the club surely hasn't looked at what has been happening to the club as a whole over the tenureship of Mr Morris.

With regard to the Sam Rush situation, could posters please be careful what they are discussing on this messageboard, as you could be letting yourself open to libel claims and as this matter is currently subject to legal action between Morris and Rush I would advise caution in discussing anything concerning it.
 
Mac 1 Sack because of talking to another club
Clement sacked for non footballing reasons fact
Pearson sacked because of player power
Mac2 terrible mistake sacked for only winning 3 games in fifteen Wassall always a stop gap till end of season
 
Mac 1 Sack because of talking to another club
Clement sacked for non footballing reasons fact
Pearson sacked because of player power
Mac2 terrible mistake sacked for only winning 3 games in fifteen Wassall always a stop gap till end of season

Perason? didn't that all start when an assistant coach (and former player) allegedly hit a player on the training ground. MM wanted to sack him and the manager didn't and it came to an altercation........ or so the story posted in the National Newspapers went.
 
Perason? didn't that all start when an assistant coach (and former player) allegedly hit a player on the training ground. MM wanted to sack him and the manager didn't and it came to an altercation........ or so the story posted in the National Newspapers went.
 
Mel is just another Derby fan, the difference being that he owns the club and spends more on them than the rest of us. Credit it to him for trying to push the club forward. All he can do is try to make us a better club with the money he's got, he's by no means rich in the football world but he is spending the little he has into trying to get us in the worlds best league! Hats off to him, if anyone with mega bucks comes in to buy us all well and good but for now Mel will do. He's doing a fine job with the little money he has!.
 

Pearson has always been a bit of a nutter, just look at the time he pinned the guy down by his neck when managing Leicester in the Premiership !
 
In that case, why bring him as the manager? It was always going to end in tears and MM should have seen that.
 
Perason? didn't that all start when an assistant coach (and former player) allegedly hit a player on the training ground. MM wanted to sack him and the manager didn't and it came to an altercation........ or so the story posted in the National Newspapers went.
MA yes your correct but there was also player power players not happy with being told to play out of position also allegedly going to Mel an bloc to complain about the style Pearson At the time there was a clique of players trying to run every thing Hence some going out on loan When Rowett came in he said there are some players been here to long
 
Latest Rams News