Paul Jewell plans summer cull at dismal Derby

It's a funny old game: Derby County fans look on the bright side

Blackburn Rovers (1) 3 Derby County (1) 1

Yesterday's Championship finale should dampen any perverse optimism about next season being felt by those connected with Derby today. None of last year's relegated Premier League teams earned automatic promotion after similarly defiant messages this time last year.

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Add to that the fact that Derby manager Paul Jewell, who was appointed in November and takes his share of the blame for this dismal campaign, will be attempting to overhaul the worst team in Premier League history and it is easy to see why he will only be having a week's holiday this summer.

Work will begin a week today and Jewell, who guided both Bradford and Wigan out of the Championship, knows he will be judged on actions rather than rhetoric.

"People are talking about us having the lowest points total ever but I'm hoping to forget about things like that by the start of next season," Jewell said.

"That's only words from me but I've got steely determination and a great chairman. The supporters give you so much heart that if we can get a decent team on the field, they'll be there behind us all the way."

For just the eighth time this season those fans actually had an away goal to celebrate when Kenny Miller gave the visitors a deserved lead after he ignored Blackburn's pathetic appeals for offside to collect a long clearance from Roy Carroll and steer the ball past Brad Friedel.

Derby had pressed and harried Blackburn and were worth their advantage but in added time before the break, Roque Santa Cruz was first to react after Carroll could only block Morten Gamst Pedersen's shot and the Paraguayan made no mistake from close range to equalise.

Two minutes after the restart, Derby defender Andy Todd passed straight to Jason Roberts, who put Blackburn ahead, and the Rovers striker spurned a string of further chances to add to his team's advantage before Santa Cruz headed in a cross from the impressive David Bentley to make the score-line secure for his 23rd of the season.

After arriving for £3.8 million from Bayern Munich last summer, Santa Cruz will be even more of a threat next season, according to his manager Mark Hughes.

"He's stronger now than when he arrived," Hughes said. "He looks bullet-proof."