In the main image to this article, Phillip Cocu is staring wistfully into the mid distance in a sense of deep contemplation. After the recent news from the Rams, that wistful look will be more focused on searching for gainful employment after his sacking.
Derby’s statement on the “mutual agreement with immediate effect” release of Cocu, Chris van der Weerden and Twan Scheepers is far from the usual terse and short missive favoured by many clubs dispensing of their management.
There is a genuine warmth in some of the comments with Derby thanking Cocu and his staff for their conduct during their time at the club and the Rams laud the Academy players he bloodied into the first-team as well as his “significant financial contributions and personal efforts towards the club’s community projects” as the Covid-19 pandemic took a real hold of things.
Yet, as cultured as Phillip Cocu is, football is a results business and the results have not been there for the former Dutch football star at Pride Park. The Rams are bottom of the Sky Bet Championship pile and behind a side in Sheffield Wednesday whose halving of a FFP penalty took them above Cocu’s men.
In a way, with a takeover from Abu Dhabian royalty just around the corner, Cocu’s position at Pride Park was like the sword of Damocles balancing above him held by the finest of fine hairs. That hair has snapped and Cocu is in the management wilderness – for now at least.
It is a sacking that has been expected by Derby County fans online. Here is a sample of what these fans have been saying in response to the termination of his time at the club.
Gutted for Cocu! Lovely bloke! Great footballer! Shame it didn’t work out! Always carried himself well! Onto the next!🙄 #dcfc #dcfcfans
— garry moore (@garrymoore2) November 14, 2020
Phillip Cocu was the right man at the wrong time… #dcfc
— Luke 'Pingu' (@LukePingu) November 14, 2020
If a job was decided on how decent a person was he’d have been fine (probably why he survived this long) but it’s a results business.
Dealt with a lot to be fair and I hope he gets more luck in his next job #DCFC #Cocu https://t.co/S8XnSvPuJo
— Rob Miller (@milrob07) November 14, 2020
@mrsamjones88 DCFC rammed it into cocu
— Billy Nelson (@BillyNelsonBox) November 14, 2020
Derby part company with Phillip Cocu, a sign of the new reigime perhaps? #dcfcfans #dcfc
— Aaron Paul🎙📻 (@1AaronPaul) November 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/11pts1win/status/1327661425804906496?s=20
Gutted that it hasn’t worked out for Cocu but definitely for the best, it just wasn’t meant to be.. #dcfc
— Josh (@Gas_Panik) November 14, 2020
Nice touch by #dcfc in the report aswell. Can’t beat a bit of class 🐏
— Rooneys Rams 🐏 (@rooneysrams) November 14, 2020
Been off Twitter for 1hr and all hell breaks loose #dcfc #dcfcfans
— Tom Erskine (@erskinetom29) November 14, 2020
Shame it didn’t work out for @PhillipCocu8 seemed a decent bloke who had to deal with more than most managers in his time. Always classy and wish him well 🐏 #dcfc
— Stephen Milward (@StephenMilward1) November 14, 2020
