Derby County owner defends dressing-room rant

General views of Pride Park Stadium home of Derby County on March 23, 2011
© Getty Images
Derby County owner Mel Morris insists that his dressing-room rant was "necessary" in order to motivate his players.

Derby County owner Mel Morris has insisted that he has no regrets over entering the dressing room to admonish players after a recent game.

Morris is reported to have launched into a rant after the 1-1 draw with Reading on January 12, weeks before he decided to sack head coach Paul Clement following a winless run of seven games.

Players were told that their warm-weather training camp in Dubai had been cancelled, with Morris saying: "You're not training in the sun, you're training in the mud."

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, Morris explained: "I felt that game was probably an example of what we don't want to see from a Derby side. That game we struggled to put two passes together.

"My fear was at the end of the game there could be a lot of finger-pointing. My view was rather than coaches and players having a go at each other, I will become the grizzly bear and put everyone on the carpet for it. I don't regret that, I think it was necessary to do that.

"It is always a regret that anything that happens in the changing room gets outside and sometimes that is a measure of the fact that maybe things aren't quite as united as you would like them to be."

The Rams currently sit fifth in the Championship, five points off the automatic promotion places.

Paul Clement manager of Derby County looks on prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Derby County at City Ground on November 6, 2015
Read Next:
Derby sack head coach Paul Clement
>
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Burnley382112561313075
2Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381914552351771
3Middlesbrough37217948232570
4Hull City37199950232766
5Derby CountyDerby381713851351664
6Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds381614856362062
7Cardiff CityCardiff38151494941859
8Ipswich TownIpswich381610124644258
9Birmingham CityBirmingham371511114135656
10Preston North EndPreston381314113635153
11Queens Park RangersQPR381215114743451
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves381212144651-548
13Leeds UnitedLeeds371114123745-847
14Blackburn RoversBlackburn381113143736146
15Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest381113143436-246
16Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38129175253-145
17Reading371112144243-145
18Brentford37127184859-1143
19Bristol City381110174058-1843
20Rotherham UnitedRotherham38116214462-1839
21Fulham38814165764-738
22MK Dons38910193251-1937
23Charlton AthleticCharlton38711203469-3532
24Bolton WanderersBolton38414203668-3226