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Under fire: Derby boss Nigel Clough shows his frustration at the defeat
Clough invited his squad to explain away a performance that bore all the hallmarks of a team at the wrong end of the Championship table as the hosts wilted after Sharp's classy double in seven minutes either side of the interval.
Moments later, the manager himself bore the brunt after his substitution of on-loan forward Theo Robinson was greeted by a chorus of'You don't know what you are doing.'
To his credit, the former England international stepped forward to answer those critics. He said: 'Sometimes we can come and explain what we think. But I think there's a time for them to explain it. Did they think they did their jobs tonight? Did they think they earned their money?
Match-winner: Doncaster's Billy Sharp was on target twice
'I have been criticised for being too honest about their performances. But this probably should come from them.
'The crowd applauded us off after Hull and we lost. They did not do that tonight. To be honest, I thought they should have booed a little bit louder. After the second goal, we visibly crumbled.
'They fans are entitled to boo me for the substitution. But I broughtRobinson off because he never held the ball up once in the 55 minutes or so he was on the pitch. And that is part of his job.
'It was a toss-up between him and Steve Davies. But I could have substituted four or five of them. 'We are so fragile. I don't think theylook forward to playing at home at the moment.'
Dejection: Robbie Savage (second right) and Derby's players react to the loss
In fairness, Derby had been the better side - although they had created what were little more than scruffy half-chances - before Paul Keegan's first-time pass split the defence and Sharp fired across Frank Fielding into the bottom corner.
Three minutes after the interval John Oster chipped to the far post and Sharp nodded home the second.
Joseph Mills strode forward from left-back to crash home the third 20minutes from time after the Rams simply failed to close down the defender.
Paul Green's cross eluded everyone in stoppage time to offer a vestige of respectability to the scoreline. But Clough remained unimpressed.
'All three goals were disappointing from our point of view,' he added, 'they didn't have to work too hard for any of them.
'You impress upon them that they can just concentrate on keeping clean sheets, maybe nick a nil-nil. You'd take a point. But I don't think any of my players can say: "I thought I did okay tonight."
'I don't feel let down so much as I feel more for the 24,000 people down. And that's what hurts me.'
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?Explore more:People: Nigel Clough, John Oster, Theo Robinson Places: United Kingdom
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail