It might not be up there with the Leeds United side of 2007/08, when Dennis Wise’s side won their first seven games of the League One season to overcome a 15-point deduction.
But Derby County’s performances in the face of a daunting, debilitating points deduction remains nothing short of remarkable.
The cash-strapped, crisis-hit Rams climbed off the bottom of the Championship table for the first time all season on Saturday, beating Sheffield United 2-0 thanks to a pair of Tom Lawrence wondergoals.
A Derby side made up largely of kids, veterans and journeymen have now won eight games this term. More than Birmingham, Cardiff and a Swansea City side who were play-off finalists as recently as May.
In fact, if you were to delete that staggering 21-point deduction from existence with a Thanos-style snap of your fingers, Derby would be a top-half team.
The fact that many pundits are unwilling to consign the Rams to relegation – despite the fact that the club has been deducted the equivalent of seven league wins – speaks volumes about their character, their remarkable never-say-die spirit.
That Sheffield United win came after Derby lost two of their most reliable performers, Graeme Shinnie and Phil Jagielka, after being unable to extend their contracts.
They say a team is often a reflection of its manager. That tired old cliche certainly rings true as far as Wayne Rooney’s Derby County are concerned.
Would Wayne Rooney leave Derby County for Everton?
Rooney, remember, is just 36-year-old. Younger than Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a coach who, in his first ever managerial role, has had to contend with more problems than some face in an entire career.
Now, the cynics have scoffed at suggestions that Rooney is the man to succeed Rafa Benitez in the Goodison Park dugout (The Sun).
Especially with far more experienced options, such as Lucien Favre and Rudi Garcia to name but two, currently on the market. Roberto Martinez is also understood to be interested.
But no one should underplay Rooney’s achievements at Pride Park.
Rooney the manager has a long way to go before he can match Rooney the player. But, even if Derby do succumb to relegation, the fact that they have managed to cling onto the cliff edge for so long is something to be proud of.
Should The Toffees come calling, a boyhood Evertonian would have a difficult decision to make. But Rooney has made it clear on numerous occasions how committed he is to this Derby side.
And actions often speak louder than words. Just look at the way he celebrated Lawrence’s stunning winner this weekend. That didn’t seem like a man ready to pack his bags.
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