What Derby County Fans Are “Confused” About, And Why They Wonder About Albion Star

Derby County supporters may always wonder what if about West Brom deal: View

Derby County’s 2013/14 campaign is still fondly remembered by supporters, despite the crushing ending at Wembley Stadium, and one West Bromwich Albion loanee will always be thought of in high regard due to his performances that season.

George Thorne, 31, is currently coaching at Oxford United, and according to his LinkedIn, the former midfielder is in the process of completing his UEFA A Licence, just four years after retiring from his professional playing career.

The 31-year-old spent the final year of his playing days in League One with Oxford, as he looked to revive his career following a number of injury issues, with the brunt of those coming during his time at Derby.

It had been at the Rams where Thorne had made his name, originally on loan, as he was brought to the club by Steve McClaren from West Brom as the Championship side looked for a return to the Premier League for the first time in six years.

Thorne’s 12 appearances on loan were season-defining

After making the switch to Pride Park in January 2014, it took a while for Thorne to make his debut for the club, but he chose no game better to do so.

The then 21-year-old’s first appearance came in the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest, two months after originally joining Derby. But, the influence he had on the game was remarkable, as McClaren’s team ran out 5-0 winners against their biggest rivals.

Derby lost just two of the next nine games, with Thorne missing the final day of the season in preparation for the play-offs against Brighton & Hove Albion.

His first goal for the club came in a 2-0 win away to Doncaster Rovers, with the defensive midfielder volleying home the opener on the stroke of half-time, but it was his finish against the Seagulls in the semi-finals of the play-offs that proved his ability.

After a 2-1 win at the AMEX Stadium, the Rams ran rampant at Pride Park, beating Brighton 6-2 on aggregate with Thorne scoring one of the four spectacular goals on that day in May 2014 – with the ball dropping out to him on the edge of the box before he once again volleyed in, a strike that was eerily similar to his once against Doncaster.

Thorne’s injuries spoiled the memories of a fantastic player

Although the Rams faced heartbreak in the final of the play-offs, Thorne was quickly signed permanently on a four-year deal.

In what should have been his season, an injury before a ball had even been kicked in anger ended his campaign almost immediately.

Thorne suffered an ACL injury in July 2014 against Zenit, and did not return to the starting XI until February. But after so much time away, he struggled to maintain his fitness and made just three appearances in 2014/15.

It was an extremely frustrating situation for the 22-year-old, who had been hoping to kick on under McClaren, but the worst was yet to come

Thorne went into 2015/16 looking for vengeance after having a year stripped away from his career, and he was superb as the Rams finished in the play-offs once again. Yet a rather inconspicuous challenge 10 minutes before the regular season ended changed everything once again.

The midfielder suffered a double break in his leg in the final moments of Derby’s 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town, an injury that left him on the sidelines for an entire year, not making his return to the team until a 2-0 win against Forest in October 2017.

By this point it was clear that Thorne was not the same player that he once was, and after just a handful of starts in 2017/18, he was loaned out to Luton Town for the latter half of the 2018/19 campaign, but made just 10 more appearances for the Hatters and Oxford before retiring from the professional game.

The U’s coach never truly recovered from that final injury at Derby, and supporters will always wonder what if he never played in that game against Zenit in July 2014, and what if he was brought off halfway through the “nothing” game against Ipswich?