Derby County chairman Adam Pearson has given manager Paul Jewell a dreaded vote of confidence ahead of this weekend's crunch game against pointless Barnsley at Oakwell.
Derby have now gone a staggering 35 leagues games without victory (32 in the Premier League and 3 in the Championship) 26 of which former Bradford and Wigan boss Jewell has been in charge for.
Many Rams fans who had to endure a Premier League season which produced just one win were expecting a re-vamped team to challenge to return this season but Derby have started with two defeats in the first three games and the pressure has heated up on Jewell who knows he dare not lose to a Barnsley side who are pointless after defeats to QPR, Coventry and Birmingham and are propping up the league as the only side in the Championship yet to register a point.
Pearson though laughed off rumours he would dispense with Jewell if Derby made it 27 defeats in the last 35 games.
He told BBC Radio Derby:
"In my view, that's inaccurate - I don't know where that's come from. I don't know a chairman in the world who puts a number of games on it - it's something made up in the press."