DANNY COLLINS says he can understand the agony that doomed Derby are going through as they prepare for life in the Championship.
 Collins was a member of the Sunderland side that crashed out of the Premiership two years ago with a record-low tally of 15 points – and he believes Derby could yet take Sunderland’s unwanted record of lowest ever Premiership points total. The Rams went into yesterday’s game against Sunderland propping up the Premier League with just nine points from 27 games – exactly the same total that the Black Cats had at this stage in their own catastrophic campaign. Collins said: “I was here two years ago when we finished the season with 15 points and it was not a nice feeling, so I can understand what Derby are going through. “They will be feeling as though the world is against them right now – the fans are not happy and every newspaper you read or radio show you hear is negative about you. “Even when you go home and switch on Match of the Day, all the pundits’ talk is of doom and gloom. “It’s not a nice feeling.” Sunderland’s 15-point season set a Premiership record for the lowest number of points in a season, with the Wearsiders beating their own tally of 19 points set three years earlier. But Derby could yet undercut Sunderland – and Collins says it would be a relief to him to see the Black Cats’ name wiped out of the record books. He said: “That 15-point season set a lot of new records for all the wrong reasons. “But there is still a chance that Derby might not reach the number of points we did that year – we’ll have to see. “It’s not a record I would wish on anyone, but at the same time I don’t want Sunderland to have it!” Derby went into the weekend a massive 14 points away from safety and to all intents and purposes have already accepted their fate. Collins, who was suspended for yesterday’s game after accumulating five bookings, said: “I know how they are feeling and what it is like to be in the position they are in. “It’s probably a pretty flat atmosphere around the training ground and that’s not good. “Paul Jewell took over as manager at Derby before Christmas but he has already said he has started planning for next season and I’m sure he can help turn it round there.” | 
