Derby County will be relegated at an earlier stage of the season than any team in the history of the Premier League if they lose today and either Bolton Wanderers or Birmingham City win. There is light at the end of their tunnel, however, and not just because they are playing Fulham.

It is 18 months since Fulham won an away league game, but six months since Derby registered their only victory in the top flight in a season that Paul Jewell cannot wait to end. The Derby manager, who has endured a torrid week after tabloid revelations about his private life, wants to be judged on what he can put in place at Pride Park, and that means starting from scratch this summer.

Jewell would have walked away without a penny on Monday morning if he had felt that Adam Pearson, the chairman, had lost faith in him. Instead, he has been left to deal with his personal matters privately and to conclude a campaign that he feels was almost impossible even before he took charge in November.

Inheriting a team who were bottom of the table meant that Jewell was always buying into Derby's long-term future. He accepts that four points from 17 games would ordinarily be considered “sack form” and if he has not turned the club around by Christmas, then he should expect the worst.

For the first time, however, Jewell has laid some of the blame for the club's position at the feet of Billy Davies, his predecessor. “I've never had a relegation as a manager and it ain't pleasant, but I've had two promotions from the Championship and I know what it takes,” the former Bradford City and Wigan Athletic manager said. “I've never been more determined in my life to see a job through.

“But other people have to take some responsibility. When Derby got promoted, I looked from afar at what a fantastic achievement it was. Instead, straight after the play-offs final, it was more about contractual disputes and the chairman. So I don't think everything was rosy when I got here. The problems here are a bit more deep-rooted than me coming here and making a mess of it.”

Jewell allowed Stephen Pearson, the Scotland midfield player, to leave for Stoke City on loan yesterday for an initial £500,000, which could rise to £2.5million if the deal becomes permanent in the summer. “I'd be prepared to go down to a 16-man squad because everything is geared towards the 27th of June, coming back a healthy and focused squad,” he said.

“It's been the most frustrating time of my life since I've been here. From a professional point of view, so many things were not how I wanted them. I know what works and I know what doesn't. This will be a vibrant place to come and work and I'm convinced we can be successful. Next year there will be no grey areas for this football club. I want to make it black and white, just like the colours we play in.”