Shaun Derry: I didn’t like Portsmouth’s treatment of Graham Rix and told them so. It was best I left than stay under Harry Redknapp

Young, single and revelling in their south-coast surroundings, the inseparable trio were evening fixtures at Cafe Uno, with food and drink aplenty. While, curiously, found much amusement in peering into each other’s living rooms with binoculars.

On occasions, chairman Milan Mandaric would summon them to his Fratton Park office to reveal various bouts of mischief captured conclusively by CCTV.

Come the end of the 2002-03 campaign, a heartbroken Crouch had been sold to Aston Villa for £5.5m, while the out-of-favour Pitt’s Pompey career was effectively over.

As for Derry, he left entirely on his own terms.

Unable to stomach the treatment of former manager Graham Rix, he drove an August 2002 move to Crystal Palace.

Although recruited from Sheffield United by Tony Pulis, it was the influence of Rix which proved most inspirational, the sometime Pompey skipper developing an admiration which exists to this day.

When the former England midfielder was sacked in March 2002 after 13 months in the job, the decision incensed Derry.

The straight-talking 24-year-old voiced discontent to Mandaric and successor Harry Redknapp.

And he was prepared to quit the south-coast existence he adored over a point of principle.

Derry told The News: ‘I loved it at Pompey, it’s a brilliant club. It was honestly a privilege playing at Fratton with those fans. I cannot speak highly enough of the place.

‘During my final season there, I knew there was going to be change, you could tell. Harry had come in as director of football and you knew what was happening. I don’t think anybody can claim they saw it as a surprise.

‘Through my loyalty to Graham, I felt it was the right thing to speak to the owner and say I didn’t think his decision was correct.

‘Ultimately, it cost me my position at the football club – but I had to do it.

‘Looking at all the managers I played under, Graham is one who particularly sticks out in terms of his character.

‘He treated the lady in the canteen exactly the same as the chairman. He was so respectful to people.

‘He had a way of talking to people as opposed to shouting at them. It was then that I discovered there were different ways of communicating.

‘I spent a lot of time with Graham and his wife Linda. They recognised that I lived on my own and were really, really kind to me as a person.

‘In February 2002 we lost 4-3 at Sheffield United, Paul Furlong’s last-minute penalty won it and I saw the red mist. I was sent off in stoppage time.

‘I had let the club down and it was a horrible journey back to Portsmouth, with Graham not speaking to me the whole way.

‘When I got off the bus, he said “Make sure you’re round my house in 45 minutes”. I thought “Here we go, I’m going to get a rocket here”.

‘When I turned up, he was waiting and Linda, bless her, had put some food out and a glass of red wine. That evening we just talked football.

‘It was the classiest thing anyone could ever have done. His team had lost and, as a manager, you are gutted, absolutely devastated, I know what it feels like.

‘Yet he put himself into my situation to help me through that emotion of letting everybody down. To me, that is somebody you wanted to play for. I don’t forget that.’

Former Chelsea coach Rix had replaced Steve Claridge as Pompey’s boss in February 2001.

He oversaw that term’s successful battle to remain in Division One, with a final-day 3-0 triumph over Barnsley ensuring survival.

The following season, Robert Prosinecki, Peter Crouch and Yoshi Kawaguchi arrived to bolster the Blues.

However, by March 2002, the Blues were languishing in 15th place, with Rix having won 16 of his 56 games in charge in all competitions.

Director of football Redknapp stepped into the breach five days later, with Derry, who had endured an injury-hit season, featuring just once in the remaining five matches of that campaign.

He added: ‘I was really gutted for Graham because I know him differently to other people.

‘I know what he stands for and I just thought at that particular moment in time it was wrong from the football club.

‘I wasn’t naive enough to think these things didn’t happen. I had courage in my own convictions to speak to the people about it.

‘I didn’t want to be one of those guys in the dressing room who sits in the corner and slates the new regime or goes around with the hump. I didn’t want that for the club or Harry in what he was trying to achieve.

‘I thought the best way for both parties would be to have an honest conversation and leave.

‘There were certain players who probably shared my opinion of Graham. He was fully respected by the majority of us.

‘I just felt really strongly about the situation and I’m really pleased that I did what I did.

‘It cost me my place at the football club, which was a shame because the next season Pompey won the title and ended up in the Premier League.

‘Obviously these things are not necessarily looked upon favourably are they. From an ownership angle and perhaps from a management angle.

‘Harry was great. I remember going to him openly and saying “Listen, gaffer I have gone in to see Milan and voice my displeasure of Graham leaving” and he was absolutely fine.

‘I said I wanted to leave and he responded “Perhaps it’s the right thing for you to do”.

‘However, I didn’t feel he was going to throw me to the lions because Harry wouldn’t have done that. But it was the right thing to do.

‘We shook hands, we really did, and every time I saw Harry we were always in conversation with each other. He is a brilliant fella and I later played for him at QPR.

‘I have always been like that. If ever I have something to say then I’ll say it. Obviously the older I am getting, the more you weigh up the pros and cons of things, you have a decision, but throughout my career I always led that way.

‘It’s about being open and honest. The good thing about it is I ended up going to Crystal Palace – and that is where my life took another turn because I met my wife.’

Derry joined Palace in a £400,000 switch on the eve of the 2002-03 season, following 55 appearances and one goal.

Division One rivals at the time, the Eagles finished 14th that term – while Redknapp’s men amassed 98 points and registered 97 goals during their march to the title.

Derry would later reach the Premier League with Palace, while was part of Neil Warnock’s QPR side which won the Championship title in 2010-11.

As for Rix, following managerial spells at Oxford United, Hearts, Trinidad & Tobago side Central FC and AFC Portchester, he is not presently working.

The 42-year-old added: ‘When I was manager of Notts County and Milan Mandaric was Sheffield Wednesday chairman, we were drawn in the Capital One Cup and I went to scout them ahead of the game.

‘I had a really good conversation with Milan that night. This is football.

‘As a coach, Graham’s information was very clear and very precise. He was calm, he was calculated.

‘It was a stressful time, of course, we were hovering around the relegation zone, which brings on stress for the manager. However, I felt he remained an extremely classy guy and still speak to him to this day.

‘Perhaps he’d reflect on his managerial career and might say that had he adopted some different characteristics into his management style then he may have had different outcomes at different places.

‘But you are what you are – and, for me, Graham Rix is first and foremost a thoroughly decent human being.’

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