Ch-ch-changes.

Lancashire have signed Kumar Sangakkara as their overseas player for 2010, at the same time that Worcestershire announce they cannot afford a second overseas player for the T20.

That one sentence encapsulates the modern game as the rich would appear to get richer (if not necessarily better) and the poor... well, they're struggling to make ends meet. Worcestershire have offloaded most of their bigger names and one would assume higher earners, yet still struggle to balance the books. Worrying times for the county and their fans.

It makes you all the more grateful for the fact that we are very well managed as a club. Tom Sears did tremendous work, overseeing a reconstruction of the staff that is never especially palatable but was nevertheless necessary. Keith Loring has continued the good job and the commercial side of the club has probably never been stronger. Overseeing it all is the admirable Don Amott, who has done a wonderful job at the helm of the club in ensuring that people behind the scenes are all pulling in the same direction. For those of us who lived through the annual joke of meetings in the Barnett/Cork era, when factions within the committee threatened to tear the club apart, it is refreshing to see and hugely enjoyable.

The considerable steps forward just need a concrete sign of success now to convince all of the fans. For all that polls on this site suggest 80-90% of fans are happy with progress, there are a few grumbles on 606 that we're not moving forward on the pitch. For the life of me I cannot see why people feel that way.

Yes. we're still poor at Twenty/20, but at least last season sorted the batting side of that format. If we can address the bowling side this year and continue to bat as a unit, we should improve still further. In the Championship we could, perhaps should, have been promoted last season, with only the inability to finish things off on the last day ruining an encouraging campaign. In the forty over competition, we lacked a bowler who could keep it tight and give us control, much as with the T20.

This winter John Morris has replaced a fine wicket keeper batsman in James Pipe with another one in Lee Goddard. For what it is worth, I think Goddard will do even better than Pipe in the long term as he is a very fine wicket keeper and batsman. Morris has also signed an international, spin bowling all rounder in Robin Peterson and a strike bowler of potential in Mark Footitt. The latter two could, if they show the form they are capable of, sort our last day blues in the Championship which is where I see our strength in 2010.

As we come to the close of one year and look forward to the next, I am hopeful that this will be the year we take that large, evidence-based step forward on the field. We have a long and talented batting line up, with Goddard, Peterson and Wagg surely the best seven, eight, nine in our history. If Groenewald was at ten and Jones at eleven you could argue we don't actually have a tail. Then it comes down to the bowlers doing their job.

Graham Wagg was, I think, over bowled at times last year and the advent of Peterson should enable him to devote more of his energies to his main weapon, his skiddy swing bowling. It will give him someone to work with on his spin option for the longer term too, of course. With Footitt to supply a faster left arm option and Groenewald, Lungley, Clare and Hunter to back up with right arm options, Derbyshire will have a depth of seam bowling to rival most clubs - if they stay fit.

So here is where I suggest that Steffan Jones will be the key man for us next season. Not just for his whole-hearted, strong as an ox seam bowling, but for his ability to get the best from the rest of the attack. It is where we fell down last year without a doubt. If Jones can first of all get them fit, then work out ways in which they can get the ball in the right areas on a regular basis, I don't think we will be too far away from something good next season.

The other key man will be Peterson. There will be pressure on him to perform without a doubt, but a man of international pedigree should be able to handle that. His spin bowling will give us our first genuine option in that area in a long time. Some have suggested that we need him to do an Ant Botha, but for me he has to exceed Botha by some margin given his greater reputation in the game. No targets, but he must bowl tightly when conditions suit the seamers so we can give them a breather, then bowl with penetration when conditions suit. Botha was good at the former, but rarely at the latter. In addition, Peterson must bolster a failing innings when required and take the game by the scruff of the neck when quick runs are needed.

A tall order? Well, he's shown this winter for the Cobras that he can do this, so no. We just need him to carry that form into our season and who knows what might happen?

Finally today, I noted that this blog had risen to 20th in the rankings and have now removed the "badge" from the site. I don't write it for such things and although it is encouraging, it is not and cannot be the raison d'etre for doing it. I do the blog because I enjoy it and because there seem to be an increasing number of other people who do too. Whether I'm 20th or 120th doesn't really matter all that much.

Mind you, that's not to say that I hope Derbyshire adopt the same attitude!

This may be the last blog of the year, so can I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for 2010 and for your support through 2009. May 2010 be the year of the Falcon.

C'mon Derbyshire!