Steve McClaren

Unless a lot of so called experts are wrong and they are often wrong, Steve McClaren is expected to be appointed the new Derby County 'Head Coach' very soon.

There are a lot of cries and protests from fans and I'm not one who had him at the top of the list as the man for the job.

He is without doubt a coach that is respected in the game. The former Rams fringe player no doubt played a part in the club finishing sixth in the Premier League and we have been in decline ever since.

After he left us for Manchester United the rot set in and Jim Smith was never able to find an adequate replacement.

He then went on to Middlesbrough where if you look at the record books it shows him as their best ever manager in terms of cup finals and league positions. An awful spell as England saw him ridiculed and he moved on to success with Twente winning the Dutch League. That was no mean achievement in a Division that includes teams like Feyenord, Ajax and PSV. Wolfsburg wasn't quite the same success and neither was his stint at Nottingham Forest.

The spell as Forest manager is what most people are basing their judgement on. He took a team that had for the last two seasons been knocking on the door of Premier League Football and managed to leave them in the bottom half of the Championship.

I think we need to look at that spell with greater scrutiny. There is absolutely no doubt that Billy Davies has an ability to lift players and get them performing to a level that other managers struggle to do. His re-appointment last season showed that when they narrowly failed to make the play offs. Preston and Derby have failed to match what they did under Davies since he left them. People might also question McClarens choice of coaching staff and the signing of players well past their best in Boateng and Greening too!

He left Forest waiving his right to compensation and with his reputation damaged. Surprisingly axed by Twente during his second spell, Harry Redknapp employed him as a coach at QPR. Love or Hate Harry he knows his onions and on radio this morning was stating how great a coach McClaren is and not wanting him to leave.

In my opinion he is without doubt a very good coach, however that doesn't equate to being a good manager. If he is appointed as Head Coach and not manager, the real decision to get right will be who is going to be the Director of Football and exactly what role they will play in the day to day running of the club!

Post Clough Thoughts!

Anyone who read this blog may have noticed the disappearance of match reports. The answer is simply because many of them would be reporting the same game after game. Dominated possession lacking creativity up front and no width.

We have just seen our first away defeat of the season and the dismissal of manager Nigel Clough.

We didn't deserve anything from the game! Be honest for all our possession we never even tested Karl Darlow. Forest could have had two or three more goals had it not been for Lee Grant.

We have three wins on the road. Yeovil, Millwall and Brighton. I'd only expect to see the latter challenging for a top six place at the end of the season.

Prior to the summer break, Sam Rush stated that a centre half was a priority for the club. Well where is that centre half. Baptiste was way out of our price range, despite having immensely wealthy owners. We were then told by Nigel that we didn't need a centre half!

I disagree. Despite Jake Buxton upping his game and possibly being our most consistent defender we have struggled. Especially against set pieces. Freeman has had one bad game at right back and was promptly dropped. His replacement Smith is definitely not an upgrade.

Craig Forsyth has struggled at left back and most Derby fans seem to agree that he is not the answer in a position we have struggled to fill since Chris Powell left the club.

Richard Keogh, last seasons player of the season has been the biggest disappointment of all. Never have a seen a player who looked a class act one season struggle so much the next season.

Midfield has issues too. Bryson and Hughes along with Hendrick are good players, but we don't have that commanding ball winning general! A Seth Johnson style player or a player that shows leadership.

We all know that we lack any sort of threat down the wings. We only have one real winger on our books in Michael Jacobs, yet Nigel seemed reluctant to start him. Until we get our midfield general I would suggest that playing wingers would leave us vulnerable in the middle.

With regards to the strikers. Russell and Martin are capable of scoring a bucket load of goals, but they need more service. 

Goalkeeping is an area that has seen constant changes. Stephen Bywater, Saul Deeney, Frank Fielding, James Severn, Brad Jones, Ross Atkins, Adam Legzdins and Lee Grant have all made an appearance between the sticks. It's an area where chopping and changing does nothing for the good of the defence. Our goalkeeping coach must share some of the blame here.

Nigel has made some good signings over the years, but there's been some poor ones too! David Martin, Chris Maguire, Ben Pringle are amongst those who failed!

Looking back, Nigel Clough inherited a pigs ear of a mess when he took over as manager. Littered with Paul Jewell's panic buys and gambles and a massive wage bill he has season by season sorted the mess out. However unless this club gets into the Premier League very soon, it will become mission virtually impossible. Parachute payments don't necessarily mean that relegated clubs will bounce straight back, but they do help deprive teams such as Derby buying players of known quality.

If the club is too move forward it needs to show some real ambition and support the manager who replaces Nigel Clough. Otherwise it would be like mending the puncture on your bicycle and riding over broken glass immediately after. It really is a show of a lack of real ambition by GSE when clubs like Doncaster and Huddersfield are signing better quality players.

I was supportive of Nigel up to the Burnley game but now we need to see a change of direction and it's time for our owners to put up or shut up and sell up.

Cloughie - Nine Years On!

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the death of Brian Clough O.B.E.

Never has one individual made such an impression on supporters of four different football clubs. A prolific goal scorer with both Middlesbrough and Sunderland and the best ever manager of both Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

I say he is the greatest manger of club football in Britain. Cloughie took two struggling second tier clubs to the top! With the greatest respect to all other claimants to the crown of being the best, how many started with so little and ended up with a roomful of trophies?

Every competition he won he did so because he took them seriously! From League titles and European Cups, to Anglo-Scottish and Watney Cups! All games were to be played to win.

He not only had a great footballing brain, but he knew exactly what he believed in! He was a staunch socialist and a friend of the then Labour MP, the late Phillip Whitehead. He did however vote for a Conservative Councillor whilst at Hartlepool in recognition of the said gentlemans loyalty to the club. He practiced what he preached and was generous to those who  served him. He did in fact give his O.B.E. to his gardener though it was returned.

He laid out a challenge for Alan Sugar to accuse him of wrongdoings without privilege that is afforded in the High Court. Sugar never dared to do it!

He trusted very few Chairmen. Mike Bamber of Brighton was an exception.

He trusted very few journalists and referred to them as 'Shithouse'. John Sadler was an exception.

He wrote two autobiographies and they are a must read for anyone who has a serious interest in the thoughts of a genius. Countless other books have been written about him.

His favourite musician was Frank Sinatra and that's fitting because Cloughie did it his way!

RIP Brian Howard Clough and God Bless! 

'Oh you are a bloody disgrace! Bazza for missing the target from there you want bloody shooting' 'Rubbish, Bloody rubbish'.

Bolton 2-2 Derby - Verdict

A good point away! Bolton may be bottom, but that is an early season false position.

It was pleasing to see Johnny Russell bag a couple of goals. At long last we are creating some chances in the box. 

Smith again played well at Right Back and almost had a goal. He looks threatening down the right flank.

Richard Keogh beginning to look more like the player from last season.

After a hat-trick on Saturday Craig Bryson added a couple of assists onto his stats for this season. It's very obvious to me why he his held in such high regard by Derby fans. He always puts in a shift.

Will Hughes had a good first half, but had to be substituted early in the second. Hopefully he will be fit for Saturdays home game with Reading.

On to Saturday, and Reading. We are overdue a win against them. This game will be interesting as they are now led by Nigel Adkins who previously did such a good job at both Scunthorpe and Southampton.

If we tighten up at the back and continue to create chances up front there's no reason why we can't be celebrating a first ho,e win at tea time on Saturday. It would be foolhardy though to underestimate the task ahead. We have three tough games coming up. We could easily win or lose all three!

Stats #bwfc v #dcfc

Possession 60%-40%

Shots 22-14

On target 4-8

Corners 9-2

Yellow cards 3-2

Rams Man of the Match - Richard Keogh

1.   Grant 7

2.   Smith 7

6.   Keogh 8

25. Buxton 7

3.   Forsyth 7

14. Eustace 7

4.   Bryson 7

19. Hughes 7

10. Ward 7

9.   Martin 6

11. Russell 7

13. Deeney

7.   Coutts 7

12. Jacobs

16. Davies -

17. Freeman

18. Sammon -

20. Bennett

Millwall 1-5 Derby, Verdict

A great away win in a game controlled by the Rams.

Eustace did a decent job in front of the defence. Bryson had a fantastic game and ran the show in midfield. All three of his goals were top draw. Two were certainly contenders for goal of the day.

Hughes was also great in midfield. Only time will tell how much longer we are able to hold onto him.

Smith had a very good game in the right back position. He may well go on to be a better player than Brayford. His withdrawal was unfortunate, but with missiles being thrown at him by home fans it was for his own safety. Such behaviour by so called supporters is unforgivable and I think it's time that the FA took decisive action. 

Neither Russell or Martin added to their goals tally, however both would benefit greatly by the addition of a winger into the side.

It was good to see youngster Mason Bennett score his first league goal. A cool and composed finish put Derby 5-1 up.

A third successive away win is great for the fans, but we need to start winning home games or the efforts on our travels are wasted. Bolton in our next game will in my opinion probe to be a much sterner test. They may be bottom at the moment, but it's a false early season position.

Stats #mfc-#dcfc

Possession 47%-53%

Shots 3-9

On target 1-6

Fouls 16-14

Yellow cards 3-5

Red Cards 1-0

Rams Man of the Match - Craig Bryson

Ratings

1.   Grant 7

2.   Smith 8

6.   Keogh 7

25. Buxton 7

3.   Forsyth

14. Eustace 7

4.   Bryson 9

19. Hughes 8

10. Ward 7

9.   Martin 7

11. Russell 7

13. Deeney

12. Jacobs

7.  Coutts 7

16. Davies

17. Freeman 7

18. Sammon

20. Bennett 7

Brian Clough Trophy Memories

The Brian Clough Trophy

As Rams and Forest fans eagerly await the next meeting of our two clubs at the end of the month I thought that I would take a look back at previous meetings for The Brian Clough Trophy.

The inaugural clash for the new Trophy was just before a Billy Davies led Rams side were to embark on a disastrous Premier League campaign and Forest were looking ahead to a third and final season in League One under the management of Colin Calderwood.

Starting for the Rams that day included a player that proved to be one of the biggest big money flops in a Derby shirt, Robert Earnshaw who went on to better days with our Red Rivals. Forest included Kris Commons who would go on to make headlines in this fixture playing for Derby a season later.

The first match was a pre-season game, but don't call it a friendly! There's no such thing when these sides meet. A crowd of just over 25,000 saw Derby stroll to a 2-0 win through goals from Jay McEveley and Craig Fagan.

The following season saw a relegated Derby and a promoted Forest meet no less than four times. The first was a league game that ended all square at 1-1. Tito Villa's own goal put Forest ahead at Pride Park, before redeeming himself by knocking in a Commons cross to level things up. What followed was possibly the most controversial incidents in the history of the fixture.

Miles Addison seemed to have put the Rams ahead only for referee Staurt Atwell to rule the goal disallowed and instead give Derby a penalty. Former Rams keeper Lee Camp saved the spot kick and just about everyone in the ground were baffled by both decisions. Why was the goal disallowed? What was the penalty for? Only Mr Atwell knew the answers. 

If that wasn't enough, Addison again headed into the net a few minutes later and again his goal was disallowed. There appeared to be nothing at all wrong with the goal, but Mr Atwell stuck by his decision and therefore earned himself the notoriety that he has with Derby supporters today.

The F.A. Cup draw paired Derby with Forest again. Another game at Pride Park and live on TV saw the game switched to a Friday night. Derby edged the first half and went ahead through Rob Hulse. Earnshaw equalised in the second half, but the star man was Paul Smith in the visitors goal who pulled off some miraculous saves as Derby pounded their goalmouth.

The game ended 1-1 like the league meeting and so would go to a replay. Fresh from beating Manchester United 1-0 in the league cup, Derby headed across the A52 to the City Ground for the rematch. After twenty minutes it looked like The Rams were going to be in for a spanking. Cohen put Forest ahead and Tyson extended the lead through a penalty awarded after he was brought down by Stephen Bywater. Hulse and Paul Green had levelled things by midway through the second half and what was to follow capped a memorable night for Rqms fans. Kris Commons who had been getting a fair amount of stick from his former clubs fans scored a sensational winner to take Derby through to the next round.

Barely a fortnight later the return league fixture was played. Lewis Nyatanga gave Derby an early lead and Hulse then added a second early in the second half.  A Steve Davies penalty then put the Rams firmly in control before Earnshaw grabbed a consolation goal for the hosts. This was one of the easiest wins ever over the old enemy.

The following season our rivals finally got some revenge. Radislaw Majewski scored an absolute screamer to give them an early lead. Nathan Tyson added a second and before the break we found ourselves 3-0 down and a thrashing appeared to be on the cards. Thankfully Derby did give a better account of themselves in the second half. A Wes Morgan own goal and another deflected effort by Jake Livermore made the score more respectable, but Forest were deserved winners in the end. The game is famous for Nathan Tyson grabbing a corner flag at the end of a game and the players partaking in a 22 man squabble. Both clubs fined later by the FA.

Billy Davies took the Reds to Pride Park later that season in search of their first ever win at Pride Park. Forest fans appeared confident, but a Rob Hulse header from a Kris Commons free kick sent them home without that elusive win once again.

The next game in the series was the biggest embarrassment ever suffered by many Rams fans. Losing to your biggest rivals is bad enough but by 5-2 is gut wrenching. What made matters worse was the fact that former Ram Marcus Tudgay grabbed a brace of goals to send us packing. He did show some class though by not celebrating against his old team.

Forest edged the return game at Pride Park, when Robert Earnshaw popped up with a winner in the second half. To be honest they did deserve the win.

The win with ten men was the next encounter. Fielding red carded and a penalty conceded in the opening couple of minutes. It looked like a damage limitation exercise when Andy Reid slotted the penalty past Legzdins. However, Later in the half, Ward danced around the forest defence and beat Camp at the near post to equalise and then Hendrick scored a winner in the second half minutes after missing an easier chance when he headed wide.

On to Pride Park on a cold Tuesday night and into the 4 th minute of time added on and up popped Jake Buxton to clinch a winner and condemn Steve Cotterill's struggling side to another frustrating defeat.

Last season saw the Rams win at the City Ground thanks to a point blank finish by Craig Bryson and the Pride Park game was a draw. Chris Cohen giving the visitors a lead in the first half and then in the second period, Conor Sammon robbed Simon Gillett to set up Jamie Ward to level things.

Sendings off, dramatic games, it's never boring in the East Midlands!

Derby Launch 3rd shirt FAB

This morning saw Derby release pictures of a new third shirt.

The home and maroon away shirt was met with a mixed response as was the latest shirt which is blue with a yellow diagonal stripe across it.

Many fans say it reminds them of a Thunderbirds uniform or a jockeys shirt. Whatever the opinions I'm sure it will sell. Many fans protested that the maroon shirt was too close to red, but pay a trip into the club shop on match days and you will see them selling plenty of them.

For next season I have suggested that the club invites fans to submit designs and then vote on the new shirt. A good idea? Or would it be too simple?

Derby 0-3 Burnley, Verdict

Disappointing, disjointed and disastrous performance.

I know the defence needs strengthening, but Saturdays calamitous efforts were embarrassing. I remain convinced that we need another Centre half and also a Left Back.

Freeman had an off day, Keogh looked a shadow of the player he was last year, Buxton tried, but is he a long term solution really? Forsyth is not a Left Back. At least Smith looked lively when he came on after half time.

I've always rated Jeff Hendrick and his absence was felt on Saturday. The midfield was shocking! Will Hughes was the best of it, but in all honesty didn't play well, though he produced the best attack of afternoon for Derby.

It's all very well fans getting on our strikers backs, but there were few great chances for them to convert. A lack of wingers doesn't help creativity! Credit Conor Sammon who showed some grit and determination when he arrived in the second half.

Chris Martin has got to stop all of his diving. We were wrongly awarded a penalty and I'm afraid it was just deserts when Russell's attempt was saved by Heaton.

Outsmarted, outmanoeuvred and outclassed! In my opinion our worst home display since getting thrashed by Scunthorpe a couple of seasons ago! Burnley were denied a fourth goal that was wrongly ruled offside as well! 

Time and time again, we dominate possession without any end product.

With very little indication of moves to strengthen the squad, a quick bounce back after the international break is essential.

Stats DCFC V BFC

Possession 57%-43%

Shots on target 3-5

Off target 11-5

Fouls 9-12

Ratings

1.   Grant 6

17. Freeman 5

6.   Keogh 5

25. Buxton 5

3.   Forsyth 5

7.   Coutts 4

4.   Bryson 5

19. Hughes 5

10. Ward 6

9.   Martin 5

11. Russell 5

Subs

26. Legzdins 

2.   Smith 7

12. Jacobs

14. Eustace

16. Davies 6

18. Sammon 7

20. Bennett

Rams man of the match - Adam Smith