Three!

Well we have chalked up three wins since my last post and three very different games which I suppose shows our versatility. 

Bristol City at home was always going to be a game that we expected to win, without meaning to appear disrespectful to our visitors. Much is the case that Paul Clement chose that game to try out the 4-3-2-1 formation. 

We win with ease without Chris Martin demonstrates the ease of the victory. Although he only has nine goals so far this season, which is more than most strikers.

It also saw the re-emergence of Tom Ince with a superb hat trick. Tom has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism recently on social media, but I am of the opinion that you cannot afford to leave him out. He can be quite the in a game and suddenly pop up with that moment of magic that is so decisive. 

Ipswich away is always a hard one and to snatch an away win was fantastic. Not pretty but effective and overall I thought we were good value for all of our battling alone. 

Fulham at home was a classic case of a top side playing below par and still winning.  Pre game I was a guest on the Fulham podcast 'Cottage Talk' to preview the game.

Our visitors had a reputatatin for leaking goals, however they defence showed up this time and our lads had to dig deep for the victory. Incidentally as a very poor predictor of results I must point out that I called a 2-0 win for us pre match. 

Tomorrow we head to Leeds or 'Dirty Leeds' as us who were around in the Don Revie era cal, them. 

I watched their game at Nottingham Forest and I am of the opinion that if they play the same game against us that three points are there for the taking. They currently employ attacking tactics and leave themselves exposed at the back. Our defence is more than capable of dealing with their attack. 

That said, we will still need to be at our best! No lapses of concentration can be afforded. 

Hers to three points and a return to the top of the table! Please!!!!

Seagulls Still Undefeated

Saturday saw table topping Brighton as the latest visitors to the iPro and they left with their unbeaten record still intact. 

Derby took the game to the Seagulls, but found their defence very difficult to breach. Lewis Dunk was the pick of the visitors defenders, putting some real quality challenges in to deny our front men.

It was good to see Bradley Johnson on the scoresheet after one of his not so impressive games.

Another moment to savour was the tackle by Jason Shackell to deny Bobby Zamora in the later stages of the game.

I don't know if it's just me, but I feel that what is currently keeping us out of the top two is the inability to switch to a 4-4-2 formation when needed. Our current 4-3-3 leaves us very limited when opposition are playing a defensive formation. 

To adapt to an alternative formation it is likely that we would need to bring in player(s). Whether Paul Clement is intending to be involved in the January transfer window will no doubt be disclosed once the time comes. 

What has been noticeable is that our midfield hasn't been so dominant in recent matches too 

We welcome Bristol City tonight in a match that we should win on paper. Having said that, as we all know, matches are won on the field of play and we can't afford any slip ups should we wish to pursue our interest in a top two position. 

Wednesday on a Sunday

So we left Hillsborough with a point a clean sheet and still having lost only two games so far this season..

It was a scrappy game with very few chances created throughout. Our hosts are a side that I tipped to be in the top six this season and I stand by that prediction.

An awkward side to play against, I for one am not too disappointed with the draw. 

We now look forward to the visit of Brighton on Saturday who still have their unbeaten tag intact. It must go sometime and what better time than this coming Saturday. 

What we do know about The Seagulls is that they are a side that doesn't know when they are beaten. Last weekend they came from two goals behind to defeat Charlton. 

Like all fans I am delighted with the Position that we currently sit in. I am a little concerned though that we don't currently have the places to adjust to a 4-4-2 formation for when the usual 4-3-3 isn't working. 

I'm sure that Paul Clement will have that in mind when the January transfer window happens. Michail Antonio and Charlie Austin have been mentioned as potential targets. I'm sure that the left back position will be kept under review too. Stephen Warnock has done great so far in deputising for the injured Forsth, but he is approaching the twilight of his career and maybe fitness will come into play as the season moves in to the New Year.

Tom Ince hasn't had the best of games lately and it wouldn't surprise me to see him rested on Saturday although I am not a fan of Johnny Russell playing on the Right. 

So Brighton at home on Saturday it is with the result being important for both teams. The biggest game of the day and how good it is to see us return to Saturday st three. 

Jacobs Crackers

Well it's a week since our excellent three points were earned at Hull City in what for me was the result of the season so far.

An excellent showing, professional, clinical and effective. Two well taken goals by Jacob Butterfield in the first half giving us great leverage for the second half. 

Our hosts did as expected attempt to come back at us, but a great defensive display and some fine saves by Scott Carson kept them at bay. 

Every single player in the starting eleven could have been nominated for man of the match, however yet again for me it was Stephen Warnock who edged it.

He has been in outstanding form since replacing the injured Craig Forsyth and perhaps his experience of being an international who has played at the highest level could prove to be very valuable to us. 

We are now learning why Leeds fans were furious that they let him go!

On to Sheffield Wednesday which will be a tricky match! They are underperforming in my opinion and a stern test awaits us at Hillsborough. 

Bradley Johnson returns having served his one match ban and although Hendrick and Bryson will be chomping at the bit, I expect Johnson will go straight back into the starting line up!

A final note, our win at Hull was the first time a Steve Bruce side has failed to beat us since he headed into management. 

Back in Business

After the loss to Forest it was a case of returning to form on Saturday against a lacklustre Cardiff City. 

The game was hardly a great spectacle, but in a results business the goal was achieved. Derby dominated possession from start to finish and were worthy winners of a game that our visitors barely created any chances. Carson was called into action once to pull off a save from their onlyreal attempt no duly obliged. 

Our defence overall looked very assured, midfield back to wining the ball and our forwards looking the more likely to break the deadlock. 

George Thorne looked back to his best after two sub par performances in his last two games. In fact he looked a class act. 

The biggest shoutout for me must go to Stephen Warnock who has arguably been out best player in our last two fixtures. 

Our next game sees a Friday night trip to the KC Stadium to face promotion rivals Hull City. Not any easy looking fixture, but we must go there with the attitude that we can win. A point wouldn't be a disaster, but we need to start flexing those automatic promotion muscles! Three points on Friday would be a clear sign that we are ready to do that. 

We go to Hull without Bradley Johnson who is suspended. An ideal opportunity for either Jeff Hendrick or Craig Bryson to stake a claim for a regular start. 

Huff and Puff

Well for a second East Midlands Derby in a row, disappointment for Derby. 

We huffed and puffed and failed to blow the house in. 

Forest to their credit got their tactics spot on. We ran at them, but they always managed to cut out any threatening balls. 

De Vries had one real save to make and it didn't exactly stretch him, Hendrick hit the bar and that was about it. 

Sure we saw more of the ball, but we didn't use it well in the final third of the field. 

Forest dominated midfield. Vaughan and Lansbury ran the show. Their defence was organised. Their only real weakness was in front of goal. 

Mendes missed a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 in the second half when he allowed Warnock to put in a tackle from point blank range. 

Our rivals had already had one goal ruled out that on another day may have been given. 

The last meetings between us have proved that the old saying 'Form hoes out of the window' in these games and how right it is!

The Big Match Tonight!

The latest instalment in the Brian Clough Trophy takes place tonight at the City Ground at 7.30. 

On paper it should be a win for Derby, but matches are won on the green stuff and not on a clipboard. 

We go into the game on a good run of form, however we did last season when our red neighbours created an upset. 

Make no mistake we need to start in top gear and show our intent early. Our hosts may be struggling, but they will be pumped up more than ever for tonight's clash. 

It's hard to predict what team they are going to put out so I will guess that they will play a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

They have a good experienced keeper in Dorus De Vries and their back four includes Eric Lichaj who is a good right back. 

Two out of Matt Mills, Jack Hobbs and Kelvin Wilson will take the centre back roles and that is where I see their main weakness. Hobbs isn't having his best season and Mills can be forced into errors too. 

We will start with Christie at Right Back, and a centre half pairing of Richard Keogh and Jason Shackell. All three have impressed so far this season. 

The season ending injury to Craig Forsyth means that Stephen Warnock will get a chance at Left Back. No disrespect meant, but he doesn't offer the same threat going forward. Forsyth had been linking well with Russell. 

Midfield will be an important battle and one decision Paul Clement will have to make is whether he starts Jeff Hendrick or Jacob Butterfield. The latter is now starting to show some form and it would perhaps be harsh to omit him from the starting line up. 

George Thorne is available after his one match ban and Bradley Johnson could be a key player tonight. 

Lansbury, Ward, Mendes are amongst those expected to feature in the Forest midfield. Ward making his first appearance in a red shirt for this fixture. Lansbury can be a match winner or indeed a liability at times with his indiscipline. 

One question being asked by many is which two from Andreas Weimann, Tom Ince and Johnny Russell do we start. I have changed my mind many times. 

Let's consider the fact that Weimann has scored two in two and plays better on the left. Ince will be fired up to play after an unhappy loan spell with them last season plays on the right. Russell is more suited to the left. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say Weimann and Ince will get the nod. 

Chris Martin is overdue a goal in this fixture and you wouldn't bet against him ending his drought tonight. His hold up play could also be vital. 

Our rivals are struggling to score and their main options appear to be Chris O'Grady, Dexter Blackstock, Tyler Walker and Liam Trotter although the latter is really a midfielder. 

So there we have it! The biggest game in the East Midlands 2015/16 part one kicks off in a few hours. I'd take a scrappy 1-0 win. Thrashing are rare in this fixture. 

East Midlands Derby Preview

We head into Friday's East Midlands Derby as against Nottingham Forest as favourites to regain the Brian Clough Trophy following the differing starts of our clubs. This is not to say that a win is a certain.

Let's face it nothing is certain in a local Derby. The old saying the form goes out of the window was certainly justified at the iPro last season. We deservedly lost against a Forest side that was in decline.

The first clash of this season sees us in good form whilst our neighbours are still having struggles. The millions of Fawaz have still failed to lead them into the promised land and to be honest many must be wondering now if he can help bring success to the once proud club.

I try and refrain from making comment on our neighbours, but as its the big game that I'm previewing I will break the rule. I have many friends and many relations from the red side of Brian Clough Way and they are quite dismayed to see the plight of their club.

Fawaz came in as a new owner in a blaze of glory over three years ago with a supposed bottomless pit of money in the quest to regain a place in footballs elite division.

All was going well until......a Boxing Day win against Leeds and a leap into the top six of the Championship saw the first of many bizarre moves by the new owner. He sacked manager Sean O'Driscoll! SOD not only had the club in the play off spots, but he had them playing a nice brand of passing football.

Alex McLeish replaced him, but barely lasting a month before quitting and the saviour known as Billy Davies was reappointed. Davies had steered the Reds to two play off semi- finals although he failed to get the club to Wembley. 

The second coming of 'King Billy' soon evolved into a circus! The farce of not speaking to most of the media! Some odd statements, and indeed his second spell wasn't to replicate the first. It ended with a 5-0 thrashing at the iPro Stadium.

Stuart Pearce was seen as the messiah when last season kicked off! Indeed, they started fast out of the blocks and after the early games were sitting near the summit of the Championship. However, as the season began to unfold, the form dipped and Pearce quit not long after his finest moment as manager when he led them to beat us!

Dougie Freedman was given the task to restore some pride in the team. The results were fairly decent to start with, but after a few windows of Fawaz splashing the cash, he had joined a side under embargo for breaking financial fair play regulations. Irrespective of your thoughts on the rules, it is wise to play by them. The over spending and massive losses has probably put them back years! 

If that wasn't enough, many winding up orders have been issued and bills have been paid late. Only last week journalist John Percy reported that players had been paid late again. Surely someone, whom some are claiming is a billionaire should be capable of meeting bills on time.

Some fans are wanting Dougies head and there is certain division over the rumours of a certain Nigel Clough coming in to manage the club. In my opinion he could be the perfect man to help sort out the team. He kept Derby away from the basement working on a shoestring. Surely any prospective new manager (Should Freedman be relieved of his duties) will have these capabilities! It is a must on their CV.

Fans are now starting to argue on social media about their owner too! Some are saying he's making them a laughing stock, whilst others are staying loyal. Now if Fawaz decided to put the club up for sale, who would buy it without him clearing the debt? I've no doubt there will be people wanting to buy the club, but there would maybe be some hard bargaining before a sale was completed. Anyway they aren't for sale at the moment. 

Right, let's now concentrate on our own club. Recently taken over in full by local self made millionaire Mel Morris, we are now in the best state that we have been in many years.

It's true that we have had to put up with our fair share of frustration, but GSE who recently sold the club, did come good. They got the books in order and made a very good appointment in Sam Rush once Tom Glick left for Manchester City. They left us in a healthy financial state and now Mr Morris has taken over a club with good balance sheets, good support and top quality facilities. Many forget the investment that has allowed us to have a category one academy. 

Since his arrival Morris has had to flex his muscles! The way in which Steve McClaren flirted with another club which saw the almost overnight drop in form and which ultimately saw us go from top of the table to eighth by the end of the season saw McClaren being shown the exit door!

Between them Morris and Rush used their judgement to appoint Paul Clement who despite having excellent credentials as a coach, had not been in a managers chair. They must have had a lot of belief in him to make him our manager (OK Head Coach). I'm certain a lot of homework was done before appointing him. At the moment it is looking like a very shrewd appointment. 

We do have a very exciting squad with depth! Indeed we are currently experiencing some great times.

On to Friday nights clash. I'm not going to break the habit of a lifetime and predict the outcome. I'll take any kind of win against them! I am usually a bag of nerves before the game and I don't think that Friday night will be any different. 

We are by far the stronger side on paper, but football is played on grass! They do lack a natural goal scorer since Assombalonga got injured and I would be very disappointed if our defence gave away any soft goals. Christie, Keogh, Shackell and Forsyth have looked very good this season.

Our midfield is loaded with talent and our front three aren't so bad either. (Understatement)

These fixtures are often hard fought games and it wouldn't surprise me to see a game decided by an odd goal, but if we hit them early I could see us really hurting them.

Last season I had a gut feeling that Pearce would do us over! This time around I have no such feeling! If we don't win what will be a golden opportunity to take three points I will be very disappointed! 

Johnson and Johnson

We have had a few players over the years called Johnson. 

Michael Johnson was a centre back during the George Burley and Billy Davies eras and was a fine example of a professional with his never say die attitude. 

Before him Tommy Johnson was a tricky winger that like Michael had previously played for Notts County. 

The focus currently is on a midfielder who had added some much needed bite into the position. Bradley Johnson, a no nonsense player who carries a bit of muscle. He wins balls, he passes very well and has an eye for goal when the chance is there. 

Many eyebrows were raised when we paid six million pounds for him. Indeed, I really didn't know what to think. It's obvious now though what Paul Ckement saw in him and for me he has proven to be that missing link we needed from midfield to forwards. 

I suppose there are a few similarities with former Ram Seth Johnson though they aren't exactly the same type of player. 

If we are to have a successful season, I can see Johnson along with Geirge Thorne being key players. 

A nice 2-1 away win at Huddersfield last weekend after the goalless draw at Blackburn sees us sitting pretty in fifth place. We move on to three games in seven days. Home games with Rotherham and QPR followed by the big East Midlands clash with our arch rivals Nottingham Forest. 

A very important run of games and hopefully nine points or seven at the very least though you can't take anything for granted in this division. 

Keeping the Momentum Going

It's been a very satisfying week with a great win over Wolves and a draw at Blackburn. 

A good performance against Wolves in front of the to cameras saw a very good display. Chris Martin bagging two very good goals and some very good performances from most players too!

Bradley Johnson with another commanding display in midfield again giving us that extra bit of bite. 

I was delighted to see Johnny Russell get on to the scoresheet. Russell has worked his socks off so far this season and the goal was nothing more than he deserves. 

A draw away at Blackburn wasn't a bad result. They're not an easy team to beat nowadays and the old cliche 'win at home and draw away' can be referred to when chasing promotion..

The one player that seems to have gone off the boil, in my opinion, in the last few games is Tom Ince. A match winner on his day, he has yet to enjoy the same success as his loan period. That said he still causes proble,s for opposition defences. 

If as expected Jeff He drink still isn't available for the visit to Huddersfield, Jacob Butterfield will likely be given the chance to shine in midfield. It's an ideal game for him to stake his claim for a regular place in the starting line up. 

I am yet to be convinced that he is worth the fee that we paid for him, but as they say it is early days. Terriers fans constantly tell me that he is a quality player. 

It was a surprise to a few people on Wednesday night that Stephen Warnock started ahead of Craig Forsyth. However, I suspect that Paul Clement is wanting to give Warnock some game time just I case he has to step in should Fozzy get injured. 

Finally the subject of penalty taker raised its head again on Sunday.  Chris Martin again saw an effort saved. He's missed a few chances over the last couple of seasons and I'm guessing he was allowed to take the spot kick last Sunday due to him being on a hat trick. 

We really must get the spot kick taker sorted out! Martin cannot carry on taking them! Perhaps it's time to give the job to Ince or Johnson!

Dons Mugged and Bees stung!

We are currently in the international break and we went into it following two victories in a row. 

Our third victory came away at Milton Keynes and to be quite honest it could have so easily been a defeat. Carson saved us more than once in goal and for a good hour or so we were second best. 

We were simply awful! Total against the run of play Bradley Johnson scored his first goal in a Rams shirt, but the hosts replied quickly. 

It wasn't until the last ten minutes that we actually started to cause any real problems. Darren Bent was there for a tap in and Tom Ince with a snatch of the ball from the MK Dons defender giving us a very flattering 3-1 win. 

In contrast the 2-0 home win against Brentford was a much improved showing. Some very nice football and a more organised display. 

Two very worked goals too! Chris Martin getting a fifth of the season and Tom Invce getting his third. 

Hopefully the Brentford game was a sign of things to come.

Bradley Johnson, Jeff Hendrick, and George Thorne were exceptional in midfield. The back four looked very solid too! Keogh is playing some of the best football of his career and Cyrus Christie seemed to have gotten his confidence back again. 

We looked very threatening on the attack too!

We will need to be on our toes on Sunday as we host Wolves in front of the to cameras. Hopefully a repeat of last seasons encounter where we gave them a 5-0 shellacking is on the cards. That said, I'm sure it will be a fiercely competitive game. 

We have now edged our way up the table and now sit just three points off second place. A win is a must in home games from now on as Middlesbrough and Brighton who have got out if the starting blocks quickly must not be allowed to build up a large gap and run away with the automatic promotion places. 

As a first I will name my preferred team for Sunday it is as follows. 

Carson

Christie

Keogh

Shackell

Forsyth

Johnson 

Thorne

Hendrick 

Ince

Martin

Russell

Stalemate

Well Burnley came and Burnley went away with a point from the iPro and saw off a spirited challenge from The Rams. 

The Clarets are another side that we don't have a good record against in the recent past and Monday night was not one where we were going to take all three points. 

Putting the result to one side, there were areas on the pitch that we can feel thoroughly satisfied with the performances. I for one have been a critic of Richard Keogh during his spells of indifferent form. This season his form has been good and against Burnley he was the standout player on the pitch. Keogh thoroughly deserving his man of the match award from the television company. 

Cyrus Christie had his best game since early last season and credit where it's due as he did struggle during last seasons run in. 

Bradley Johnson showed us some glimpses of what he's capable of. It's early days for our record signing, but two exceptional passes stick out in the memories of last nights game. 

Johnny Russell yet again ran his legs off! However, what was disappointing was the lack of goals. Make no mistake though we were against a very good side who no doubt will be up there at the end of the season. 

I felt that Tom Ince was missed on the right, but Andreas Weimann is not a Right Wonger. To be honest I'm struggling to work out where he fits in a 4-3-3 formation. To me he looks more like a second striker and I'm not sure that we can be very effective playing 4-4-2. 

We head out on to the road again this Saturday as we travel to Milton Keynes to play the Dons. We must come away with three points and a good performance now! Now is the time to get this season really moving. 

Thames Valley Triumph!

The Rams picked up three more points with a second successive away win this time at Reading. 

Our visits to the Madejski haven't always bared fruit but this time they did thanks to a second half goal by Tom Ince after our hosts had been reduced to ten men.

When you visit teams like The Royals, a win is welcome no matter how it comes. Despite being slow out of the blocks apart from last Friday nights thrashing of Ipswich, it's not an easy place to go and win at. 

Two wins on the bounce will only improve team spirit and confidence in the team and will put the players in the right frame of mind for our next home game against Burnley.

The players will get a couple of extra days rest thanks to the game being switched to a Monday night due to the demands of Sky TV again. 

A win against Burnley would be very big indeed. They have already begun to pick up and will be formidable opposition for anyone this season. They may have lost Danny Ings during the summer, but Sam Vokes and Andre Gray will provide enough menace to worry most championship defences.

Will Monday nights game see Joey Barton make an appearance? Whatever people's thoughts are on the often troubled player, he is a talent and an asset ability wise in this division. 

Paul Clement may have a few important decisions to make himself. As he has shown, he's not afraid to swap things around. Should George Thorne, Chris Baird and Craig Bryson be fit, he will have something Rams! tough choices to make in midfield. That said most people would be surprised to see Jacob Butterfiled and Bradley Johnson omitted from the starting line up.

One thing is for sure and that's that our defence and holding midfielder will have to be on top of their game. You can't afford to give players like Vokes and Gray half a chance.

Hopefully our next appearance in front of the TV cameras will end better than the last couple of times. You Rams!

Finally a Win.

The visit to Deepdale saw us finally pick up a win and get our season going. 

There was a lot if good football played in that first half and we deservedly led by two goals at half time. 

We won't see many better goals than the first. A superb pass by Johnny Russell picked out Chris Martin who slammed the ball into the corner of the net. 

The second was a brilliant free kick as Martin moved on to four goals for the season. 

Whilst it was great to pick up the three points, what we must remember is that we did allow Preston to get back into the game in the second half. 

Preston are a newly promoted side and we face much tougher tasks starting with an away visit to Reading. Also Monday next we host Burnley. 

What we achieve against these two teams will be a pointer towards how good our team really is. 

To have ambitions of automatic promotion wins really are what we should be aiming for. Although it's early in the season, failure will indicate that we still aren't at the level needed to avoid the play offs if we are indeed a top six side. 

Both Burnley and Reading will be in the mix at the end of the season and we don't have a great recent record against either side. 

We have a great squad on paper, but matches are won on the pitch. We usually dominate possession, but it's no use having the ball unless you are going to make it count. 

What will be interesting is to see who takes the holding midfield role with Geirge Thorne and Chris Baird unlikely to be available. Perhaps a chance for Jamie Hanson again?

Two very tough games, let's see if we are up for them!

Derby Delights

We my be enjoying an international break at the moment, but the club have been very busy in many different areas.

First of all local entrepreneur Mel Morris took full ownership of the club. The self made millionaire who is also a genuine fan, bought out G.S.E. to become sole owner.

G.S.E. have had their critics over the years, however most of us were eventually won over when they put the club back into a healthy financial state.

A special shout out to Brett Wilson who often interacted with fans.

The transfer deadline day proved to be one of the most interesting in years for Rams fans. Not only was the signing of Jacob Butterfield secured for £4m, but a bonus was the unexpected capture from Norwich of Bradley Johnson for £6m.

Mr Morris certainly hasn't wasted any time in opening his wallet. Such was the surprise in adding Johnson to the playing staff, Norwich fans were left agasp on social media and many vented anger at the decision to cash in on him.

Away from the first team news, fans then were treated to the announcement and unveiling of a Dave Mackay statue. A special memorial to a man who was a legend both as a player and manager at Derby. Fantastic to see such a fitting tribute to the great man who passed away earlier this year.

Finally, the inevitable third kit was revealed to fans. A Sky Blue based outfit that has largely got the thumbs up from the fans. Do we really need one is the question that comes to mind when you see the colours of the away kit?

Frustrating Times

Well we head into the international break still waiting to record our first win of the season and hovering just above the drop zone.

Of course it's pretty pointless looking at the league table until a dozen games have been played and I suspected that we might have to wait until mid September before we saw the team start to play its best football. 

That said, the matches played so far have exposed a large hole in the squad that was created on opening day when Will Hughes got injured. We have so far failed to replace him and his contribution to our attack is missed more than many may have thought it would be. 

Without him we have looked pretty toothless going forward and we have gone from being one of the most feared teams going forward to one that has been easy for teams to contain. 

The Tiger has turned into a pussy cat! His link up play with our attack is being missed big time.

Since that opening day game at Bolton, we have failed in our attempts to bring someone in to fill the gap left by Hughes.

Obviously with teams knowing how much our needs are, prices will be inflated. Bids for Jacob Butterfield, Alex Pritchard on loan and Michail Antonio have been rejected. Antonio is never going to be sold to us by our biggest rivals anyway..

I would also suggest that maybe a right back should be on the shopping list. Chris Baird is better suited to the holding role in midfield and if George Thorne picks up an injury, that is where he will be needed. Neither Cyrus Christie or Ryan Shotton look to be a solution in that role.

Obviously our fans are getting very frustrated at the lack of a win and victory is a must over the next couple of games in my opinion.  Paul Clement couldn't have chosen a more demanding job for his first attempt at running a team. 

A club like Detby County where fans expect promotion from which is arguably the toughest division to get out of in Europe is in reality a real leap into the deep end. A win soon is a must because apart from expectations from the stands, the man himself needs that confidence booster.

We head into the international break and hopefully when we resume league action, a couple of signings will have been added to the squad. If not, we face a difficult run in the next series of matches. 

Draws All The Way

Since last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Charlton we have seen two more games finish with exactly the same scoreline. 

Both against Middlesbrough and at Birmingham we dominated possession but failed to capitalise on our retention of the ball. We are currently not clinical enough in front of goal and hopefully over the next few games our strikers can regain the touch that saw them filling their boots last season. 

Two areas of great concern is the Right Back position and midfield. With the season only just started we have seen Will Hughes, Craig Bryson, Jamie Hanson and Jeff Hendrick join the injured list. 

Chris Baird has subsequently moved into midfield leaving Cyrus Christie and Ryan Shotton to battle it out for the Right Back spot. 

Personally I can't see either of these two being the long term solution. There is genuine need for a quality player and until one is added to the squad we will struggle against pacy left wingers. 

Craig Forsyth has stepped it up in his last couple of games and for me there isn't even a question to be asked when it comes to choosing between Forsyth and Warnock for the Left Back slot. 

Obviously midfield will need addition(s) but our options up front should see us scoring more goals than at present. Darren Bent has yet to get going. Andreas Weimann is still settling in to a new club and Chris Martin is obviously a little rusty after missing most of last seasons run in. 

So far the big pluses for me has been the form of both George Thorne who oozes class and Jason Shackell who in my opinion will justify every penny spent on him. 

Tom Ince had a very good game at Birmingham and we need players like him to shine if we are to pick up a win when we face Leeds. 

Home Opener

Saturday saw our opening home fixture of the season against a determined Charlton side. Whereas many fans will be disappointed in only picking up one point in a match that we were for long periods the better side, a big plus was a much improved performance.

Jamie Hanson came into the side for only his third ever senior start and he didn't let us down.  In fact, young Hanson put in a very mature performance and was many people's choice as man of the match. That accolade did go to his midfield partner George Thorne in most newspaper reports and deservedly so.

A very commanding performance from Thorne showed us what we were missing last season. Hopefully he can avoid injury for the whole of this campaign as he brings so mch class to the team.

Jason Shackell again proved to be very solid in defence and it was great to see Chris Martin open his account by scoring the equalising goal after Charlton had gone ahead just after the break against the run of play. Th ball played through by Hanson was nicely tucked away by Martin whois now edging towards fifty goals for The Rams.

It will be interesting to see what line-up Paul Clement pick for the visit of Middlesbrough tomorrow night. Jamie Hanson certainly justifying another pick, but will he tinker with the attack?

Perhaps Andreas Wiemann may just get the nod ahead of Johnny Russell.

'Boro visit us having reacorded an emphatic 3-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday. They will include a certain David Nugent who does have a good record playing against us.

What on paper looks like one of our hardest home games of the season, has come early and we will have to be on our guard from the off. A victory against them will be a good pointer towards us having a good season. Let's hope that we are up for the challenge.

South Coast Shocker!

So we crash out of the Capital One Cup at the first hurdle to Portsmouth. 

Shocks are no surprise in this round and indeed Nottingham Forest and Leeds also were eliminated by lower league opposition too. 

The nature in which we went out though was very disappointing. Our hosts always looked the more likely to score and yet another gaffe by Lee Grant again proved to be costly. 

I'm fairly certain that Scott Carson will be reinstated for tomorrow's home game with Charlton. 

A few people have come up with the excuse that we made seven changes to the side that drew at Bolton. These were very experienced players though with the exception of Isak Ssewankambo. 

Pompey also made a similar number of changers and the argument that it was them fielding a reserve side is more valid. 

It's obvious that Hughes is missed, but we are going to have to get used to that. 

Darren Bent was anonymous up front and hoofing balls up to him isn't the answer. 

I personally thought that Ince did look lively when he came on and Baird and Shackell both put in a decent shift. 

Obviously a new boss will take a few games to get into the swing of things, but it's important to get that first win as soon as possible. 

Hopefully he knows what our best options and best formation is for the visit of Charlton because we face a much harder task on Tuesday night in Middlesbrough who have just signed David Nugent. Not quite a Bamford, but he has a knack of scoring against us. 

Double Blow!

Derby came away from the Macron on Saturday with a point and two players on the injury list. 

Will Hughes has a tear to his ACL and Craig Bryson received a knock on left knee. 

It comes as a big blow seeing our last two players of the season stretchered off in the first half. 

Bryson could be back in as little as a month, but Hughes is unlikely to appear again until towards the end of the season. 

The game itself was tough and we can count ourselves lucky to come away with a point. Despite us hitting the bar, the Trotters did so three times and were the better side in the later stages. 

The midfield diamond doesn't suit Tom Ince and he was anonymous playing in the middle rather than on the wing. 

A lack of width saw very few chances created and hopefully Clement will change his tactics for the next league game. 

Positive points from the game included George Thorne having a very good game.

Carson was dominant in the box despite not having a great deal to do. Leigh looked much better with Shackell to his left and Baird had a solid game. 

Chris Martin failed to get into the game and one wonders if it was a lack of match fitness as well as playing in a different formation that kept him quiet. 

Our Capital One Cup game could see several changes, so it's next Saturday hosting Charlton that we will probably witness the next plan in the playbook of Paul Clement. 

Season Preview 2015/16

We shortly start another campaign in our attempt to reach the Premier League.

 The task doesn't get any easier and this season will once again prove to be very difficult, but achievable. Paul Clement has taken over the Head Coach hotseat and new players have been signed. Three defensive players and a goalkeeper join us with Chris Baird, Alex Pearce, Jason Shackell and Scott Carson signing contracts. 

 It's certainly at the back that improvements were needed and a much more assured defence could be key to us gaining promotion. I am predicting a play-off place which will be a good start for Paul Clement as he begins his first spell in charge of a club. 

 Middlesbrough are my favourites for promotion. they came close last season before losing to Norwich in the play-off final. 

Hull City have the talent in their squad and resources to join them. Sheffield Wednesday with a larger budget, Ipswich and Wolves are my picks to make up the top six. QPR could and should be amongst the favourites, but will the league pursue them for finanacial fair play fines? I can see them finishing just outside the top six with the distractions.

 Burnley didn't spend big in their season in the Premier League and have lost Trippier, Ings and Shackell. Definitely a top eight club, but a bounce back into the top tier may just be a little too much at first attempt. 

 Blackburn will up in the mix and Birmingham are much improved since the appointment of Gary Rowett as manager, however I don't think that they have enough to go up! 

 The fight against relegation for me will be between the promoted clubs Preston, MK Dons and Bristol City. Brentford in my opinion could join them. After a great season last time out, they enter the new campaign under a new boss and structure. Why? it's anyones guess! Mark Warburton did a great job and if something isn't broken why attempt to fix it? 

 This is an impossible division to predict and I've no doubt that keeping in tradition with my picks, that one club I have tipped for the basement will end up nearer to the top. for what it's worth my predicted finish is 

 1st Middlesbrough 2nd Hull 3rd Wolves 4th Sheffield Wednesday 5th Ipswich 6th Derby 7th Burnley 8th QPR 9th Blackburn 10th Birmingham 11th Brighton 12th Leeds 13th Forest 14th Cardiff 15th Charlton 16th Fulham 17th Reading 18th Huddersfield 19th Bolton 20th Rotherham 21st Bristol City 22nd MK Dons 23rd Brentford 24th Preston

Defensive Options

Now that we have added Jason Shackell to our squad there is much debate about how our defence will line up this season.

We have many options now for all of our back four positions. Alex Pearce, Richard Keogh, Ryan Shotton, Jake Buxton, Shackell will all be vying for the two centre back positions. No doubt that Jason Shackell will be an automatic choice, but who will partner him? 

Some will select Pearce as their preferred option, but don't rule out Keogh! Now we have a top class partner for him, he could indeed be a beneficiary of Shackell's return. Could we see the return of the player who was some dominant a couple of seasons ago? I'm sure Paul Clement will have that in his thoughts! 

Of course Alex Pearce hasn't joined us to warm the bench and he will be 'chomping at the bit' to get involved. 

It looks like we finally have some good competition to take centre! Jake Buxton and Ryan Shotton I feel will play a supporting role this season and not be first choices. I feel for Buxton as he always gives us 100%. 

The options at Right Back include Cyrus Christie, Shotton again and new boy Chris Baird. The latter fir me would be the choice, however versatility is the name of his game and he could easily slot in at Centre Half too and even play in the holding role.

It's the signing of Baird that could prove to be the best overall! He ticks so many boxes and could even be Clement's choice for skipper.

Behind the defence Scott Carson and Lee Grant will be competing for the goalkeepers Jersey. Of fans I have asked so far, they are split between the two.

Our big weakness last season was at the back and we do now seem to have the players to tighten things up! 

We have many different options!

The New Faces

So far six new players have been brought into Derby's squad for the new season. I say six, but two of them were of course on loan to us towards the end of last season.

Tom Ince a record signing from Hull City joined us on a permanent basis despite competition from Newcastle United. If he can produce the same form as he did in the loan spell hie will be a very big player for us in the months ahead.

Darren Bent returns and despite us having a proven goal scorer in Chris Martin, Bent offers a different option up front.

Alex Pearce came in from Reading and I have heard mixed reports about him. Obviously as a highly rated coach, Paul Clement's more qualified than most to judge the player.

Chris Baird who can play at full back, centre half or indeed in a holding midfield role is for me the signing that just might be the one that proves its value more than the others. He is a good experienced pro and will bring some leadership to the side. A candidate for captain?

Scott Carson has had some good times over the years and is a full England international. Most fans I speak to rate him highly although his time at Wigan wasn't the best spell of his career.

Andreas Wiemann has dropped down a division to join us and surely will provide a threat when we are going forward. He didn't quite set the premier league alight and now has a chance to make progress in a side with their eye on promotion.

Hopefully a few more players will be joining the squad between now and the start of the season. Centre half is a position that we struggled at during the run in last season and we have been attempting to address this by pursuing Jason Shackell from Burnley. So far we have failed to get him and I wonder if the price on him is now higher than we are prepared to pay.

Kenny's Crap!

There has been much banter over the last week about two players. One incoming and one outgoing at Derby.

Jamie Ward has joined rivals Nottingham Forest on a free transfer and Tom Ince has joined us for a record transfer fee.

No one who knows anything about the game would put Ward as the better player. No disrespect to Wardy, but he is edging towards 30 and has struggled with injuries in recent years.

He has been a player that has helped to carry the team in recent years. He was one of very few shining lights in the team when it was a mid table side. His determination and play was often a delight to see.

He has left us with some good memories and I for one wish him well even at our biggest rivals.

Tom Ince is a player that has developed over the years into an exciting young talent. Making his name at Blackpool he had dropped out of the limelight recently. Hull City barely used him and he struggled to make an impact at Forest. That was though under the management of Stuart Pearce who's direct tactics certainly didn't compliment the sort of game that Ince plays. 

Ince was very impressive for us during his loan spell and certainly added something to the team. 

Ex Forest player Kenny Burns has used the debate to take another swipe at our club. Nothing new there but the man talks complete drivel more often than not. 

I remember one of our players getting injured away at the City Ground a few years ago. He limped off and was out for a lengthy period afterwards. Burns on a local station doubted him being injured and called him a con man!

This is a man who was pleased enough to captain our side and pick up his weekly wages when he was far past his best. In fact he didn't impress at Leeds either. He too has enjoyed ex players functions with Derby. I think if we had signed Lionel Messi he would still say that a Forest signed player was a better deal. 

So where is Kenny Burns nowadays? Managing? Coaching? Co-commentating? No! He has a small column in a local newspaper in Nottingham though we get mentioned that often in it he may as well switch to the Derby Telegraph. 

Wheeling and Dealing

Well so far this summer we have signed six players. Scott Carson, Chris Baird, Alex Pearce, Andreas Wiemann, Darren Bent and Tom Ince.

Wiiemann was for a reported 2.5m and Ince for a club record 4.75m. For the first time in many years the club do appear to be splashing the cash.

Some fans have raised concerns about meeting future Financial Fair Play Limits and question whether we could end up like our neighbours across Brian Clough Way and face an embargo for breaching the rules in the future.

This coming January sees any penalties imposed to clubs for over spending last season and we are expected to meet the limits once again.

This coming seasons spending will come into play a year in January, however rather than be limited to just 6m of losses, the rules change. 

An allowance of 13 or 39m over the past three seasons is the figure to meet. Should last seasons accounts be similar to the previous ones Derby will be approximate 24.8m under the limit with this coming seasons losses to be added. 

This does allow us quite a bit of room for manoeuvre and there is also an increased limit of investment injected by owners too.

Mel Morris has increased his stake in the club and is flexing his financial muscles, however it is believed that the club are still sticking to a planned budget and will not out the clubs finances at risk by gambling away money that will put them at risk from receiving sanctions from the league.

Revenue has been increased in recent years and the financial management of the club has been responsible. Because of this we are now in a stronger position in the transfer market. It would go against everything the club has said in the past to risk penalties by knowingly breach FFP!

It's Clement Time!

Well the worst kept secret was revealed on Monday when Paul Clement was named as the new boss of The Rams.

He comes with a wealth of experience at the highest level in club football albeit as a number two.

There is no doubting his credentials as a coach and he was indeed a lot of clubs trying to get his signature on a contract. There is however, a lot of first class coaches who failed to make it as a manager or head coach. 

I am hopeful that this isn't the case with Clement. He should have good contacts having worked at Real Madrid and he shouldn't have a shortage of players wanting to work for him.

Derby County have moved on in the last couple of years. The agenda is far more ambitious today. 

After the spending spree of Paul Jewell the books had to be put back in order. Getting the finances into a healthy state and avoiding the drop appears to have been the first part of the plan. 

We then moved on to make a serious challenge for promotion for two seasons. This as achieved as well as staying within the constraints of the financial fair play regulations. 

The task for Paul Clement will be to push on and attain premier league status. There will be more money to spend this season as the FFP rules are loosened. 

We have already been linked with several players and the signs are there that Sam Rush once to get Paul Clement and new players in place asap. 

Sack for Mac

One year after losing in the Play Off final, Steve McClaren finds himself unemployed again.

If anyone had suggested that I would be writing this back in the beginning of March I would have laughed in their face too!

Top of the division and five points clear and a squad strengthened by the aditions of Tom Ince, Jesse Lingard and Darren Bent. 

Then it all went wrong. The team looked awful on the pitch. A far cry from the football that they had played up to that point which was some of the finest I'd seen in years.

Why did it go wrong? Well, we all have our own theories and it's not a perfect science in coming to a conclusion, but in my own opinion McClaren brought about his own downfall.

Being linked to other jobs is no surprise. In fact most managers would be disappointed not to be head hunted after the way in which he turned our club round. However, not to give a simple and clear yes or no when asked about the Newcstle job to me showed a lack of respect.

It showed a lack of respect to Sam Rush who took the gamble and gave him a chance to be a number one again when other clubs were taking a wide berth. 

It showed a lack of respect to the players who had put the graft in and took his team to the top of the championship table.

It showed a lack of respect to the 30,000 fans who were packing out the iPro Stadium.

"Pure speculation" is not a definitive answer to a simple question and for that he has paid the price. His team, our team, went into free fall and he has lost his job.

I agree entirely with the decision to sack him. Once you have people doubting your commitment you are in a no win situation. 

I thank Steve for giving us some attractive football to watch, but curse his lack of judgement and respect. 

Should He Stay or Should He Go

Steve McClaren yesterday stated that he is to remain as Derby Head Coach and that the position at Newcastle never interested him. 

Now wasn't that painless! After months of speculation the rumour linking him with the Tyneside club has finally been put to bed. 

Why he couldn't have been as clear as this earlier heaven knows. Of course there are still many fans who still gave a suspicion that he was tempted to move north. 

Ever since he was answering the questions or in fact not giving a definitive answer, speculation has been rife that he would be making his way through the exit door. 

His inability to kill the rumours earlier has seen many Rams supporters lose trust in the gaffer. It's now up to him to regain that trust. Obviously he will be linked to vacant positions following his success up to March, but greater clarification sooner on his position should any other club show interest. 

What McClaren has to do now is to carefully strengthen the team in various position with defence being a priority. 

He brought in Ryan Shotton, Cyrus Chrustie, Raul Albentosa and Stephen Warnock during the season and none have proven to be up to the job thus far. 

Grant has looked awful in goal recently and we either need Eric Steele to work some magic or look elsewhere. 

There is a big job ahead! So many gaps to fill and players to offload baring in mind that financial fair play has to be complied with yet again. 

Squad Assessment

.And deservedly So at the end of a frustrating season the first job the manager will need to do is to decide who stays and who leaves. 

Here I give my own thoughts on the squad. I've done them in numerical order. 

1 Lee Grant - started the season where he left off in May. A great shot stopper, but does he command his box effectively? Dropped more than a couple of clangers during the run in. He would escape my axe, but some serious competition is needed to deflect any comfort zone that he might have enjoyed. 

2 Cyrus Christie began the season well and linked up nicely with whoever was playing in the wide right attacking role. His defensive play needs some serious work though. Errors made have cost us goals. He is young and stepped up a division. Maybe a squad player whilst still getting to grips with the game at this level. 

3 Craig Forsyth as much as it may surprise some fans, statistically is up there with the best in the division as a left back. He hasn't performed as well as last season but I believe he will escape the chop. 

4 Craig Bryson in contrast to last season where he was one of the best players in the Championship has gone backwards this season. Injuries have not helped, but if he's not fit he shouldn't be playing. It'd be unreasonable to expect sixteen goals again from the midfielder, but he needs to justify the improved new contract. I could see him being sold for the right offer. He ended the season behind Jeff Hendrick in the pecking order. 

5 Jake Buxton you can say what you want about him. He's not the most gifted of players, but he's a true warrior. Gives his all every time he's on the pitch. Other pro's would do well to adopt his attitude. I can see him as a squad player. Bucko Time anyone? 

6 Richard Keogh for me has had a very mixed season. In some games he's put in a great shift whilst in others he has looked like a player struggling. He made the Championship team of the year which suggest that he is respected by fellow professionals. If we could see the Captain Keogh of two seasons ago I've no doubt that we would have a safe pair of hands in the middle of defence. One does wonder how much of any loss of form is down to him having extra work to do in order to cover the shortfall of his colleagues in the back four. 

7 Simon Dawkins is a frustrating player. His ball retention is good, but often after making some nice plays he wastes opportunities. Fitness is a question too!

8 Jeff Hendrick has been hit and miss. He can look quality and poor within the space of a few minutes. It's now time for him to become a dependable player and move on from the promising youngster. 

9 Chris Martin is the most important player in the squad for me. His hold up play and his twenty plus goals have again been the highlights of the season for me. Such a shame he got injured at such an important time. 

10 Jamie Ward I can see moving on. He was once one of very few bright lights when we were struggling. His opportunities to start are becoming rarer too. 

11 Johnny Russell overall had a very good season. His work rate was good and let's not forget he is really a striker in s 442 formation. He's not a lone striker or winger though he's done remarkably well in the latter role. 

12 Lee Naylor hardly featured. 

14 John Eustace was again key in several matches. It's just a shame that our Head Coach took so long to realise it. We looked far stronger in defence when Eustace was playing in front of it. His season ending injury couldn't have come at a worse time. He could probably do another year in the squad. 

16 The original wearer of the shirt was moved on to Sheffield United. Paul Coutts never looked like being in McClarens plans and the second player to get the number sixteen was Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard. I was initially excited by his signing, but apart from a few flashes, he didn't do enough in my opinion. I hope we don't look to bring him in again. He wasn't a good replacement for Jordon Ibe whom Liverpool recalled in January. 

17 I was unsure about offering Zak Whitbread a place at the start of the season. He's injury prone and can flap under pressure. An American who has Premier League experience yet hasn't made the national side says not good enough to me. 

18 Conor Sammon spent nearly the whole season out on loan. First at Ipswich and then Rotherham. He failed to impress those clubs and he is surely heading for the exit door. A million pound flop albeit a Nigel Clough one. 

19 Will Hughes had a fantastic time in midfield. He looked tougher, stronger and more mature. Despite being put in a holding role earlier in the campaign he has gone about the task in hand professionally. He has deservedly won player of the season and made his 100th appearance before his 20th Birthday which is an achievement in itself. Let's hope we can hold on to our most prized asset. 

20 Mason Bennett has had very limited chances this season. Injury has hampered his progress. He needs to be in the Matchday squad or loaned out again to gain experience. 

21 Kelle Roos has spent the season on the bench apart from a few cup games. He hasn't looked out of place when given the opportunity, but when Grant got injured Jack Butland was brought in on loan rather than give Roos a chance. I ask the question 'If he's not good enough to play when the need arises then why have him in the squad?'

22 Alban Bunjaku former Arsenal youngster wasn't given any chances so it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on him. 

23 Tom Ince came in on loan from Hull and to be perfectly honest I was unsure about signing him. He failed to impress at Forest, however he made an immediate impact at Derby. Can frustrate you at times but I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at him joining us full time. 

25 Shaun Barker finally got himself on the pitch in under-21 games. Great to see him back playing even if not for the first team. 

26 Jamie Hanson played a few games towards the end of the schedule and didn't look out of place. He is a work in progress, but another promising youngster who graduated through the academy. Could have a big future. 

27 Ivan Calero had a couple of cameos and is a fringe player. Haven't seen enough of him. 

28 Farrend Rawson had a succesful loan spell at Rotherham. 

30 Isak Ssewankambo we never saw.

31 Alefe Santos one appearance only.

32 Ryan Shotton is a player whom I don't know what his natural position is. He has played right back and centre half. He's yet to convince me he is a long term investment. 

33 Omar Mascarell played the holding role, but not as effectively as Eustace. A little lightweight and I wouldn't be looking at brining him back for a second season from Real Madrid. 

34 George Thorne was reduced to minutes rather than matches due to injury and I believe he was rushed back too early. Hopefully he will have an injury free 2015/16. 

35 Jonathan Mitchell third choice keeper, no appearances. 

36 Raul Albentosa signed in January and spent most of his time on the bench. Doesn't look to have settled and is slow. Certainly no Igor Stimac!

37 Stephen Warnock was a strange signing. Got sent off on his debut and what little part he has played since has not been up to scratch. 

39 Darren Bent has done well to score a dozen goals since he arrived in January. Not really suited to our style of play, but has done well nevertheless.

Over and Out

So the final match day of the season came and went. We completed our campaign disappointed to say the very least. 

When all you need is a draw against a struggling side like Reading, fans have every right to at the very least see their team fight for the play off birth that was there for the taking. 

Up until a dozen games ago, we were playing some of the nicest football seen in many years. We were in an automatic promotion place and feared no one. 

Fast forward to yesterday and we saw a team that looked like a side that had been condemned to relegation. 

In over 45 years as a fan I have never seen such a gutless end to a season. 

The players and coaching staff need to take a good look at themselves. Yesterday I heard many fans calling for the head of Steve McClaren. He is perilously close to tarnishing himself as a hero of the club. 

Derby took him on when many other clubs were giving him a wide berth. Up to March he had restored many people's beliefs in him as a Head Coach. 

His inability to be straight with the Derby fans lacks respect for the 30,000 fans who have supported him. 

Linked with Newcastle he has done his best to evade answering the question of whether he is interested in the job. He sounds like one of the politicians running for office on Thursday. 

I don't believe for a minute that he will be around come August, therefore I hope that his exit is quick. We can't afford to wait. We need to move on and get the new man in place asap. 

Whoever is in charge has a big job on their hands too. The squad is a mess! A complete new back five is probably needed. McClarens additions have come up short. 

Cyrus Christie, Ryan Shotton, Raul Albentosa and Stephen Warnock are simply not good enough. 

The defence will surely be a priority over the summer months. 

Fans will have an anxious wait to see if we can hold on to the stars of this season too. Will Hughes and Chris Martin will surely be on the shopping lists of a few clubs. 

All in all a big job for any manager looking for a challenge. 

All or Nothing

The final league game of the season is fast approaching and this time around it could define Derby's season. 

We host Reading knowing that just a single point will mean that for the second season running, we are in the play offs for the big prize of premier league football. 

It will be a far from easy task and I'm sure that our visitors will do their very best to throw the proverbial 'Spanner in the Works'. They themselves experienced final day agony last season when they missed out on a top six placing on the final day. 

Of course I like many other Rams fans will be a bag of nerves from kick off to the final whistle. 

An added twist to the game is the fact that The Royals have three players formerly employed by our rivals across Brian Clough Way. Chris Gunther, Garath McCleary, Jamie Mackie and Simon Cox will need no encouragement to put one over on their old rivals. 

For us it is essential to focus on the game and not have any careless lapses of concentration. Our defence must show far better composure and resilience than in recent games. 

Not only the back four, but Lee Grant in goal has also made some serious errors lately. 

Whether Chris Martin or Darren Bent will make the starting line up is anyone's guess at this stage, but it's important that one of them is leading the line. 

The last dozen games has seen a real dip in form so now is an ideal time to get back into top gear and show the league that we mean business. 

The fans have turned out in great numbers this season and they are long overdue a good display from the players on the pitch! 

Colin Bloomfield

Today I didn't go to the away game at Millwall. Instead I decided to attend a charity fundraiser hosted by my sons team.

It was whilst watching a charity match that my wife messaged me to inform me that Colin Bloomfield had passed away earlier in the morning. 

Words cannot describe how people feel when they hear news like this. Unfortunately I didn't know Colin on a personal level, but he was the sort of person that you felt like you knew. 

The first I heard of Colin or Bloomers as he was nicknamed was when he took over BBC Radio Derby's matchday commentary from Ross Fletcher. He took over the duties and quickly adapted like he had been in the role for years. 

Giving a good description of the on field events and added a little excitement when the Rams were on an attack. 

His most memorable contribution for me was when we won away at Nottingham Forest with ten men. I was at the game, but as I often do, I had the radio commentary on. 

It's no secret that his biggest love was Shrewsbury Town. I recall a few seasons ago when he had a free night. He was supporting The Shrews at their away game in Lincoln. I live in Lincoln and my brother has a season ticket at Sincil Bank. 

I exchanged a few messages with him as he settled in to watch his team. I was tempted to go say hello, but thought that Colin deserved his night off away from moaning Derby fans. 

Shrewsbury thrashed Lincoln that night! By the evidence of his message when the final whistle blew, he was absolutely delighted. 

Colin also took Derby to his heart. The last time I actually saw him was at Wembley last season. As I sat in the coach awaiting our drive back to Derby, I saw Colin walking away from the stadium with a couple of his mates. He looked dejected like all of Derby's fans. 

It was known by the public at that time that he was fighting skin cancer. The site of Colin walking away kind of reminded me that we had lost a football match and there was a young man with a far more important fight on his hands. 

He fought his illness with such bravery and courage. He often put it to one side to carry on his media work. A few weeks ago he presented Sportscene whilst Ed Dawes was away. 

Alas he passed away this morning but not before he raised thousands of pounds for his melonoma appeal. The Shrews also got promoted today! I'm sure many Rams fans will keep one eye on them thinking of Colin. 

God Bless Bloomers! One of the good guys.

What will the Future Hold?

We are very close to the conclusion of the season and barring a disaster Derby appear to be play offs bound again. 

I'm no fan of this end of season mini tournament as it often deprives the third best team of progressing to the big time and Premier League riches. To me it defeats the object of a league system. 

It is though unlikely to be axed as it brings in a lot of revenue. The winners often waive their share of the spoils for making it and the losers gain around £5m. 

If we were able to negotiate our way through the semi finals and clinch victory, it would mean a return to the top flight and a chance to re-establish the club amongst the nations elite. 

It's a chance that needs grasping and will require good planning and skilful management. If done right we could become another Swansea or Southampton rather than enduring another season of gloom like our last spell. 

On the other side of the coin, failure to even advance in post season could bring its own problems as surely the likes of Will Hughes and Chris Martin will be getting impatient for a taste of the Premier League. 

I know that they would move for fairly hefty fees and could finance the purchase of several new players, but success in this division isn't easy and it's been a graveyard to the careers of many capable boss men. 

We must now make sure that we are fully focused on the job in hand and pass go and collect £200. 

Bent Double Sinks Blackpool.

Well we have positives to comment on this time. Derby convincingly beat Blackpool. They should. The Seasiders are already relegated and have been at the basement for some time now. 

It was good to see a re emergence of Craig Bryson. I never expected to see him score sixteen goals again, but he has been a shadow of the player from last season. 

Tom Ince adding another goal to his seasons tally and a brace from Darre Bent secured the points. 

It was a relief to see Bent put away the penalty with confidence. We don't have a good conversion rate from the spot. 

Bent has now score a dozen goals since he came from Aston Villa and has surely put himself back in the shop window. Obviously we aren't going to be paying his wages unless we go up. 

The visiting supporters again demonstrated against their owner Karl Oyston. Rams fans showed their support and indeed were seen shaking hands with them at full time. 

Three points are valuable and after Brentford and Wolves suffered defeats it has now given us an opportunity to cement our place in the play offs. Perhaps we can have a happy ending to what has seen us five points clear at the top and now fighting to stay in the top six. 

On to Huddersfield next and another win is important. 

On a Knife Edge

After the disappointment of only drawing at home to Watford, Rams fans have had to endure three very poor halves of football in two matches since. 

Woeful in the first half against Wigan before a much improved performance in the second half. Chris Martin and Darren Bent coming up with the goods. 

Nothing less than a win should be expected against a side slip sliding down to League one. As a team that's been in the top six for most of the season, we as fans have every expectation to win at such teams. 

Saturday was totally woeful. Clueless, lack of creativity and generally looking like a bottom half side. 

It's all very well saying that Brentford are promotion rivals, but we blew the chance to show our supporters who once turned out in great numbers, that the loss of form was temporary. 

We didn't. Brentford after being the best side by far for nearly all of the game were robbed in time added on by a Darren Bent equaliser. 

We are now looking far from certain to even make the play offs. Not getting automatic promotion is a missed opportunity. To fail to even make the play offs for me would signal a season of failure. 

We were the third best side in the division last season. No ifs no buts. Up until a few weeks ago we were the best side in the Championship. 

What has gone wrong? Has the manager list the dressing room?  Are the players unsettled by all the talk of of impending move to Newcastle by McClaren at the end of the season? Answers please on a postcard! You don't go from good to bad overnight. 

Blackpool visit on Tuesday night in a game we surely dare not lose. Failure to win will only pose more questions,

Scrutiny on the County

Much has been said about Steve McClaren's tenure as manager. Until recently it was mostly very positive. 

There's no doubt that last season he did manage to squeeze that little extra of of the playing squad that he inherited. Craig Forsyth was amongst the success stories as we made our way to Wembley. 

He also made some very good loan signings. Andre Wisdom who was solid in the Right Back position, Patrick Bamford played his part in adding that little bit extra up front and George Thorne who made a massive impact in the run in. 

Thorne as well all know returned on a big money full transfer from West Bromich. Had he not picked up a serious injury pre season, we can only guess what we have missed from him this season. Restricted to the odd bit part or two most fans feel that his absence has been a big blow. 

McClaren's loans this season have failed to make the same impact. Leon Best didn't do much at all though his replacement Darren Bent has done well. 

Tom Ince has had flashes of brilliance but too often has flattered to deceive. He tends to drift out of games. 

Jesse Lingard was brought in to replace the recalled Jordon Ibe and hasn't justified a first team start. 

Ryan Shotton and Cyrus Christie are players brought in on permanent deals and neither invites the confidence of fans like Andre Wisdom or indeed John Brayford did a couple of seasons ago. 

Raul Albentosa has switched from La Liga to line up in our defence and to be perfectly honest, I'm yet to be convinced that he is a long term solution. 

Our best players this season have been Will Hughes who of course was here long before McClaren arrived and Chris Martin who has managed to repeat his form of last season. 

Omar Mascarell arrived on loan from Real Madrid but found the holding role in midfield very difficult before injury put paid to his season. 

Hailed a messiah last season and up to a few weeks ago he looked like sailing us Into the promised land of Premier League riches, the ship has sprung a leak and the new boys have come under scrutiny.

Have we hit an iceberg? Is there mutiny onboard or are the crew taking a deep breath before reaching the treasure island. 

Failure will surely see those who are not committed to the task ahead walk the plank and its captain is already rumoured to be jumping ship. That in itself has created stormy waters. 

In a Rut

Last night Derby were again live on tv and once again came up short.

First of all another error by Cyrus Christie led to Watford taking the lead.

We then were handed a lifeline just before half time. A dubious red card reduced Watford to ten men, but a penalty it was and Darren Bent duly obliged from the spot. 

There was plenty of attacking in the second half from us and Tom Ince produced a great goal to put us ahead in the game and looking like getting a win.

However, yet again we conceded and another opportunity to cement our place in the top six was missed.

George Thorne came off having played half an hour of the game. I am amazed that he has played any minutes so far this season and wasn't surprised that yet again he failed to complete a game. Perhaps we are rushing the lad back too quickly.

I think automatic promotion was all but written off by most people a couple of weeks ago. We are now flirting with finishing outside the top six. Some say we have an easy run in! The fact is we haven't. Wigan and Brentford have already beaten us and Millwall have held us to a draw.

It's times for both management and players to move up a gear and at last get us a lottery ticket!

One positive from yesterday was the great hospitality served up by Derby County for the team that my son plays for,

North Lindum Hawks had a day out at Derby. The club are from Lincoln and enjoyed an hour in the DW Soccer Dome before making their way across the car park into the ground.

A pre match parade round the pitch with a team photo preceded the surprise of carrying the giant club flag to the centre circle to welcome the players on to the pitch.

Derby County are a great club for community involvement and yesterday welcomed a club from fifty five miles away. I'd like to thank them and in particular Will Watson for their hospitality. The lads and parents were so impressed that they want to come back again.

Gift Wrapped

Yet again Derby shoot themselves in the foot with blunders costing them points again. Mistakes by Craig Forsyth and a calamitous error by Lee Grant saw our Rams lose 2-0 in a match that they dominated statistically.

Disgraceful refereeing didn't help. I even had Forest fans saying a red card should have been issued when Bent was brought down.

The fact of the matter though is that we are struggling big time in two key areas. Scoring goals since the loss of Chris Martin and gifting them too.

It's no secret that the back four are simply not good enough at the moment and perhaps it's time to give Stephen Warnock a go at left back. At least we have the option there.

The same can't be said of the right back spot. Cyrus Christie has been very poor of late and Ryan Shotton doesn't inspire confidence either.

Richard Keogh looks a shadow of the player from two seasons ago and although Raul Albentosa will need to be given time to settle in, there are signs of weaknesses in his game. He appears to be very one footed for one!

The error of Lee Grants that gifted Wolves a second goal was equal in the blunder stakes to the one made by Jon Ruddy against us at Norwich.

Automatic promotion now looks dead and buried and the team will now have to fight their way into the play offs. Even a top six place is far from certain. On current form we could be out of the end of season lottery zone within a couple of games.

Yes we have injuries, but we also have a large squad. To rely so much on one player to create scoring opportunities shows how much we need a plan b.

There is no real plan b and we will have to hope that our main striker is back after the international break.

After that a true test of character faces the team and also a real test of Steve McClarens management expertise. The next seven games could define him as a manager.

Has the Rot Set In?

Yet another disappointing result and we are slowly slip sliding away from the promotion dream. The reality of it appears to bear that the vehicle is running out of steam.

In my opinion it started away at Rotherham. We haven't looked the same side since.

Last night we wouldn't have scored had we been given all night to score. Middlesbrough were the better side. Bamford scoring a very similar goal to the one he scored against us at The Riverside.

The visiting keeper could have had the night off. I can't remember him having to do much apart from routine catches

It's all very well us blaming the loss of form on the absence of Chris Martin and it is very true we are missing him. However, this demonstrates the limitations and the lack of alternative tactics by the manager.

Johnny Russell has worked hard in that central role, but it doesn't take a genious to work out that he isn't suited to it.

I was one of those who were initially cautious about signing Tom Ince. He has overall done well, but the last couple of games he's been well handled by defences. George Friend owned him last night.

The only positive for me is the performance of young Jamie Hanson. Two decent steady performances and some crunching tackles last night show why he's called bruiser.

On to Wolves away and a win is a must. Not only has automatic promotion moved into the distance, but play offs are now looking ambitious.

Dream Debut

So we came away from Norwich with a hard fought point.

We had to rely on luck to scramble a point, but at this stage of the season and against promotion rivals it is well received.

Jamie Hanson on his league debut scoring directly from a corner earned us a share of the spoils. I've no doubt that we came away the far happier of the two sides.

The game did though show our weaknesses. Defensive lapses are still happening and we are still struggling up front without Chris Martin and Darren Bent.

There's no shortage of work and effort from Russell, Ward, and Ince, but we do not currently have a natural goalscorer.

Johnny Russell does create problems for defences, but as a lone striker he is obviously not suited to the role.

Jamie Ward had a good game at Carrow Road and I expect he will start the Middlesbrough game.

The visit of 'Boro' tonight will no doubt provide us with a real test.

I hate being negative before such a big game, but our visitors have a great defence and are not a side that will give an inch to any forward line never mind a makeshift one.

George Thorne may be fit, but whoever plays the holding role will have their hands full with the likes of Patrick Bamford. What price he scores against us again.

Extra Time Collapse

Derby have just entered the home straight of the season coming of a disappointing run of results.

The latest two show that despite dominating games, that we are still lacking that little bit extra in turning ball retention into points.

By far the better side both at Brighton and at home to Birmingham we come out of those games with one solitary point. 

The failure to defend when needed to is perfectly demonstrated in both games. The self destruct button was pressed and we now find ourselves on 64 points and not the 72 that people could have been forgiven for expecting.

The positive amongst us will point out that we are equal on points with Bournemouth who now sit in pole position, but the other harsh reality is that seventh place is narrowing the gap too! 

Teams currently pushing to win the division could just as easily find themselves out of the top six come the final day of the season.

Birmingham we totally dominated the game. It was one of the most one sided games I have seen all season. The twist in the tale was to come in the 96th minute.

Two goals up the fourth official indicates that there will be a minimum of three minutes added on. This is about right. Six substitutions three minutes.

Third minute we concede a penalty needlessly. Sixth minute concede from a free kick headed in at the near post. Where was the defence? What were they thinking of?

The harsh reality is that unless these calamitous errors cease, we run the risk of not only blowing automatic promotion, but a fight for the play offs could also loom.

It's time to look ahead to the task and concentrate on the difficult run of fixtures coming up starting with a tricky looking trip to Norwich on Saturday.