Bragging Rights Retained

The latest installment in the Brian Clough Trophy saw the bragging rights retained by The Rams in an East Midlands Derby that they won easily on Sunday.

The first half was actually quite even with neither side looking very sharp in front of goal. An own goal by Nikolas Bendtner separating the two sides at the break. I for one was very cautious at half time as we were in the same position a couple of years ago and went on to lose 2-1.

The second half saw our team take complete control and Forest who had star men Assombalonga and Lansbury missing weren't at the races. Their lack of depth in their squad being cruelly exposed as their starting eleven failed to compete.

Every single one of the Derby side could go away at the final whistle without receiving criticism for their performance. Even the much maligned Chris Baird has now started to win fans over. His superb pass for Tom Ince's brilliant goal to put us 2-0 up will be talked about for quite some time.

It may have finished 3-0, but in reality it coul have been more.

There were a few talking points in the game. Darren Bent should have had a second yellow card earlier in the game according to our visiting fans and indeed on another day he might have done. However, it appears that the referee gave him the benefit of the doubt as to whether it was an intended foul or a slip when he brought down Eric Lichaj. To be honest if every bookable offence was applied in this fixture over the years, some of the games may well have ended with 9 or 10 a side. My opinion is that had we been reduced to10 men on Sunday, a familiar chant from the home fans may have made a comeback as I'm sure we may well have won the game with one player less.  Lichaj himself did more than enough to pick up two yellow cards in the game, but only received the one.

Some are complaining that Derby didn't return the ball when Stojkovic kicked it out to enable Olsson to receive treatment. Well, to be honest quite a few also didn't realise that, that was his intent. Ben Osborn in fact tried to prevent the ball from going out and that for me validates our claim to retain the ball from the throw in. Some may disagree, but the goal wasn't actually scored from the restart in play either. It was two plays and the own goal came after some shocking defending.

This game always brings up the odd talking point and this time the amateur dramatics by Ben Osborn was one. His clash with Bradley Johnson saw the most pathetic put on by a visiting player I have seen in a good few years.The lad was a hero for Forest a couple of seasons ago, but Sunday he let himself down.

Our defence had been described as shaky by Kenny Burns pre game. This was surely a pure wind up as it has set a new club record for clean sheets. Not wanting to temp fate, but its as good as any in the division at the moment.

Tonight we head to Shepherds Bush and a match at struggling QPR. They are now managed by Ian Holloway who had given us quite a bit of stick during our poor spell under Nigel Pearson. I'm sure our players will be eager to remind him how form has improved since a change of manger.

Holloway though will have done his homework and I for one am expecting a tough game with his game killing, time wasting, negative tactics.

Fingers crossed for another three points.

On a Roll Leading to the Big One

It's that time  of the season again! Yes! The East Midlands Derby is this Sunday and both Derby and Nottingham Forest have hit form.

Derby are on a run of five straight wins, Forest too have picked up their form of late.

Both rode their luck a little at the weekend too!

Forest scraped past nine man Newcastle in a game that had fans divided over some of the refereeing decisions.

Derby took a lead away at Wigan, but for long periods in the second half were having to defend their one goal advantage. The defence came away with yet another clean sheet.

The run of wins has certainly changed the mood amongst paying supporters at Pride Park! Wins against Leeds and Norwich are not to be scoffed at. Both sides are up there and should be in the mix at the end of the season.

There is no room for complacency though. Forest are a team that know where the net is and haven't been in short supply of goals with or without Britt Assombalonga. Their star striker has had a few niggly injuries since coming back from a long lay off.

Henri Lansbury has scored a few including a hat trick from midfield recently. a powerful performer in midfield and a player we need to boss from the word go.

What is important to us Rams is that Darren Bent is fit. Both he and Ince have looked different players since McClaren's return as manager.

A leaky forest defence may well be their downfall. One thing I am certain about is that this won't be a goalless draw.

An attacking display will be needed and the midfield will be vital. Bradley Johnson who is in my opinion our most improved player this season will have his work cut out protecting the back four.

The much used cliche of form goes out of the window and on the day the team that want it more will win.

Hopefully that team is Derby County and bragging rights remain this side of Brian Clough Way.

Improvements Evident

The defeat at Huddersfield was frustrating and perhaps the less said abou it the better, especially after a much improved showing against Sheffield Wednesday.

It's true that we were fortunate in the opening minutes with Richard Keogh handling the ball on the line. No penalty or red card and this time we did take advantage of having some luck.

In my opinion this was the best performance by the team in a very long time. We were in the end deserved winners. Every single player put a shift in and it showed!

We looked more dangerous on the attack and although we had to soak up some pressure in the second half, we stood up to it and dug  in deep.

A big shout out is due to Scott Carson who was simply dominant in the penalty area and made some great saves. Both Cyrus Christie and Alex Pearce had great games too! We worked together as a team and although there is still room for more improvement, a real step forwards has been taken.

It made a nice change to see all of the positive comments on twitter and nice to be able to watch the highlights programme on tv without having to endure more pain.

A consistent topic for discussion on social media has been Chris Martin. Martin has started to score goals for Fulham and many fans are still upset at his exit from the club.

He has joined them on a season loan with an option to purchase. Unless he fails to impress Fulham, which is looking very unlikely at the moment, he isn't coming back. We need to move on now and hopefully the club will make another striker a priority during the January transfer window. That's not to say that Matej Vydra won't turn out to be a good signing in the long term.

We travel to Wolves on Saturday and like Derby they have been under performing this season and have recently parted with Walter Zenga. he task ahead of us will be no easier than in recent seasons.

Molineux is never an easy place to go get a win at, but a result will surely show that we are are turning things round. Its a tough schedule ahead but results are needed sooner rather than later to climb out of the bottom half of the division.

Mac is Back!

Well Nigel Pearson received his P45 after the suspension and owner Mel Morris decided to reappoint Steve McClaren less than a season and a half after firing him.

What the difference is in him since he sacked him one only knows. His stock has dropped after an awful spell in charge at Newcastle, but yet again he returns to Derby as the club again appoints him when he is considered damaged goods by many.

To be honest not many, if any clubs would be willing to employ him as manager again after his latest failure. I only hope that he can regain the trust in the players who were under him last time.

One thing is for sure and that is if he hasn't learned a lesson in loyalty by now he may never learn! After seemingly coasting to promotion during the second season of his tenure we don't need reminding of how the self destruct button was pressed.

I was amongst those calling for his head after being left furious by his refusal to rule out the Newcastle job despite being asked many times by the media.

I'm not one of those who support his return. apart from being a believer in never go back, he will find a different situation this time round.

McClaren has predictably returned to the 4-3-3 formation which worked so well in the lead up to the play off final. it was however less effective when teams started to plan for it. Also, the squad he inherits this time isn't as geared up for it! Sure most of the team he left are still here, but a forward who holds up the ball isn't.

We started his second reign with a win against a Leeds United side who will feel unlucky not to go away with a point at least. it was a better performance from the team, but then again it couldn't be much worse given some of the tripe we have been dished up so far!

The Brentford game saw a point at home and yet another game where we failed to score. It's getting very frustrating for fans who are used to seeing plenty of goals at home.

I think the visit of the Bees saw McClaren receive a reality check that the job is possibly bigger than he might have anticipated. Only an a person of total optimism will believe that anything can be salvaged from this season.

We go into this weekend visiting high flying Huddersfield. Although they have lost their last two games, it should be a good indicator of how far behind we are to the top.

Despite my reservations of the return of the Mac I like all true fans will be hoping for a real turnaround and a statement of intent from the team. Let's go terrorise the Terriers!

Pearson Suspended

This is the first post I have published in a few weeks as there were very few positives to report.

It's no great secret that the team have struggled to adapt to a 4-4-2 formation after playing a 4-3-3 successfully. It's not wrong to change a system that has fallen short, but I suppose in order to play it effectively you need a team of players and that's eleven, to make it work properly. The transfer window provided an opportunity to do just that, but it seemingly was missed. We did bring in Matej Vydra a striker, ikechi Anya who is usually deployed down the left wing and of course James Wilson a young striker on a seasons loan from Manchester United.

Either our players couldn't or wouldn't adapt to 4-4-2. Nigel Pearson has been suspended and the sack beckons though not down to results according to reports. Well unless there had been a dramatic turnaround the axe was going to be hovering over him week on week.

I thought that he was the right appointment at the time it was made. His success with Leicester City looked very good on his CV. I felt that we needed a more tough, no nonsense style of manager and Pearson appeared to tick the boxes.

However, the football we have witnessed since opening day has been nothing short of dire. Lacking creativity and a killer instinct in front of goal has seen the fans lose patience in record time.

I still believe that we must build a squad capable of playing 4-4-2 as an option, but perhaps we need to wait until the right additions have been made to the squad in order to do so.

Whoever takes over on a permanent basis (Chris Powell has been appointed caretaker boss) certain players have a need to prove that they have the commitment and ability to have a future at Derby County.

Scott Carson has made a couple of errors in goal, Cyrus Christie is inconsistent. Jason Shackell has surprised many with his poor performances of late and Marcus Olsson hasn't impressed me at all in the left back position. The latter of those players could see his outings in the first team limited should Max Lowe continue to show the promise that he displayed at Cardiff. Players like Olsson are experienced enough to know that whilst players like Craig Forsyth are injured that they need to up it and stake a real claim to become first choice.

Last January's window saw the most disappointing return from a group of players signed in a transfer window. Big money was spent on bringing Jacob Butterfield, Bradley Johnson and Nick Blackman to the i pro Stadium. They have thus far disappointed greatly.

These signings were made just before Paul Clement got the elbow and need to move up a gear very soon before they are confined into the latest volume of big money signings to flop at Derby.

Our Chairman Mel Morris has a very big decision to make in the coming days or weeks on who to appoint to replace Nigel Pearson. His last two appointments have ended with the issuing of a P45. His own reputation being damaged amongst fans, he desperately needs to make the next choice a good one.

Several names have been linked with the job. Steve Bruce who is no stranger to promotion or Derby County having dumped us out of the the play offs before leading Hull to victory st Wembley in May has been mentioned.

Neil Warnock the master of many promotions is yet again linked with a job. He wouldn't have inherited a squad like this one before.

Steve McClaren has been tipped for a return to finish the job he started last time. We all know about so called unfinished business in the East Midlands and hopefully this route is avoided.

Chris Powell himself will be in with a shout. Despite his experience at Huddersfield, he did initially do a very good job at Charlton in different circumstances to what he would have here at Derby.

What we as fans must do is continue to turn up in numbers. Attendances have slipped a little in the last few weeks but we need to keep supporting our team and our players need to get on with delivering the goods on the field too!

When Needs Must!

After a few more lacklustre performances, a few tweaks have been made to the squad. 

The early games have seen some dull performances without posing much pressure on our opponents goal. I agree with those who point the inability for the squad to adapt to 4-4-2. We had lacked natural wide men to make that system work. 

Chris Martin didn't look like the goal scorer he has been in it and it came as no surprise to me that he has been allowed to move on to Fulham. 

We've had three very good seasons out of him overall, but in the last thirty games or so he just hasn't looked the same. This goes back before Nigel Pearson was appointed manager too!

Likewise I'm not surprised at all that Jeff Hendrick has been allowed to leave once a club met Derby's asking price. 

Jeff like Martin will leave with my and most fans best wishes as he leaves us with some very good memories. Two of his best performances came against Forest. In the 5-0 win he totally bossed that midfield!

What is funny is the fact that he wasn't an automatic first team pick and we are receiving £10.5m for him and there are add-ons too!

Matej Vydra joins us as a new record signing and if he can return to the firm he showed at Watford two seasons ago he will prove to be a very good signing indeed. He joins our collection of strikers who also include James Wilson who is on a seasons loan from Manchester United and comes very highly rated. 

Ikechi Anya became the second signing from Watford on deadline day. A pacy wide man is what we have been crying out for, for months now and is essential in a 4-4-2 line up. Chatting to a few Hornets fans, he is very fast, hard working and should do very well at this level. 

So that's our incomings at least til January! Pearson can now start to shape the team in the way in which he believes will do best! It's early days so let's give the new lads and the gaffer time to make the changes work and get behind the lads!

Slow out of the Blocks

A rather disappointing display has the moaners on social media working overtime already. 

Yes we were very poor at Barnsley! Yes the players are struggling to adapt to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation. No we don't have the squad to play it. Yes we need two or three new players to make it work!

Nigel Pearson has a list of targets and is keeping his cards close to his chest on the identities of these players. 

The problem with the 4-3-3 formation is that it's failed us three seasons on the trot. Teams often revert to negative tactics to combat it and we are left frustrated. 

Saturday was poor at both ends of the pitch. Woeful defending and attacking! However, a victory at Preston will see us better our points tally from last season at this stage. 

Nigel Pearson is not the same type of manager as Paul Clement. He's been through bad spells at other clubs and emerged victorious at the end. He us an experienced manager with promotions in his cv. Give the guy time and he will turn it round and have us climbing the table before long. 

Yet again certain players are being targeted as scapegoats. Richard Keogh is the usual victim. 

If the guy isn't good enough ask yourself why he is rated by Nigel Clough, Steve McClaren, Martin O'Neill as well as Nigel Pearson? He is always involved in the game! All centre halves make errors! His are magnified by the usual bunch of moaners and red dogs supporters. 

Often Keogh is caught whilst having to cover for others short comings too! If you ask most championship strikers I'm pretty sure they'd rate him as one of their hardest opponents. 

Right Back does concern me a bit! I'm hoping that we do sign someone soon along with another striker and a recognised winger. 

We have yet to see much of Abdoul Camara and let's hope he can bring something to the table. Clement and Wassall appeared to be reluctant to play him. 

The transfer window closes in a couple of weeks and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a few departures. Chris Martin fir one if Wolves up their bid a little I could see making the move away. 

Anyway let's hope the players needed to help the switch in formation are signed! Onwards and upwards! 

The Big Kick Off!

Will take timHere we go again! Another season has finally got under way at the iPro Stadium and we have a point on the board. 

Brighton are amongst the favourites to win the division and quite rightly so! They only just missed out on automatic promotion last time out and then had to, like Derby, suffer the agony of being eliminated in the play offs. 

It's a much used saying, but the game on Saturday is the type of game I have seen us lose time and time again. We didn't lose and for me we may well look back at the end of the season seeing it as a point that is very valuable. 

Nigel Pearson has been in charge for one league game and an EFL Cup match with Grimsby. We edged through against the Mariners and the record books do show many failures in this competition against lower league opposition. 

I'm convinced Pearson is the right pick to be boss, but like most new managers will need a little time to get going. 

Last season we had five points after five games yet we're top by Christmas. I'm certainly not going to form any sort of opinion of the guy until he's had a really good crack of the whip. 

Had has promotions on his cv and that for me gives him some time to get us motoring and challenging for the top six again. 

What we do have to consider is he is changing formation too! 4-3-3 was good when it was working, but teams soon got wise to it and it appears to be easier to defend against. 

Switching to 4/4-2 or indeed 4-4-1-1 we take time and maybe 2 or 3 new signings too. We need to be patient and let the manager get on with the task in hand. 

Various players have been linked with us, but I think we just need to sit and wait for signings. Nigel Pearson doesn't seem to be the type of manager to comment on speculation. 

A trip to Barnsley is next up on Saturday. The Tukes have just returned to the championship and this promises to be an interesting fixture. Of course a win will be very good and move us up into the next gear. One thing is for sure and that is that there will be a good following from the Derby faithful. 

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Squad Numbers 16/17

1   Scott Carson

2.  Cyrus Christie

3.  Craig Forsyth

4.  Craig Bryson

5.  Jason Shackell

6.  Richard Keogh

7.  Johnny Russell

8.  Jeff Hendrick

9.  Chris Martin

10 Tom Ince

11 Darren Bent

12 Chris Baird

15 Bradley Johnson

16 Alex Pearce

17 Lee Grant

18 Jacob Butterfield 

19 Will Hughes

20 Abdoul Camara

21 Kelle Roos

22 Nick Blackman

24 Andreas Weimann

25 Max Lowe

26 Jamie Hanson

29 Marcus Olsson

34 George Thorne

35 Jonathan Mitchell 

Season Preview 16/17

On to another campaign in our quest to return to top flight football. 

Nigel Pearson has taken the reigns and brought former Rams player Chris Powell with him. 

We have just finished pre season and look forward to our opening day clash in which we welcome Brighton to the iPro Stadium. 

There's been a few departures from the club. Ryan Shotton has completed a permanent move to Birmingham City after a successful loan spell there last season. 

Cult hero Jake Buxton has moved on to Wigan Athletic. Bucko attracted a lot of goodwill messages from Rams supporters when the moved was announced. Quite rightly too. 

Not the most gifted of players when it came to natural ability, but his decimation and determination more than made up for it. Good luck Bucko! You'll be guaranteed a warm welcome back when visiting with Wigan. 

A third centre half, Raul Albentosa has returned to his native Spain. He struggled to settle in at Derby and the move back comes as no surprise to anyone. 

Their would have been another player moving out had Burnley had their way. They made a few offers for Jeff Hendrick who, after a great Euro 15 tournament has seen his stock rise considerably. 

On to the season ahead I am predicting a top six finish for Derby. 

The relegated teams I expect to finish also in the top six with Newcastle strolling towards the title. 

Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton I expect to make it into the play off zone again. 

I see big improvement at Fulham and our rivals Forest, but just not quite enough to go up. 

Newly promoted Burton Albion will find life very tough and I'm expecting to see them drop straight back down again along with Barnsley and Preston. 

My lull prediction is.....

Newcastle

Norwich

Brighton 

Sheff Weds

Aston Villa

Derby

Fulham

Birmingham

QPR

Nottm Forest

Wigan

Wolves

Ipswich

Leeds

Cardiff

Blackburn 

Reading

Huddersfield 

Bristol City

Rotherham

Preston

Burton

Barnsley

Tweaks or Wholesale Changes?

There's no doubt that Nigel Pearson will have his own ideas about which players he will retain and those who he will wish to move on. 

Going through the list, my own opinion is

Goalkeepers retain

Scott Carson

Jonathan Mitchell

Let go

Lee Grant

Kelle Roos. 

Full Backs - retain

Cyrus Christie

Marcus Olsson

Craig Forsyth

Max Lowe

Let go

Chris Baird

Centre Halves - retain

Richard Keogh

Jason Shackell

Farrend Rawson

Let go

Jake Buxton

Raul Albentosa

Alex Pearce

Midfield - retain

Will Hughes

Craig Bryson

Jeff Hendrick

George Thorne

Jacob Butterfield

Jamie Hanson

Let go

Bradley Johnson

Forwards - retain

Chris Martin

Andreas Weimann 

Johnny Russell

Tom Ince

Let go

Abdoul Camara

Nick Blackman

Darren Bent

Obviously some are preferably retained unless an irresistible offer is made and obviously a better player is bought in to replace some of them. 

Pearson in!

Earlier in the season before Paul Clement's team hit a purple patch I had my doubts as to whether he would last as boss. I admit I was one of those who did for that period start to believe that he just might prove my initial fears unfounded. 

However, we all know what happened next. My initial first choice was Nigel Pearson to replace Clement. I have blown hot and cold with regards to his appointment, but will go on record now and say I think that he is the best option available. 

He's not known for his people skills, but he is known for commanding respect and installing discipline into teams. It's discipline that we have lacked as a team. At our best we look very formidable, at worst we look like a disjointed bunch of headless chickens. 

The play off games against Hull showed both the Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde teams. They were a perfect demonstration of our season. 

I cooled on the idea of Nigel Pearson when it became obvious that his back room staff of Steve Walsh and Craig Shakespeare were not going to join him in his next job as they signed new deals at Leicester. 

I decided to speak to a few Leicester fans who said that us appointing Pearson was a 'no brainier'. They stated that he would easily be able to replicate his success at the KP with staff that he trusts. They went on to say that he can take much credit for their clubs march towards the premier league title this season. 

He brings former Derby favourite Chris Powell as his assistant and leaves Kevin Phillips and Pascal Zuberhuler in their current roles. 

Instilling confidence and belief goes a long way in the search for success and Pearson has a good record in this department. 

What is definite is that we will need to offload a few players and bring a couple in. We need to be able to play a 4-4-2 formation and that will require adjustments. 4-3-3 may be pretty, but it has limitations! 

So we open a new chapter on Derby County's efforts to hit the big time again. This time I am cautiously optimistic. 

Situation Vacant

The next big announcement from Derby County is obviously revealing who will be our next manager or Head Coach as it's often called nowadays. 

 

The guessing game will continue until Mel Morris appoints the man in charge of first team affairs. 

Darren Wassall will obviously in the running having been in charge since the sacking of Paul Clement. We have seen some good games and results under him, however his decisions at times have been questionable and is it really good business giving a permanent position to a rookie number one again?

Tim Sherwood had bags of enthusiasm and passion for the game, but has just seen a very poor season at Aston Villa. Not for me!

Neil Warnock could be an inspired choice for a season. He is a master of getting clubs promoted and would surely love to manage a club like ours. He is however an outspoken character who wouldn't meet with the approval of all fans. 

Nigel Pearson is a name that many fans would pick going on his success at getting Leicester promoted and laying down the foundations of their historic season just gone. The downside is the fact that he would have to step into the breach without Steve Walsh and Craig Shakespeare who have just signed new contracts at the KP Stadium. 

Gary Rowett a former Ram did similar at Burton and has been successful in turning things round at Birmingham despite a distinct lack of cash. Would he be a manager that could spend well should Mr Morris open his wallet again?

Gary Monk, Roberto Martinez, David Moyes are all names that have been mentioned or maybe indeed a foreign appointment. 

One thing is for sure! Sooner rather than later is the preferred timescale for most fans. 

KO at the KCOM

So we ended our interest in the play offs at the first hurdle. 

Two totally different performances and a 75% success record in four games v Hull City, but sadly not good enough to make progress. 

It is very disappointing for us to go out in these circumstances. The home leg being the killer. 

An inept and pitiful performance at home left us with a mountain to climb in the second leg and despite a spirited attempt, it just wasn't quite good enough. 

This season has been very disappointing. Yet again failing during the run in and that's after investing heavily in the transfer market. 

There has to be some serious questioning of the decisions behind a few of the signings too. 

Of course Tom Ince was going to be pursued after a very impressive loan spell last season. He hasn't been a total flop either and again hit double figures in the goal scoring charts. 

What is concerning is the fact that we can't play him in his strongest position dye to the fact that the make up if our squad prevents any real alternative to a 4-3-3 formation. 

Abdoul Camara and Nick Blackman came for 1.5 and 2.5 million respectively. Neither have shone! I know that chances have been scarce, but the fact remains that Blackman has looked out of place when he has been on the pitch and Camara has often failed to even make the bench. 

Darren Bent was given a deal after his loan spell last season and he must have the easiest job in the division! I haven't any stats in front of me that state his actual minutes in the field, but he is bound to be on hefty wages and hasn't been called upon often enough to be able to justify them. 

Bradley Johnson became the clubs record signing at £6.5m! So far he has looked like being the clubs most expensive flop too! Very poor return from him after we paid so much for him. 

Jacob Butterfield and Andreas Weimann were too both big money signings, but often were left kicking their heels on the bench. Both showed flashes of brilliance but not enough to become automatic picks. 

We have a very large squad, an expensive squad, but the evidence is overwhelming that we don't have enough versatility within it to change formations when the need arises. 

After failing to gain promotion for three years on the trot, it's time for some serious reorganisation. Certain players will be needed to be moved on and certain roles will need filling. 

First big decision will be the appointment of the new manager. Mel Morris has had plenty of time to decide who is on his list. He needs to install the new boss sooner rather than later so that due preparation can be made for next season in good time. 

The next appointment by Mel Morris could  define his tenure as the clubs owner. Let's hope for the sake of the 25,000 plus fans who loyally supported us this season that it's a good one!

Derby V Hull Q's & A's

Are you nervous?

Hell yeah! Who isn't?

Who has the edge?

Neither team! Past meetings count for nothing! You start from scratch!

Do you enjoy the play offs?

Only if we win!

Who should replace the injured Thorne?

Bradley Johnson, he and Hughes can both attack and can swap about if need. 

What Should the starting line up be?

Carson, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Olssin, Bryson, Johnson, Hughes, Ince, Martin, Shackell. 

How will the tie go?

Tight narrow victory for either side. I could even see two away wins. No one will be out of it realistically unless they get a tanking tomorrow. 

Key Hull players to watch. 

Hernandez, Clucas, Huddlestone

Final thought. 

Another successful season whatever happens. Eight weeks ago I had my doubts that we would make the play offs. 

We now have an opportunity to hit the big time again. Let's grab it with both hands. 

To Hull and back

I have gotten rather lazy these last few weeks with the blog. In that time we have played three games, two of those against play off contenders. 

The home game with Sheffield Wednesday demonstrated that although I thought that we had the edge over ninety minutes, they are a very dangerous side to play. 

They may not have carried the biggest threat going forward, but they were more than capable of containing an attack. They will very difficult to beat at Wembley should they progress against Brighton. 

We went to the Amex and came away with a draw. Brighton were the busier of the two sides in the opening period, but failed to create any clear cut chances. In a way they reminded me of us a few games back. 

We got into stride in the second half and after the interval, we were looking the most likely of the two teams to go on and claim the three points on offer. 

Darren Bent had come off the bench to score for us against the owls and thus time it was another substitute who provided our goal. A great through ball from the brilliant Will Hughes saw Andreas Weimann score at the second attempt. 

Both Bent and Weimann are useful weapons to bring off the bench. 

What has been noticeable in recent games is the importance of having Craig Bryson in the starting eleven. His determination and non stop running is a very valuable asset to the team. 

I don't know about anyone else, but after I heard the half time score on Saturday from the KC stadium, I lost interest in what became a meaningless match with Ipswich. It was obvious that we were going to finish fifth and have our home leg of the play off semi final with Hull next Saturday. 

Remember too that we only beat Ipswich away! 

I spent the second half praying that key players didn't get injured. We looked like getting away without injuries until George Thorne failed to get up from a challenge by Jonathon Douglas. It was bad news too! A double break in the lower leg is a horrible injury. 

The play offs will now present a chance for one of two players to really win the fans over. Both Bradley Johnson and Chris Baird have been on the receiving end of fans frustrations this season. Whoever gets the nod to deputise for Thorne has a golden opportunity to to get the supporters back onside!

We beat Hull twice in the league, but that counts for nothing now! Let's get behind the lads and play our part as the twelfth man in our quest for a fourth play off final. 

It Could be us!

The mood has now changed a little after a run of victories has seen us clinch a place in the end of season lottery that is the Play-offs. 

Following up from the 4-1 thumping of Bolton we have recorded two victories on the road against struggling teams. Not that I am going to sneer at that!

We have now shown a bit of fight and saw off a determined effort from Charlton and an equally determined Bristol City who had beaten Sheffield Wednesday in such convincing fashion. 

We are now left with three matches and two of those against possible play-off opponents Brighton and Wednesday. 

What has been evident in the last few games is the importance of an on form Craig Bryson. His influence has been very valuable. This with an in form George Thorne will, in my opinion be vital to us as we enter the post season knock out tournament. 

The third midfielder will obviously be between Butterfield, Johnson (If fit) and the returning Will Hughes. Giving Hughes a few minutes here and there in the run in should determine if he will be ready to make an impact to help us reach the promised land. 

We need all players on form and giving it 100%. Nothing less! 

There has been a distinct upturn in form during the last few games, but where does the credit go? Is Darren Wassall finally finding his feet in soccer management or has Harry Redknapp been a positive addition to the back room staff. 

On to Saturday! Come on you Rams! 

Keep on Running

Well what a nice change to be able to fill a post with positive comments. 

Last nights match v Hull City saw arguably our best performance of the season. The whole team played their part and we were treated to four goals. 

Hull are acknowledged as one of the better teams in the division yet somehow we have had our two best games whilst playing them. 

It is so good to see Bradley Johnson at long last having a good game and chipping in with a couple of goals too. It's fair to say that he has been off firm for a while. Get him playing like he did for Norwich last season and we could be in for a treat. 

Craig Bryson for me was the man of the match. Never stopped running all night and demonstrated why he is still one of the most important players at the club. 

Chris Martin scored his 15th goal of the season and that is very impressive after his run of games without a goal. 

What we need now is to see more of this. Often teams who enter the play offs in form find the momentum to get them through them. 

On Saturday we host bottom of the table Bolton. We need to use this game to keep the form going and help us gather pace for the final few games. Nothing short of a comfortable victory will be accepted by the fans!

Meanwhile season tickets continue to be selling well. Over the 19,000 mark already. A good end to the season could see the sold out signs up at the ticket office. 29,000 on a Tuesday night versus Hull City is once again testament to the fantastic support the public is giving the club. 

Loyalty from the Fans

This morning it was announced that so far 19,000 fans have renewed their season tickets! That's just 5,000 short on this seasons figure of 24,000 and we have the summer break ahead of us. 

Of course some fans won't renew for work or personal reasons. Some will be reluctant to part with their cash after a season of poor football. Then again there is always a batch of new applicants too. 

Derby isn't a massive city and our support is fantastic. We attract higher crowds than Forest and Notts Vounty combined. Indeed we had higher attendances than Leicester before they gained promotion to the Premier League. 

The Derby County faithful are still turning out in their thousands despite a season that has seen some dreadful football. 

Yes will are still in the top six, however one must wonder how we are there! Another pitiful performance at Cardiff on Saturday sees us ever closer to dropping out of the play off zone. That could happen tomorrow night as we host a very good Hull City side. 

Unless we see some sort of miraculous turn of firm then I'm afraid we could see ourselves languishing down in around tenth place at the end. 

It is difficult to pinpoint just exactly where the points will be coming from in our final few games. 

For me it is time for a final gamble. Let Darren Wassall return to continue the excellent job he was doing at the academy and let Harry Redknapp take charge for the run in. 

If we don't go down this avenue it really does beg the question 'what exactly is Harry doing?'

Leicester City have this season shown what clubs of our size can achieve, however we are now no closer to promotion than two years ago. 

In fact I will go as far to say that firm wise we have gone backwards three years. Add the large wage bill and we are looking like a club during the Paul Jewell tenure!

It really is time for Mr Morris to make some serious decisions! He bought the club and it is his responsibility to sort it out!

Slugfest at the iPro

So the Brian Clough Trophy is back at the iPro Stadium after a scrappy shootout on Saturday. 

A first half saw our visitors with the better of the play, but they failed to test Scott Carson.  The second half saw us move up a gear and despite this being a dull dour affair we were the only team that looked like scoring the much needed goal. 

Not a great performance, but when it's the East Midlands Derby the games are hardly ever classics. 

Both sides looked very poor, yet under the right management both could do very well. 

There's no doubting that our lads can rise and we have seen that in the very recent past. Forest lacked anything in he final third of the field, but defensively didn't look bad at all. 

Anyway on the day itself, all that counts is the final score and that saw our fans go away the happy ones. 

Big shout outs first of all for Darren Wassall/Harry Redknapp whoever decided to start Jamie Hanson over Cyrus Christie. Many, myself included thought that it was going to prove to be a costly tactical error, but Hanson had a very good game. He kept Osborn very quiet. 

George Thorne and Markus Olsson also had a good game and Tom Ince put in a shift. 

I suppose what we all want to know is how much influence Harry Redknapp is having on the team? If it's very little, what exactly is he doing?

Hopefully we can anchor ourselves in the top six and I suppose play offs is better than no chance of promotion at all. Obviously we won't be fancied by a lot of people to make progress in them, but it'll give us a good chance to shut up those who call us chokers. Some of those support teams who have either choked every time or indeed having had enough going to even cough. 

Not a lotta Bottle

The past eight days have seen us win at home to Huddersfield. A scrappy performance but three valuable points nevertheless, a gutless loss away at QPR, and finally a draw that should have been a good win at Rotherham. 

We had shown some signs of playing well and coming back from the New York Stadium with all three points. The fact is we should have! No excuses whatsoever for such a calamitous collapse! None whatsoever! Any decent side who are three goals to the good in the closing minutes does not concede three goals. 

For me this season the club has gone backwards by three seasons. It's resembling Nigel Cloughs last few weeks as manager. 

As I have said before I think that the error was made in the summer. Mel Morris had two big decisions to make. First of all he had to deal with want away manager Steve McClaren. He took the right decision in sacking him in my opinion. 

The second big decision was appointing a replacement. Instead of going for an experienced head and Safeish pair of hands he gambled on a rookie to the number one role in Paul Clement. 

Clement was on a shortlist of one! He was headhunted! It was a big gamble to appoint him and it simply didn't work out! Forget the so called Derby way, bar a few matches the performances were simply dreadful. 

He is yet to make the decision who to replace Clement with but it surely won't be Academy Manager Darren Wassall. 

Wassall hasn't been a great caretaker and he is in serious danger of doing irreparable damage to the reputation he has built at the club with his success at the academy. 

Morris needs to act sooner rather than later! This team is desperately needed leadership and guidance! It needs an experienced boss!

We face the rivals from down the road on Saturday and despite their lack of success this season we will have a very tough job on Saturday.  

Their defence isn't breached easily and they can score 

Update

Forest have relieved Dougie Freedman of his managerial duties and former Ram Paul Williams takes over til the end of the season..

Derby appoint Harry Redknapp to a role advising Darren Wassall. We live in changing times! 

Sloppy!

Well after a couple of wins (Albeit scrappy ones) we return to our poor losing ways. A very poor, dire performance saw us lose to a struggling Wolves side. 

Poor defending for both Wolves goals and we scored from a set piece. That was the only way we ever looked like scoring too!

Carl Ikeme had very little to do all game. 

It's obvious that teams have sussed out how to stop our 4-3-3 formation. Apart from 4/5 games this season, it hasn't worked well in nearly a year. 

There's so little different we can do as an alternative too! We have looked very unconvincing using 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2. 

We sign a winger and play anyone but a winger down the flanks. It's evident that Darren Wassall doesn't fancy Camara or Blackman who cost 4m between them. 

It says something when our £6.5m flop Bradley Johnson is still starting games. On the wing too! 

Wassall dropped an in form Stephen Warnock to play Markus Olsson who has thus far failed to improve the team. In fact he doesn't look any better than Warnock. 

This team or indeed this squad needs a serious kick up the backside! Many fans are calling for the appointment of Nigel Pearson. He certainly wouldn't stand for our lacklustre performances of late. 

If Morris does have any inclination to sign anyone like him he needs to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. Our friends across Brian Clough Way could well be looking for a manager within time given their owners track record. 

A former Rams manager, Billy Davies was in the news last week after giving his first interview since being sacked by Forest. 

It was full of the usual snipes at our club, so nothing new their. His biggest success was at Derby therefore he needs to keep bringing us up to keep himself in the news. I wonder why no one has employed him since his City Ground exit? Answers on a postcard 😜

Finally it was recently announced that AFC Wimbledon were returning to the Borough of Merton after gaining planning permission to demolish the greyhound stadium and build a new football ground at Plough Lane. 

Obviously they will need to purchase the stadium first! I am actually against this move! Firstly the current team has never played in the Borough. Their home is technically Kimgstonion. Secondly I don't wish to see the current sports at Plough Lane finish. Greyhound racing and Stock Cars have been staged there for a good many years and there was always a possibility of a return for speedway racing. 

Plough Lane is the last venue with a London postcode to stage these sports. Let's not let em die in the capital. I wish AFC Wimbledon well, but hope they don't get the move to this site. 

Hallelujah!

Well we have waited long enough, but The Rams finally won another match in dramatic circumstances on Saturday. 

There had been a few signs of things picking up in the first half, but went Brentford went ahead after a superb solo effort from Alan Judge many feared the worst once again.

Eighty minutes passed before Jeff Hendrick scored and equaliser and then Cyrus Christie picked an ideal time to score his first ever goal for the club to put us ahead. 

The dying moments were very dramatic as Brentford threw the kitchen sink in an attempt to salvage a point, but a class save from Carson saw us race down the other end of the field and Chris Martin ended his goal drought. 

It seems to be a long time since that last win and caretaker boss Darren Wassall looked ecstatic. 

Last night saw us make it two wins on the bounce thanks to a superb eighth minute strike by Jacob Butterfield. 

A scrappy game and one that saw us needing us to grind out a result against Blackburn. Hardly a classic, but the first thing in a its of priorities is points. 

What we need is for players like Bradley Johnson back on top of his game again. He was a class act for Norwich last season and started off promisingly at Derby. If he returns to form I think our midfield would be loaded with talent. 

Will Hughes has now resumed training after recuperating from his knee injury and when fully fit his name will surely be one of the first on the team sheet. 

This weekend sees a trip to Molineaux to face Wolves who have gone off the boil lately. We beat them 4-2 at home, but remember last season! A great 5-0 win at home before crashing away. 

Wassall seems to have stopped the rot, but it's now time to up a gear and jump back on to the promotion wagon. 

Lack of Firepower

Darren Wassall has seen his first game in charge end in a disappointing defeat to MK Dons. 

A truly awful game and very few positives to write about. 

A 4-4-2 formation was used and to be quite honest, it didn't work and certain players were anonymous on the pitch. 

Jason Shackell missed a good opportunity to put us ahead in the first half and David Martin was forced into making a couple of saves, but that was your lot when talking about chances to win the game. 

Bradley Johnson had a decent half and Markus Olsson looked a threat going forward down the left wing. 

A growing number of people are suggesting that we need an alternative to Chris Martin up front too!

From the prolific form of the last couple of seasons, goals have dried up quicker than water in the desert. 

It won't be an easy ride at Brentford on Saturday, but we need to snap out of this poor spell sooner rather than later. Three games in a week will require total commitment from all players and who knows if results are positive the mood could change very quickly too! 

The ball is firmly in the court of the team and coaches. Over 30,000 paying customers turned up for the bore fest last week. The fans have been turning up in good numbers all season. It's time for certain players to turn up and do a job! 

The supporters deserve better!

A Week is a Long Time in Football

A week ago we were looking ahead to a home game v Preston and a trip to Fulham. Two struggling teams and an ideal opportunity to get the promotion push back on track 

We failed miserably to do just that. The Preston match was a guaranteed cure for insomnia and we failed to muster one shot on target all night. 

Fulham away saw a calamitous own goal give our hosts a lead and a spectacular volley by Craig Bryson saved us a point. 

The simple fact though is that recent form isn't good enough. All teams have a blip at sometime during the season, but we appear to be in a slump rather than having a blip. 

It came as no surprise to me to hear that Paul Clement had been relieved of his duties last night. 

It was a gamble to appoint a rookie number one and unfortunately it didn't pay off. I don't blame our owner for having a go at trying something different to the usual manager merry go round either. 

The comments he has made are quite baffling. I've heard him say Promotion wasn't a must, but improvement was! Ok, we finished eighth place last season so we needed to finish seventh or at least qualify for the play offs. 

You also don't invest 23-25m in a squad to tread water. A lot of money spent and most of the signings are still to justify their purchase!

Personally I feel that Clement had lost the dressing room. We have scraped a few results and apart from half a dozen games have looked poor or average. 

There has been no plan b and seemingly little flexibility in different formations we have been sussed by many teams. Park the bus and counter often works against us. 

Squad depth is more about alternatives rather than more of the same. 

Mel Morris had a big decision to make with his next appointment and if he gets it wrong he could see himself on the receiving end of a fans backlash. 

He has had a little negative publicity recently similar to that of our neighbours down the roads owner. 

He has put his money where his mouth is, but we need the right man for the job and not chuck good money after bad. 

Many fans are asking about the possibility of an embargo next January after this spending spree. Mr Morris has stated we will meet FFP, and he will look a right twerp if we don't. 

Midfield Problems

Tonight we host Preston North End in which is a very Important game for the club. We need to get back to winning ways if we are to realise our ambitions of playing top flight football next season.

Our form of late has been to put it mildly disappointing. Both the attack and defence have under performed. The key is the midfield not doing its job in my opinion and it doesn't take a genius to work it out either. 

Losing the ball in midfield has added extra pressure on the defence and failed to give our attackers the much needed support. 

When you look through our list of midfielders it is baffling to say the least why we are struggling in this area. Big money has been spent in order to strengthen it, but this far it hasn't done so, in fact it's done the opposite. 

Perhaps it's time to go back to basics and recall players like Craig Bryson. He did score sixteen goals a couple of seasons ago and you don't lose the ability overnight. He needs a run in the side in my opinion. Who would it be at the expense of? One candidate for me! Bradley Johnson! From the Forest game onwards he simply hasn't been at the races. 

George Thorne has overall been solid, but both Jacob Butterfield and Jeff Hendrick have struggled to find consistency. They have both shown flashes of brilliance and I personally would give the nod to Butterfield. 

What we have discovered is the big hole that Will Hughes has left since he got injured. We haven't been able to cover for his absence effectively. 

So there you go! Sort out midfield and we will return to winning games. 

The Misery Continues

Yet another game ends in disappointing style for all Rams fans. 

This time it was a visit to Burnley and yet another defeat at Turf Moor. This time it was a thrashing, although some may argue that the actual score line was harsh. That said, and own goal, two penalties given away and a deflected goal simply is no excuse for yet again failing to do the business in a six pointer 

Before the rot set in our defence resembled a wall, it now looks like a wet paper bag!

Fans will argue that we played well in the first half and were indeed the better side. This is no use or any comfort though. You have to be on your game and take chances when you get them. 

Our boss still doesn't appear to know what our best options are in midfield. Anyone who picks Bradley Johnson judging by his recent form wouldn't start him. Personally he would do well to get on the bench if I was selecting the team. 

Nick Blackman is doing his best at the moment to prove the sneering Reading fans right that we were mugged paying such a hefty fee for him. At the moment he is making Connor Sammon looking a bargain. 

Chris Martins drought is lasting longer than one in the Sahara Desert too! 

The team currently look like a mid table outfit. Another long unbeaten run is now essential and our manager or Head Coach as he is called is going to have his work cut out. 

On Friday we hosted an out of form Manchester United in the FA Cup. An ideal opportunity for one of the two clubs contesting the tie to get their scoring boots back on. It was Manchester United who showed up and clinched a fifth round tie at Shewsbury.

No shame or disgrace in losing to them, but the wide difference in class was there for all to see. 

Tomorrow night we meet Preston. It was against them that we started our last unbeaten run. It's now imperative that we start another one. Automatic promotion is now looking a long shot and just a couple more defeats could see us slip sliding away down the table. 

Surely the capitulation isn't going to come even earlier this season. 

It's going to be a nervous and interesting few weeks. If we get back to winning ways, the bad run will be forgiven, however just a few more defeats and the pressure will surely mount on Paul Clement. 

Mel Morris has opened his wallet and surely won't be impressed by the players purchased so far. It's time for them to deliver and get the team moving forward once again. 

Hoping we aren't choking

Two points from the last four games is a disappointing return and let's hope that this is the start and end of our blip this season.

We deservedly lost on Saturday against a determined Birmingham City side and we were very fortunate to get a point against Reading on the Wednesday night previous.  

Saturday was painful to watch as a fan as yet again we failed to create chances up front. Kuszacz was barely tested in the Birmingham goal and their defence didn't have to overwork themselves to keep us at bay. 

Paul Clement dropped Chris Martin to the bench in favour of new signing Nick Blackman who failed to make any kind of impression whatsoever.  That said the service to him was appalling. 

Johnny Russell ran his legs off but was ineffective, Tom Ince put the effort in without an end result and our midfield was simply outmuscled again. 

It's the midfield problem which is the biggest head scratcher for me. We are blessed with a glut of talent yet at the moment they are failing to click. 

Bradley Johnson continued his run of poor form and he looks a different player to the one who started so brightly when he first arrived. 

Abdoul Camara again had to be content with a substitute appearance and although we haven't really seen much of him my early impressions are that he does seem to be a little lightweight. 

Reading fans are convinced that the 2.5 m we paid for Nick Blackman is a complete mugging. Many pointing out that he has played well for two months in his entire time at the Madejski Stadium. Well, after seeing Southampton bag Charlie Austin for 4m I can see their point. 

If Blackman doesn't prove to be a success than the book will stop with Paul Clement as he knew the player at Blackburn. 

Much chat on social media has fans arguing about getting behind the team and not criticising the players. Well my take on this is you pay your money, you are entitled to make your point. After the capitulation of last season it's no surprise that fans are getting nervous. No Derby fans enjoys seeing players struggle. 

We must now focus on getting promotion ambitions back on track and the next game could hardly present a much more difficult test with a visit to Burnley. Turf Moor hasn't been a happy hunting ground for us in the recent past and next Monday will be no different. 

Our aim of automatic promotion will need us replicating the first half of the season. We need to prove that we are just having a blip and not choking!

Rip off Ticket Prices

This morning Derby County announced the ticket prices for the FA Cup match with Manchester United. To be quite frank I am disappointed that they have been set at £35 for adults and £19 for kids who are season ticket holders. 

This is also bearing in mind that shift workers have already seen the tie switched to a Friday Night due to the demands of TV. 

At least it is on a free to view channel, however imagine how many young lads and girls are excited by the fact that their team is playing one of the biggest clubs in the world and just might have a chance in beating them. 

We are living in a country that has seen some drastic cuts due to the incompetence of rich bankers. It's the lower paid who are bearing the brunt of cuts! 

Rents are increasing as is council tax, car insurance, public transport, food etc. We are living in times where those of us who are fortunate enough to have a regular income are having to budget. 

Our club has to be fair, been very good when it comes to season ticket prices, but £35 for any domestic football match is too much. 

I appreciate that there are clubs that charge more, but that is no excuse to defend our club. 

I appreciate that Manchester United have to agree with the price charged, but so what! Stand your ground! Let their 5.5k fans see a game at a fairer price. 

Nowadays fans are getting taken for a ride when it comes to ticket prices. It doesn't stop at the Mach ticket, it's a programme at £3 (though I stopped buying them years ago), then there's food and drink! 

£2.60 for a cup of tea! 

The cost of getting there too! 

So please do respect the opinion of those who are complaining! It's a valid point! 

Two out of Nine

The last couple of games have seen a mostly second string Derby side edge past League Two Hartlepool to make it into the fourth round of the FA Cup. 

Not a fantastic performance but the win saw us go into the hat where we have drawn Manchester United at home. Some are saying that we are playing them at the right time as they continue to struggle to recapture their form under Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Well, we aren't exactly in good form ourselves at the moment. Two points out if nine is not promotion form and our performances have been far from satisfactory. 

Reading came to the iPro ten places below us and having just sold their leading scorer to us. Yet again like so many times in recent years they left without being defeated. In fact they can count themselves very unlucky not to have snatched all three points. Had it not been for a class save by Lee Grant or a timely tackle by Cyrus Christie towards the end of the game they would have left with a win. 

The problem currently seems to lie in midfield. Bradley Johnson needs to start performing to justify his position as the clubs record signing. He has been woeful in the last half dozen games. 

Jacob Butterfield is showing glimpses of what he us capable of, but we need it week in week out!

Also our strikers are not performing to the best of their ability.

We are failing in both the 4-3-3 and 4-3-2-1 formations. Chris Martin hasn't played to his best in the last dozen games. I question his suitability as captain too. A player that is picking up silly yellow cards and diving as well as failing to gee the players up, isn't a captain. Perhaps the likes of Jason Shackell or Stephen Warnock would do a better job. 

Finally, isn't it about time we seriously thought about looking at Darren Bent starting up front say with Nick Blackman up there with him. We have three strikers at the club who we keep persisting playing out wide! Square pegs in round holes!

On to Saturday in what really is a must win game with Birmingham. Let's hope we are up for it, because at present we are looking like a side on the decline. Let's stop the rot before it sets in. 

Two in one out!

Our last two games have seen a slight stutter as we drew 2-2 at Leeds no then went down 2-0 at league leaders Middlesbrough. 

The game at the Riverside was always going to be a tough one and it was tactics that did cost us in the end.

After holding out for the majority of the game, Paul Clement decided to gamble and try and snatch a win with his substitutions, but alas it backfired and we suffered our third defeat of the season.

We need to push on and replicate the first half of the season. Should we do that a top two place should be achievable. 

Clement has done his business early in the transfer window by bringing in Adboul Camara and Nick Blackman. What is interesting is that these two along with Tom Ince are capable of playing anywhere up front. 

I'm intrigued to see if he plays the 4-3-2-1 formation with these three behind Chris Martin as they can swap over from side to side during a game. 

Simon Dawkins has returned to San Jose in the MLS and I for one thank him for his efforts and wish him well over in the states. 

Alex Pearce has attracted the intention of several clubs and it would be no surprise to see him go given that he has barely played for the first team. 

The main topic on social media has been whether we will meet financial fair play rules next season. Although we have spent quite a lot this season, we do have insurance pay outs on various players and the fact that most deals are spread over a number of years. 

Also, the limits for allowed losses have been raised to 13m a season or 39m over the previous three seasons. The way in which Mel Morris has conducted his own businesses does tend to make people believe him if he says we will comply with the rules again!

Most of the moaning though has come from supporters of clubs who apart from not paying bills on time, have failed miserably in staying within limits. 

Saturday seesa visit to the North East as we face Hartlepool in the FA Cup. I'm expecting pretty much a second string side to be fielded for the game. It will allow Paul Clement to look at fringe players. Maybe a start or some game time for our new signings. What has been confirmed is that Jake Buxton should make his return from injury.