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.