Its been a difficult time to be a Derby County fan in recent years. The team have come so close to promotion to the Premier League, but ultimately fallen at the final moment in each of the last two seasons, despite possessing some talented players.
The 2012/13 season saw the club very cruelly lose the Play-Off final to QPR thanks to a very late Bobby Zamora goal, whilst last term the Rams were comfortably top in January, yet somehow ended up finishing outside the Play-Off places after a nightmare run of form.
That failure spelt the end of manager Steve McClaren’s time at the club, with the board deciding they needed to take the club in a new direction.
The man who has been given the task of doing this is Paul Clement, and he begins his era at the club having previously worked as assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid. Ancelotti has previously described his assistant as “One of the most dynamic and intelligent coaches he has ever met” and there are not many managers better to learn from and prepare you for life as a manager than the Italian.
This is going to be Derby County’s year.
Clement has wasted no time getting his affairs in order as the club look to push on to the next level and gain promotion back to the Premier League. The 43 year old has already improved the squad by making several key early moves in the transfer market, adding vital experience with a number of Premier League quality players.
Most importantly the club have secured the permanent signing of Tom Ince from Hull City for around £4.75m. Ince was a revelation during his loan spell last season, scoring an impressive 11 goals in 18 league appearances. The son of England international Paul is a very talented winger, and his speed and technique mean he is a constant threat to defenders. He will play a key role in any Derby success.
And he is not the only former loanee bought back to the club permanently. Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has rejoined the club, moving along with Villa park team-mate Andreas Weimann. Both players will significantly improve the Rams’ attack and strike fear into the hearts of Championship defenders.
To the relief of Derby fans the most troublesome area last season, the leaky defence, has also been significantly improved, with Alex Pearce and Chris Baird having come in. They are confident defensively and, in addition to new goalkeeper Scott Carson, offer a wealth of experience that will benefit some of the more inexperienced players at the club.
Derby’s squad now has to be the strongest in the league. The midfield of Will Hughes, Craig Bryson and Jeff Hendrick was amongst the best in the Championship anyway, but the new quality will only improve the trio.
It’s clear to see how much strength in depth this Derby team actually has. And all of this is has been said before free scoring attackers Chris Martin and Johnny Russell have even been given a mention.
There is a much more positive atmosphere around the club now and everyone associated with County is starting to believe they have what it takes to go up.
Clement will most likely use a style similar to that of Real Madrid, based around a technical, high pressure, counter attacking play. This is perfect for the players he has at the club, as the majority are comfortable on the ball and always look to move forward in possession.
They should be able to adapt well to life under the new manager, life at Pride Park finally looks good. Derby now appear to be a very strong side and have to be considered the favourites to go up.
