There are two questions weighing on the minds of Rams fans in the wake of last Saturday’s horrific performance against Leeds.

Firstly; how serious is the Rams’ less-than-mediocre start to the season?; and will the deadline day signings of Johnson and Butterfield bring about the improvement in form that many of us will be looking for?

In truth, it is very tempting to say that the Rams’ winless start to the season is meaningless; that there are still forty-one games left, and that is plenty of time for the team’s quality to shine through and win promotion.

To try and gain a little perspective on the question, I decided — as I so often do — to do a little research, and see what the statistics suggest.

I looked back at the last seven seasons and the two clubs who finished first and second in the Championship; then asked where they were placed after five Championship matches, and what was their record.

The results are not very encouraging for the Rams; of the fourteen clubs, the most common positions for them to occupy after five matches were first and second; only two were placed below 10th. Reading sat 21st in 2011/2012 and Bournemouth at 11th in 2014/2015.

The most common points total among the fourteen after five matches was 10; five clubs achieved this, followed by four clubs with 13.

The lowest number of points was Reading’s 4 in 2011/2012. None of the fourteen clubs had failed to win a match: the lowest win total after five matches was again Reading in 2011/2012 with just one win; six clubs had achieved four wins, and six clubs had three wins.

From all of this, what conclusion can be reached?

Injuries to Will Hughes and Craig Bryson in the first match of the season have left the Rams with a poorly balanced team and an ineffective midfield.

The Rams are not looking like a good team going through a bad patch, but a mediocre team playing to form. For a club hoping to finish in the automatic promotion spots, the Rams have made a very poor start and need to change the course of the season quickly.

Fortunately, Tuesday brought news that the Rams more than recognized that situation and acted promptly to solve the midfield crisis.

First, Jacob Butterfield was signed from Huddersfield after weeks of speculation, for a fee thought to be in the £4 million region, while Bradley Johnson arrived from Norwich for a fee described as a club record of around £6 million.

Butterfield had minimal exposure to the Premier League while with Norwich in 2012 (although he did not play any league games), but is obviously a well-regarded player. He has well over a hundred Championship games to his name — not a lot for a 25 year old — and a decent scoring record.

In comparison Bradley Johnson is a much more experienced player, having knocked around the lower levels with Cambridge, Northampton and Ebbsfleet, as well as having played quite a bit in the Premier League with Norwich in over 300 total league games. He has an exceptional scoring record for a midfielder, having scored 15 in last season’s promotion through the playoffs.

The Rams must be congratulated on these moves. There is still a great deal to be done before success is to be achieved this season, but the club has responded to adversity in the only realistic way; by bringing in players of proven quality to bolster the team where needed.

Paul Clement has a break now to introduce the new players to the team before the next match, at Preston on the 12th.

Certainly we can look forward to the next few matches with far more optimism than was the case as recently as Monday.

In 2011/2012 Reading finished top after a similar start; that is the precedent for the Rams to follow.

Photo: Action Images

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