Former QPR coach Steve McClaren brings his Derby side to Loftus Road this weekend knowing the board at Pride Park believe the club should now be set up for a play off push.

Overview

Such is the legacy left behind by the late Brian Clough in East Midlands football, it's difficult to know whether being the great man's son is a help or a hindrance to Nigel. On the one hand the pedigree, both family and from his days as a player, stand him in better stead in job interviews than most other candidates, but then on the other the expectation levels of the younger Clough are always going to be far higher than they would be for any other manager of similar age and experience.

To his credit he started cutting his managerial teeth at Burton Albion rather than being parachuted into a top job, dragging them steadily up through the non-leagues and through a move to a new stadium under the astute chairmanship of Ben Robinson. A very decent grounding ahead of a move to Derby County in 2009.

There was plenty to admire about his work at Pride Park over the last five years as well. The Rams were a shambolic mess when he took over, weighed down by a squad so colossal in size it required double training sessions every day just to get everybody out on the pitch at some point. It had suffered through being promoted to the Premier League just 12 months into Billy Davies' three year plan and had then become embroiled in an ultimately unsuccessful battle to avoid humiliation — signing 26 players in a season and a half as first Davies and then later Paul Jewell thrashed around wildly looking to arrest a decline that became terminal after a Premier League record one win in 38 match campaign.

Clough was charged with preventing a free fall, hacking into an enormous wage bill, cutting the size of the squad in half, and eventually rebuilding to the point where they might be able to go back to the top flight and have a proper go at it. No small task, and one that was always going to take time. Clough's work at Bruton Albion had been impressive, but it was conducted under the calm, patient influence of Robinson and took place over ten years. The state Derby were in when he arrived meant another decade long programme would probably be required. It seemed unlikely that any manager would be given ten years to slowly and steadily improve Derby County in the Championship and so it has proved.

Clough had done everything asked of him. Derby's squad and wage bill is now manageable, and the club is promoting exciting youngsters from within to its first team — Will Hughes and Mason Bennett have impressed. There here had been signs earlier this season that they might finally be in a position to have a little poke at the play off spots. The Yeovil fans we interviewed for this column earlier this season rated the Rams as the best team they'd played to that point — they won 3-0 at Huish Park, and 5-1 at Millwall. But a three game losing run, culminating in defeat at bitter rivals Nottingham Forest, saw Clough out of a job.

The Derby fans we spoke to this week didn't seem overly upset by the decision. The approach work had been sound, but the time for foreplay is coming to an end and it's time for Derby to start performing. Having whipped the squad into size and shape Clough seemed to have got to a point where he was essentially just shifting the deckchairs around, moving players in and out each summer and never seeming to get any closer to the top six. Hiring a manager that took ten years to get Burton Albion right for a long term project and then moaning that the progress is slow seems a bit like hiring Kelly Brook for a calendar shoot and then moaning that her tits are too big but when senior board members are making pre-season promises that the top six is a bare minimum requirement for the season it does rather ratchet the pressure up somewhat. Still, Clough can count himself unfortunate.

Step forward Steve McClaren to fill the position. The former England manager has become something of a figure of fun in football in recent times — ponsing about with an umbrella while his England team crashed and burned in European Championships qualifiers, putting on a Dutch accent for his television interviews at Twente, arriving at Nottingham Forest and then leaving within 25 minutes. He spent this summer rebuilding his reputation in this country with QPR, covering for Harry Redknapp while the manager went in for knee surgery and winning hearts and minds with a positive outlook, innovative training sessions and focus on fostering team spirit at a demoralised and newly relegated side.

QPR haven't looked nearly as good since he left while Derby have improved considerably but the Rams could have committed the ultimate mistake with McClaren whose record means he could fairly be described as an excellent coach but a lousy manager. Derby profited from his skills as a number two in the 1990s when he assisted Jim Smith and the Rams performed well in the Premier League, but giving him the top job doesn't seem to play to his strengths. Derby have been at pains to describe him as the "head coach" rather than the manager and results have been positive, and matches fiercely entertaining, since he arrived.

McClaren will surely struggle for another number one position in this country at any kind of level if this one goes wrong so cannot afford to fail. Derby seem to believe they're finally ready to move forward after a lengthy repair job. An intriguing 18 months ahead at Pride Park.

Interview

Opinions from a couple of Derby fans this week PK Brum from our sister Fans Network site Ram Zone and Scott129 from the Derby County fans forum. Click the links to see the other responses we got to our questions this week. Thanks to everybody who helped out.

So, sacking Nigel Clough, good idea or bad idea? Seemed to come a bit out of the blue after a reasonable start to the season.

PK: Generally, good idea. Great work from Clough to chop the budgets and rid chaff from the shocking squad left by Billy Davies & Paul Jewell over 5 years ago, but steady progress to mid-table after 5 years amid much player-churning hasn't set Derby on fire. Fans are crying out for some pride and success to be restored - and the new CEO declared 'Top Six - absolute minimum' as the target before a ball was kicked this season. Clough wasn't delivering, so sad as it was, the deed was done. Whilst respecting Nigel's contribution, the masses have not marched on the club demanding reinstatement.

Scott So far, so good. I don't think Clough was ever going to take us up, it was just a question of whether the board were happy with mid-table mediocrity for the foreseeable future. Now we know they want promotion and they want it soon.

Thoughts on Steve McClaren’s appointment? Did a great job with QPR at the start of the season but is he a coach rather than a manager?

PK: McClaren is head coach - his best domain. A technical director will join soon to help him. Steve has a very good pedigree and qualifications and it should be remembered that he fashioned Derby's brilliant mid-90s promotion and Premier League teams with Jin Smith, when we enjoyed Stimac, Eranio, Baiano, Eranio, Asanovic, Wanchope and others. We haven’t seen anything like it since Alex Ferguson plucked McLaren from us to be his second in command at Old Trafford. The coaching capability and potential at Pride Park has gone up several notches and optimism is returning.

Scott: That's exactly his role here: head coach. I must say, I didn't expect it to go as well as it has so far but, hopefully, we can keep it up and he'll have us in or around the top six. Very pleased so far though.

What changes and differences McClaren has made so far?

PK: A more positive tactical and selection policy, wiser substitutions, more belief and hunger in the team. Fitness is improving. The 4-4 comeback vs. Ipswich was astonishing and the thrashing of DirtyLeeds most satisfying.

Scott: Most of all, it's been the positivity he's brought to the club. The team don't seem to fear anyone in this division now and we know McClaren is prepared to take a gamble (putting an extra striker on when 2-2 at Watford), something Clough would never do. More than anything though, he's brought a real buzz back to the fans.

Where is the team strong and where is it weak? Who should we be watching out for and targeting?

PK: The defence loses shape and concentration, but the midfield and strike-power can be formidable. We have a great away record. Bryson and Hughes are the engine room and creators-in-chief, John Eustace just gets stuck in and sits 'on watch' around the midfield, and Conor Sammon will give defenders a bashing if selected. Look out for Liverpool loanee defender Andre Wisdom, too - he looks quite a prospect. Ohh - and McClaren knows quite a lot about QPR 2013-14, so hopefully 'Arry will have a difficult afternoon, if the Derby players can covert Steve's wisdom and instructions....

Scott: The whole defence is weak. Set pieces are our major downfall and I'd fancy us to concede at least one from a corner on Saturday. Going forward though, we're up there with the best in the division (we were joint top scorers before Saturday, not sure how it stands now). Will Hughes is always a threat when he's on his game, Chris Martin's dangerous up front with his link-up play (and diving) and Craig Bryson and Jamie Ward have chipped in with a few goals each (the former's our top goalscorer). You're also quite fortunate that Johnny Russell's out too, he's a nifty little striker.

What are your hopes and ambitions for the rest of the season and beyond?

PK: After the CEO's vamp-up of our prospects before the season and the renewed bullishness since McLaren arrived, anything less than a top six finish would be a familiar anti-climax.

Scott: I expect top eight, would love top six but I'm predicting seventh. At the very least, I want us to win more games than we lose, something we didn't do under Clough. Playing some attractive football would be nice too. In the long term, a real charge at promotion next season with actual promotion the season after would be fantastic.

How do you, and the Derby fans in general, feel about the club’s owners?

PK: The GSE Corporation said that they do things 'just that bit better' on their site promos, going back five years - well, they do networking and budgetary control pretty well, but football is supposed to be the primary product - and their naivety has regularly been exposed. There are some super-rich members of the consortium but fans cannot help concluding that English football and DCFC come a little way down the pecking order of GSE's fun interests, compared to their Stateside and Canadian sporting hobby-horses. We'll be proved wrong if DCFC ramp up the table, get promotion and stay in the Premier League.

Scott: I honestly have no strong feelings towards them one way or the other, just complete apathy. As for other Derby fans, some people like them, some really hate them, mainly because we think they don't put enough money into the club.

Links >>> http://www.dcfc.co.uk/>Official Website >>> http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport>Derby Telegraph local paper >> Ram Zone site and forum >>> Derby County fans forum >>> http://www.derbycounty-mad.co.uk/>Derby Mad site and forum

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TacticalR added 22:24 - Nov 1 Thanks for your oppo report and to the Derby fans. It really is incredible what havoc promotion under the wrong circumstances can wreak. You have to feel sorry for Clough as he did what he was asked to do. It's a shame McClaren left us as he genuinely seemed to relish working with the players, and some of the spark seems to have gone out of the side since his departure. It remains to be seen how he gets on at Derby, but his rapid exit from Forest shows he doesn't have much patience with the politics of football.

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