When a player returns for a match against one of his previous clubs, as Jason Shackell did with the Rams at Burnley on Monday, there is always some uncertainty about the reaction he will receive from the home fans.

During his three years at Burnley, Shackell made 128 league starts; given that one of those seasons was in the Premier League, it looks to me as though Shackell missed only two league matches over three seasons.

That statistic suggests he pretty much gave it his best shot for Burnley and by all accounts he had an excellent season for them last year in the Prem.

Although there was a certain amount of bitterness surrounding his move to Derby in the summer, I would say he could certainly expect to be treated with respect by the fans when returning to Burnley.

Instead, Burnley fans spent much of Monday’s match having a go at Shackell; they seemed much more interested in his performance than in that of their team. I have rarely seen supporters so obsessed with one of their former players; they likely would not have cared as much if their team had lost, as long as they felt Shackell had played poorly.

For me, some Burnley fans looked a bit single-minded at best; at worst the phrase 'let it go' came to mind. Their team has moved on; Burnley is an excellent team with a strong defence; it is time for these fans to move on too.

Moving on to the match itself, is there anything useful we can learn from the defeat?

Possession does not in itself mean much to the result; the Rams supposedly had sixty per cent of possession and a large majority of the corners, yet the result showed we were hammered.

The midfield was more involved than in recent matches and Jacob Butterfield in particular put in a good shift capped with a beautifully taken goal. In central midfield, the only real alternative to the three who started at Burnley is to bring in Hendrick, since Bryson does not appear ready to take a major role just yet.

Up front, we were hit and miss; Nick Blackman lacks the ball skills to be an effective wide man, while Martin and Ince had moments but did not offer a consistent threat. It is not obvious which way to turn, with Bent and Weimann seemingly out of favour, Clement has fewer choices than it appears on paper. Ince may offer the best chance of a goal so it may be time to rest Martin and play Ince and Blackman together.

Camara has pace and the ability to send over a good cross; he is our only effective wide man at the moment, and must start next time out. He will make mistakes due to inexperience but already looks unafraid of Championship defenders.

For some reason, the Rams’ defence which has so often looked solid this season was jittery whenever the ball was in our penalty area and our central defenders backed away from the man with the ball in a similar fashion to the worst days of last season.

If he was to change things up at the back, what options does Paul Clement have? Jake Buxton started at Hartlepool and I wonder if it might be time for him to return for a league match.

Whatever the decisions, they need to be made quickly as the fixture computer has given the Rams a golden opportunity to get back on track.

We do not play one of the current top six until the 5th April when Hull arrive at the iPro. The next five league matches are Preston (H), Fulham (A), MK Dons (H), Brentford (A) and Blackburn (H). It simply does not get an awful lot better than that.

That said, even five wins might not be enough to get back in the top two, but it would make things look a great deal better. Clement needs to get the players organized, confident and ready to play; just as they did for much of the first half at Burnley.

February and March look like being interesting times and I hope they prove to be prosperous months for the Rams.

Photo: Action Images

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