Two games into our Premiership campaign and Derby have just one solitary point to show for after two good performances.

Welcome to the big time Derby County! 

Against Portsmouth I thought the Rams played well for a 2-2 draw at Pride Park. Every Rams player looked at least the equal of their Portsmouth counterparts as Derby created more chances than Pompey. Sharper finishing power and tighter defending, however, would have seen the Rams grab the victory they deserved.

My two key moments from the game were the goals. An obvious choice - but I've chosen them for what they represented on our momentous return to the top flight. Matt Oakley's opening strike in the 5th minute was a real filip to players and fans alike, demonstrating that Derby County can create chances and score goals in the Premier League. The second, an 84th minute equaliser from Andy Todd, within a minute of going 1-2 down, proved that the never-say-die attitude and commitment of last season remained. It would have been easy for heads to drop after going behind so late in the game, but no, straight from the restart the Rams crafted a fine equaliser.

It was great to see a packed Pride Park again with a 32,176 attendance. The fans got behind the Rams from the off and knew just when to raise the ante. When things weren't going right, and the players needed a lift, the Rams supporters were there cheering them on.

Against Manchester City it was a similar story. A sell-out travelling contingent of Rams supporters saw Derby County put up a very creditable display against Manchester City but a single goal by Michael Johnson (not our, or should I say Luton's own Johno, but a 19-year old City prospect) just before half-time settled the game and the points.

Stephen Pearson in the first half, and Steve Howard after the break, both had very good chances to score against City but couldn't find the back of the net. Derby County again enjoyed more than their fair share of possession, and crafted some good attacking moves, but in the final third of the pitch the Rams appear to lack creativity, sharpness, and that essential ingredient of clinical finishing at Premier League level.

So two good performances mean the Rams have arrived in the Premier League and don't look out of place ... but just one point from a possible six leaves Derby County struggling at the wrong end of the league table with all the national media and pundits saying we were right, the Rams are relegation candidates.

It doesn't get any easier either. Already there are only 36 games to go and our next six are Tottenham Hotspur (away), Birmingham City (home), Liverpool (away), Newcastle United (home), Arsenal (away), Bolton Wanderers (home).

Highly fancied Tottenham, predicted by many to beat Arsenal into 4th place this season, will be smarting after two defeats already against Sunderland and Everton, and Spurs won't want to make it three losses against newly promoted Derby County on Saturday. Maybe now is a good time to play Spurs because confidence will be low and they will be very nervous in front of a home crowd? That said, I thought now would be a good time to play Manchester City with so many new foreign imports attempting to gell in their first home game of the season. It didn't work out against Manchester City, perhaps it will against Tottenham Hotspur?

Billy Davies and his back room staff know what needs to be done. Derby County need to find a way to win Premier League games and the Rams need to start picking up three point returns very, very soon. Given our fixture schedule over the next six games a home win over Birmingham City looks absolutely vital because if we fail to win that game I can see us being cast adrift by the time we entertain Bolton at the end of September.

As I mentioned earlier we need to improve creativity, sharpness, and that essential ingredient of clinical finishing at Premier League level. American midfielder Benny Feilhaber has joined and will be eligible to play as soon as his international clearance comes through. Flying Finnish left winger Mika Vayrynen also looks likely to join us, but there appears to be some doubt over a niggling injury the Fin has picked up.

After that, the Kenwyne Jones saga looks set to run and run with the tug-of-war between George Burley and Billy Davies taking place in the public arena of the national media and not just across a negotiation table behind closed doors. In many ways I see an ironic parallel with the Giles Barnes situiation - Derby don't want to sell Barnes so why should we expect Southampton to sell Jones?

Billy Davies has rubbished as speculation any interest in strikers Radoslaw Matusiak and Marlon King, which leaves confirmed striker targets, at least according to the Derby Evening Telegraph, of Jon Stead and Darius Vassell. Stead would be a good squad player but the prospect of Vassel joining doesn't excite me I'm afraid. I hope Billy Davies' spinning plates contain a few more striker names than Stead and Vassell.

With the manager saying a couple more new signings may arrive this week, I'm hoping there will be a pleasant surprise or two ... or three ahead of Saturday's visit to White Hart Lane.

We need to improve creativity, sharpness, and that essential ingredient of clinical finishing at Premier League level.

We need to score goals, we need to start winning games.

Photo: Action Images

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