Ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Pride Park, LFW spoke to Derby fan Ollie Wright from The Derby County Blog to find out the latest on Paul Clement and his promotion-chasing Rams.
Moving in chronological order, what went so wrong last season? You looked quids in for automatic, then didn’t even make the play-offs…
OW: The reason usually given is that everything went tits up when Chris Martin got injured in February. It's more complicated than that, but it still makes no sense that the striker was never replaced with a loan signing, especially as we then collected two points out of 12 in a ruinous spell of games while Darren Bent was also unavailable.
At the same time - and this was just as damaging - all three of the club's senior defensive midfielders were out injured and McClaren never managed to find a system that worked in their absence. The back four was hopelessly exposed at times, but also started to commit a series of incomprehensible errors, as the season degenerated into farce.
I've just had to triple-check this, because it's so embarrassing, but from being top at the end of February, Derby won only two of their last 13 league games, gaining only 12 points. It was entirely irrelevant that we only needed a point from the final home game against Reading to finish sixth, because the players' confidence was so shot by that stage that they couldn't have got it against anyone. With hindsight, I remained in denial about the true scale of the disaster until the moment when our best player, Hughes, played a blind pass straight to a Reading striker, who gleefully scooted through to score. That was a matter of seconds in and the people of Derby knew perfectly well then that it was all over.
What did you make of the decision to part company with Steve 'Schteve' McClaren? How will he be remembered by Derby fans over his stint?
OW: Couldn't be happier that the chairman sacked him. He was given the chance to really build something at Derby, but as soon as he got wind of the Newcastle job being available, his heart was no longer in it. I'll never forget the interview he gave to BBC Radio Derby when he was asked, as a final question and almost as an afterthought, to 'put to bed' speculation linking him to Tyneside. He refused to do so, mumbling and dissembling and in the aftermath, club executives were forced to come out and deny it for him. McClaren did eventually state that he was 'going nowhere', but the damage had already been done.
The shambles he presided over at the end of last season and defeat in the 2014 play-off final is ultimately what he will be remembered for. So, his time at Derby goes down in the annals as a failure, which is a shame, because he galvanised the club on arrival in 2013, bringing back fans who had lost faith through playing an attacking, winning brand of football. It worked wonders for a brief moment in time and was just what the club needed after a lengthy series of mediocre Championship seasons.
What did you make of the appointment of Paul Clement when it was made? Any concerns about lack of number one/Championship experience?
OW: It was impossible not to be impressed by Clement's CV, but at the same time, you can never be sure whether a respected 'number two' will be able to make the step up and succeed in their own right. However, what has become clear already is that he is a very intelligent coach and it hasn't taken him long to get the measure of this division. The chaos of last season already feels something from a different lifetime.
Summer transfer business… who came, who went, who did you miss out on? Any big pluses or disappointments?
OW: We didn't miss out on any publicly stated targets, which says something about the way in which the club went about their business. The stars rather aligned for Derby, in that Financial Fair Play regulations, which they had adhered to rigidly since their introduction, were significantly loosened, while at the same time, 'local boy made good' Mel Morris took over as owner.
With the latitude and the means to act in the market, Derby started to ruffle a few feathers, taking the Rolls Royce centre back Jason Shackell from Burnley, powerful midfielder Bradley Johnson from Norwich, attacking midfielder Tom Ince from Hull and playmaker Jacob Butterfield from Huddersfield. All of those signings were expensive, so perhaps going under the radar a little was goalkeeper Scott Carson, signed for a genuinely undisclosed fee from Wigan Athletic.
All of those are significant additions, though the most important were Carson, Shackell and Johnson to add an experienced, competent spine to the side which wilted so pathetically last spring.
I forgot to mention the pacy forward Andreas Weimann, signed from Aston Villa for about £2m, who finally got his chance to start after Ince suffered an injury and bagged his first goal for Derby against Rotherham on Saturday.
August seemed a bit disastrous, bad injuries to quality players and struggling to post wins — any doubts about Clement then? What was the mood?
OW:The first few games were drawn and then we lost to Leeds in the last minute, which was about as welcome as a kick in the balls. So it was a huge relief when we finally got the first win at Preston on 12 September.
But as you've pointed out, the two then first-choice central midfielders were stretchered off in the first half of the opening match, while the holding role titan George Thorne was working his way back from an injury that saw him miss nearly all of last season. Until Johnson and Butterfield joined, teenager Jamie Hanson was thrust into the action in midfield and although he is a great prospect, more experience was needed.
Why has it clicked since?
OW: We didn't have much luck during the short winless spell and it was probably inevitable that Clement would take a while to adjust to the Championship and to management itself. Some felt his tactics were a little too cautious at first, but the upside of that is the defensive organisation of the team, which has been very good pretty much from day one. Ten goals conceded in 14 league games is an excellent record and the goals are now starting to fly in at the other end, with Wolves dispatched 4-2 and Rotherham tonked 3-0 in the last couple of weeks.
It took a while - and a few quid for two new signings to strengthen the midfield - but Clement eventually settled on his best eleven and we haven't looked back. Seven wins and two draws in nine matches is a fine run and there's a feeling around the place that the best is yet to come.
Stand out performers and weak links in the side?
The good news for QPR is that Thorne will be suspended for this game, but that means Johnson will likely sit deeper in midfield, with Eire international Jeff Hendrick coming in to play a more dynamic role alongside Butterfield.
At the back, Shackell and Keogh have struck up an excellent partnership, while the two attacking full backs, Cyrus Christie and Craig Forsyth, will bomb on whenever possible.
Up-front, key man Chris Martin combines guile with power and is a menace for any Championship defence. He will be supported by the pace of Weimann and the darting manouevres of Johnny Russell, starting in wide positions but with licence to nip inside.
Overall, I think this is a very nicely balanced team, with goal threats in all areas.
Short, medium and long term aims for the club…
OW: These were covered by the club's executives at a recent Fans Forum. The long-term aspiration is to become a 'perennial competitor' in the top half of the Premier League, with one of the best academies in the country. The medium-term goal is 'sustainable' progress in the Premier League, emulating Southampton and Swansea, who have improved incrementally season by season to the point where they are now nicely established in the the top flight. In the short-term, Mel Morris has said Clement will not have to look over his shoulder if Derby don't go up this year, but Clement responded by saying that he is putting that pressure on himself.
So, there is a very clear ambition for the club not just to go up, but to stay up. However, nothing can be taken for granted and there are several contenders for promotion this season.
If promotion is achieved is it going to be a case of yo-yoing for a few years to work yourselves into a position to give it a good shot, or do you expect the club to do what QPR do and chuck loads of money at it and try and stay there?
OW: At the Fans Forum last week, the execs made the point that while the £100m or so you get in TV rights and prize money for going up sounds like a lot, it 'actually doesn't go very far' if your team isn't up to the task and requires replacing from top to bottom in a flurry of new signings. Morris is a wealthy man, but he isn't Sheikh Mansour. So the philosophy they're adopting is that they want to identify, coach and develop players who are capable of making the step up. Derby can point to Hughes, Hendrick and Hanson as players who've been brought through the academy, plus players like Christie and Forsyth, who were recruited and 'trained on' to become first-team assets. However, to accelerate the process, targeted investment has gone in to get good players in their peak years, like Shackell, Carson and Johnson.
Clearly, there would have to be a reassessment of the squad and further trading if we do get promoted. For now, though, the team and squad is looking good. It's important not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but hopefully, we will enjoy this season, which is promising to be an exciting one.
Wins against QPR and at Forest a few days from now would put down a bit of a marker, so it's fair to say that the fans are really revved up for these two massive games. Expect a bumper crowd and a crackling atmosphere under the lights on Tuesday.
Links >>> The Derby County Blog >>> Ollie’s match preview with LFW answers
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