Derby County: Pick up where we left off…?

Article by e-Derby County's Ross Lowe

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Finally. The post/pre-season period is almost over, and we can get down to the real business of the football season.

For Steve McClaren’s Derby County, that means heading into the new season under a totally different level of expectation than that of this time last year under former manager Nigel Clough. For many a top 10 finish would have been about right – a top 6 finish a sign of real progress but maybe a wish too far.

We finished 3rd and narrowly missed out on promotion in the Play Off Final. The summer has seen little headline-grabbing movement, apart from the protracted saga to sign George Thorne who so impressed in the final quarter of last season during his loan from West Bromwich Albion. Eventually Derby got their man, only for him to limp off 25 minutes into a friendly against Zenit St Petersburg with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, putting him out of action for 9 months. A cruel blow for both parties, and we wish George a speedy recovery.

However there has been much work going on behind the scenes. Firstly, Steve McClaren was tied down to an improved and lengthier contract. As the summer has progressed Jake Buxton, Craig Forsyth, Will Hughes, Craig Bryson, Jeff Hendrick and Mason Bennett have also signed improved contracts which represents a real filip to the club and is a sure sign that our best assets will not be likely to go cheaply and – more importantly – they see that Derby County is the best place for them at the current stage of their careers. Hugely encouraging, especially given the attention and admiration that Bryson, Hughes and Hendrick have received and also the undoubtable potential shown by Bennett.

There have been additions too. Cyrus Christie, signed from Coventry City to fill the right-back role so confidently commanded by Liverpool loanee Andre Wisdom last season (who now finds himself on a season-long loan at WBA) has looked like a good signing in pre-season games so far. Goalkeeper Kelle Roos (who was signed last season) has been given his chance to shine as regular shot-stopper Lee Grant recovered from a knee operation. He stepped up to the plate admirably against Zenit, saving a penalty in the process. The signs are that he will be prove to be good competition for Grant now that Adam Legzdins has moved on and he’ll no doubt flourish under the tutelage of Eric Steele.

There has been a raft of young signings too. Most notably, Spanish youth international Ivan Calero, a 19 year old attacking midfielder who joined from La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, has already got amongst the goals in pre-season. Former Arsenal and Sevilla midfielder Alban Bunjaku (20) arrived at the iPro early in June. 19 year old Brazillian winger Alefe Santos, a promising player who was also a target of Celtic and Hull City, joined the Rams at the beginning of July. Kelle Roos will also be kept on his toes following the arrival of 19 year old Jonathan Mitchell, a goalkeeper who joins from Newcastle United. Finally Shaquille McDonald, a 19 year old striker who was on trial from Peterborough United, has signed a 2 year deal.

Add to these signings the announcement of Derby County’s academy achieving a ranking of Category One status, putting it among the best in the country and the future does indeed look bright. McClaren has already shown his faith and shrewd use of younger talent – most notably with Will Hughes and Patrick Bamford, so it’s entirely possible that one or two of those younger players – possibly Calero – may feature on the bench soon. But what about the here and now?

There are rumours of more signings and you can be certain that McClaren will plunder the loan market which he so successfully used to his advantage last season once the Championship and Premiership are up and running. To be honest, more competition and cover is needed in a number of areas, specifically in the centre of defence as Shaun Barker doesn’t look likely to return from injury any time soon and Mark O’Brien continues to struggle to regain full fitness after a series of unfortunate injuries. Zak Whitbread, who signed a full-time deal following his loan-spell from champions Leicester last year may prove to be the answer, although the jury is still out on that one. More competition and cover was needed for leading-scorer Chris Martin too, who aside from his goals was a key component of the Derby County team of last season as so much of the forward play went through him. His five goals in pre-season (a hat-trick against Notts County and a brace against Glasgow Rangers) indicate that he is already itching to get started again. The signing of Leon Best on a season-long loan from Blackburn Rovers on the 04th of August looks to addressed this problem, and there’s no doubt that Best has the required experience at Premiership and Championship level to give Martin a run for his money.

And what of the hole left by George Thorne’s injury? Well, it’s worth noting that John Eustace had been doing an impressive job of protecting the back four in the holding midfield role before his injury in March handed Thorne his chance. While he doesn’t possess the speed or vision of Thorne, he’s a reliable player who could certainly fill that role for a while, but a full 90 minutes week in, week out might be beyond this particular veteran midfielder. Will Hughes, not someone you’d necessarily expect to thrive in that role, put in an excellent shift there in the Rangers friendly too and he could possibly start there in the opening game against newly-promoted Rotherham United on Saturday.

A final mention for pre-season has to go to Jeff Hendrick, who has continued his strong and impressive performances with which he ended last season. He has progressed and improved season by season, and there’s every chance that he could prove to be our star man in 2014-15.

So – the expectation. How will that sit with McClaren’s men? Only time will tell. Some may argue that the Play Off Final hinted that it may not be something they can handle, starting that game as we did looking like rabbits in the headlights before settling but – ultimately – failing. They’d be wrong to do so. They proved countless times last season that they can handle pressure.

McClaren has the measure of these players and he also has their respect, but it is down to them to get back to work in the knowledge that they have to again earn their place in the table, just as they did last season. Just give them time. My feeling is that they’ll be there or thereabouts once again at the end of this campaign.

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