Stuart says, “Good luck, Derby County!”
Well the new Championship season for 2015/16 is finally here.
And it’s not the only thing that’s new for the Rams. Derby County have a new chairman, a new Head coach, new First Team Coach, new Goalkeeping Coach, not to mention seven new players and a new captain.
There’s no doubt that the recruitment team at Derby County have had a very good transfer window. The new signings – Scott Carson, Jason Shackell, Alex Pearce, Chris Baird, Tom Ince, Andreas Weimann and Darren Bent – all add Premier League experience to the Rams squad as well as, in most cases, International experience to boot.
Early in the transfer window the club announced that the only players leaving would be those Head Coach Paul Clement couldn’t give playing time too – and the club have been true to their word.
Some senior players have gone out on loan though – Raul Albentosa to Malaga, Conor Sammon to Sheffield United, Kelle Roos and Farrend Rawson to Rotherham United, and Kwame Thomas to Blackpool – but all of these have been on our terms. Of course a silly bid of crazy financial proportions could see players leave but, so far, it would appear there have been no such bids.
Clement has a senior squad of twenty-four players at his disposal – three goalkeepers and 21 outfield players. Youngsters Jonathan Mitchell, Isak Ssewankambo, and Jamie Hanson are part of the senior squad but Mason Bennett, Ivan Calero, Alefe Santos, Kwame Thomas and Max Lowe have missed out… at least for now.
The combination of adding seven very experienced players, and keeping all the players Clement wanted to keep, means the strength in depth of the squad has increased and there is genuine competition for places in all positions.
Clement has explained that we need a strong squad to see us through a long 46-game Championship season, plus League and F.A. Cup campaigns, and that the players will all get playing time throughout the season. That’s true enough, but only 11 players can be on the pitch at any one time and I think Clement biggest challenge will be to keep all 24 players happy.
Pre-season went well, after a somewhat shaky start, and it was noticeable that the players performed much better after the training camp in Holland. The Rams won four, drew one, and lost one of their six pre-season games. A disappointing 1-2 defeat against Grimsby Town was followed by five games unbeaten.
I saw three of the pre-season games. The Rams were unimpressive in their 1-0 victory at Nothampton Town but I was impressed with the 1-1 draw against Villarreal and the 3-0 victory at Burton Albion.
Second guessing Clement’s team selection for the opening fixture at Bolton Wanderers is an almost impossible task. Apart from not knowing which system the Head Coach will deploy, there are questions to be asked and answered in all areas of the team.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we see one 11 run out against Bolton Wanderers and a completely different 11 take the field against League Two Portsmouth in the midweek cup-game.
It may not be until the home games against Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough that we start to see anything resembling a settled starting line-up. And that’s assuming Clement wants a settled line-up as he has talked up a big squad and the need for rotation.
Expectations are running high for Derby County supporters. Season ticket sales have been phenomenal and the Rams’ fans turned up in their droves for the Villarreal and Burton Albion games.
I’m confident and optimistic for a successful season but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Rams get off to a slow start. A new Head Coach and football philosophy, seven new players, two or three different systems, not to mention a more rotational approach, and that’s understandably going to take some time to bed-in.
The result against Bolton Wanderers isn’t the be-all-and-end-all because whatever the outcome there will still be another 45 games to go. The season is, after all, a marathon not a sprint – just ask AFC Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich City. The important thing is not to get off to a sprint start (as Nottingham Forest did last season and look where they finished) but to be at the head of the pack come the final whistle on Saturday 7th May 2016.
After the achievements of the last two seasons, and spending an undisclosed but largely thought to be £9.5 million on seven players, I think anything less than 6th place would represent a season of under-performance. Let’s face it, we made the play-off final two seasons ago and should’ve made the play-offs last season.
After last season I’m not expecting automatic promotion, even though I think that is a realistic aim for Derby County this campaign. With the additions, the squad is better placed now to cope with injuries and suspensions and a young and relatively inexperienced squad has been bolstered with leaders who have played in the Premier League and know how to get there.
So I’m expecting to qualify for the play-offs at the very least and am hoping for automatic promotion.
Our season starts Saturday at 3.00pm away to Bolton Wanderers.
Good luck, Paul Clement.
Good luck, Derby County.
Stuart Hughes
Twitter: @StuartHughes65
