Since the sacking of Nigel Clough from Pride Park (now the Ipro Stadium), Derby County have surged up the Championship League table to an impressive fifth place. New manager Steve McClaren has brought the best out of the Rams and pushed them well into the promotion race and turned around their fortunes since the defeat to local rivals Nottingham Forest back in September.
The question of whether Derby has enough to finish the season, and be promoted is interesting. The recent winning streak (seven in a row) has boosted morale massively and has really been the heart of the Rams promotion push. However, with the January transfer window looming, there are rumours that many Premier League clubs are looking to snatch up some of Derby’s best players. England under-21 star Will Hughes in particular is expected to make an exit from the Ipro to join Liverpool.
Fortunately, Derby County’s squad is a very strong one. With the likes of Ireland internationals Jamie Ward and Conor Sammon and Scotland international Craig Bryson included in the squad there is no shortage of quality in the ranks. On top of this, manager Steve McClaren is very experienced. With fruitful spells at Middlesbrough and FC Twente (Holland) and less successful stints at aforementioned rivals Nottingham Forest and the English National Team. He has seen all the highs and lows of football and has a wealth of knowledge because of it.
Predicting where Derby will finish is tough and really depends on what happens during the January transfer window. The recent winning streak ended on Boxing Day with a 1-1 tie at Huddersfield and confidence may suffer as a result. However class is permanent and should the squad stay as it is, I think they will finish 6th and be knocked out in the play-off semi-finals. However, as I mentioned, a lot is really riding on their January transfer dealings and how this shapes the squad going forward.
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