da 888casino： Last season was yet another year of frustration for Derby fans.
da dobrowin： Under Steve McClaren the club very nearly made the play-offs after a good first half of the season, and then that was followed up by play-off misery under Darren Wassell.
It was the second time in three years that Derby were involved in the play-offs, losing the 2014 play-off final to QPR.
This year under the guidance of Nigel Pearson, Derby will be looking to go one better and get the promotion that they’ve come so close to getting so often in the past.
Optimism must be rife at the iPro Stadium when you consider Pearson’s record of achievement. Having taken Leicester up to the holy land that is the Premier League and keeping them there in exceptional circumstances, the County supporters know that the right man is in the hot seat.
Equally, if you consider that eight of the Leicester team that won the title last year were Pearson’s players, Derby fans can relax in the knowledge that this guy knows a decent player when he sees one.
As with every Championship season, it will not be easy. Big clubs are on their way next season and will be looking to secure an immediate return. If Villa and Newcastle both get promoted, as could be expected, then that one last place in the Premier League is about to be fought out by at least a dozen clubs that are capable of putting up a fight.
Derby have been in the second tier since the fateful 2007/08 season when they finished bottom of the Premier League with just eleven points.
So, this is the year that Derby need to make a statement of intent. The best manager for them is in place and Championship ready players have seen it and done it before, but this time promotion is certainly a distinct possibility, as the three relegated sides will not have it all their own way.
According to the new boss, the squad look very talented. “Seeing the players in the early days has backed up what I, and as we as staff, suspected in that we have some very talented players here,” Pearson said to the Derby Telegraph.
Pearson still has players to return from international duty, but the ex-Foxes boss knows how hard life is in The Championship.
After spending £24m on transfers throughout the past season, the loss to Hull last year was a massive failure to an ambitious club.
Pearson knows what it takes to get out of the division and will be looking to add that missing ingredient to get them over the line on this occasion.
“Derby County is one of the biggest clubs in the country, a club in excellent shape and one with strong ambitions,” Pearson said. His track record shows that he knows how to set up a team, he knows how to win and how to win in the Championship, most importantly for now.
Derby have been installed as one of the favourites to go up, but escaping from the Championship will be no easier next season. Indeed, it promises to be tougher than ever.
The two automatic promotion places in the Championship will be fiercely contested, as will the battle for top-six finishes. Play-offs offer an alternative route to the Premier League although they offer an arena in which anything can happen, as Derby have found to their cost and pain in two of the last three seasons.
Derby’s aim has to be promotion, that has become expected after the last three seasons. Pearson, however, will be no different to other new managers, head coaches or players in that he may need to be given time to get his message, his methods and his thoughts across.
If Derby don’t get promotion, there is the danger that the consequence is stagnation in a tough league as many other ex-top flight clubs have found out over the years.
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