HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums.

“My team is third in the table. We are moving in the right direction and trying to play good football. I have been watching my club for 46 years now and have learned to become content and grateful with such circumstances”, “We are in a decent position but so are a number of other teams.”

“Let’s not get too carried away, folks.” After drawing four and losing one game in August, a run of 11 victories and just one defeat in 16 matches has propelled Derby into third place. A comfortable 4-0 win on Tuesday at home to Bristol City has kept the Rams firmly in the hunt for a top two place.

“There is a long way to go.” After narrowly losing a play-off final two seasons ago and falling away dramatically in last season’s league run-in, Rams are taking nothing for granted this time around. “This will go down to the wire and probably won’t be decided until the final game of the season.”

“Last season we lost confidence because we couldn’t see games out. We now have the squad and the belief, those together are dangerous.” While keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground, Rams nevertheless have confidence that they have the manager and squad to achieve promotion.

“I am more confident this season. This time last year it felt very up and down and we had thrown away a number of games through sloppy defensive errors. This season since the first five games we have been very consistent with no major cock-ups and a fantastic defensive record.”

Paul Clement

“The style we enjoyed under Steve McClaren was very much gung-ho and this of course eventually caught up with him. We are far more methodological, careful and controlled now while still being pleasing on the eye”, “I have a lot of faith in this guy and so far it is working out.”

The Rams’ manager assisted Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and fans can see the Italian’s influence in his low-key approach. “Everything I have seen of him has been calmness personified so far. He comes across as very organised and doesn’t talk in riddles or meaningless drivel analogies.”

“As much as I like Paul Clement, he isn’t a Jurgen Klopp”, “I do think he’s a bit over the top with the statistics though. Obviously it’s important but referring to half and full-time statistics after a win can be a bit draining. I would like him to show some emotion but he is a bit too cool-headed for that.”

“Paul has made it abundantly clear that the size of your transfer fee does not give you a starting place and he is raising the bar as to what is expected every week”, “I love how he can suss things out during a match. His half-time talks must be calm instructions instead of ranting and raving.”

Many have contrasted him sharply with his predecessor. “McClaren just watched eight months of hard work unravel with 13 games left. With no loan signings and little change in tactics, he was like a stunned rabbit in car headlights. I’m pretty sure Clement would have taken more decisive action.”

Formations - Plan A

“We seem able to hold most teams at arm’s length and we have the best defensive record in the division.” Rams widely agree that the return of Jason Shackell from Burnley this summer has greatly solidified a defence which has conceded just 13 goals in the league this season.

On Saturday, most Rams expect to see the same 4-3-3 system (above) used in recent draws at Sheffield Wednesday and at home to Brighton. The model is not too dissimilar to that employed under McClaren. Chris Martin and George Thorne act as pivots with midfielders running in and linking with the striker.

“Clement must sort out our midfield. Brighton pressed high up the field to nullify George Thorne. As a result Bradley Johnson was dropping deep to take the ball from defence. Thorne was effectively standing there as a third centre-half leaving us outnumbered in midfield.”

The defence is solid but the team struggle when teams press and man-mark Thorne, who initiates many attacking moves. This has forced both him and the midfielders back, isolating the striker and reducing the number of runs the midfielders can make to feed off Martin’s linking through passes.

“We have to improve on how we deal with teams that press high up the field”, “When we are being hustled, the sharp one-touch passing is the first thing to go and we start trying to dribble from all areas of the pitch”, “We need to find a way to pick up our game playing against teams that press.”

Both Brighton and the Owls used this tactic successfully, stifling the Rams’ tempo. “Our slow play against Brighton was largely because our midfielders dropped too deep”, “That was frustrating at Sheffield. We made six-yard passes look difficult and there seemed no urgency to get on the ball.”

Formations - Plan B

“I wouldn’t call it dropping Thorne or Martin, purely using our squad”, “Derby journalists have been told it is a 4-2-3-1 shape.” Fans were bemused when they saw Thorne and Martin omitted from the starting XI for Tuesday night’s win over Bristol City (below). “This system adds pace and directness.”

Clement changed the shape and style to counter the Robins’ three-man defence. Darren Bent up front pulled defenders out of position with his runs, a contrast to Martin who draws players to him. Tom Ince was deployed more centrally to link play with the former Town striker.

“Paul Clement gets a 10 tonight, excellent”, “It is a clever move and certainly not a weak side, plus if we smash them then we have our elusive Plan B”, “As the game wore on Ince [who scored a hat-trick] looked for Bent and vice-versa. It was a good night for both.”

It is worth adding that many Rams felt that the introduction of Thorne on the hour mark helped elevate the effectiveness of this new system. The former West Brom man replaced Jeff Hendrick and the team scored three goals after the switch, “lifted by the twinkle of Ince’s magic”.

Derby 4 - 0 Bristol City

“A nice three points, Rams, now on to Ipswich”, “I suppose it will be back to the regular formation at Ipswich”, “It always seemed to me like a game of when rather than if”, “Bristol were very poor, the worst I have seen here this season”, “You can only beat what is in front of you”, “Ince was up for it.”

Ince revelled in his more central role and his hat-trick, with goals in the 42nd, 63rd and 71st minutes, came courtesy of two low shots stemming from runs at the heart of the Robins’ defence with his third set up by Darren Bent. Johnny Russell added a fourth goal with a bullet header on 76.

Derby 2 - 2 Brighton

“A point shared is probably a fair result but we needed the win at home”, “We were lethargic and slow, which invited counter-attacks and suited them down to the ground”, “While we controlled the majority of the game and had the best chances, it felt like we could be hurt at any point.”

The Rams came from behind twice in last Saturday’s game. Bradley Johnson headed home a corner on 41 minutes after Seagulls’ Manchester United loan signing James Wilson flicked home an opener for the visitors on 22 minutes. “Brighton are brilliant at pouncing on the mistakes of other teams.”

Rajiv Van La Parra, on loan from Wolves, put Brighton ahead again striking home after a counter attack before Martin rescued a point from the penalty spot two minutes from time after Gordon Greer fouled Russell. “There were times when it was tactical and times when it went full-blooded.”

“Considering the embarrassment of riches we have in midfield, I thought this was our poorest area. I am bemused as to why we didn’t target the wide players more. Ince and Stephen Warnock were often in acres of space but it was closed down by the time the ball worked its way out to them.”

“Brighton are up in the top six to stay”, “They reminded me of the Hull team who were promoted a few years ago. They all seemed very comfortable on the ball, had a clear game plan and way of playing, passed the ball with ease and looked pretty clinical without many truly standout players.”

Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 0 Derby

“A fair result in a dull game, we never looked like conceding but neither did they. Both sides were poor today”, “That was frustrating. We made even six-yard passes look difficult and there seemed to be no urgency to get on the ball”, “The lack of tempo reminded me of our defeat to Forest.”

“The limited chances we had we didn’t convert.” Derby came nearest to a goal after the break when a Johnson shot hit the crossbar from an indirect freekick inside the penalty area, while Lee Grant pulled off a fine save from a Ross Wallace shot. “It was a laboured team performance.”

“Wednesday did very well to stop us from playing”, “Martin and Thorne have been sussed out and it may be an opportunity to work on new tactics”, “Our wingers were poor and our midfielders were too deep, leaving Martin isolated”, “We were too content to play nowhere football in our own half.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

“We are lucky to have two very good goalkeepers at this level.” With ex-Wigan keeper Scott Carson missing the last three games with a back injury, 32-year-old former Claret Lee Grant has covered in goal for the last three games. “I always feel Grant has a howler waiting to happen.”

“If Carson is fully fit, you have to go with him”, “I feel more at ease with him. He has been brilliant.” Most see Carson as the natural first choice. “Carson is a more confident communicator and is more commanding”, “He has been outstanding but Grant must be one of the best backups in the division.”

“Cyrus Christie is constantly running up the right wing in an attacking position and crossing the ball directly to Martin. Last season the ball would be released earlier to Ince who would cross it or cut in and go for goal”, “Defending has been his weakness but it has definitely improved this season.”

“Christie was dreadful against Brighton, poor decisions all game”, “Reluctant to pass to Ince.” The 23-year-old ex-Coventry right-back “was drawn out of position and Brighton exploited the space for their first goal”, “He did okay but it looked like Brighton game-planned to stop him bombing on.”

Former Leeds left-back Stephen Warnock “had his usual steady game against Brighton but his lack of pace was exposed for their second goal”, “It was harsh to blame him. He was in ample space on the left waiting for a simple pass. Our midfield messed up, leaving him drastically out of position.”

“I don’t understand how Warnock wins so many headers.” The 34-year-old “keeps getting better”, “It amazes me how high he jumps above other players. I’m really glad to see him make that position his own and prove a people wrong”, “He is a solid player defensively and gets up and down well.”

“Another excellent performance by Richard Keogh, he drove us forward against Brighton during our lacklustre patches.” The 29-year-old ex-Coventry centre-back “is undoubtedly comfortable on the ball and can pick a pass. One thing we should do more often is allow him to drive through midfield.”

“The Sheffield Wednesday game was Keogh’s best performance of the season, excellent”, “Thorne is often so tightly marked that Keogh could exploit the space and push up.” The former Town youth player and one-time ballboy is benefitting from playing “consistently well” alongside centre-half partner Jason Shackell.

Jason Shackell

“Flawless in defence, Shackell is looking worth every penny and his partnership with Keogh is looking like one of the best in the league.” The 32-year-old former Canary “was superb alongside Keogh at Hull [a 2-0 win] and Hillsborough. He won every header and is a potential player of the season”.

“Shackell has been amazing so far. The Owls game was the first time I genuinely noticed how much he does for the team”, “Our best defender”, “He is unflappable, but I just wish he was a bit better with the ball at his feet”, “He is sound defensively but has the passing range of a brick wall.”

Central Midfielders

“We look better with Jeff Hendrick in the side. We seem more dynamic”, “His primary strength is to use his stamina and pace to be an extra body in midfield and become a second striker in attack”, “It’s refreshing that we have a player whose sole aim is to push forward and look for openings.”

“Hendrick’s lack of effort gets me.” The 23-year-old youth product has been heavily criticised for his poor defensive work. “He seems to polarise opinion”, “He switches off in games”, “He tags along, which he will do unless you give him the ball in the final third where he finds some real motivation.”

“Jacob Butterfield is benefitting from playing with better players. If he gets forward he knows the door behind him is pretty well shut.” The 25-year-old former Huddersfield midfielder “was brilliant in the 15 minutes he played at the end against Bristol”, “He showed Hendrick why he’s winning that battle for the shirt.”

“Does anyone think that with Butterfield and Johnson we have a Gerrard and Lampard situation in that we don’t seem to gel when the two of them play at the same time?”, “I’m still not convinced that they work well together. We were much better when Butterfield went wide against Brighton.”

Bradley Johnson

“Johnson is a serious threat from set-pieces”, “He is a potty-mouthed thug, but I’m glad he’s our thug”, “He is in beast mode going forward but dodgy defensively. I’d be wary of him getting sent off”, “He was extremely laborious in deep areas against Brighton, playing on Shackell’s toes.”

The 28-year-old former Canary “is poor when he has time to think and sit deep. He gets caught in possession or hits aimless diagonals for Ince. He should be pushed forward”, “It was another mixed-bag performance against Brighton. He scored a good goal but lost possession so many times.”

“I’m torn about Johnson. He is big, strong, causes problems and scored a cracking goal but he was instrumental in setting up Brighton’s second goal and gave the ball away as well before their first. I get nervous every time he gets the ball in our own half. He’s not a good player given time to think.”

George Thorne

“If we get George Thorne playing on the halfway line, all our play is dictated in the opponents’ half. The problem is that when stifled he sits very deep and we sit in our own half as a consequence”, “Is he being found out? Our worst performances are when he has a man stuck to him like glue.”

“If teams play with two attacking midfielders, they peg him back which causes the other midfielders to sit and drop deeper.” The 22-year-old ex-Baggie “was awful against Brighton. He was terrible and kept giving the ball away”, “The midfield fell apart when he couldn’t take time and pass the ball.”

Thorne enjoyed more time and space on Tuesday night. “He came on and balanced things up nicely”, “Thorne changed the game. He was better in the tackle, aggressive and passing accurately”, “He added steel and control to our midfield”, “A majestic footballer, much better than in recent games.”

Wide Midfielders

“Is it me or is Johnny Russell really bad at the moment?” The 25-year-old ex-Dundee United wideman “runs into trouble and loses the ball with startling regularity”, “Looking well off it at the moment”, “He seems to have turned from exciting dangerous attacking threat to brainless winger overnight.”

“Russell is more direct than Ince and could expose the lack of pace in Brighton’s defence”, “Let’s have some praise for Russell. That header against Bristol was sublime, the best of the night”, “He doesn’t have much of a football brain or a great first touch but when it goes right it really does.”

“I am beginning to worry about Andreas Weimann. You wonder if we can do better.” The 24-year-old ex-Aston Villa man’s “huffing and puffing can make the difference in tight games but I see him as a Conor Sammon upgrade rather than a first-choice winger”, “He is blowing hot and cold.”

“A striker who is playing out wide”, “Weimann’s quality on the ball is poor. I have no doubt he’s quick, capable of snapshots and is very lively in the box but his work out of it just isn’t enough”, “It’s okay having a winger close to Martin but sometimes the lack of width on the left flank is a problem.”

Tom Ince

“Good to see Ince do what he does best”, “He needed a game like this to gain some confidence and basically jump-start his season”, “His work-rate against Bristol was superb as well, tracking back and winning the ball”, He was as brilliant as he has been woeful recently. He needs consistency.”

The 23-year-old former Hull City player has struggled out wide where he has been peripheral and often double marked. Playing more centrally against the Robins “his tail was up and he wasn’t second-guessing himself”, “He prefers the number 10 role. He can get further up the pitch and do more damage.”

“Disappointed in his contribution”, Ince struggled against the Owls but there were signs of a return to form against Brighton. “Ince was much improved. Bristol City could be interesting”, “It was nice to see him play with some fire in his belly”, “He stepped up and was unfortunate not to score.”

Strikers

Rams were quick to praise their manager for making a big call up front against Bristol. “It takes courage to drop your top striker. Chris Martin has been poor for weeks”, “Bristol would have gone man-for-man had he played and it would have made it a much easier game for them defensively.”

Chris Martin

“Chris Martin is a solid Championship player but not much more as we need a bit more pace and movement”, “He looked terrible and completely out of the Owls game until Bent came on. He never competed in the air or even won his usual freekicks. There was very little movement.”

“Recent performances have not been up to his usual high standard. His best work is holding the ball up and bringing in midfielders to play off him. This creates openings behind opponents’ defences. Teams have worked out if they isolate him by getting the midfield to sit deeper it nullifies him.”

One Ram looked closely at his penalty technique against Brighton. “Several seconds before Martin took it, he gave a definite sly glance to the bottom left corner before putting on a deadpan straight stare. He put the penalty away exactly where he had glanced. It could be a giveaway in the future.”

Darren Bent

“Playing Darren Bent was a stroke of genius against Bristol City. He pulled the centre-backs all over the place to cause the damage”, “He worked the channels and dragged them out of position”, “He didn’t score but his all-round play was far better than Martin’s has been in the last six games.”

“We have seen how Bent can disrupt a back four.” The 31-year-old former Blue and Villa striker “had his first start for months and looked the part”, “Playing him allowed the three attacking midfielders the space to cause so much damage”, “His performance and support play deserved a goal.”

The former England international had been used as a substitute before Tuesday’s game. “We looked a lot more dangerous at Hillsborough when Bent came on with Martin flicking the ball on to him”, “We seemed to go a bit longer when he came on but overall he had a positive effect on the game.”

“Bent starts against Bristol, plenty of offsides then”, “Although he gets caught offside he wins more knockdowns than Martin. “ Rams have criticised one facet of his play. “We could honestly stick a cardboard cut-out on the edge of the six-yard box and it would be offside less often than Bent.”

Rams’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“Ipswich are an entirely different beast to Bristol City. It will be interesting to see what Clement chooses to go with”, “Usually big Mick's teams like to batter you as their strength is normally their greatest attributes, but this current Ipswich side does have pace.”

With 54 per cent of Rams backing an away win and just six per cent predicting an Ipswich victory, they are travelling to Suffolk with high hopes. The vast majority have gone for a 2-1 away win with a 1-1 comfortably the most popular draw forecast. Former Canaries Martin and Johnson are the most popular scorers.

“This will be a really tough game”, “I always find the Ipswich games are a good measure of our current squad and ability. They are always a difficult team to play against and results are tough to call. If we come out of this with a good result, having played well it does a lot for confidence.”

“It's apparent from the highlights of the Ipswich-Fulham game how quickly Ipswich break on you. They have a lot of pace from midfield going forward and I can see that troubling us. This might not be a good game for Thorne. He reads the game well but is hardly the quickest or most nimble.”

“Ipswich won't give us an inch of grass without a fight, a relentless team with pure graft. They will have about 60 per cent pass accuracy. So long as we don't expect them to sit and admire us then I feel confident”, “These will be all over anyone who's half asleep.”

“There has been no draw in this fixture at Portman morgue for 35 years”, “I’m glad Paul Cooper is no longer in goal for them. I recall he saved three Derby penalties once. One was retaken and he saved both.”

“Credit to Mick McCarthy, the Tony Pulis of the Championship. His teams are always hard to beat. If you watch the squad, you could say they are overachieving too. They sold Tyrone Mings for huge money and brought in a cheap but very good replacement in Jonas Knudsen. We must be ready for his long throws.”

There were a number of kind comments about our manager but one Ram was less complimentary: “I don't what it is about McCarthy but I always want to see his teams beaten. He has this recipe that is very well based on graft and virtue.

“It isn't bad but there is something joyless but efficient in the ethic of it. It just doesn't appeal in a footballing sense. He strikes me as an Oliver Cromwell sort of manager. I am probably being unfair on him but three points there would be extra sweet.”

Websites

The busiest Rams message board is the informative and lively DCFCFans.UK.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

TR11BLU added 11:20 - Dec 18 Great read as ever Harry. Plenty of respect from their fans, tinged with the usual arrogance... Really hope we give these a bloody nose and really hope they dont go up. This should be a pre Christmas cracker, cant wait. All I want for Christmas is three points....please!!!
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londontractor85 added 11:37 - Dec 18 Fantastic work as always Harry. I think the Derby fans were brought back down to earth with an almighty thud after their fall from grace towards the end of last season. It looks like they've got themselves sorted out now but I'm hoping we can turn a corner with our home form and start getting a few wins instead of draws! I'm going for a hard fought 2-1 win, Murph is due a goal and Sears (who was a real handful against Fulham) to stick the other one in the onion bag. 3 points just before Christmas would be the perfect present leading into the busy period! COYB!!

4

Steve_M added 11:45 - Dec 18 So, basically we put a man on Thorne and press their midfield at every opportunity. Also don't let Johnson referee the match like he did the league game at Carrow Road. We were much better against him in the play-offs. Tough game for us tomorrow but play like we did first half against Boro and take chances and we can get something out of it - I hope it's a win.
4

ericclacton added 11:53 - Dec 18 Well done Harry, there is a ton of talent in the Derby team, to get anything from this we have to be really on top of our game. I have decided to wear my brown trousers, brown socks, brown dancing brogues, brown sweater, brown string vest with eight inches cut off the bottom, my orange three quarter length coat and my lucky pink scarf!!!!.......................seasons greetings Harry to you and yours, your notes get the votes.

3

jas0999 added 12:30 - Dec 18 Another enjoyable read thank you. Good kind words from Derby. They need not worry about Knudsens throw, but on the whole they have summed us up pretty accurately.
3

theipswichman added 12:58 - Dec 18 Huge contrast to the Derby fans of last year, seem to have lost all the arrogance they had from then. Perhaps their fall from grace made them realise their not as good as they think they are. A win here could be huge especially when we have to travel to Brighton and Burnley in the next three games.
2

ArnieM added 13:06 - Dec 18 STUFF 'EM TOWN, that's all. COYBSSSS
2

streety86 added 13:09 - Dec 18 Please no more long throws!!
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carsey added 13:41 - Dec 18 Of course I want to see Town win and close the gap on those above us but I have to nod in agreement with the comment at the end of the article which says McCarthy's teams have a tendency to be joyless and efficient. Don't get me wrong I will settle for that if the results go our way but oh how I wish we could play opposing teams of the pitch and by keeping the ball.
2

hoppy added 13:50 - Dec 18 Busy as ever, Harry. Cheers.
1

blues1 added 14:11 - Dec 18 Guys. Theres nothing wrong with long throws as long as the player in the box they're aimed at moves to the ball to get a flick on, rather than stand still waiting for it. Something that actually did happen at mk last sat and we nearly scored from it.
4

commuterblue added 14:21 - Dec 18 Nice work. Portman Morgue? If you're going, please prove them wrong.
1

LankHenners added 16:30 - Dec 18 Thanks Harry - seems like we really need to press them and be at our hard-working, tireless best to stop them from playing and then catch them out. In the best possible way, we need to be big bullies and not let them get everything their own way. A very good test for both teams here. As others have said the almost vile arrogance has seeped out due to their fall in grace last season. Martin or Johnson will surely get their goal if they score one. We frustrated them very well in the last two home games - Martin could have gone for an off-the-ball rugby tackle on Berra the season before last and last season Eustace could/should have walked before half time and several other times before his eventual dismissal in the 90th minute.

2

JCBLUE added 22:18 - Dec 18 Great report Harry, please note Mick!
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Tractorog added 00:34 - Dec 19 I'm not looking forward to this one. The fact that the Bristol result was won with their plan B team is a reflection of how much money has been chucked at them, but still impressive. I am not convinced Knudy and Chambers will cope - I hope my pessimism is proven wrong. If we do go ahead then we certainly can't just sit on the lead as we have been doing recently. The thing we have that does seem to frighten them is pace. I'm hoping Sears scores early again and we catch them on the break a few times. Hopefully this is the match when we learn what to do with that long throw at last.

0

BuckieBlue added 11:33 - Dec 19 Thanks Harry. 'These (us) will be all over anyone who is half asleep,' is a great quote!
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