Derby County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, and has played its home matches at Pride Park Stadium since 1997. Notable for being one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888, Derby County is one of only 10 clubs to have competed in every season of the English football league system, with all but four of those being in the top two divisions. The club was founded in 1884 by William Morley as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Its competitive peak came in the 1970s when it twice won the First Division and competed in major European competitions on four occasions, reaching the European Cup semi-finals as well as winning several minor trophies. Additionally, the club was a strong force in the interwar years - finishing league runner-up on three occasions between 1926 and 1936 - and won the first post-war FA Cup in 1946.
After a lay-off towards the end of FM20, I've had a bit of a break from Football Manager games but am now fully ready for the release of FM21 and after a careful thought making process, have reached an ultimate conclusion. I've chosen to take the reigns at Derby County, in real life, currently sitting at the bottom of the ladder in the EFL Championship and having just sacked manager Phillip Cocu, I decided they would be a good project to take over.
If we rewind a few years, Derby County were consistently the nearly team, making the play-offs year upon year but ultimately missing out. The squad has since been depleted, with the most recent departures being promising full-back pair Max Lowe and Jayden Bogle to Sheffield United. However, as several more players have been fleshed out, the squad has a young core which presents promise for the future. The first season will be a struggle and the focus will be avoiding the drop zone.
One thing which will be different from normal for me, is that I do not have any additional face packs or licensing to the game. As my computer is running low on storage, there isn't enough space remaining to accommodate the 10GB+ worth of files needed. Hopefully no one really minds that much and a positive is that we are in the fully licensed EFL Championship meaning the majority of faces will be in the game for the league.
As I sat down with the board for the first time, they discussed their vision for the future.
The club are aiming for a steady progression over the next 5 years, with an end goal aim of being promoted to the Premier League. For now, all I have to focus on is developing young players and avoiding a relegation battle - which should be achievable. Hopefully the young players do develop to the point where they can become some of the better players in the league and help us gain promotion.
Afterwards I looked in towards setting up a potential starting XI. We have a transfer budget of 0 meaning that the squad we have will have to do the job bar a potential loan deal or two. A couple of key players in the shape of Krystian Bielik, Wayne Rooney, Duane Holmes and Kelle Roos are injured for the beginning, however a few of them should be fit for the start.
For now, this is the tactic I've set up. Currently we have six teenagers within the starting line-up with a mix of youth and experience hopefully producing a useful blend. Our striker is the only player below three star ability and I will look through the loan market to try and find a starting striker as our main signing of the window. I'm not particularly keen on using the 33-year-old Colin Kazim-Richards, who I have had previous with. I also went to the development center and called up five players to the first team who will play bench roles.
The window began slowly as we tried to raise the funds for the deals which we wanted to make. As mentioned in the above post, our main aim was a capable loan striker. Josh Maja fit the bill from Bordeaux, but despite an accepted loan offer, Maja rejected us in favor of a loan move to AFC Bournemouth in the same division. As a result, we had to look elsewhere, and I went to my Director of Football for some loan suggestions.
He suggested a few options; the one which caught my attention was Adam Idah, a promising young Irish striker loan listed at Norwich.
The transfer process was relatively quick, with the player eager to join and other clubs refraining from offers despite interest. He comes in as the best natural striker at our club, although Wayne Rooney technically has a better ability up top despite not being a natural striker in the game. At just 19, Idah has a good amount of potential and despite no potential future fee attached, he could still be an option to look at in the future on a permanent basis if he succeeds at the club. Hopefully he can deal with the pressure of being the main source of goals for the club.
I did want to sell a few players and looking through the squad, Curtis Davies was 35 years old and behind three other centre backs in the pecking order. He was also one of the higher earners in the squad, meaning his sale could free up valuable funds in the wage bill. Despite only raking in 35,000 pounds for the experienced defender from Minnesota in the MLS, the deal was a financial success given his age and his wages. I didn't transfer list Kelle Roos, but multiple clubs came in for him. Valued at 275k, we got slightly under that for the 28 year old goalkeeper who recently returned to full fitness. I lined up a better goalkeeper who would not cost much more and is a little younger than Roos. He was a decent goalkeeper but isn't a massive departure in the grand scheme of things. Craig Forsyth had been a great servant to the club, but was probably not going to get a lot of appearances. It may raise a little concern within the dressing room, but for just under 500,000 I accepted an offer and he will join Swansea. The 31 year old is behind Lee Buchanan in the pecking order and is past his prime, meaning it is probably best that he continues to have regular football at a different club.
Graeme Shinnie is quite a decent player but was unfortunate that young players of similar ability were favoured over him. He wasn't on the bench and when Rooney returns from injury he will move even further down the selection order, so it was worthwhile to move him on and at the age of 29, he will probably spend the rest of his career in the MLS playing for New York City FC. However, the transfer does not actually go through until the 10th of February in 2021, so we will have him for about half the season.
That aforementioned goalkeeper was Leopold Zingerle, the 26 year old of recently relegated SC Paderborn. He was available on the cheap and is better than Roos was ever going to be. I don't understand how the fans think we have too many goalkeepers as we only have the two (Zingerle and David Marshall) but regardless the signing is a good one for just 300,000 pounds an he comes in as our starting goalkeeper over the top of Marshall.
My final permanent signing was a back-up right back in the shape of Mads Roerslev, who should eventually take the reigns from Nathan Byrne if things go as planned. Via player sales we managed to raise adequate funds to purchase the promising young full-back. Roerslev is blessed with suitable stats, good crossing and passing ability as well a decent amount of natural pace.
To account for the depature of Craig Forsyth, I loaned in a back-up LB in the shape of George Bello. If he has a good year, I arranged an optional future fee of 5 million pounds. He will be back up to Lee Buchanan for now, but is only 18 years of age so can develop into a Premier League level left back. We will pay a decent sized monthly fee but we didn't have the money for a permanent acquisition and he was the only one who really fit the bill.
Our final signing of the window was a loan to add another body in midfield given a couple of sales in that region. Han-Noah Massengo has Championship experience with Bristol City, is only 19 years old and despite coming with a number of additional costs, we have just about enough finances to account for it. He should be a great rotational option for the season.
We lined up a deal for Ricky Jade-Jones, a 17 year old striker from Rochdale, but the deal costs about 500,000 pounds and we only had 275,000 pounds remaining. The deal has been delayed but it doesn't look too likely it will get done.
We cruised to a first win in our first competitive game at Derby County. George Evans opened the scoring, before Adam Idah scored on his debut. Barnsley looked like they might get back into the game when they pulled one back, but a pair of late goals, including a debut goal for Bobby Duncan, propelled us to a comfortable victory - the perfect to kick-start our managerial reign.
MoM: Loaned in defender Matt Clarke was a solid presence at the back and also provided an assist for Idah's goal before scoring the goal to put the game to bed.
EFL Championship Matchday 1 vs Reading (H)
We began the league season with a mildly frustrating draw against Reading. Matt Clarke scored again from a set piece to put us in the lead and we maintained that lead for a good portion of the match. Unfortunately they pulled level after a poor challenge in the box, but I though we'd won it prematurely when Kamil Jozwiak scored in the 83rd minute. Unfortunately, we only came away with a point after Ovie Ejaria equalised for Reading a minute from time.
MoM: The award goes to Matt Clarke in consecutive games, as he was our best player all around again.
Carabao Cup 2nd Round vs Middlesborough (A)
We were back in cup action here and faced a side of similar quality to us in the shape of Middlesbrough. The match went relatively similarly to the first round tie against Barnsley, with us taking a 2-0 lead before they pegged one back. Thankfully, we were able to put this tie to bed as well as Louie Sibley popped up with a nice strike from the edge of the box to confirm the win and progression.
MoM: Despite not having a goal to his name, full-back Nathan Byrne bombed up and down the right hand flank, notched an assist and showed impregnable stamina throughout.
EFL Championship Matchday 2 vs Luton (A)
That was followed up with a terrible loss against Luton. We didn't play better than Luton but I wouldn't say we deserved to lose and it was an unfortunate moment for Leopold Zingerle, our new goalkeeper, who scored an own goal right at the death. Late goals have prevented us from having more points than we do and hopefully we can put together some league form soon.
MoM: Despite the poor team performance, Kamil Jozwiak can still hold his head high, with a well taken goal and a decent performance in the game.
Carabao Cup 3rd Round vs Swindon (A)
The cup games came in thick and fast and we were presented with our easiest game so far against Swindon. However, we were unable to break them down and they almost scored from a massive chance in the second half. The game dwindled out to penalties, where Zingerle proved the hero after the disappointment of his last game, and Duane Holmes netted the winning penalty to send us through to the 4th round.
MoM: Mike Te Wierik put in a stellar performance at the back for us and was vital in ensuring that we did not concede.
EFL Championship Matchday 3 vs Blackburn (H)
This was one of the fastest games of FM which I've ever played. There was a single highlight which came in the 87th minute, but aside from that, absolutely nothing happened. The xG for both sides was extremely low in a dull affair and not our best result, at least we kept a clean sheet, however.
MoM: Mike Te Wierik followed up one stellar display with another in securing a second consecutive clean sheet for us.
Carabao Cup 4th Round vs Everton
We faced a tough test in the 4th round of the Carabao Cup and went crashing out courtesy of Everton. Dominic Calvert-Lewin truly could've scored about 5 goals and we didn't begin to play well. Adam Idah seems to only score in the cup but now that we're out of it, hopefully he can start scoring goals in the league. We achieved the expectation of the board to reach the 4th round, which was good.
MoM: Goalkeeper Leopold Zingerle has improved significantly since his 90th minute error against Luton, and despite conceding three, it could've been quite a few more if not for a few brilliant saves.
EFL Championship Matchday 4 vs Norwich (A)
I made a mistake and accidentally played the first game of October here, but I don't mind given the fact that we overcame our toughest Championship opposition so far to win our first league game, 2-0. Kamil Jozwiak is proving to be a consistent source of goals and it was our most complete performance to date, with Zingerle putting in a fine performance between the sticks as well.
MoM: Despite another goal for Jozwiak, it was Leopold Zingerle who again took top honours, keeping Norwich at bay and ensuring that we didn't concede.
Player of the Month
Despite maybe not having the best opening month, we had a number of standout performers, the best of which was centre back Mike Te Wierik. The 28 year old is our oldest starting player, although Rooney returned against Norwich, but he is in his prime and showing it with solid performances at the back.
We got a solid result against one of top sides in the division here against Watford. They dominated early and capitalized but we responded well and deserved out late equalizer from Adam Idah. It was positive to see Idah carry his cup form into the league here and we follow up our first win of the season with a decent point in the league.
MoM: Max Bird was instrumental throughout the course of the game with neat passes and was influential in the build up to the late goal.
EFL Championship Matchday 6 vs Huddersfield (A)
Our away venture to Huddersfield played out in similar fashion to our previous game. This time we took the lead through Jordan Ibe's first goal for the club but weren't able to hold that lead for the duration of the match. In reality, it was another fair result and despite having quite a few draws this season, I am content with the majority of them as they have been against similar or better sides on most occassions.
MoM: Full back Lee Buchanan provided an expert delivery for Ibe's goal and proceeded to have a solid match at left-back. At just 19, he is settling in as a consistent full back who has a promising future.
EFL Championship Matchday 7 vs Nottingham Forest (A)
Unfortunately we slumped to defeat in our next match, against 3rd placed Nottingham Forest. Their superiority showed from the opening kick as they ran the show and ultimately deserved to win by more. Adam Idah got another goal to his name which was promising but on the whole the performance and subsequent result was disappointing.
MoM: Despite a poor result, Matt Clarke had a quality game at the back. Mike Te Wierik had an off day but his centre back partner did his best to make up for that with crucial blocks and tackles which prevented the scoreline from getting worse.
EFL Championship Matchday 8 vs Cardiff (H)
We redeemed ourselves with a good win against Cardiff City. Both sides won penalties in an otherwise dull first half and both converted confidently. It took a while for the game to come to life, but it all started with the introduction of young winger Morgan Whittaker who replaced Kamil Jozwiak, who has had a difficult month after a promising start, and changed the game. Whittaker scored twice and almost grabbed a hat-trick as his electric pace meant his defender could not handle him.
MoM: Single handedly winning the game for us, Morgan Whittaker showed all of the top potential he has in a clinical 15 minutes on the pitch for the youngster.
EFL Championship Matchday 9 vs Bournemouth (A)
Bournemouth came into this fixture having won all 8 of their games and top of the league. I will say now that I think we should've won this match. A lapse in concentration after our equaliser aside hurt is in one of our best performances. The attacking play was brilliant but lacked the finishing touch and Adam Idah was superbly denied by their keeper in a chance to make it 2-2. Rooney, Knight, Jozwiak and Idah all had more golden chances which went untaken. The ultimate difference was the clinicality of a side who are flying in the league and their increased levels of confidence divided the two sides.
MoM: Max Bird scored a thunderous striker from way out and was our best player regardless of the goal with a few key passes and distribution throughout the match.
Player of the Month
In a mixed month, the positive was that our best three players in October were Morgan Whittaker, Lee Buchanan and Max Bird, all of who are 20 or under. The youth is developing and Bird was the star man this month, with more than one top performance. His passing range was on display and he capped his month off with a brilliant strike against Bournemouth.
We start off with a disappointing result at home against QPR. It was a tense match which neither side dominated but the away side were able to take all three points through a late Yoann Barbet header from a set piece. It was good to see Louie Sibley score a nice goal from the edge of the box, but that was the only positive in a largely uninspiring performance.
MoM: Despite the goal for Sibley, it was Jordan Ibe who set him up and was for the most part, the only player looking to make something happen.
EFL Championship Matchday 11 vs Barnsley (H)
Our result against Barnsley was considerably better, although it took us a while to get going. We were perhaps a bit lucky to go ahead through a moment of misfortune resulting in an own goal. It took another bright performance off the bench from Morgan Whittaker to finish them off in the 86th minute, before a stoppage time goal from Kamil Jozwiak added the gloss.
MoM: Mike Te Wierik was at his best with a commanding defensive performance to ensure a clean sheet.
EFL Championship Matchday 12 vs Bristol City (A)
We finally manage to win back to back games for the first time in my tenure at Derby. Kamil Jozwiak also scored in consecutive matches and after a drought in the last month, it is good to see him back amongst the goals this month. We put in a complete performance today and that was capped with a fine finish from Adam Idah to ensure we came away with three deserved points.
MoM: It was a close run thing, but Matt Clarke just pips Adam Idah as he commandeered the backline just as Te Wierik did in the previous game.
EFL Championship Matchday 13 vs Middlesbrough (A)
There was nothing worth talking about here aside from the fact that we've kept three clean sheets in a row.
MoM: The award goes to Clarke again for the same reason as the previous match.
EFL Championship Matchday 14 vs Wycombe Wanderers (H)
Really disappointing. Despite losing a match this month, this is our worst result. Wycombe are 20th and struggling and off the back off some decent form I expected much better. At least Mike te Wierik saved us from complete embarrasment with a 94th minute goal to salvage a point. Worth pointing out that Jordan Ibe scored an absolute banger as well.
As you can see from the statistics, we completely deserved the win. There were 4 goals in the game and we should've had all of them, instead it ended 2-2. Adam Idah also had a goal ruled out for a questionable offside. Things went against us today, Mike Te Wierik cleared the ball into Ikpeazu's head and he didn't even know it hit him for their second goal. I think it's fair to say we've been FM'd.
MoM: I'd like to give it to no one but I'll give it to Te Wierik who, despite his error, saved our bacon today and deserves credit for picking himself up from his mistake.
Player of the Month
Matt Clarke and Mike Te Wierik have been two of our best players so far and their partnership continued to blossom, to the detriment of CB Krystian Bielik, who is returning from injury.
We start off with a lackluster performance at home against Coventry which is disappointing. I was hoping for a better result but instead it is three draws in a row. Adam Idah missed a crucial penalty in the second half and our xG was vastly superior again, but we couldn't make it count. At least we kept a clean sheet and remained solid at the back in contrast to our previous game against Wycombe.
MoM: Lee Buchanan led the defence by example with a good performance at left back. He recorded an especially high percentage rate of both tackling and passing. At least we can take a positive from the game.
EFL Championship Matchday 16 vs Millwall (A)
Our run is extended to four draws in a row, and I was hoping for three of those to be wins, including this one against Millwall. Despite the fact that we were away from home, we came to the match with an attacking mentality and that was rewarded early in the second half when Adam Idah poked home from an inviting ball into the area. But just moments later we were pegged back and were left to rue another missed opportunity to make progress.
MoM: Lee Buchanan massively impressed again, bombing forward and back whenever needed and providing an assist with a low cross for Adam Idah.
EFL Championship Matchday 17 vs Brentford (A)
Brentford came into this match 1st and flying so I was not expecting anything and unfortunately the side met my expectations today. We came to the game with a lack of energy and desire, playing like we'd already lost the game before we'd even conceded. Ivan Toney was a class above with his finishes and his brace killed us off in a game where about every player looked exhausted.
MoM: Despite only getting a 6.8 match rating, Jordan Ibe was still our highest achiever in the game which shows that no-one performed well.
EFL Championship Matchday 18 vs Stoke (H)
No idea where this came from! After a five match winless run, the players showed a level of finishing not seen before in my tenure. Tom Lawrence has been in an out of the team but asserted himself on the left wing today with a brilliant performance. Adam Idah scored a hat-trick and also missed another penalty, meaning he is now off penalty duties. I won't dwell on that too much and the entire team performed well, the polar opposite of the Brentford game.
MoM: Despite an Idah hat-trick, the award does in fact go to Tom Lawrence, for two assists and a goal. He also won the penalty and Stoke couldn't deal with him today!
EFL Championship Matchday 19 vs Swansea (H)
We follow that up with a decent result against Swansea, despite the fact that it is yet another draw. We fell behind extremely early on as Swansea broke through us easily, but we recovered and deserved a leveler through crisp finish from Jason Knight. The game dwindled in excitement after that, with no other moments really worthy of note bar a few half chances.
MoM: Jason Knight is really beginning to evolve into a top level Championship midfielder as he links the play and can pop up with a goal, as seen today.
EFL Championship Matchday 20 vs Rotherham (A)
Another incredible performance here, with another Adam Idah hat-trick! We dispatched Rotherham 5-0 today and are beginning to look like a much better side with players actually finishing chances. Idah has often been hit and miss and usually needs more than one good chance to score, but he is still young and has now scored 7 goals already this month! Brilliant.
MoM: There was no denying Adam Idah this award for a second time after another brilliant hat-trick (and no missed penalty this time!)
EFL Championship Matchday 21 vs Preston (H)
It was another very good performance as we managed to defeat Preston 3-1 at home. Adam Idah scored his 8th goal of December, Louie Sibley ran the midfield and scored a goal and Wayne Rooney was on penalty duties rather than Idah and cooly placed his spot kick into the corner. They managed to pull one back, but it didn't preent us from celebrating another positive result.
MoM: From minute one to minute ninety, Louie Sibley orchestrated the midfield, perfectly distributed possession and scored to cap it off.
EFL Championship Matchday 22 vs Birmingham (A)
A great way to cap off a busy month with a fine win against Birmingham, who we overtake in the table following this win. Jason Knight before Krystian Bielik sent me a message that the club has three very good centre backs in the team with a fine header to make it 2-0. I was nervous at half-time as they pulled 2 goals back in 2 stoppage time minutes, but the players perservered, and wingers Jordan Ibe and Kamil Jozwiak ensured we came away with all three points.
MoM: The young midfield prospect Jason Knight again showcased his talent with a fine goal and a very lively performance.
Player of the Month
Adam Idah actually won the Young Player of the Month award after 8 goals in 7 matches this month. Despite the fact that 6 of those were in 2 games, he was a joy to watch up front and Norwich will be delighted with his development, making it all the more harder for me to try and purchase him permanently in the summer.
EFL Championship Matchday 23 vs Sheffield Wednesday (A)
We start off with our worst result of my tenure so far with a 1-0 loss to bottom placed Sheffield Wednesday. In such a positive vein of form, I expected and hoped for that to continue, but the team disappointed, and Sheffield Wednesday deserved their win.
MoM: As stated, they deserved to win and Leopold Zingerle prevented the score from getting worse with a few decent saves.
FA Cup 3rd Round vs Doncaster (H)
We recovered with a routine win to progress in the FA Cup. A brace from Kamil Jozwiak had us flying within the first 20 minutes. Nerves were struck when they pulled one back but within the next minute, Jordan Ibe had restored our two goal advantage. Kamil Jozwiak missed a penalty for a hat-trick opportunity but thankfully a commanding header from Mike te Wierik sealed the deal towards the end.
MoM: Despite also missing a penalty in the game, Kamil Jozwiak scored a crucial brace that sent us on our way to the 4th round.
EFL Championship Matchday 24 vs Rotherham (H)
We won the reverse fixture, which was also away from home, 5-0 last month. Despite that game being just a few fixtures ago, the team didn't have the same energy and drive for the majority of the game. It wasn't until midway through the second half, after a fine composed finish from Mads Roerslev for his first Derby goal, that we were ignited. Adam Idah couldn't replicate his hat-trick but managed to nab a vital second goal for us.
MoM: Lee Buchanan was brilliant at left back once again, proving his consistency beyond his years.
EFL Championship Matchday 25 vs Bournemouth (H)
A good result but at the same time disappointing. Bournemouth are 2nd in the league so a point is very decent, but the manner of the draw was disappointing. They went down to 10 men and we capitalized within moments through a fine goal from Olamide Ibrahim (making just his second appearance), but unfortunately we couldn't hold on, as a clumsy challenge from substitute right back Jordan Brown gave them a way back into the game and it finished level at 1-1.
MoM: The substitute Olamide Ibrahim injected life into the game and scored a fine goal from distance to cap it off.
FA Cup 4th Round vs Coventry (A)
We continued to march through the FA Cup here thanks to a comfortable win against Coventry. Wayne Rooney seems to be our only player who can actually score penalties and his spot kick had us on our way just 4 minutes in. Goals from Max Bird and Morgan Whittaker sealed the deal. However, we were the unfortunate recipients of a 5th round tie against Liverpool, meaning we can probably say goodbye to any dreams of progressing beyond then.
MoM: It goes to Lee Buchanan again, for a dominant performance and his energy down the left hand side showed once again.
EFL Championship Matchday 26 vs QPR (A)
This was a crucial game as we were hovering in the top half and QPR were in the final play-off spot so a win would've seen us make up a lot of ground but unfortunately we came away with nothing, and instead fell further behind. A play-off chase isn't all that realistic but it would've been nice, and we came close, with Adam Idah putting us in front and us not losing until an 84th minute winner from Lyndon Dykes. Unfortunate, but we're still in the mix.
MoM: Mike Te Wierik was pretty good at the back despite concerns of coming up against a physical striker in Dykes (despite the fact Dykes did end up scoring he was still solid).
EFL Championship Matchday 27 vs Bristol City (H)
And then this happened. We were at home, Bristol City were 18th. Yes we haven't had the best month in the Championship, but to lose a match 5-0 was horrendous. In the second half we completely collapsed and let them break us down easily, time and time again. Our xG was 1.01 and there's was 1.66, so the scoreline is a little harsh, but it was more a case of us being horrible at the back then them being brilliant.
MoM: One of our January signings was Cohen Bramall and he was the only decent player, most likely because he was substituted on with the score already at 5-0.
Player of the Month
Lee Buchanan deserves further recognition for his consistent and crucial performances in our system. The 19-year-old has a big future, but he is already showing concerns that he wants to move to a bigger club. Hopefully, those concerns do not materialize.
Colin Kazim-Richards has not played for me, so despite only raking in a minimal fee, it was an easy decision to offload him. The experienced striker moves on yet again, this time testing the waters in Scotland.
Martyn Waghorn was another example of someone who was getting little game time. Although he is a decent player, I favoured about 5 wingers over him, so we managed to get some decent money and clean the wage bill a little more by selling him off to Birmingham.
After numerous attempts and 2,394 rejected contracts, it took until deadline day for Duane Holmes to finally move on. Despite the fact that he was a rotational option who was in and out of the team and a versatile back-up, he never really performed and I lined up a much better player as a replacement.
Player Incomings
Our first signing was Ben Close, a cheap rotational midfielder who will step in for Graeme Shinnie when he leaves on the 10th of February. He may not be the best players but he can do a job and is only 24, so will be a decent back-up whilst we are in the Championship. For such a small amount of money, it seems like a decent deal.
I realised that George Bello's loan was only for 6 months, and it would cost around 1 million to get him back in on loan, so I opted to sign Cohen Bramall instead. He isn't as good, but we didn't have the money for Bello and Bramall presents himself as a decent back-up. Plus, with Buchanan a top left-back, we probably did need someone like Bello sitting on the bench all the time.
A pre-contract signing up next, Stuart Findlay didn't want to renew over in Scotland, so the 25-year-old centre back will join us next season instead. He is having a very good season for Kilmarnock and he is a potential replacement for Matt Clarke, who will leave after his loan expires.
On deadline day, we signed a player who destroyed us playing for QPR just a week ago in the shape of Bright Osayi-Samuel. He was transfer listed by QPR and is one of their best players, but has now become one of our best players for just $1.8 million! I am really pleased with this signing and he will slot in as our starting right winger.
We start with a relatively disappointing result. Given that it is off the back of a 5-0 home defeat and we were away from home, it might not be all that bad, but we probably should be winning these types of games, no disrespect to Barnsley. It was good to see Adam Idah score another goal and it evolved into a game of two halves, with us dominating the first and them taking control of the second.
MoM: Centre back Matt Clarke was as solid as ever as he nullified several second half Barnsley attacks.
FA Cup 5th Round vs Liverpool (A)
You know what, we can most definitely hold our heads high despite crashing out of the FA Cup here. We were right up there in contention against Liverpool, despite them being vastly superior. I expected it to be a long afternoon after going behind in three minutes, be we responded well. The team were spirited and defensively astute for the most part, but unfortunately a late winner from Roberto Firmino undid our hard work.
MoM: Goalscorer Jason Knight ran the show in the midfield today and competed well up against elite opposition.
EFL Championship Matchday 29 vs Middlesbrough (H)
Another draw here means that our winless run continues to stretch. This wasn't a bad result, however, as Middlesbrough are right next to us in the table. Bright Osayi-Samuel got his first club goal in a match which mirrored our previous league contest against Barnsley. They levelled in the second half and we were only better by a margin in the match, so a draw was a fair result.
MoM: It was another fine midfield performance, this time from Louie Sibley, who created the goal and was a constant threat throughout.
EFL Championship Matchday 30 vs Wycombe (A)
We suffered a poor 2-2 draw when we faced Wycombe at home, but thankfully we managed to win away at their ground, albeit only 1-0. It was down to another midfielder to make the difference, with Max Bird stepping up to score what proved to be the winning goal in the 25th minute. We did thoroughly dominate and despite only losing by one, Wycombe barely created everything.
MoM: Yet another midfielder, Wayne Rooney utilized his experience today at the base of the midfield to control the game from his position and help steer us to victory.
EFL Championship Matchday 31 vs Watford (A)
We slumped to a defeat against Watford, one of the better sides in the division. They came into the game on top form and bar a 5 minute spell where they turned the game on its head, we potentially deserved something more from the game. Matt Clarke's opener from a corner was a deserved lead for us, but we lacked a little after that and weren't able to recover from their quickfire double.
MoM: It was center back Matt Clarke again, not just for a goal, but for another solid performance to establish himself as our best defender. A shame he's only on loan.
EFL Championship Matchday 32 vs Huddersfield (H)
Huddersfield were 3rd in the table coming the match, so this was a tough test. And I'm proud to say we passed it with a top performance and a merited late winner from Jordan Ibe. We took the game to them from the very start, playing a fast paced game of football which they couldn't deal with. Eventually, Bright Osay-Samuel gave us the lead with a fantastic finish from a tight angle. And after they equalised through a counter attack, one goalscorer was replaced with the other, as Jordan Ibe came off the bench to slam home a winning goal.
MoM: It was our new winger Bright Osayi-Samuel who shone today, easing past their left back at each time of asking and scoring a well taken goal. He is proving to be the right choice for our right wing.
EFL Championship Matchday 33 vs Nottingham Forest (H)
Another massive win in another difficult fixture. Forest took 3rd place away from Huddersfield after their loss to us, but we proved victorious once again. Our performance was even more complete, limiting Forest to just one shot on target, which was admittedly a goal, but despite some late nerves, the rest of the game was comfortable thanks to two confident finishes from Wayne Rooney and deputising striker Morgan Whittaker.
MoM: Wayne Rooney has shown that he still has quality this month and capped it off with a goal and a commanding midfield performance.
Player of the Month
This was a tough one this month, with Rooney, Knight, Clarke and Osayi-Samuel all contenders after doing well. But it was Jason Knight for proving his ability to play at a higher level in the Liverpool game and certifying himself as a key piece of our terrific midfield. He is our most valuable player and hopefully the lack of interest in him from other clubs continues.
We begin March with a thunderous 4-0 win against Cardiff City. We had no trouble away from home, with a first half Adam Idah hat-trick steering us well on our way to victory. An early second half penalty from Wayne Rooney added to the scoreline and both teams seemed content to play the rest of the match out with no real intent. A terrific way to begin the month!
MoM: After a hat-trick, it can only go to our top scorer, Adam Idah!
EFL Championship Matchday 35 vs Coventry (A)
We were frustrated by Coventry the last time we faced them, but if this is how the lads want to air out their frustration, then I'm all for it! It was a relatively slow start until a set piece routine resulted in Krystian Bielik scoring a thumping header, and from then on we looked increasingly in control of the proceedings. Adam Idah nicked a goal just before the break, before Han-Noah Massengo scored to round out the game.
MoM: Despite a Bielik goal, it was his centre back partner Matt Clarke who ensured we kept another clean sheet!
EFL Championship Matchday 36 vs Millwall (H)
We secured a fifth win in a row with a 2-0 routine win against Millwall. Bright Osayi-Samuel scored a well taken goal early on and while there were a few nervy moments, we grabbed a well deserved victory which was confirmed when Mads Roerslev crossed for Morgan Whittaker to nod into an empty net.
MoM: Right back Mads Roerslev has been irreplaceable since coming into the line-up ahead of Nathan Byrne, and that was exemplified here.
EFL Championship Matchday 37 vs Brentford (H)
Where did this come from??? I know we are in terrific form, but against top of the league Brentford without Adam Idah, I thought we were doomed! Turns out we didn't need Idah as his replacement, Morgan Whittaker went and bagged a magnificent hat-trick! It might be too late for a play-off push but we are certainly making a right go of it, with our best result of the save so far!
MoM: Morgan Whittaker. Need I say more?
EFL Championship Matchday 38 vs Stoke (A)
It's our first month of all green, as we finish with 5 wins from 5 in March, and 7 wins in a row in the league. We conceded for the first time of the month in this fixture in the dying minutes, but it didn't dampen our mood one bit, with another fine performance from the team. Morgan Whittaker is having the time of this life and Jason Knight rounded it out, despite the fact they did pull a late goal back.
MoM: It wouldn't be the same if not a single one of our excellent midfielders picked up a Man of the Match award, so Jason Knight deserves the plaudits for notching what turned out to the winner!
Youth Intake
We also received our youth intake this month, and while none of the prospects are incredible, Helder Moreira and Jeff Hudson are the two with the best potential and who could be quite decent.
Player of the Month
You might criticize me for not picking Whittaker, but Mads Roerslev is turning into a dream RB as he racks up several assists this month and several top notch performances!
I ended up taking Manager of the Month for last month which is the first personal award in my career to date!
Young Player of the Month
And Adam Idah won another Young Player of the Month award, although I felt Morgan Whittaker deserved it, who ended up finishing third.
EFL Championship Matchday 39 vs Luton (H)
We kick off the month with a crucial albeit nervy win against Luton. It was looking fairly comfortable when Matt Clarke headed home Cohen Bramall's cross into the net and then the left back scored for himself with a banger for two goals in six minutes and a 2-0 lead at half time. However, they pulled one back early in the second half and we relied on a penalty save from Leopold Zingerle to get us over the line.
MoM: It was the left back Cohen Bramall who stepped in for a suspended Lee Buchanan and got a goal and assist to prove he is capable back-up.
EFL Championship Matchday 40 vs Reading (A)
But we crashed back down to earth with the end of our winning run with a disappointing defeat away to Reading. I felt it had to happen eventually but was hoping that we could keep the momentum going. Unfortunately we were extremely unlucky. We had an xG of well above 2, while they had an xG of below 0.2, scoring off one of their two shots throughout the game.
MoM: Winger Jordan Ibe was the only positive as he put in maximum effort to try and get us at least a point. Unfortunately it was not to be.
EFL Championship Matchday 41 vs Norwich (H)
We got a vital win up against Norwich here, with a second half winner from Morgan Whittaker. He and Mads Roerslev combined for yet another goal which got us across the line. The game was neither here nor there for the most part, with a couple of half chances for either side being the only real talking points. Maybe the match didn't deserve a goal, but I will happily take the win regardless.
MoM: It was a toss up between a few players, but I'll give it to Morgan Whittaker for scoring the winner.
EFL Championship Matchday 42 vs Blackburn (A)
We let ourselves down massively here, with a terrible performance up against Blackburn. We can perhaps blame bad luck for the Reading match, but we have no excuses here, we were purely not good enough. It was a drab display from start to finish with a lack of inventiveness meaning we deserved the defeat.
MoM: Captain Wayne Rooney led by example, but unfortunately none of the other players followed his example. He looked like the only one trying.
EFL Championship Matchday 43 vs Preston (A)
This performance honestly wasn't that much better than the last. We look like the team we were at the beginning of the season, unable to finish chances consistently and form being sporadic at best. I thought we'd improved, but at such a vital stage of the season, it seems like we haven't, or nerves are kicking in. A last gasp winner from Max Bird, though, kept up alive in the play-off race.
MoM: For such a crucial goal, it has to go to Max Bird.
EFL Championship Matchday 44 vs Birmingham (H)
Our play-off challenge looks all but over as Nottingham Forest, who have dropped a few points here and there, need to lose one of their two games or draw both, which are against two bottom half teams, including relegated Sheffield Wednesday. The sloppiness to concede moments after Adam Idah put us ahead exemplified the performance as my ecstatic celebrations after Idah's goal were cut extremely short.
MoM: Midfielder Jason Knight put in a brilliant shift and scored another goal from midfield. I think just about every one of his goals have been from outside the box.
EFL Championship Matchday 45 vs Swansea (A)
We win here which is better but so did Forest and we now need them to lose to Preston on the final day, which is unlikely. It was a better performance, but we needed this earlier in the run-in. In saying that, though, we still did go behind today and ultimately some issues still have to be ironed out. At least Jozwiak finally scored again.
MoM: Goalscorer Adam Idah also provided for Jozwiak and has been in fine fettle of late.
EFL Championship Matchday 46 vs Sheffield Wednesday (H)
We score more than we ever have on the final day in a desperate effort for the play-offs, but unfortunately Forest ease to a 2-0 win at home to Preston. Another season in the Championship may well do us good, but have to be able to recreate the magic of this year. We capped off a very good first season with a big win against bottom placed Sheffield Wednesday. A number of different players got in on the act and it was a good way to end.
MoM: Despite not scoring, Tom Lawrence set up a few and was brilliant all game. It's a shame he's only played really well in about two games.
Player of the Month
It was right back Mads Roerslev again. He just gets better and better. Maybe we'd have been in the play-offs if he was in the starting line-up from the very beginning.
I think it is safe to say that we overachieved this season, finishing just three points adrift of the play-offs. We had an extremely good final few months and developed as the season went on, which was a good sign. I think it was a little harsh of the board to only give a C+ for the fact that we overachieved and were so close to the play-offs, but my overall board confidence rating sits at an A- which is considerably better.
The New Arrivals
Most of our new signings were able to settle well, with Adam Idah finishing as our top scorer, Cohen Bramall being capable back-up, Bright Osayi-Samuel being our best right winger and Mads Roerslev developing into a top Championship right back. Leopold Zingerle was a decent goalkeeper despite an average of only 6.82, while Han-Noah Massengo and Ben Close didn't get much of a chance.
The Finances
One area we can be especially proud of is our financial management, as we made profit all across the board.
Starting XI
I would say that the ratings for our players are a little harsh, players such as Lee Buchanan, Jason Knight and Adam Idah all made massive contributions to the side. As you can, the defence stood out across the year. Matt Clarke will probably my first signing of next season if possible, probably followed by Idah. Kamil Jozwiak was a mixed bag, while Jordan Ibe had a suprisingly decent season, given the fact he's not been able to have much success in recent seasons.
Moments to Remember
We definitely had a season of several highs and a few lows, but our 5-0 win over Rotherham was definitely an example of the former. Our excellent early season performance in the 2-0 away win against Norwich was our best match, while Kamil Jozwiak's thunderbolt won Goal of the Season, proving he is capable of magic but just needs to produce it more often.
End of Season Awards
Matt Clarke was both our Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season, and at the age of 24, was a crucial part of the team. Mads Roerslev was our best signing, although I would probably pick Adam Idah for scoring 25 goals. Mike Te Wierik broke two records, one good and one bad. On the whole, the majority of the team was good and there isn't a player who I can single out as being a complete disappointment. That's not true because Nathan Byrne was abysmal. Aside from him, though, the team was very good.
Squad Dynamics
The dressing room atmosphere is extremely positive and the players like me as manager. There isn't much else I could ask for.
Seasonal Performance Analysis
Our analysis for the season is in and it was surprising to see our expected position was 2nd based off our xG and performances. We performed above average, and I was also surprised to see our defensive efficiency being a bit low given how impressive it was based off the season.
Initial Budgets
The board rewarded me with a massive budget for a Championship level club and I will be looking to spend it on Matt Clarke and Adam Idah, before seeing what is left over to continue to improve. Great news!
I noticed when you sign findlay you are giving him a sell on fee percentage. That is something I never give out lol. Also never give them a percentage of wage rise every year. I am a mean barsteward lol
Our first outgoing was Florian Jozefzoon, who was out on loan last year, didn't have the best season, came back as a 2 and a half star winger who was 30 years old. It was an easy decision to sell him on and Rotherham decided that he was good enough to purchase him permanently after his loan spell there.
It was a similar situation for Jack Marriott, who also returned from loan after an average season. Whilst Sheffield Wednesday did not want him permanently, we managed to sell him on to Hibernian instead. He was a decent player but wasn't going to get much in the way of playing time with our squad already pretty settled.
George Evans barely played any football last year, being our 5th choice for the defensive midfield spot come the end of the season. When he played, he didn't impress and as a result he will join Birmingham and compete against us in the same division this season.
Tom Lawrence played a fair amount of games last season, had two incredible games, and was terrible in just about every other one. It wasn't worth keeping him around for just a pair of good performances across an entire season, so we made some decent money in selling him to Blackburn.
QPR bought two full backs off us for a small combined fee. Right back Nathan Byrne was a starter at the beginning but was pretty poor and ended up getting on my nerves with his attitude in the dressing room. Despite the fans being disappointed, I'm not quite as upset as them to see the back of him. As for Scott Malone, he returned from loan and I decided to let him for go for any money just to get him off the wage bill, given the fact he won't be getting any play time for us.
There are a number of other departures, some of which were loans, but they were all for reserve and youth players, some of which I didn't even know existed.
Player Incomings
I went straight in for our Player of the Season last season and to my delight Brighton accepted our offer for Matt Clarke. Eight million is still a fair bit of money for Championship level but we had the budget and there was no doubt in my mind that this was a bargain for a terrific player! Delighted to have him back and hopefully he can remain at the center of our defence for years to come.
Straight after that I went back in for Adam Idah, and the smile on my face widened as Norwich accepted our offer for him as well. Both players cost around a similar fee, but both are more than worth it! This was another no brainer as Idah was our top scorer last season and is still extremely young. He has a big future ahead of him and I was surprised Norwich were willing to let him go.
Two players arrived as the window opened for us. The first was defensive midfielder Andy Rinomhota, which may prove to be a bit of a mistake if I'm honest. The scout report had him looking better than he is and I was looking for a new DM to improve but Rinomhota seems to be no better than what we already have. If I go for another DM, we may overload in that area, so it may be best to give him a fair chance before writing him off. The second was a much better deal in my opinion, with a young striker providing some real competition for Idah, which he lacked last season. Marcus Forss is also more than capable of playing on the left or right wing, so also helps compensate for the loss of Tom Lawrence.
I also signed a young and promising goalkeeper newgen named Dylan Vergne. He won't arrive until 2023 but is young and will hopefully grow to a higher level by that time. He looks quite decent for his age and I am excited at the fact that we've managed to pick him up on the cheap given the fact he has very decent potential.
I acknowledge that updates are few and far between at the minute, which I apologise for. I will do as best as I can to make them more frequent, but am struggling to find the time at the minute. This is also quite a short post, which I also would like to apologise for, just wanted to get something out.
Player Sales
This was a difficult decision to make, with centre back Mike Te Wierik departing for Portugal and SC Braga. The 29-year-old was one of our best players last season but with Findlay coming in and Clarke joining permanently, he finds himself reduced to third choice. Krystian Bielik is also a capable back-up and is much younger and youngster Harrison Solomon has evolved over the past year. As a result, it was with a heavy heart that I let go a fantastic player and servant in the shape of Mike Te Wierik.
Leeds came in with a healthy enough offer for youngster Bobby Duncan and I decided to accept it. Despite him having decent enough potential, he wasn't going to get any football this season for me and I decided that he probably wouldn't in the future either, given that he is only a couple years younger than Forss and the same age of Idah.
Player Signing
I brought in Malo Gusto on loan after Nathan Byrne left us. He will be the back-up to Roerslev and can also play in midfield which may come in handy. He's also quite young so if he manages to impress, could turn into a terrific player. He has an optional future fee of just 8.5 million, so hopefully he turns out to be good.
This was an interesting but also frustrating piece of news in the media. Despite our bodies in midfield, we lacked a great defensive midfielder and I'd lined up a loan for Gokhan Gul to come in from FC Augsburg. However, the embargo placed over us following takeover rumours saw that deal cancelled.
The rumours were swiftly shut down and all it ended up doing me was delaying me of a potential transfer deal.
Wayne Rooney hasn't retired in game, so he will continue on as a player in our side despite him taking over my in game role in real life - as Derby manager!
EFL Championship Matchday 1 vs Blackburn Rovers (A)
We kicked off with a nice, comfortable win away to Blackburn. New signing Marcus Forss gave me something to think about with his heroics single handedly won us the game, scoring a double in the final twenty minutes to get us the three points. He took the two finishes extremely well, and marked his debut in style.
MoM: Considering it was his debut, there was no alternative but Marcus Forss for this one.
EFL Championship Matchday 2 vs Bristol Rovers (H)
Considering Bristol Rovers are newly promoted to the division and predicted to go straight back down, this is a bit underwhelming because I was hoping for a bigger win. However, credit where it's due, they probably deserved a point if not all three. They wasted a few good opportunities and in the end we should be relieved to have got the three points. Marcus Forss scored another one here whilst Adam Idah remains sidelined with a knock for a couple more games.
MoM: It was Bright Osayi-Samuel with a goal and assist here to wrap up a fine performance on the wing.
EFL Championship Matchday 3 vs Barnsley (A)
Considering we were away and went down to 10 men after just 24 minutes, this is perhaps not the worst result. We stay unbeaten and Wayne Rooney scored a great goal from outside the box. I don't recall having had a red card prior to this, or no more than one or two, but Louie Sibley certainly deserved his here for a two footed tackle, proper Sunday League style.
MoM: A difficult decision given no one really stood out, so I'll choose Wayne Rooney for a lovely goal.
Carabao Cup 1st Round vs Preston North End
Our Carabao Cup journey goes on after a nothing game suddenly became tense and exciting with an intense penalty shootout. Next to nothing happened during the 90 minutes, with the one major chance falling to Preston in stoppage time, but thankfully was spurned. The shootout was an exhibition in how to take spot kicks until Brad Potts decided to hit the corner flag for Preston. Thankfully, Max Bird didn't make the same mistake and calmly slotted us into the next round.
MoM: Can I say Brad Potts? Probably not, so I'll go with Max Bird, who controlled our midfield tonight, and scored the winning penalty.
EFL Championship Matchday 4 vs Birmingham (H)
I would like to not talk about this match. But I will, it's been a while since I played it and I've cooled off slightly since then. 1-0. Bright Osayi-Samuel is showing his class for us so far this season, great start. 2-0. Max Bird, lovely, the second goal we needed and deserved. 3-0. Brilliant, Marcus Forss is the answer to all our prayers. 80 minutes. 3-0, great result incoming here lads. 3-1. Ok, no clean sheet, still a great performance. 3-2. Ok, drop back, be careful lads, I'll forgive you if you hold on. 3-3. This is pathetic. In 8 minutes, you've seriously gone and done this. Absolute bottle jobs. Now, for all of this, I still manage to be calm. It's ok, we're still unbeaten, I say to myself. It's mostly sarcastic, but true. The referee decides to add on 8 minutes. Where he pulled this number from I don't know, aside from the penalty there was very few lengthy stoppages. 4-3. This is the point where I walk out of the room and berate myself for ever having invested money into this game. Nothing more to say.
MoM: Once again, Bright Osayi-Samuel was a bright spark throughout and scored a well taken goal from a tight angle.
EFL Championship Matchday 5 vs Portsmouth (H)
But we recovered with a big win up against newly promoted Portsmouth, which was nice to see. Marcus Forss added another two goals to his tally and he could not have started life at Derby much better. The one problem I had here was that we were 4-0 up, and when they made it 4-2, I had a few Birmingham flashbacks, but thankfully Morgan Whittaker was on hand to provide the relief I needed.
MoM: Another brace, another Man of the Match award for Marcus Forss.
EFL Championship Matchday 6 vs Norwich (A)
We followed that up with a disappointing defeat away to Norwich, but to be be fair they deserved it. It looked over once they scored two inside the first 10 minutes to be honest. Whilst Matt Clarke got one back, we didn't create enough to warrant anything more than a loss here today.
MoM: Matt Clarke.
Carabao Cup Second Round vs Blackburn (A)
Our second round Carabao Cup tie made it all the way through to penalties again, but this time we couldn't prevail. Adam Idah equalised in the 90th minute, also from the spot, but unfortunately we couldn't carry that momentum into the shootout, with both Louie Sibley and Stuart Findlay missing their respective spot kicks.
MoM: I'll give it to Adam Idah for two calm and collected penalties.
EFL Championship Matchday 7 vs QPR (A)
And then we absolutely smashed QPR away from home - winning 5-0! Adam Idah reminded us just how good he was with a stellar hat-trick, whilst Morgan Whittaker was drafted into the side and notched a double himself! It was a great all round performance and everyone played well.
MoM: Both Whittaker and Idah were great, but I cannot deny Adam Idah for a terrific hat-trick.
Player of the Month
He may not have been the most mentioned name this month, but Bright Osayi-Samuel has actually been quite incredible this month, recording 5 assists in 7 games. He's really starting to pay off now following his January arrival.
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