The Worst Team in History

[DerbyJack]

With everything done and dusted its time to take a look at how the entire season panned out with an end of season review.

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2013/14
Sky Bet Championship

Hes been an absolute rock at the heart of our defence and the Liverpool loanee has certainly left a lasting impression. Partnering Richard Keogh in the heart of our defence they proved to be one of the meanest centre back pairings in the division, guiding us to many of our hard earned points by sheer determination alone. With a Premier League season looming we would love to try and have Wisdom back in our ranks.

Its clear that I'm going to be building a team around Will Hughes. The Nineteen year old is far and away our best potential player alongside new youth recruit Rory Gibbons. With his eye for a pass and all round technical ability Hughes is already a potentially solid midfielder at Premier League level, however the forth coming season is certainly going to be a test for him but with the Player of the Year award he is certainly arriving in the top flight with some strong backing.

Rounding off a fantastic end of season for the Rams, I manage to scoop the Manager of the Year award following our fantastic promotion season. Despite a rather large wobble towards the end of the season, the form of the Derby Team has been nothing short of incredible, however the real test of how far we've come is certainly coming.

So with us clinching the title, six points clear of the closest chasers its been a season to remember for the Rams but we certainly wont the only ones celebrating with, Reading securing the remaining automatic spot with a solid end to their season and Leicester City deservedly winning the playoffs to join us in the top flight.

Their was certainly no celebrating at the other end of the table however as former Premier League outfit Bolton crash into League One along with the returning Millwall and they are joined by the unfortunate Blackburn who are relegated following a 10 point deduction for entering administration.

 

[DerbyJack]

Despite all eyes in Derbyshire being firmly directed on the Championship, there was certainly else going on in the rest of the world with a whole host of trophies and a World Cup up for grabs.

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2013/14
Capital One League Cup

The Capital One League cup rewards Liverpool with some much needed Silverware. We make a brief appearance in the quarter finals however it was certainly no fairytale year for any of the lower league teams, as the Premier League teams eagerly take advantage for a cup win.

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2013/14
FA Cup

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The Merseyside teams had a great season in the cups, with the Blue side of Liverpool joining the celebrations with some silverware of their own having pulled off a repeat of the final of 1995 with a narrow victory over the giants Manchester United.

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2013/14
Barclays Premier League

So defying their real life problems its Manchester United who narrowly top the table ahead of their Neighbours City, with London duo Tottenham and Chelsea joining them in the Champions League for the coming season, whilst Everton and Arsenal both have to settle for the Europa League.

Its a season to forget however for Liverpool, slumping to the bottom half of the table in a shocking season for The Reds however at least they have their Europa League status to look forward to, unlike West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace who all slip back to the Championship.

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2013/14
Europa League

Real Madrids former dominance of the Champions League certainly feels a long time ago as they have to settle for a place in the Europa League, however they certainly made an impact, picking up the trophy with ease to join their La Liga title in the trophy cabinet.

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2013/14
Champions League

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Bayern Munich make history as they become the first team to retain the title of the Champions League in its current format. They strolled there way to the final demolishing Chelsea and Benfica with ease on their way before handing out the same punishment in the final to Manchester City. They are simply unstoppable at the minute.

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2014
World Cup in Brazil

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Its a fairytale World Cup for the Brazilians as they lift the World Cup in Rio, following a victory in the final against reigning World Champions Spain, with Inter Milans midfielder Hernanes netting both the goals to make him a living god in his home country.

If you're wondering where England are they once again failed to pass the second round.

 

[DerbyJack]

Having largely strolled to the Championship title, I do have a large amount of faith in the current first team however its clear this team is a long way short of being a shoe in for Premier League survival so we quickly jumped into action to try and strengthen the team.

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We start the transfer window by releasing no fewer then ten players as their contracts come to an end with the majority having not made a single first team appearance last season. They are joined out of the club by young players Gjokaj, Bailey and Roos all three moving on to find first team football else where, with Naylor leaving on a temporary basis to Portsmouth.

The major moves out of the club all come in one day however as we end the contracts of four of our players with former captain and highest earner, Shaun Barker leading the way, with Buxton, Freeman and Dawkins all joining him as we dramatically reduce our wage bill in one swoop.

With the deadwood shipped off and a transfer budget of sixteen million burning a hole in my pocket I jumped into action.

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Cost: 925,000
From: Norwich City

Norwich have a fine stopper in the shape of John Ruddy but the young and promising Declan Rudd is eager and desperate for a starting spot in a Premier League team. Despite spending last year in League One with Preston, Rudd has already moved ahead of Lee Grant as our first team keeper and could potentially have a long and fruitful stay at the I-Pro Stadium.

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Cost: 3,500,000
From: Charlton Athletic

Another young Englishmen makes their way to Derby, as we welcome right back Solly to the first team. We've been in a dire need for a regular starter at the right of our back line and Charltons twenty three year old presented us with a fine addition to the team and another that will hopefully be with us a for a while to come. Once again how ever its another test to see if he can make the large step up to the Premier League.

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Cost: 3,100,000
From: Blackburn Rovers

We return to the Championship for our third transfer of the window as we snap up Tom Cairney from a Blackburn team in dire straights. The twenty three year old will be looking to deputise behind Jeff Hendrick and Craig Bryson but the young Scot can certainly look to hold his own in the top flight and will undoubtedly get his opportunity.

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Cost: 2,600,000
From: West Bromwich Albion

If we're to survive in the Premier League our defence is going to be paramount. Following our disastrous former spell in the top flight, the back line will be under close scrutiny but the addition of Craig Dawsom will certainly give us some more strength. Having been recently relegated with West Brom, Dawson will be keen to prove his worth against the best in the country.

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Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

The biggest steal of our entire transfer window comes from the free signing of Serbian midfielder Ignjovski. The twenty three year old was released by Werder Bremen following a breakdown in contract negotiations and we happily jumped in to bring him into the team. He's got a deal of technical ability behind him and his aggressive nature should make him a real frightening force in the heart of our midfield.

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So its all done and dusted, with just five permanent arrivals coming in for our top flight campaign. All of them are in the begginings of their careers and are eager to make a name for themselves in this important season, its only hoped they do it for the right reasons. One things for certain though, with nearly four million left to spend we're certainly not done signing players yet.

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[TurboGav]

Jordan Rhodes? The boy is a class act! And should be available. Fantastic season there mate, Will Hughes turning on beast mode

 

[DerbyJack]

I genuinely wanted to but Southampton came in with wages that nearly tripled what I could offer and off we went down South. Would have slotted in perfectly with the team as well. Yeah Hughes is certainly Premiership quality atleast. Time to unleash him where he belongs.

The Preseason gives us a much need opportunity to blend our new signings into the team as we look to get ourselves up to speed for what is certainly going to be a huge test for the Rams.

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8th July 2014
Friendly

- Left back, Nobeljas suffers a bruised rib ruling him out for 8 days.

We get our warm up for the season under way with a routine victory over Czech side Mlada Boleslav as Chris Martin picks up the only goal of the game. The Bullish striker is fortunate to keep his first team spot in the team following a relatively goal shy season in the Championship but it appears the former Norwich man is keen to prove his worth.

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12th July 2014
Friendly

Evenings of European football might still be some distance away yet but we nearly managed to upset German club, Stuttgart with only a late goal denying us a hard earned draw against a team who are looking forward to Champions League football this year.

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19th July 2014
Friendly​

- Future star, Rory Gibbons is injured on duty with England twisting his ankle and ending up on the bench for 3 weeks.

- Ivan Klasnic tweeks his knee and is out for three weeks.

Back to reality in the midlands and we're brought down to earth with a bump following a physical game against lowly Mansfield. Last years signings Barry Ferguson and Benavente both managed to find the back of the net as they look to try and work themselves into the team sheet for the start of the season but a disappointing draw does little to convince me that we're ready for the likes of City and United.

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22nd July 2014
Friendly

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+ Nobeljas returns to full fitness for the remainder of the preseason.

They might have made a return to League One but Millwall certainly look ready to fight their way back towards the Championship, with their team holding us to a deserved draw as we struggled to create chances against the Lions. We're not exactly sending any shockwaves into the top flight as of yet.

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28th July 2014
Friendly

Feeder club Burton enjoyed a playoff push last year and narrowly missed out on promotion and the inform Brewers duly claimed the lead before a second half fight back asserted our place as the big team in this partnership with Jeff Hendrick claiming a neat brace as he looks to edge ahead of new signing Cairney in the good books.

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2nd August 2014
Friendly

French side Evian joined us as part of their tour of England and gave us a good run out at the I-Pro stadium. Their not exactly on the level of PSG and Marseille but sixteen year old Evan Atkins will certainly have enjoyed his first goal in the first team as he levels the scores for another draw in the preseason.

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5th August 2014
Friendly​

+ Ivan Klasnic and Rory Gibbons make it back to full fitness just in time for the start of the season.

Another European side make their way towards the Premierships new boys and we give Turkish team Trabzonspor a lesson in counter attacking football as we run the show from start to finish, with only some sloppy defending marring an otherwise impressive afternoon.

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9th August 2014
Friendly

We round off the preseason in some style with a three goal victory over league twos Stockport County. Another youth player, Charles Vernam grabbed a chance at some limelight but it was new signing Tom Cairney that drew all the attention from the Rams fans as he impressed with a well taken brace from the middle of the field.

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A long pre-season keeps the eager Rams fans waiting for their return to the Premier League. Its not one that will filled the majority with confidence for the coming campaign but non the less we're up to fitness, with no major injuries and ready to go. Bring on the Premier League.​

 

[DerbyJack]

Our return to the Premier League starts now, although the Premiership doesn't exactly give us a warm reception back into the league with a brutal opening set of games to start the season.


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16th August 2014
Barclays Premier League

- Will Hughes twists his ankle ruling our key playmaker out for potentially 4 weeks

Having been humiliated last season, Liverpool are out for some form of redemption this time around with Luciano Spalletti taking control of a team still shell shocked by the departure of Luis Suarez to Real Madrid and the Reds certainly look like they mean business giving us a bruising welcome to the league with a comfortable two goal victory.

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23rd August 2014
Barclays Premier League

Our tough introduction to life in the Premier League continues as last seasons runner ups Manchester City again put us to the sword in efficient style with Negredo opening his account for the season with a superb individual goal that left our defence left to just stand and stare.

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26th August 2014
Capital One League Cup - Second Round

The Capital One League Cup gave us the perfect opportunity to try and pick up a much needed victory in the early stages of the season but our feeder club gained some well earned revenge from the pre-season with a victory that left our second string squad licking their wounds as they're soundly dumped out of the competition by Burton Albion.

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31st August 2014
Barclays Premier League

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- New signing Chris Solly breaks his foot, setting him to the sidelines for 5 months.

With three of the old top four now already having had their way with us, we were fortunate to pick up a point against the Gunners, with stand-in attacking midfielder Benavente coming from no where to net a screamer ten minutes from time to finally open our account for the season and get us off the mark in the Premier League. Our season starts now.

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August 2014
Barclays Premier League

Well we're not bottom.

With probably one of the hardest starts to the league imaginable we scrape through with our heads just about held high having claimed just one solitary point, having clawed it away from the mighty Gunners. Its not the greatest start to the season but at least we've got it out the way.​

 

[DerbyJack]

Its been so far an all to familiar return to the Premier League all be it after an extremely tough start to the fixture list but we're still hungry for that all important first victory.

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14th September 2014
Barclays Premier League​

+ Will Hughes returns to full training. Time to unleash the blonde bombshell.

We need to start gathering some pace in the league if we're to try and keep our heads above water but Newcastle certainly weren't in a generous mood with their new Dutch signing Luuk De Jong netting a hat-trick. The Geordies are looking surprise contenders for a potential spot in Europe this season with an almost faultless start.

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20th September 2014
Barclays Premier League

- 5 Games and no victory not exactly a heroic return to the top flight.

Its games like this we should really be looking to try and take all three points but a first half collapse gifted the Saints with all three points before we could even amount an attack of our own. A comeback was on the cards as we finally came up to speed but despite Hughes's first goal in the Premier League it was not to be for the Rams.

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29th September 2014
Barclays Premier League

- New signing Tom Cairney injures his neck and is out for the next 3 weeks.
- Serbian hot head, Ignjovski initially banned for 1 game for an ugly two footed challenge.

The long awaited victory is finally in the bag. Fellow promoted team, Reading have started brightly but we reasserted our place against the Royals with a narrow victory. Hughes once again found the back of the net to help us on the way to the three points but a red card for new signing Ignjovksi certainly made sure it wasn't a comfortable victory.

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September 2014
Barclays Premier League

And we're out of the danger zone. With just one solitary victory from six games we've still somehow managed to work our way out of the relegation spots. Its looking like its going to be a tight run season this year around already and for Manchester City its certainly not shaping up to be a good one for Pellegrini's men.​

 

[DerbyJack]

So we've worked our way out of the relegation zone already, now there's just the small obstacle of thirty two games to make sure it stays that way.

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4th October 2014
Barclays Premier League

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Will Hughes has got off to a good start following his return from an early injury and picks up another against the Swans with just ten minutes left on the clock to salvage a valuable point. Already at this stage in the season, we're beginning to see who our main rivals are for the race to avoid the drop, with West Ham looking in trouble already.

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18th October 2014
Barclays Premier League
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+Tom Cairney makes a welcome return to full training to boost us in the middle of the field.
- City, United and Chelsea target, Ryan Gibbons dislocates his shoulder on England duty and is out for 2 months.

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Norwich are one of those teams we're certainly going to be dueling with in our relegation dog fight and the Canaries made sure it was them that took the spoils in this important fixture snatching a penalty following a clumsy challenge from Richard Keogh and seeing out the game efficiently to push us back into the relegation zone.

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25th October 2014
Barclays Premier League
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- Ignjovksi again dives in with his studs up for his second red card already and is banned for two games.

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Fulham too know they are in for a tough season. The Londoners failed to strengthen their team in the pre-season and look weak in the early stages but we still managed to make the game hard for ourselves, with Keogh again making a mistake that gifted Fulham the lead and red card for the increasingly unreliable Ignjovski leaving us looking set for a disappointing defeat before Chris Martin rose highest from a corner in the dieing minutes to rescue a point.

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October 2014
Barclays Premier League

Back into trouble. Nine games in and we're holding our heads just above the water. The points are few and far between down at the bottom of the table with even the slightest point proving to be extremely valuable. ​

 

[DerbyJack]

Nine games in and the relegation scrap is on. The favourites have got over their early jitters and are pushing to the top whilst the favourites for the drop eye each other nervously. We're in for a fight here and we're by no means the big dogs in this league.

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2nd November 2014
Barclays Premier League

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-Ignjovski's ban is increased by 2 more games. He's turning into a liability.

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Roberto Martinez continues to make Everton an ever present force in the hunt for European football, however they we're dealt a damaging blow following a sleepy start to their game as Johnny Russell finally opened his account with two goals in two minutes as we shot into the lead. Despite allowing the Toffees back into the game we finished the job in the second half with a rare Craig Bryson goal for our second victory of the season.

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8th November 2014
Barclays Premier League

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+ We've already beaten our former League points total of 11 points.

The reigning champions and firm favourites to retain the title were left in ruin as they succumbed to defeat at the I-Pro stadium. We kept a strong grip on their creative midfielders throughout the game, with Ferguson picking up the opening goal from a corner and Chris Martin putting us beyond reach with a well taken penalty that dented Uniteds title hopes.

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22nd November 2014
Barclays Premier League

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Having seen off the Red Devils we where in confident fashion as we went up against Spurs, however the Londoners where in no mood to watch their own title push take an unexpected twist despite us making them work for it, they eventually found a break through ten minutes from time to end our brief run of victories.

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29th November 2014
Barclays Premier League

- Will Hughes ends up in the treatment room with a bruised head ruling him out for a week.

With the month starting with two unexpected victories we ended it with a shocking defeat. Cardiff are certainly not a force to be reckoned with in the league but we made the Welsh team look like title contenders with an absolutely appalling first half that saw our defence help them towards a four goal thrashing. Back to Earth with a bump.​

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November 2014
Barclays Premier League

A mixed month ends on a high point as our January signing scoops his first reward. Having arrived from Real Madrid it would be seen by many that Nabeljas's career was on a downward spiral but following some confident performance's in the Premier League our Spaniard defender is certainly showing he's got plenty in his locker.


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Just Two victories and we find ourselves in the dizzying heights of mid table. The victory over United has shown many of the Rams fans that we are deserving to be in this League but with defeats against the likes of Cardiff we;re not going to make it easy for ourselves.​

 

[DerbyJack]

The Festive period once again ups the pace as we get deep into the season. So far we've been flirting with the relegation spots but with thirteen games played its hard to judge how this seasons going to pan out, however by the end of the month, we'll be deciding how much we can celebrate the new year.

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2nd December 2014
Barclays Premier League

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+ Will Hughes returns to full fitness in time to make the bench.

Sunderland are yet another of our relegation rivals that we gifted points too. My inability to sign a striker in the transfer window is really beginning to affect our season as we fail to find the back of the net with the black cats capitalising with the only goal of the game. At least the January transfer window is coming.

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6th December 2014
Barclays Premier League

- Craig Bryson suffers a gorin strain ruling himself out for 3 weeks.

The Tigers are having an amazing season thus far, flying high and mixing it up in the European spots but we managed to point a slight dampener on their impressive progress as we held them to a draw courtesy of our two strikers and an incredible spot kick from Tom Cairney.

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13th December 2014
Barclays Premier League

- 5 Games without a single victory.

Aston Villa have gone through this season relatively unnoticed, with another season in the mid table looking almost certain already however they certainly made sure that we had one that certainly wouldn't be comfortable. Despite Hughes opening the scoring we failed to hold on to the lead with our West Midland neighbours controlling the remainder of the game

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20th December 2014
Barclays Premier League
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+ Will Hughes is nominated for the European Golden Boy Award

- Nobeljas banned for 1 game having picked up his 5th yellow card of the season.

We came within touching distance of an all important three points with the ever impressive Craig Dawson netting in a header from a well worked corner however the referee had other ideas, awarding The Hammers with a controversial penalty with just seconds left on the clock and Mark Noble made sure we paid the price with a heart breaking equaliser.

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27th December 2014
Barclays Premier League
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+ Sully finally returns to fitness alongside Craig Bryson

+ Will Hughes nets his 5th of the season

Leicester started their season by beating Manchester City, however since then they've gone rapidly down hill, with just two further victories to their name and when they came up against old rivals Derby we made sure they wouldn't leave with another. Hughes scored an early long range effort to settle the nerves, whilst Chris Martin wrapped up the points to end our dire run of form.

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31st December 2014
Barclays Premier League

We end the year with a disappointing defeat against Jose Mourinhios men. The Blues have been making typical slow but steady progress this season to remain in the running for the title and with Lukaku finally returning to their ranks they look strong contenders for the top spot having strolled past us in style.

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December 2014
Barclays Premier League

Well we're still clear of the relegation spots despite a relatively poor month in the league. Its incredibly tight at the bottom of the table with even the teams in the relegation zone still well in the race to stay in the league, our only aim is to make sure we see out the second half of the season ahead of the rest.
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[DerbyJack]

The January transfer period has never really seen me make any risky moves in previous Football Managers and this year was no different but non the less their was still some business to be done.

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Departures from the club have been ticking over almost constantly this season, with our Youth talent being hot property in the lower reaches of the leagues and six more made there way out of Derbyshire and out across the rest of the country for some first team football.

We did manage to complete one permanent departure as we said goodbye to veteran striker Ivan Klasnic. The Croatian signed as cover for our Championship season and performed admirably however his best days are most certainly behind him and hes along way short of Premier League quality, which left us with four million in the transfer budget and a gap for a striker.

Time to get to work.

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Cost: 2,300,000
From: Chelsea

Not a​ ready made Premier League striker like we probably need but non the less Feruz is certainly a good signing for the Rams. The young Scot has fallen by the way-side at Chelsea but still has bags of potential to make a name for himself at this level, with his rapid pace and keen eye for a goal making him potentially a lead striker for our team.

Not a busy window for the Rams, other then some loan dealings but with another strong young player added to our ranks we continue to have the potential to develop into a strong Premier League team. The only thing that matters now is making sure we're still in this league to find out.​

 

[Dean Wilkes]

Not a bad start to life in the Prem...Great 1st season in the championship though!! Keep up the good work, I will be following.

 

[DerbyJack]

Thansk Dean, as long as we survive I'll be happy, to be honest Ive already passed the 11pts we set last time so anything else is already a bonus!

New Year and hopefully a start of some good times for the Rams. We bring in 2015 with the club sat relatively safe in mid table, however a tough set of fixtures is looming and the chasing pack is definitely not giving up without a fight.

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3rd January 2015
FA Cup - Third Round

The FA Cup is here. Having made it to the quarter-finals last season hopes are high for another long cup run for the Rams, however a narrow victory over League One's Millwall didn't exactly inspire much confidence. A goal for young Mason Bennett on his return from loan was a good sign of his continuing growth but if we're to make steady progress in the competition it looks like the first team might be required.

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11th January 2015
Barclays Premier League

Manchester City are fighting tooth and nail to try and recovering a slow starting season, however their resurgence hit a road block at the I-Pro stadium as out resilient defence held firm against Citys formidable attack, with only a glimpse of brilliance from Jesus Navas proving enough to beat Rudd in goal before work horse midfielder Jeff Hendrick rescued an impressive point.

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14th January 2015
Barclays Premier League

Having held City we boosted the table toppers hopes of sealing another title with a shocking display at Anfield. We never turned up and where deservedly bullied for the entire ninety minutes as a resurgent Liverpool continue their rampant return to glory following their disastrous last season in ruthless form. Back down to Earth with a very large bump.

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17th January 2015
Barclays Premier League

They gifted us our first points of the season and we nearly managed to hold off The Gunners again but despite being reduced to ten men we couldn't complete the fight back with our early wobble, proving to be enough for Arsenal to take full advantage as they once again take aim at securing their fourth spot in the table. Despite Marco Van Basten being in charge it seems somethings never change.

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24th January 2015
FA Cup - Fourth Round

Despite narrowly squeezing past Millwall, I stuck with the second string team in the fourth round of the FA Cup and was duly rewarded with a goalless draw. Its hardly what I needed in a season where our survival appears to be in question but non the less at least we're still in with a shot at claiming something from this season. Next time however I won't make the same mistake.

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27th January 2015
Barclays Premier League​

- Jeff Hendrick ruled out of the game with flu

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- 5 Games without a win in the league. Start of relegation form?

Every point counts at the minute and following a tough set of fixtures it was good to get another much needed one on the board. We ran Newcastle close through most of the game but couldn't end our recent poor form with new signing Islam Feruz proving to have a rather wasteful debut in front of the Rams faithful. Not exactly the best introduction for the new arrival.

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31st January 2015
Barclays Premier League

Having trailed behind us most of last season in the Championship, The Royals have taken to life in the Premiership like they had never left it, shooting straight into a comfortable position in mid table, one which they further strengthened with three more points following a disappointing display from our goal shy team. With no player even close to double figures in the goals department, its fairly clear where our main point of focus lies at the minute.

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January 2015
Barclays Premier League

Its getting close now. A brutal set of fixtures matched with some disappointing results has us once again at the wrong end of the table. With the rest of the teams above us beginning to build a gap its clear that we need to up our game if we're to stay ahead of Fulham, Leicester and lowly West Ham and maintain our Premiership status.​

 

[xJamieWilliams]

This story is great mate! Keep it up, it's these sort of stories that make me want to get back into it!

 

[Bakestar]

Great story mate!

I must say that your signings in the prem have been pretty poor and it will take some fantastic management to stay up.

 

[DerbyJack]

Thanks Jamie, I'm enjoying it so far. Hopefully you'll be writing one soon!

Thanks Bakestar, yeah must be honest our wages haven't really allowed me to make most of the signings I would have liked to but non the less I'm happy with what I managed to pull together. Probably more blind luck then management though!

Having started the year with just two points in the league, we enter February desperate to try and claw back some ground and make sure we hold on to our Premier League status and with plenty of games packed into the month, now's the time to shine.

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3rd February 2015
FA Cup - Fourth Round Replay

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+ Chris Martin finally scores his fifth of a long season for the goal shy striker.

No trouble this time around. Chris Martins place in the squad might be under threat from our new Young arrival but the big man still managed to do the business in the FA Cup picking up an important brace that finally saw us past Peterborough and into the fourth round of the competition. Potential trophy this season?

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7th February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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- Johnny Russell is now 10 games without a goal.

The Saints have become a true contender for the European spots within the space of just three seasons and showed their true credentials on their visit to I-Pro with their young British talent deservedly taking the spoils despite a heroic performance from new goalkeeper Declan Rudd.

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10th February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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+ 22 year old Jeff Hendricks plays his 150th game for the Rams.

Norwich are just ahead of us in the race to avoid relegation but have had a strong start to help keep them relatively safe, however we managed to claw back some much needed ground with a scrappy victory against the Canaries, with our seasons best performers Will Hughes and Craig Dawson making it onto the score sheet.

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15th February 2015
FA Cup - Fifth Round

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+ Russell finally finds the net for his 5th of the season.

Having scraped it past Peterborough in the previous round we made certain of our progress this time around with another efficient performance against fellow Premier League outfit Norwich. Johnny Russell made a very welcome return to goal scoring form with a well taken brace but the happiest man on the pitch was Chris Martin who managed to pick up a goal against his former club.

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18th February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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Back to the league and for only the second time this season we make it back to back victories, with midfielder Tom Cairney picking up the only goal of a tight game that saw us head out of Wales with all three points. We're on the verge of mounting a bit of a push here at the moment with some solid victories over some of our near rivals.

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21st February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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Our run of form continues and again we pull off a victory over our relegation rivals, this time in the shape of Fulham. The Cottagers are deep into the danger zone and following their lacklustre performance at Craven Cottage its not hard to see why, with Russell again showing signs of last seasons form and Hughes continuing to impress at this level.

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28th February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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Well it had to come to an end eventually and theirs not much that can be done when its at the hands of the reigning champions and more importantly their Dutch destroyer. Van Persie was in ruthless form at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are definitely making hard work of retaining their title but with an easy victory at Old Trafford they're still in the race for now.

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February 2015
Barclays Premier League

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Will Hughes continues to impress. Despite being relatively outclassed throughout the majority of the season as a team, our attacking midfielder continues to shine brightly with another month that allowed him to showcase his talents. Now that he's started to make his mark in the top flight, he's certainly going to want to stay here, we can only hope that by next season he'll still be able to do it in a Rams shirt.

Its a topsy turvy season even at this later stage of the season as we rise to the relative safety of fifteenth having been on the verge of entering the relegation zone. With time ticking down, its hardly the time to relax with a host of teams around us all desperate to avoid the drop and only a couple of points separating the majority of us. Could be a tense time in the East Midlands.​

 

[DerbyJack]

February proved to be an important month for the Rams with some valuable points being added to our tally and with an international break at the end of the month we where keen to keep clawing our way to the safety of mid table.

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7th March 2015
FA Cup - Sixth Round

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- Will Hughes suffers a gashed leg and is ruled out for a week.

Johnny Russell might be grabbing the attention of the Rams fans following his apparent return to form but its Chris Martin that's really impressed in the FA Cup grabbing his fourth goal in as many games. The target man has certainly made the most of his opportunitys in the competition and again helped to make light work of Newcastle and send us into the Semi Finals following a three goal white wash.

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14th March 2015
Barclays Premier League
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+ Hughes makes it back to fitness and a place on the bench.

Everton is gripped by the thoughts of Champions League football next season, with the Blue side of the Mersey within touching distance of the fourth spot and a hard earned victory over the Rams gave them increased belief. For Derby however its more points dropped and an uncomfortable slip down the table. We're back into the danger zone.

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21st March 2015
Barclays Premier League

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- Ever present midfielder Jeff Hendrick twists his ankle in the opening minutes and is out for 3 weeks.

Spurs too are going all out in their hunt for European football and with Tim Sherwoods men sitting on the much craved fourth spot, Tottenham certainly look the real deal, however having dropped points at the I-Pro, they look increasingly unsteady, whilst we can feel unlucky not to have snatched all three points, with the woodwork coming to The Londoners rescue three times.

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March 2015
Barclays Premier League

We're still hovering above the drop zone, all be it having slipped a position down the table but we can take heart in the fact that we, along with Norwich have started to distance ourselves from the bottom three, with a comfortable six point gap now keeping us out of danger for the time being.​

 

[banger93]

Good little run you had going there keep it up

 

[DerbyJack]

Thanks Banger hopefully we can complete the season in style.

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The season is taking all attention at this point of the year with everyone nervously eyeing the relegation zone, however their was still the arrival of some new youth talent to distract us at this crucial stage of the season.

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Rory Gibbons might be taking the headlines as the brightest prodigy to emerge from our youth ranks last season but Barnes-Homer certainly looks like he could give him a run for his money. He might not have a set place in our first team any time soon but the rapid striker will certainly one day make a name for himself in a derby shirt with his neat dribbling skill and bags of pace.

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Will Hughes is by far and away the most successful Rams player of recent years, the midfielder has carved out a reputation for himself in the Premier league at just Twenty years old but hot on his heels comes Ryan Zand. Hopes are high that he too could one day emulate Hughes and with the two playing in the same position we could potentially have a really lethal home grown attacking midfielder pairing.

They certainly look like they've got the potential to make it at this level but with no space for just raw talent in our first team at the minute, they're going to have to take the long route to breaking into the team but with our excellent facilities and coaches they've got no excuses.​

 

[DerbyJack]

With a six point cushion it would be easy to coast our way to the end of the season but with plenty of games still left to play, we're in no position to be sitting idle. We need to round of this season and confirm our top flight status before we can even think about relaxing.

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4th April 2015
Barclays Premier League
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+ Despite our league status still not secure, I'm given a new contract for another two years at the helm.
- Veteran defender Lucas Neill joins Saudi Arabian side, KSA, having only featured 3 times this season.

Cardiff has passed the magic thirty point mark this season and are looking likely to survive for another season in the top flight and to their credit they certainly look worthy of it, with their largely British team giving us a real run around at the I-Pro until the referee stepped in to give us a fighting chance, reducing Cardiff to ten men and awarding us a penalty, however the Welsh side deservedly left with all three points.

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12th April 2015
FA Cup - Semi Final

Well our impressive FA Cup run comes to an end at Wembley with Arsenal running the entire game from start to finish, courtesy of their impressive midfielder Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard has had a great season along side his fellow countryman Arteta in Arsenals midfield and it seems they're efforts are set to be rewarded with a long awaited trophy.

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15th April 2015
Barclays Premier League

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+ Jeff Hendrick returns to full fitness.

Despite missing out on a place in the FA Cup final it appears our players aren't exactly down hearted as we return to the league with an important victory over strugglers Sunderland with a first goal for Islam Feruz. The Black Cats seem to have taken their foot off the gas at the worst possible time as their seemingly safe gap has all but disappeared, with the chasing pack eager to take advantage.

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18th April 2015
Barclays Premier League

Back to back victories on the road. Hull have carved out a good reputation this season and are more then holding their own in the top half of the table, however we managed to leave the KC stadium with a very fortunate three points. This seasons outstanding performer Will Hughes popped up late in the game to smash home a twenty year shot with the last kick of the game. Survival is looking increasingly likely.

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25th April 2015
Barclays Premier League

- Craig Dawson suffers a concussion and is ruled out for the next week.
- Noblejas suffers a thigh strain following a stretched challenge and is in the treatment room for 2 weeks.

A thrilling and feisty game saw us run out eventual winners following an end to end game against our fellow Midlanders. Aston Villa, like us have found themselves in the relative safety on the edge of mid table but despite being ahead of us in the league we managed to take the points that all but secured our status in the league following an impressive comeback as our defensive duo of Derik and Keogh both managed to convert two well worked corners.

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April 2015
Barclays Premier League

Its still incredibly tight around us but the real fight is at the foot of the table with Sunderland and Fulham now the two teams who are locked in a duel to avoid the final relegation spot. Sunderland were sitting pretty just a month ago but a complete collapse has given The Cottagers a life line and thrown Gus Poyets men into danger, whilst we might not be completely safe quite yet, it would take one mighty upheaval to see us relegated now.​