Attack has to be top of priorities in the push to climb table
DERBY County are back in the Championship’s bottom three following the combination of a deeplyfrustrating 1-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Friday coupled with other results at the weekend.
The Rams’ record in the first half of the season screams a need to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window.
By recording a blank against Wednesday, Derby have now failed to score in 12 of their 22 League games, including in four of their last six games. Their tally of only 14 goals is the lowest in the Championship.
“We controlled the game and had some very good chances. When you fail to take your chances then you always leave an opportunity for your opponents,” interim manager Wayne Rooney said on Friday.
Asked what positions he is looking at in the transfer window, he added: “All positions, we want to improve our squad.”
His answer is not a surprise looking at the team’s perilous position but the attacking department tops the list of priorities.
Derby must find goals from somewhere otherwise the second half of the campaign promises to be a long hard survival battle.
Colin Kazim-Richards has made an impact and he has scored three in nine starts.
But of the other forward players, Martyn Waghorn has two in 14 appearances, Kamil Jozwiak one in 18 and Tom Lawrence has yet to find the net in 13 games.
The forward-thinking players on the bench against Wednesday were Jahmal Hector-Ingram, Morgan
Whittaker and 16-year-old Kaide Gordon.
Jack Stretton is another of the youngsters who has been in the squad of late but it is a huge ask for young players who have precious little first-team experience.
Where Jack Marriott will be playing his football for the remainder of the season has to be decided. A decision is to be made on whether he returns to Sheffield Wednesday to complete his loan or stays at Derby, but he has struggled with injuries and for form and goals in the past season and a half.
What is clear is that the squad’s attacking threat needs sharpening and doing that is a must in a crucial transfer window for the club.
■ DARREN Fletcher has joined the first-team coaching staff at Manchester United.
It was being reported in the national press recently that Fletcher is ‘likely’ to join his former United team-mate Wayne Rooney at Derby County, should Rooney land the manager’s job.
Rooney has had nine games as interim manager of the Rams and is favourite to land the job on a permanent basis.
Fletcher, a former Scotland captain, came through the youth system with United and played 340 games for the club, winning five Premier League titles, the FA Cup and Champions’ League.
He left United and went on to play for West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. The 36-year-old has been working with United’s under-16s since October.
Now he will join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team of coaches and will work alongside Mike Phelan, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.