Leadership, not just the stats, have caught eye
THREE goals, two assists and a leading role in probably Derby County’s best spell of the season so far. The facts support Tom Lawrence’s nomination as Championship player of the month for November.
Lawrence was calmness personified when he set up Festy Ebosele for the youngster’s goal in a 1-1 draw at Millwall.
Lawrence then scored twice in the 3-2 home victory over high-riding Bournemouth and his first goal was from the top drawer. Seemingly crowded out in the area, he showed composure, made space for himself and curled an exquisite finish beyond Mark Travers into the far top corner.
His second, and what proved to be the winner, saw him dispatch a penalty.
All this came in a demanding three-match spell that saw the Rams collect five points from Millwall, Bournemouth and Fulham.
Derby’s final game of the month resulted in a disappointing 2-1 home defeat by Queens Park Rangers, but Lawrence made his mark with an emphatic finish to put the Rams ahead.
But Lawrence’s month was about more than stats. The Wales international has been leading on the pitch at the toughest of times for the club.
A total of 21 points have been deducted this season to leave the Rams in their current position bottom of the table on one point and 20 adrift of safety. Given that they have won only four League games all season
and only one of their last 11, it is clear they need something of a football miracle if they are to avoid dropping into League One.
The players are battling against the huge odds stacked against them, as you would expect them to, but it is a remarkably difficult situation.
Eyebrows were raised when Lawrence was appointed captain ahead of this season.
It was a surprise decision in some ways, not in others because you could see manager Wayne Rooney’s thinking.
The appointment was not because Lawrence was the biggest voice in the dressing room or on the pitch, it was about what he is capable of producing on the pitch and how that can lift the team.
“I have played under many different captains and they all have different strengths. Some are really vocal, some are quieter but do the job on the pitch, so everyone has different ways of being a captain. What Tom has given us is great leadership on the pitch,” Rooney told me last month when asked how Lawrence had handled being given the armband.
Lawrence has started 18 of Derby’s League fixtures and his current run of 14 starts is his longest in two years. He has also adapted when asked to fill a number of roles, including that as a false number nine.