O’Neill not fooled by position at bottom

MICHAEL O’Neill has warned his Stoke City players not to be fooled by Derby County’s position at the bottom of the Championship.

The Rams go into tonight’s clash against the Potters at the bet365 Stadium having won their last two matches, against West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool. They also beat leaders Bournemouth last month and drew with secondplaced Fulham.

“We watched the game against West Bromwich Albion, a great three points for them and they showed a big characteristic of why they have managed to do what they’ve done this season,” O’Neill said.

“We don’t really regard them as a team at the bottom of the league, we regard them as a team on 28 points. We showed the players that and said don’t be fooled by the league table.

“They’ve got one of the best defensive records in the league, possibly the second lowest goals conceded after West Bromwich Albion and that’s been a platform for them to make life difficult. They’ve had a lot of draws as well so that foundation of being difficult to beat has helped them this season.

“The situation that they find themselves in, which is very difficult, might mean they can be a bit more relaxed. The expectation is that it’s an almost impossible situation they’ve been given so they can go into games a bit more relaxed and that’s possibly translating into performances.”

O’Neill has been impressed with the way Rams manager Wayne Rooney, his staff and the players have handled a difficult situation.

“One thing I think is evident from Derby is that the players have dealt with a very difficult situation,” he said.

“The club is obviously in administration and there’s a lot of uncertainty around the club and players will have selfish attitudes in the sense they will recognise they are in the shop window for other teams. When they get the chance to play they will want to show what they are capable of.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt they are playing for their manager. I think you see that in all the games they’ve played.”