Derby County

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Before the Rams faced Norwich on Tuesday, the message from the fanbase was clear: Derby just needed to show some pride and provide something to believe in.

They failed, miserably.

Heading into half-time 3-0 down, with very little fight, character or desire shown, boos rang around Pride Park as supporters headed for the exits.

With Norwich taking their foot off the gas in the second half, the Rams were probably let off the hook and lucky to only concede once more.

A night to forget. Four goals conceded in back-to-back games, seven points from safety, and John Eustace's future in doubt more than ever.

There had rightfully been criticism of the club from top to bottom following that result.

Eustace was criticised for playing academy product Isaac Gordon at right-back, leaving him exposed, whilst the experienced Ryan Nyambe played at centre-back. A back five, or swapping Gordon and Nyambe, might have offered the youngster better protection.

The players were criticised for their lack of effort. For large parts of the first half, the Rams didn't look like they were trying. Players failed to sprint back, close the ball down or make tackles. The lack of fight and belief fell well below the standards Derby County supporters expect.

Finally, Stephen Pearce. From his involvement in the Mel Morris disaster - with the former owner putting the club into administration in 2021 - to questionable recruitment decisions, a constant lack of accountability for his failings, and even the current injury crisis. Supporters' frustrations with him have only grown over recent years, and have now started to reach boiling point.

From kick-off on Tuesday evening until nine o'clock on Friday night, the Rams felt like a lost cause.

So what changed?

To start with, Eustace fielded a team with balance and trust.

Nyambe returned to right-back, with Jack Robinson and Shane Duffy bringing leadership, experience and organisation to the defensive line.

Mohammed Fuseini provided pace and an attacking outlet, whilst Rhian Brewster's natural technical ability made a massive difference.

The players fought hard.

Unlike Tuesday, the Rams worked their socks off. Tackles flew in, communication was there for all to see, and players bust a gut to track back and pressure Bolton.

Despite their improved efforts, the Rams still headed into the interval a goal down. However, the comparison to Tuesday night's display gave Pride Park that belief they'd been crying out for, with many feeling Derby were still in the game.

Five minutes into the second half, the Rams were leading.

Two quick-fire goals from unlikely scorers sent Pride Park into raptures.

Nyambe scored his first career goal in over 300 attempts, before Robinson doubled the lead from a well-worked header just three minutes later.

Crucially, the players now looked like they wanted to play for Eustace. Whatever was said at half-time had clearly galvanised the squad.

The Rams still had work to do, calling upon Jacob Widell Zetterström to make several impressive saves as Bolton pushed for an equaliser.

The players continued to battle though, despite looking out on their feet, and as Bolton threw the kitchen sink at it Brewster nicked the ball high up the pitch and sprinted towards goal in the closing stages.

Bedlam.

Eustace's emotion poured out, the players celebrated with him, and for the first time since 25 April, Derby had finally won a game at home.

Despite the joy, there is still a bigger picture.

The Rams remain 23rd in the Championship and face two difficult away games after the international break.

Performances have not been good enough, Eustace's tactical decisions have at times been questionable, and winning just twice in the opening 15 matches remains unacceptable.

That being said, if Friday night showed anything, it's that these players want to play for their manager.

It's now over to David Clowes, Leigh Bromby and Pearce to decide whether that's good enough going forward, or if a change is still needed before the Rams return in two weeks' time.

Derby County head coach John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby following their 3-1 win over Bolton.

"I'm very proud. Going 1-0 down just before half-time and going in, it could have been very different," he said.

"But the group stuck together and came out in the second half and showed fighting spirit and togetherness.

"It shows how together the group are, it's been a really difficult start to the season for lots of different reasons and today we had a bit of luck, Jacob has pulled off a couple of fantastic saves and we were clinical at the other end. I'm just pleased for the players, they deserved that.

"It's a bit of relief as well, we have a really tight knit group in there. I've had that for the past 18 months with the group and we have new faces, people coming in to prove themselves now, and the feeling around the training ground has been of disappointment but also very much of togetherness.

"Tonight was a win for the whole club, but there is so much hard work ahead."

A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.

Malcolm Christie, Dominic Dietrich, Ed Dawes and Amelia Warren discuss the latest regarding Derby County as their winless run is extended.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Derby County will hope to record their first home win in the Championship since April 18 when they meet Bolton Wanderers on Friday (20:00 GMT).

The Rams have conceded eight goals in their past two games while Bolton are seeking back-to-back league wins for the second time this season.

• Derby are unbeaten in their past 16 home league games against Bolton (W12 D4), winning the last six in a row.

• Bolton have won just one of their past 11 Championship games against Derby (D4 L6), with this their first meeting in this division since a 4-0 loss in April 2019.

• Derby are winless in their past 10 Championship games (D3 L7), losing 4-1 at Millwall and 4-0 against Norwich in their last two. They last conceded 4+ goals in three consecutive league games in November 1946.

• After picking up just one point from their first three away league games this season (D1 L2), Bolton have now picked up 10 from their past four on the road (W3 D1).

• Bolton's Sam Dalby has scored six goals from just 10 shots on target in the Championship this season, with four of his six strikes coming away from home.

Andrew Aloia
BBC Sport, East Midlands

Image source, Shutterstock

Derby County forward Sam Szmodics has been ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury that requires surgery.

The 31-year-old limped off in the second half of Tuesday's 4-0 home defeat by Norwich City.

Losing this season's top-scorer Szmodics until at least mid-December, which could see him miss as many as eight matches, adds to the mounting injury crisis at the East Midlands club.

Defenders Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas, Craig Forsyth, Eiran Cashin and Derry Murkin are out, while United States striker Patrick Agyemang is still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.

"Sam has been playing through a knee injury. A lot of the players we have at the moment are going through difficult moments to get through 90 minutes, you can see the squad is very, very thin," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"To lose a player of Sam Szmodics' quality, although he has been playing about three quarters fit anyway, is a huge loss to us."

We asked for your thoughts after Norwich City's 4-0 win against Derby County at Pride Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Derby fans

Russ: The blame lies solely at the feet of David Clowes. He's sold Eustace down the river with the shambolic events of the summer.

Cornishram: I'm not one for getting rid of a manager, but this has gone too far. I'm sorry Mr Clowes but the time has come.

Christopher: We were second best in every department. No fight or urgency from the players. One or two shots on goal in 90 mins very unlikely to win you a game. Dreadful defending again. The fault and blame can't all be the manager.

John: Woeful, amateur, abject. Derby are utterly embarrassing, this won't change until the manager does.

Adrian: Derby are very poor and disjointed due to the injuries that have decimated any cohesion or confidence built through last season. Early good performances have now disappeared and we now have to aim to avoid relegation but we can't earn a point, never mind a win. I would give Eustace the the rest of season as changing the manager now would not change the situation with the team or the injury list which is getting longer each game.

Per: Painful to watch. Schoolboy defending. Midfielders being outplayed. Nobody winning duels. Hardly creating any chances at our home ground. Time for a change, manager and some players must go.

Tim: Absolutely appalling display. No obvious gameplan or strategy. Everyone playing for themselves not the team. Second to every free ball. No meaningful tackles at crucial points in the game and dangerous positions on the pitch. Not sharp or match fit. Never seen a Derby team perform as poorly as this. Recent results say it all. We are destined for another spell in League One unless some decisive action is taken.

Image source, Shutterstock

Norwich fans

Paul: Excellent from Norwich. Totally controlled the game and Derby were lucky it was only FOUR!

Tommyc44: Been a NCFC fan for too long. Seen too many boom and bust cycles of promotion, stagnation and relegation. This doesn't feel like a boom period to me... but a good performance from the lads. I hope they prove me wrong. OTBC.

Robert: A good, solid performance, a very worthy three points, and a clean sheet, at last. The players seem to have found their confidence again, and it seems to be clicking together well. That said, we were up against a very poor Derby team.

Michael: A really one sided affair. Derby looked destined for the drop. Let's hope this revival for Norwich lasts. They are truly a side with the potential of getting into a play-off position.

Roger: At last Norwich displaying some of last season's energy and desire when PC took over. Still a few too many poor passes, but overall everyone contributed to a pleasing win. Every goal was constructed from attacking prowess rather than luck. This performance gives renewed hope. Well done.

Rob: Yes a great win and most importantly a clean sheet but it was against a very poor Derby. There will be much bigger tests to come. Hopefully, the confidence is there now and when Kenny and Pelle return we can push into the play-offs.

Tony: Pleased that our defence didn't get sloppy as our forwards did their stuff, which was clinical at times. A clean sheet was as well deserved as the four goals. PC is the best man to keep guiding this young team all the way to at least the play-off positions, after an indifferent start to the season.

Derby boss John Eustace insists he will not walk away as the Rams' Championship plight worsens.

Eustace endured a wretched 47th birthday as Derby were thrashed 4-0 at home by Norwich on Tuesday evening.

After the 4-1 beating at Millwall at the weekend, the heavy loss increased the pressure further on Eustace who has been at Pride Park for 19 months.

"The confidence in the group is low at the moment and we just have to get through this really difficult period together," said Eustace.

"We've got eight defenders who are missing. We have to be realistic on that.

"It's not the ideal result we want and the performance is unacceptable when we concede four goals at home.

"Tactically I got it wrong tonight and I'll take full responsibility for the performance.

"We're professional and we need a reaction on Friday [at home to Bolton]. We have to find some solutions on how we move forward.

"I'm confident I can turn things around, I'm certainly not giving up. It's a tough period but when we get through it eventually it'll make us stronger again."

Derby County boss John Eustace says the opening three months of the season have been the "toughest" of his managerial career.

The Rams are in the relegation places with just one win from 13 Championship games so far this term.

The slow start to the season follows a drawn-out and ultimately failed takeover attempt at the club during the summer, compounded by injury woes which have forced a number of key players out of action.

Former Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City boss Eustace, who has come under increasing pressure to keep his job in recent weeks, admits the Rams side he guided to within four points of the play-off places last term are now in a fight to avoid the drop.

"It's been the toughest three months, definitely, through recruitment and personnel that are available to us," he told BBC East Midlands Today.

"But it's part of the job and I have to get my head around that and try to find solutions."

Derby, whose defeat by Millwall on Saturday was their sixth loss in a nine-match winless run, host Norwich City on Tuesday night.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

After losing 4-1 at The Den on Saturday there were plenty of negative emotions and opinions shared by all associated with the club.

However, perhaps the biggest concern to come out of another miserable afternoon for the Rams is that nobody actually feels particularly surprised anymore.

The general consensus was that supporters had spent another afternoon watching their team seemingly short of confidence, conviction and belief.

Conceding three goals inside the opening 17 minutes meant the game was effectively over before Derby had even had the opportunity to grow into it.

As supporters, we can always accept losing football matches. Nobody expects Derby to win every week, and anyone who has followed this club for any length of time knows that supporting the Rams has never been straightforward.

However, what is becoming increasingly difficult to accept is the manner of some of these defeats. The opening 20 minutes at The Den were simply unacceptable.

We know we have an injury crisis at the moment, particularly defensively, and John Eustace has undoubtedly been dealt a difficult hand.

On the other hand though, there comes a point when supporters need to see something that gives us encouragement, regardless of the lack of tools available.

Losing, having a bad day at the office, and making mistakes are all things that fans can see past and continue defending the club throughout.

Lack of fight, lack of character, lack of belief and lack of effort, however...

Throughout the next two matches at Pride Park, supporters need to see a team that understands what representing Derby County means to the thousands who follow them up and down the country, week in, week out.

If this group of players cannot get themselves up for playing in front of a home crowd who have continued to show up in numbers for them, despite only having one league victory to their name in their first 13 matches, then there is simply no hope left.

Fans are not demanding miracles at this point, they are just asking for something to get behind.

The Rams now have two golden opportunities to change the mood, restore some belief, and remind everyone that this season doesn't have to become the struggle many are beginning to fear it will be.

Norwich and Bolton will both provide difficult tests, but this is the sort of game where Pride Park needs to play its part.

However, should Derby lack fight and belief like they did at The Den, it could become quite the toxic environment.

I have never been one to get too downbeat, particularly so early on in a season.

So I refuse to write off this campaign in November when there is still plenty of football left to play, and Derby absolutely have enough quality to return from injury to turn things around.

These next two games won't define the entire season, but they could go a very long way towards defining the mood for the weeks ahead.

It is time for Derby to step up and show us what they are made of, and hopefully, give us all something to cheer about.

You can often catch Amelia Warren as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.

Derby County go into their meeting with Norwich City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) as one of only two sides yet to win at home in the Championship this season.

The Canaries are hoping to win three games on the bounce for the first time in the current campaign.

• Derby have won just one of their past five home league games against Norwich (D2 L2), though it was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Norwich have won three of their past five league games against Debry (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 15 (D5 L7).

• Derby are winless in their past seven home league games (D2 L5), having won six in a row at Pride Park Stadium before this.

• None of Norwich's past 17 away league games have been drawn. They won eight of their first 10 in this run (L1), but have since lost five of the past seven (W2).

• There have been 18 goals scored in Norwich's past four away league games (F10 A8), an average of 4.5 per game.

Image source, Shutterstock

We asked for your thoughts after Derby County suffered a heavy 4-1 loss at Millwall in the Championship.

The defeat was a third in four games for the Rams, who are 23rd in the table and four points adrift of safety.

John Eustace's side are without a victory in their past nine games (D3 L6) and have won just once in the league this season.

Adam: Absolutely disgraceful. Sorry but we need a change. Something isn't right and not good enough for this club. We are down if this carries on.

Tom: Massively concerned. Plenty of players out, I accept that, but the manner of performances have been unacceptable.

When Eustace came to the club he spoke about "fighters not victims" but there is no evidence of that now. This is only going to end one way. Appreciate the work in the first year and a half but ultimately football is a results business.

Mark: John Eustace the hero that saved us from the drop is now the pantomime villain. He has totally lost the confidence of his players. Time for him to go before the mire gets any deeper.

Spondon: Again Derby County have exhibited their frailty in both attack and defence. A long list of injuries and a failed takeover of the club has resulted in a disastrous start to the season.

However, the Rams still have a fine manager, a very supportive owner and a fanbase that will stay on side despite the setbacks. We will return to the top.

John: Very poor from the start, never competed, no pattern of play and no plan A never mind plan B. Carlton Morris completely on his own running after everything but outnumbered all game.

Frank: This season has been a failure of the regulatory body who procrastinated far too long to put off any investor willing to invest in a club which needed help. I have supported Derby for over 60 years to now be totally untrusting of the football echelons of power.

Derby County players were "completely" at fault for their dismal defeat at Millwall and should "take all the criticism" for it, says Rams forward Sam Szmodics.

The Championship strugglers were 3-0 down inside 17 minutes on Saturday and went on to lose 4-1 at The Den.

It was their sixth defeat in a nine-match winless run that leaves Derby in the relegation places and boss John Eustace under huge pressure.

Szmodics was quick to admit the performances was "not good enough".

"Today is nothing to do with the gaffer, nothing to do with the tactics, it's completely on the players," he told BBC Radio Derby.

"As a collective we need to do better and own that.

"Fans have their right to do, say and act how they feel because ultimately, it's not been good enough this season. But only as players can we change that.

"We need to not pass the buck and will need to take all the criticism."

You can listen to more reaction from Szmodics and post-match analysis by hitting the play button above or heading over to Derby County's BBC Sounds page here.

Image source, Opta

Millwall will aim to get back on track as they welcome lowly Derby to The Den on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Lions have taken just six points from their past seven Championship games and went down 2-1 at Portsmouth last Saturday to slip into the bottom-half, five points adrift of the play-off spots.

The Rams are second-bottom and have taken just three points from their past eight games and were pegged back late-on to draw 1-1 at Sheffield United last time out.

• Millwall are unbeaten across their past seven league games against Derby County (W4 D3), scoring exactly one goal in six of those matches.

• Derby County have won just two of their past 13 league games against Millwall (D4 L7), though both victories have come away from home.

• Having won their opening two league games this season, Millwall have now won just two of their past 10 (D3 L5).

• Derby have just one league win this season and are winless in their past eight (D3 L5). However, five of their seven points so far this term have come away from home.

• Derby are the only side yet to score from a set piece in the Championship this season, while the Rams have also had fewer different goalscorers than anyone else (5, excluding own goals).

A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.

Match of the Day's Martin Fisher joins Malcolm Christie and Dominic Dietrich to discuss all the latest Derby County news.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Four matches down after returning from an extended international break, Derby are yet to find that elusive second win of the campaign.

Wrexham at home, QPR away, Stoke at home, and Sheffield United away; two draws, two losses.

It's been the same old story in many of those games, attacking wise not so bad, creating chances but perhaps not being clinical enough at times, causing us to come away from matches feeling like "we should've got more".

In a defensive sense, however, things have been pretty bleak and to put it bluntly, it has cost us.

The Rams now sit 23rd in the table, four points off Watford in 21st, and more importantly, safety.

I suppose Derby's poor defending has been a reflection of the personnel they have available to them.

In the Wrexham game, Joe Ward, Sondre Langas, Dion Sanderson and Ryan Hedges all started in a back four.

In the QPR game, the same back four start, but Langas is withdrawn after 12 minutes due to injury with Ryan Nyambe replacing him, and with no disrespect to the Namibian, perhaps only showcasing the lack of reinforcements Derby have at their disposal.

Is it just a coincidence that the Rams go on to fall apart after that change?

For Stoke and Sheffield United, the same back four that finished the QPR game started, and to be fair to them, looked ever so slightly more stable.

However with Sanderson now picking up a red card at the weekend, John Eustace will have to chop and change at the back once again ahead of Derby's visit to The Den on Saturday.

The sheer lack of preferred defensive options Eustace has had available to him has no doubt played a part in the bleak run of results for the Rams in recent weeks.

Perhaps the lack of trust Eustace has in the four defensive players he is currently having to select, was only backed up by Derby bringing in the experienced Jack Robinson on a short-term deal shortly after the QPR game.

Image source, Shutterstock

The big question is will things improve for the Rams? Personally, I think so.

The reintroduction of Jacob Widell Zetterstrom against Sheffield United made a massive difference, with the Swedish shot-stopper being the main reason Derby came away with a share of the spoils in the end.

He is of course only one cog in the Rams' defensive structure.

Last campaign's player of the season, Matt Clarke, is still yet to make his way back from time out on the sidelines. Derry Murkin, who would be Derby's first choice left-back, is also yet to make his return from injury.

Eiran Cashin, Sondre Langas, Charlie Taylor and Craig Forsyth all remain out, with varied expected return dates.

Once Derby get towards Christmas, and most of these players are expected to be available for selection again, I think it's almost impossible to believe results won't improve.

The harsh reality of football is that despite being dealt a bad hand injury wise so far, and not being to play our best starting line-up even once yet this season, the games don't stop coming thick and fast.

Eustace is going to need to find a way to use the tools he has available to him to try and string some results together quickly, especially between now and January, to stop Derby being cut adrift at the bottom of the Championship table.

You can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.