Rowett: "Players Know What To Expect"

Gary Rowett has made it clear that he will be pushing Derby County’s players hard in preparation for the 2017/18 season.

The Rams finished the season in ninth place in the Sky Bet Championship and, having signed off for the summer in early May, Rowett insists that his players walked out of the door knowing exactly what to expect when they report back for pre-season training at the end of June.

The Derby boss says he will be demanding more from his players from the word go, certainly from a physical aspect - and he certainly wants an added athletic edge to his side’s game next term.

He explained: “The last nine games of the season were great for me and the staff to learn more about the players, which I have spoken about on a number of occasions.

“On top of that, it was a good period for the players as well because it gave them a flavour of what to expect when they come back, both in terms of pre-season and beyond.

“They know that we’re not going to suddenly have an old-fashioned pre-season where they don’t see a ball for three weeks and being sick running up hills.

“However, they do know that I am going to demand a lot more from them next season, certainly physically, and I know they are getting prepared for that.”

He added: “The top teams work so hard. No-one can tell me that the teams at the top of the Premier League don’t work hard. Some will do it in different ways and I want a real physical edge about us.”

Rowett wants Derby to be fitter next season, purely for the way he wants the Rams to play and the level of intensity that he expects.

That isn’t a criticism of the fitness from what he observed – but he is a manager that wants and demands more where possible.

Rowett feels that there needs to be an extra ingredient in the side in order to try and find the best way to compete at the top end of the Championship.

“It’s not for me to challenge different managers’ ways of working in the past, but what I am saying is that I need the players fitter for the way I want them to play,” he said.

“I want the team to be more athletic and perform at the intensity we want to play at. Whether that is running with the ball or creating movement for the player in possession, it needs to be quicker and more dynamic.

“Derby has been a team in the past that has been possession-based and regarded as one that can pass teams off the park. That’s great, but it hasn’t worked – so we need to have that quality and something else alongside it. That something else is what we’re working very hard to bring in.”