3/1 To Win
Bradley Johnson has hailed the impact that Gary Rowett has made at Derby County during the last 12 months.
The Derby boss last week celebrated his one-year anniversary in the hotseat at Pride Park Stadium.
Rowett oversaw the final nine games of last season which provided an ideal opportunity to assess the players he had at his disposal ahead of the summer.
The 44-year-old made subtle changes to his squad ahead of the current campaign and he has established the Rams as a promotion contender as the final weeks of the season close in.
Derby sit fifth in the table and five of their remaining nine matches this season are to be played on home turf at Pride Park Stadium.
Johnson, who is coming towards the end of his third season with the Rams after joining from Norwich City in September 2015, feels Rowett’s management style has injected a feeling of belief right across the squad.
He also believes that, as a side, Derby are adaptable when it comes to how the side approaches matches.
Johnson told RamsTV: “I think the manager has come in and given everyone belief.
“He has a picture of how he wants to play and everyone knows that and what their jobs are.
“Even if you’ve not been in the team for three or four weeks, you can come into the side and understand clearly what your job is. That’s because the manager has painted a clear picture to us all.
“We’ve adapted to other teams. I felt in my first two seasons here we just had one way of playing and if that didn’t work, we came unstuck.
“We have different ways of adapting now and we look at the opposition more too. We try to find their weaknesses and ways to get at them.”
Johnson has been utilised in various midfield roles over the course of the campaign.
He has played in the holding role and also further forward, as well operating out wide in some matches.
The 30-year-old, as ever, is happy to perform anywhere for the side as long as he is in Rowett’s starting XI.
Johnson, who recently recovered from a back injury, has made 28 appearances for the Rams so far this season and scored four times.
He said: “I’ve played in various positions at this club as everyone knows.
“I played in the holding role last year for quite a bit and enjoyed it so if I’m needed in that position again I’ll pull on the shirt and do my best for the team.
“As a player, you just want to be playing football.”
