Rowett Has Derby Moving Forward

Senior Communications Officer Tom Loakes (@TomLoakes) reviews Gary Rowett's first year as Derby County's manager and assesses the key points behind why he's got the Rams moving forward in the right direction.

I can’t quite believe it’s a year since Gary Rowett, flanked by his trusted backroom team, walked through the door for the first time as Derby County’s manager.

Putting it simply, the time has flown by.

He has overseen 46 league games during that time, which is the equivalent of a league campaign.

In that timeframe, Derby have picked up 20 wins, 17 draws and nine defeats, equalling out at 77 points. For the purpose of this piece, I’m leaving cup ties out of the equation.

When I was asked to put together this opinion piece for dcfc.co.uk to reflect on Rowett’s first year in the hotseat, I spent a day or so going through old interviews and looking back on the events of last 12 months.

A key line from his first interview as Derby boss with RamsTV stood out for me.

With a real passion and determination in his voice, Rowett said: “I want to get this club on a pathway to start to move forward in a clear and strong direction.”

I think it’s fair to say that 12 months down the line the 44-year-old has Derby County, with the firm backing with Executive Chairman Mel Morris CBE, moving in the right direction.

It’s still a work in progress, of course. Foundations have been laid and plenty of hard work behind-the-scenes has taken place.

Yes, the Rams haven’t won in their last seven league games but I don’t think the recent form should cloud over the clear progress that’s been made overall.

I’m not saying anything Rowett hasn’t said himself by stating that Derby haven’t won as many games as they would have liked in recent weeks.

It’s not like they’re losing three or four games in a row, though. That would be a different story. In fact, Rowett has never lost back-to-back league matches as Derby boss.

He inherited a side that was ten points outside the play-off places with nine games left to play last March and out of form.

There was also a perception that the Rams had to be at their very best to win and only had one way of playing.

A year on, sitting fifth in the table, the side are three points clear of seventh place and have a superior goal difference when, realistically, many expected this season to be a transitional year and external expectations were their lowest for a couple of years.

Rowett admitted after the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Sunday that the top two is probably out of reach now but that doesn’t mean a place in the Premier League can’t be secured come the end of May.

Maybe the Rams will just have to do it the hard way, via the play-offs. If it ends the way we want it to, who will be complaining? I certainly won’t be.

Derby have found different ways to win in the last 12 months and that’s absolutely essential in the Championship. You have days when you aren’t at your best and you need to grind it out to get a point, or even three, and we’ve seen evidence the side are capable of doing that.

The squad is more than adaptable and we’ve seen different styles and systems utilised to get over the line, particularly this season. Having different strings to their bow is a key factor if you’re going to be successful.

I think that’s where it’s important to look at the bigger picture and that’s where another of Rowett’s comments from his first interview is relevant.

He stated: “We are focused on getting the right balance and ingredients. We also want to maximise the potential of the talented squad we’ve got here too.”

He made changes over the summer and some may not have been universally popular either, but Rowett wanted the right balance and ingredients to assemble a promotion-chasing Derby County side.

Will Hughes and Tom Ince moved on to the Premier League with Watford and Huddersfield Town, while Cyrus Christie and Abdoul Camara were sold too. Craig Bryson, Jacob Butterfield and Nick Blackman departed on loan as well before the summer window closed.

Curtis Davies was brought in to add valuable experience on and off the pitch, as was Tom Huddlestone too as the new-look squad took shape. Andre Wisdom’s qualities didn’t need spelling out to supporters and Tom Lawrence was a much sought-after signing and is an exciting attacking option.

Sam Winnall arrived on loan on and scored some vital goals before sustaining a serious knee injury in early February, while Joe Ledley’s calming influence in the middle of the park has been clear for all to see.

Those changes, across all areas of the team, have made a difference and the summer activity in the transfer market was geared towards generating a better balance to the squad.

Subtle changes were made in January too and past promotion winners Cameron Jerome and Kasey Palmer were added to the squad.

A number of players departed during the winter window; but it’s hard to keep players happy when they’re not playing football in a big squad so the likes of Chris Martin, Darren Bent and Jason Shackell leaving wasn’t a surprise – while Johnny Russell opted for a lifestyle change in America.

The better balance across the squad remains intact and it’s just unfortunate injuries have bitten Derby lately.

Rowett also referenced maximising the potential of the current squad upon his arrival and there’s no better example than Matej Vydra’s contribution this season.

The Czech Republic international would be the first to admit Derby didn’t see the best of him last season.

Rowett was quick to embrace Vydra’s qualities and he’s got the best out of him in the number ten position and his goals, 18 in all competitions so far this term, have been crucial.

He’s playing with a smile on his face and relishing the responsibility that comes with being a key player.

Andreas Weimann is revelling in his second coming as a Derby player under Rowett too, while Richard Keogh and Scott Carson have been as instrumental as ever at the back.

At both ends of the pitch, the Rams have improved in the last year and it’s clear Rowett has trust in his players. I think that style of management has empowered the players on the pitch knowing their manager believes in them.

In a league as notoriously difficult as the Championship, Derby are a difficult side to play against and break down nowadays. There’s more backbone, more resilience and that’s probably down to the vast experience within the group.

Their defensive record suggests as much. The side conceded 50 goals last season and, with only 34 conceded so far this term along with 17 clean sheets, that’s a big improvement.

Up top, 55 goals have been scored in the league this season compared to 54 in the entirety of last season. Goalscoring was a problem last season – that there is no doubt – but I can’t remember too many concerns this time around.

We’ve also seen the away form turn around as well. It was a big talking point in the media earlier in the season but the side have proved now they can go to the likes of Leeds, Norwich and Middlesbrough and, deservedly, win.

So, a year on, I think Derby are in a better place than they were when Rowett and his backroom team arrived. I know he will be quick to put that down to the hard work of his staff and the players; and rightly so.

The drive and determination is there to build on the positive building blocks that have been put in place and keep taking the club forward, as Rowett stated a year ago, in a clear and strong direction.

And, as he subtly indicated at the weekend, he’s still not lost against Forest either!