3/1 To Win
Interim boss Liam Rosenior has reflected on the summer so far as Derby County prepare for their first pre-season friendly of the summer as they face Bradford City at Valley Parade on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick off).
The meeting with the Bantams will provide Derby with their first workout of the summer following relegation to Sky Bet League One last season.
Rosenior, who has worked as the club’s assistant manager over the last two seasons, has been leading the Rams following the departure of Wayne Rooney over the summer.
The 37-year-old spoke to RamsTV ahead of tomorrow’s game and covered a range of topics including recruitment, how pre-season has gone so far and what he’s looking for from the players against Mark Hughes’ side.
On The Last Couple Of Months At Derby…
There has been a lot of emotions working at this football club for the last three years and everyone here can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The amount of people I’ve seen in the street, how happy everyone is at the training ground and I can’t thank David Clowes enough for what he’s done in terms of saving this football club. We need to use that and use it as a football club. It’s been nice to focus on football. We’ve had a lot of positive things happen in the last week and it’s something for us to build on and use the momentum moving forward, which I’m very excited about.
I have to offer a word for everyone because it’s been a real team effort. We’ve always said we’ve been planning for different eventualities. We were planning for the Championship when we had a chance in terms of staying up, while we were planning in terms of League One for the past six months and we identified targets as well as speaking to agents and players. Involved in the process have been so many people. Jon Howard has been amazing in terms of what he has done in the recruitment department, Pete Shuttleworth’s actual title is analyst, but he’s been unbelievable working 24 hours a day speaking to agents and players and they encapsulate the spirit of this football club. Underneath the stuff happening above us there is a real core of people who have gone above and beyond to keep this club going who deserve credit and deserve the appreciate that they get, and now they are seeing the benefits. David Clowes has come in and saved the football club and hopefully given the club the stability and momentum moving forward for us all to be in it together and be successful at the same time. A lot of people would have said it was amazing at how many players we’ve signed in a short space of time. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without Amit Pannu, the Club Doctor, making sure the medical is alright and Clare Morris as Club Secretary making sure all the paperwork is right and all different people have added to this. We’ve seen the benefits of having some outstanding players walk into the building.
On Wayne Rooney’s Departure…
I’ve missed him. It was a big shock to us when Wayne left recently. I still speak to Wayne every day and we created a really nice bond and we are now friends; our family are friends. I can’t do this interview without speaking about Wayne did in such a difficult time for the club. He showed unbelievable leadership, he brought the club so close together and it’s been really interesting because every single new player has touched on is the fans. Wayne was a huge link between the fans and the football club and now it is important that we keep that going. He gave me the trust to do what I was good at and we created a really strong link. We will miss him but there would be nothing which would make him happier than to see this club get back to where it belongs in the long term. I think we should all be grateful to the job Wayne did whilst he was here.
On Derby’s Signings So Far…
The way that we’ve recruited players was putting their character first. They are all here for the right reasons. They are here because they want to represent this football club. Speaking to Conor Hourihane, James Chester and David McGoldrick, these are players who played in the Premier League at the very highest level and every single one of them said to me: ‘I can’t wait to play at Pride Park in front of the fans’. That is down to the media team and the supporters. The atmosphere we created last season makes players want to come here. There has been a lot of talk over finances and things like that, but every player that we sign is here because they want to get the club back to where it belongs and it has nothing to do with money. We are working to a budget, I’m happy to work within a budget, the club is happy to work within a budget and it shows that if you have the right values, you have a spirit amongst you then you can attract very good players to play for you and that’s the way it needs to continue.
Our away form, at times, last season wasn’t great. It wasn’t the fault of the players in the team, they were inexperienced and to win games and be where we want to be, you need a little bit of know-how and experience. When the game becomes a fight in January and February, you need players who have been there and done it. They have all achieved promotions in their careers and that was important to me. James Chester has captained clubs, Conor Hourihane has been a captain and we’ve got we’ve got leaders in the group and all of their values are exactly the same. They want to do the best for the team so for the likes of Birdy, Cashin, Tommo, Knighty, Sibs and the other outstanding young players that we have, they have superb role models in that dressing room and we are going to improve them as well.
On Liam Thompson And Eiran Cashin Extending Their Stays At Derby…
I’m delighted and they deserve it. The performances that they put in last season were absolutely magnificent and they now have to build on it. They can’t rest on their laurels. I love watching young players come through, that has been the theme of this football club for a long time and that will continue, and they will be a huge part of what we are trying to do this year.
On How Pre-Season Has Gone So Far…
Today has been hard work because it’s been so hot outside. There was a lot of talk about numbers that we had but we have been training constantly with over 20 players. The first week we had the Under-18s group, the Under-21s and the first team trained together so the nice thing has been the flow of togetherness. Pat Lyons, Jake Buxton, Justin Walker and myself have all been working together and that’s been really nice as well and we are seeing the fruits of that. Carlos Richards and Darren Robinson have been brilliant this pre-season and they will get their chance tomorrow at Bradford to show what they have been displaying in training.
On What He’s Looking To Get Out Of The First Pre-Season Game…
You just want the players to come through unscathed. There is a real plan and process behind the way that we worked last season. The players were fit and we had a really good injury record last year so in terms of the plan, it’s to play as well as we can and enjoy being back out there. I’ve said to the players that Saturday is a huge day. I know how many fans are going to the game and I’ve been so delighted at how many fans have bought season tickets in such a short space of time too. In this economic climate, it is unbelievable so the fans are behind us and with us through difficult times so I want the players to go out there and enjoy playing football.
Krystian Bielik isn’t injured but he’s got a sore knee. That happened when he was away with Poland in the summer so we have to manage him well and make sure he is fit and ready to go at the start of the season. He won’t be involved in the game on Saturday, but apart from that we are really good.
On His Excitement…
I love being here and doing my job. I know it’s a big job here but if you don’t love what you do then you shouldn’t be doing it. It’s been a real pleasure over the last two weeks to be here, see the progress that the club has made and I hope that we can keep it moving forward.
