Liam Rosenior says he totally understood the decision to postpone football matches right across the United Kingdom at the weekend.
It was announced last Thursday evening that Her Majesty, The Queen Elizabeth II had sadly passed away at the age of 96 and, as a result, the football authorities made the decision to postpone all fixtures as a mark of respect as a period of mourning began.
Derby will, however, return to League One action on Tuesday evening with a trip to Lincoln City (7:45pm kick-off) after the EFL confirming on Monday morning that their schedule would resume.
Rosenior, Derby’s Interim Manager, spoke to RamsTV ahead of the meeting with the Imps to discuss his understanding for matches not taking place and reveal how the Rams have been preparing for their return to action.
On The Sad Passing Of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II…
It was really sad news when we found out last week for everyone connected with the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The Queen was an amazing leader for 70 years and now we are going through a period of mourning, which everyone respects, and my sincere condolences go out to the Royal Family on behalf of everyone at Derby County. I actually drove past Pride Park Stadium on Sunday and I saw the tribute to the Queen on the external screens, which was a lovely reminder of her opening the stadium back in 1997 and that is an amazing moment in our history which will be remembered forever. She meant a great deal to us as a football club and as a nation and I am sure King Charles will do a wonderful job moving forward.
On The Away Game At Morecambe Being Called Off As A Mark Of Respect…
You always want to play matches, but I totally understood the decision to call the weekend’s matches off. We were actually training when the final decision was made and because we were unsure what the situation was in the lead-up to Saturday, I hadn’t named the team. I normally do it before training in a team meeting, but I held off on this occasion. I was waiting for the news to come through and when it did, we adapted our training session straight away. We had an in-house behind-closed-doors training game on Saturday, which was 60 minutes long, and that was a great workout for the lads that needed minutes. It was also important for the tactical work we’ve been doing. We have an output plan for the players for the whole season, to be in top physical condition, and maybe it would have been easy to give them the weekend off. However, the intensity of the match we played was really good and the players were at it. As it turned out, last week was our first clear week since the start of the season to work on how we want to play and underpin our style of play. I was happy with the work we got in and now it is about taking it into the matches, especially after the disappointing performance against Plymouth. It was a setback to lose that match, but we knew we would have some over the season. Good teams, and good coaches, respond to setbacks and I can’t wait to get out there on Tuesday night.
On Returning To Action At Lincoln…
I feel like the lads are champing at the bit to play because we’ve had to wait ten days or so since the Plymouth match. Lincoln are a difficult side to beat and they play a nice style of football. Mark Kennedy has gone in there with a clear idea of how he wants them to play. They have similar principles to us, with a few tweaks. From a tactical aspect, we need to be really good in this match. We also need to be disciplined and organised in how we play. Lincoln have some outstanding individual and technical players but, as I always say, it is about us. If we play how we know we can, and with the right intensity, we will give ourselves a very good chance of winning the game.
On The Shape Of The Squad…
The squad is looking good, which is pleasing. James Chester played 45 minutes in the training match on Saturday and he is building up his match minutes. He has missed all of the season so far, so he still needs some time and he won’t be in the squad. Korey Smith is still out too. However, we have our captain Curtis Davies back and that is a boost for us. I have a difficult decision to make now because Richard Stearman has been superb when he’s been on the pitch. I know I have some tough selection decisions to make soon when James and Korey return, but you need options and a strong 18-19 core group. That means your bench is strong and you can adapt and change when required. I am delighted to have these problems so long may it continue!
On The Game Being Derby’s 5,000th League Fixture…
I want to mark this game with a win, as we do every time we play. The magnitude of this club is not lost on me, the staff or the players and we would love to mark such a magnificent occasion for Derby County in its history with three points.
