Derby County Season Preview: the Lampard era

With the 2018-19 Championship season coming up, The Football Lab spoke to Derby County fan Jack Hasler (@jackhasler23).

The obvious place to start here is the appointment of Frank Lampard. Would it be fair to say that fans are more excited about this season now, than they would have been had Gary Rowett stayed in charge?

I would say so, though I personally appreciate everything Rowett did with us last season, I feel as though with Lampard in charge there is certainly more reason to be excited. The signings we are making are testament to that along with the fact that we’ll be playing a much more attacking and entertaining brand of football under the new gaffer.

The early indications are that Lampard wants to use 4-3-3. Does that suggest Matej Vydra, who normally plays just off a central striker, is likely to leave?

Yes, we’ve tried Vydra in a 4-3-3 before under Steve McClaren as both a wide player and a number nine, in both positions he failed to deliver. It’s likely that we’ll look to cash in and buy a player more suited to how Frank wants to play – it appears currently that Peterborough’s Jack Marriott is the most likely replacement.

Last season’s squad did manage to make the play-offs, losing in the semi-finals to Fulham, but with an average age of 29.5. Do the exciting additions of Mason Mount and Harry Wilson represent an attempt to shake things up?

Most certainly, those two in particular are top players at this level and will be hoping to prove themselves to their parent clubs.

The addition of youth is something Lampard has mentioned regularly since coming in and it’s a certainty that the average age of our starting XI come the first game will be much lower. The likes of Jayden Bogle, Max Lowe and Luke Thomas have impressed thus far in pre season and are players from our academy who I’m sure Frank will look to involve.

Tom Lawrence seems like a mercurial talent capable of producing magic. Are you excited to see what he can do in a more expansive setup?

Definitely, I think under Rowett he was the only real talent we had out wide meaning there was great pressure on him to produce. He now has some very good competition and with a much more attacking style of play, other players will help him in making opportunities rather than the onus being entirely on him, as it was at times last season.

Goalkeeper Scott Carson and centre-back Curtis Davies started all 46 league games last season. Do you put them among the best players in the Championship in their respective positions?

Definitely, Carson was a weird one when he joined in 2015, I was expecting very little. However, since joining he has been brilliant and a consistent performer as shown by his two player of the season awards.

Curtis Davies is perhaps the best centre back I’ve ever seen at Derby, in terms the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch, the fact that he’s a natural leader and of course his love of defending. At just £500k he has to be one of the best value signings we’ve made in recent years.

Some question whether you can rely on Richard Keogh quite as much as you did last season. Do you need to find a more mobile partner for Davies?

I’d perhaps like to see someone slightly younger join to play alongside Davies and add a bit of extra pace to the back four. Another option could be Andre Wisdom who’s experienced playing centre back before and is more than capable of doing the job.

In terms of Keogh I think he’s had a great six years or so with us but I feel as though Curtis has taken his role and we’re much better for it, that being said, he is a very good player to have as back up should he not be in the starting XI.

Andre Wisdom looks a powerful, industrious right-back. Were you pleased with his performances last year?

I thought overall he was quite a consistent performer but could do much better. He’s shown how solid of a defender he is and with Lampard’s more offensive style of play, I feel as though Wisdom, a more defensive-minded full back could be more suited and could thrive in a central role in the back four allowing academy prospect and more offensively minded full back Jayden Bogle to take the right back position.

Left-back looked like a problematic area last season with Marcus Olsson’s injury issues and Craig Forsyth seemingly struggling to recapture his 2013-14 form. Will Max Lowe get his chance?

I think of the three Max Lowe is certainly the best and I’d like to see him get an opportunity as first team left back as he did a couple of years ago before injury.

Tom Huddlestone normally partnered Bradley Johnson or Joe Ledley in the double-pivot; clearly both offer plenty of muscle but their energy levels appeared to drop against possession-based sides. Could someone like Timi Max Elsnik come in and freshen up the midfield?

Elsnik is someone I’ve rated highly for a while and I think he could certainly offer the energy we need alongside Huddlestone. However, with the return of Craig Bryson from his loan spell at Cardiff, we have a very energetic midfielder who is perfect for an advanced midfield role ahead of Huddlestone in a 4-3-3 along with Mount.

David Nugent and Cameron Jerome have completed 90 minutes on just five and four occasions respectively this season; and you only won one of those games. Do you need a lead striker with the stamina to play full games? Jack Marriott perhaps?

100 per cent, I think Jerome had a good end to the season and is a good option off the bench. Nugent I feel should probably be way down the pecking order and isn’t good enough to lead an attack of a side fighting for promotion. However, he will likely stay due to his valuable influence in the dressing room with his great personality and relationship with much of the squad.

Marriott is someone who I’m very keen on, not only will he offer energy, he’ll provide pace and most importantly goals. He scored 33 last season in League One, those kind of figures the likes of Nugent and Jerome can only dream of.

Rams aside, what are your thoughts ahead of the Championship season as a whole? Any potential dark horses for you?

I expect Stoke to win the league comfortably with the amount of money they’ve spent and the quality of the signings they’ve made in addition to the squad they already have.

In terms of a dark horse is probably look at a team like Brentford who are consistently in the top half and have lots of young, talented players. They could definitely be in the play off race come the final weeks of the season.

Where will you finish?

I’m going to say sixth. With it being Lampard’s first season as a number one I’m not very expectant, however, he’s putting together a really competitive squad with great talent and I think we could scrape a play off place. Doing so, in my opinion, would prove a great success.

Thanks to Jack for his answers. The Football Lab’s verdict on Derby can be found on We Love Betting from 30th July.