Derby County
Jinking Georgi the likely source of inspiration
Useful information
Two's company: Derby are hoping that Burley (above right, pictured with Sturridge) and Kinkladze will form an enterprising and productive partnership in midfield  |
Summer summary: The departure lounge at Pride Park appears to have been the scene of the most constructive work. Certainly relinquishing the most tentative of holds on Esteban Fuertes and thus putting an end to a most sorry affair will have been pleasing. And Mikkel Beck, the marksman without portfolio, has gone too.
Transfers in: Danny Higginbotham (Manchester United) £2m; Simo Valakari (Motherwell) free; Georgi Kinkladze (Ajax) £3m; Bjorn Otto Bragstad (Rosenborg) £1.5m; Youl Mawene (Lens) £500,000; Con Blatsis (South Melbourne) £150,000.
Transfers out: Mikkel Beck (Lille) £500,000; Esteban Fuertes (Lens) £4m; Tony Dorigo (Stoke) free.
Looking forward to: Georgi Kinkladze - his drop of the shoulder leaves the opposition dugout mesmerised and he still has the most cynical hacks going the wrong way in the press box.
Worried about: Kinkladze’s fitness and Her Majesty’s Customs officers.
Liabilities: Seth Johnson, the England under-21 player, who single-handedly sustains the FA bureaucrats and their disciplinary red tape by virtue of his avid passion for collecting yellow cards. In fact, Derby’s men behaving badly were the worst of the bunch in the Premiership last season, accumulating 100 yellow cards and four reds. They have employed a former League referee on a freelance basis to assess individual performances in terms of behaviour. A suspended £100,000 fine will be imposed if they do not improve.
Tactical profile: A perplexing preference for three at the back induces the fear factor in supporters and doubtless Mart Poom, their Estonia goalkeeper. They possess in Horacio Carbonari one of the game’s most elegant centre backs but the Argentinian can be fragile under pressure.
Style: Neat, precise but stuttered in adversity last season. If allowed to run its course, Kinkladze and Craig Burley in midfield could be an enterprising and productive cocktail.
Fans’ gripe: Brian Clough - he still lives near Derby, frequents Pride Park occasionally and his son Nigel is the manager of Burton Albion - reminders far too close to home of their illustrious title-winning sides of the Seventies.
Fans’ big wish: Confirmation that they are in the comfort zone by February and relegation for Nottingham Forest the following month.
Up-and-coming prospect: Malcolm Christie. Spotted stacking shelves in a supermarket some years ago, his pace and predatory finish has caught the eye.
Manager’s quality: As relegation loomed the cigar clouds were gathering over Jim Smith’s press conferences but the balding veteran lost none of his charm or nerve. The appointment of Steve Round, their former player as first-team coach was significant and, along with Christie’s goals, eased fears of demotion.
Bogey team: Too many to mention last season although to the delight of their faithful, they completed an East Midlands double over Leicester City in April.
Likely disaster: A court appearance. Russell Hoult and Richard Knight ended up before the beak last season and Marvin Robinson, sentenced to nine months in a young offenders’ institute for head-butting a girl outside a Wolverhampton night club, has been released early.
Ideal improvement: More cover required on the flanks - several London buses could have wandered undetected in the spaces down either wings during some matches.
Actor most likely to star in Derby County: The Movie: Stanley Holloway in Passport to Pimlico, an Ealing farce of 1948 vintage. One of those would have at least held more credence than the false document Fuertes brandished at Heathrow before being deported back to Argentina.
Most bizarre statistic: Lionel Pickering, the chairman, stating that he would not accept a penny less than £7m for Dean Sturridge when Arsenal and Leeds United offered £6m for him just over two seasons ago. He is currently available for £1.5m, possibly moving to Birmingham City soon.
Where it all went wrong last time: Pride Park - a few home truths failed to inspire Derby, whose appalling form on their own patch saw them lose 10 games.
Prediction: Many neutrals felt that Derby were too good to go down and so it proved. A tighter unit and less corporate hospitality on the pitch at Pride Park should allay fears. 11th.
DAVID MCVAY
Useful information
Squad: 1 Mart Poom; 2 Horacio Carbonari; 3 Stefan Schnoor; 4 Darryl Powell; 5 Rory Delap; 6 Craig Burley; 7 Seth Johnson; 8 Dean Sturridge; 9 Deon Burton; 10 Gio Kinkladze; 11 Lee Morris; 12 Malcolm Christie; 14 Lars Bohinen; 15 Danny Higginbotham; 16 Jacob Laursen; 17 Youl Mawene; 18 Richard Jackson; 19 Steve Elliott; 20 Stefano Eranio; 21 Chris Riggott; 22 Bjorn Otto Bragstad; 23 Paul Boertien; 24 Andy Oakes; 25 Branko Strupar; 26 Marvin Robinson; 27 Con Blatsis; 28 Simo Valakari; 29 Ian Evatt; 30 Adam Murray; 31 Adam Bolder; Lee Grant.
Stadium: Pride Park
Capacity: 33,597
Address: Derby DE24 8XL
Tel number: 01332 202 202
Clubcall: 09068 12 11 87
Official website: www.dcfc.co.uk
This bland site is better than it first seems, boasting one of the better player pages around and fairly up-to-date news.
Unofficial site: www.therams.co.uk
This Rams-devoted site spews out so much news every day it might as well be the official site. It provides live text commentary and you can also keep tabs on happy card-waving referees.
Manager: Jim Smith
Assistant manager: Billy McEwan
First-team coach: Steve Round
Chairman: Lionel Pickering
Ticket details: 01332 209 999 ticket hotline; 09068 33 22 13 recorded information
Ticket prices: £14-£27 (depends on match category)
Cheapest/most expensive adult season ticket: £240/£410. 16,000 season-ticket holders. Good general match availability
Recommended radio station: BBC Radio Derby 104.5 FM
Programme: £2
Cost of adult replica shirt: £39.99
Training ground: Ram Arena, Raynes Way.
Directions to ground: Special buses, Nos B1, B2 and B3, run from Derby railway station at 2pm. Other buses run from the city centre. Pride Park is off Derwent Parade near the A52.
Pubs near the ground: The Navigation, 805 London Road; The Merry Widows, opposite station.
