Derby County

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Rex Features

What do Derby need?

The Rams have the makings of a decent Championship side. A midfield controller with experience and another number nine should be high on the shopping list. But that has been the same for years.

Are they likely to do any business?

It is unlikely Derby will be splashing cash in January. Prices are inflated and the Rams will need to sell or offload before recruiting. I expect a couple of Premier League loans late in the month, which is par for the course for the mid-season window.

How successful have they been in recent January windows?

Last season, in the hunt for League One promotion, the Rams signed Ebou Adams on loan from Cardiff City. I really think without him they wouldn't have achieved automatic promotion. His impact was rewarded with a permanent signing this summer.

Are there likely to be any notable departures?

The Rams have a number of players who are not getting game time. James Collins, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Sonny Bradley all have preferred bodies in front of them and at their ages won't want to be sitting and watching for the rest of the campaign with a minute here and there.

How key is the window?

I don't think it will be. Derby's aim is to survive in the Championship and barring a total failure they will do that. They have to tools to compete and perhaps surprise a few. But the majority of the fanbase know the goal and will be happy to complete it.

League leaders Leeds United travel to mid-table Derby County on Sunday evening with both sides looking to continue their winning ways to end the year.

Victory over the Rams took Leeds top of the Championship table three weeks ago, and a repeat of that performance this weekend will see them retain top spot.

Both teams come into this encounter following Boxing Day victories, Derby County having held off promotion-chasing West Brom as Leeds moved back into pole position in the title race with a comfortable away win at struggling Stoke.

• Derby County are winless in their last six league games against Leeds United (D2 L4) since a 2-1 win in October 2017 under Gary Rowett.

• Leeds United are looking to win three away league games in a row against Derby County for the first time since between 1954 and 1960.

• Derby County have won their final league match of the year in each of the past seven years and are unbeaten in 13 such matches (W10 D3) since a 5-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest in 2010.

• Leeds have won their final league match of the year in just two of the past 14 years (D4 L8), but they did score five goals in both victories – 5-4 vs. Birmingham in 2019 and 5-0 vs. West Brom in 2020.

• Leeds manager Daniel Farke was winless in his first five Championship games against Derby County (D2 L3) but he has since won each of his last two against the Rams.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Getty Images

The fog, the fans and the football. A battling performance from Paul Warne's Derby County against a West Brom team expected to finish inside the top six of the Championship once again showed what a good two weeks they have had.

A point at Burnley was followed by a convincing win over Portsmouth three days later.

Then the Rams produced a solid 90 minutes against Luton before two bizarre goals took the points elsewhere.

It was all rounded off at Pride Park on Boxing Day under atmospheric conditions and 31,000 people in good cheer.

Derby's ability to go at a talented West Brom toe-to-toe will add great confidence to the ranks.

Jerry Yates' fifth goal of the season was rounded off by Kayden Jackson's deflected strike off a West Brom defender.

The Rams were at it and they exploited West Brom's frustration as the game went on.

Again, they were thwarted by the quality of impact substitutions as Grady Diangana headed in from a cross from the right, but after an onslaught at the end and some clever game management, the Rams prevailed to beat only their second top-eight side of the season.

At the halfway stage, Warne will be pleased with the progress. Like all newly-promoted teams there are frailties but individuals seem to be adapting to the pace and physicality of the division.

The likes of Ebou Adams and Kenzo Goudmijn are starting to show what good deals they were, while Kane Wilson's energy has all the mechanics of a spinning top: pull the string and watch him run.

Supporters will also be happy with their half-term report and with the January window around the corner, owner David Clowes has already pledged support for Warne's shopping list. So far, so good.

Listen to BBC Radio Derby's Rams Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Image source, PA Media

Derby hoss Paul Warne spoke to BBC Radio Derby following his side's 2-1 win over West Brom:

"I'm really pleased. We started really well but we didn't take one of our chances. But Jerry (Yates) scored a good goal and we had pretty good control.

"Apart from the two strikes that hit the post, they didn't really lay a glove on us.

"The second goal was a bit fortuitous but we put our bodies on the line and did enough to see out the game.

"We have always been really competitive in the Championship. Since the Leeds game we should have had 10 points from four games but we threw away points against Luton.

"Today we possibly had some luck that we haven't had before."

Derby County have so far performed the best out of last season's promoted sides from League One - the Rams sit 16th in the Championship.

West Brom travel to Pride Park looking to push on into the league's top six, currently sitting seventh, outside the play-offs only by virtue of goals scored.

Derby have just one win and three defeats in their last five games. They are level on points with Coventry City below them and one point behind Luton Town above.

• Derby County have lost one of their last six league games against West Bromwich Albion (W3 D2), a 2-0 away defeat in July 2020.

• West Brom have won one of their last 31 away league games against Derby, winning 1-0 in August 2003 under Gary Megson.

• Derby have never lost on Boxing Day against West Brom across three previous meetings (W1 D2), winning their only home game 1-0 in 1936 under George Jobey.

• West Bromwich Albion have won their last two Boxing Day matches, last winning four years in a row on December 26 between 1990 and 1994.

• Derby have won only five of their last 22 league games on Boxing Day (D7 L10), although they did win 1-0 against Wigan last year.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Derby County's defeat at Luton Town on Friday evening was cruel but that is the game.

I've seen the Rams do that to so many teams over the 40 years I have been watching them, and when it happens to you it is no less gutting as it always has been.

Derby's second-half performance at Kenilworth Road is what should take everyone's attention.

They controlled the game away from home, scored a brilliant goal, and defended to the 90th minute.

Not scoring that second has hurt them on several occasions this season, and the Hatters' two deflected strikes - on a goal that hadn't been busy all evening- stopped the Rams from registering their second away win.

I saw Paul Warne today at Moor Farm. He has a new branded bobble hat so was in fine form. He is a realist and will not sugar-coat his answers.

The conversation steered through reflections on Friday, before assessing the threats of West Bromwich Albion. I apologised for telling him that Derby have a good record at home to the Baggies and then we addressed his plans for Christmas Day.

He said everyone has to do a run, video it, and stick it in the group chat as proof. I really think he is just the personal trainer I need come 1 January.

The supporters' reaction to Friday's result has been fair. Clearly, they are all upset by the manner of the defeat, but the sensible fans will see the effort that was put in and the misfortune of the goals conceded.

As we approach the halfway point of the season the Rams are improving, but need to score a second goal and kill teams off with better game management. But there is still plenty to be positive about.

Derby County head coach Paul Warne has given his side Christmas Day off with the pretence they send him a video of themselves running before midday.

Ahead of the Rams' Boxing Day clash with West Bromwich Albion, Warne said he trusted his players would not lose their discipline following their last-gasp defeat by Luton Town on Friday night.

"They'll all have to do a run on Christmas Day," Warne told BBC Radio Derby.

"They'll all have to video themselves on one part of it wishing everyone else a Merry Christmas - so, there will be like 25 videos flying into the WhatsApp group before midday.

"That's the only thing I expect from them and then I expect them to enjoy their day with their families.

"I think everyone's got a little bit more energy because you don't always eat a sausage wrapped in bacon but on Christmas Day it is very hard to turn it down, so I'm expecting a very energetic performance from the team."

Warne also confirmed his squad picked up no new injuries during Friday's defeat at Kenilworth Road.

"Kenzo [Goudmijn] was fatiguing a little bit, I thought Jerry [Yates] and Kayden [Jackson] had gassed out but there's no fresh injuries from the other day."

Luton Town will look to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at Blackburn when they welcome Derby County for an important clash in the bottom half of the Championship on Friday evening.

Rob Edwards' side, who are 19th, have one one of their past five games (D1 L3) but are unbeaten in five at Kenilworth Road.

The Rams are 14th and ended a six-game winless streak (D3 L3) with an impressive 4-0 victory over Portsmouth last week, but could go 10th with a win ahead of the rest of the weekend's action.

• Luton Town have lost just one of their past five league games against Derby County (W3 D1), winning this exact fixture 1-0 when it was last played in February 2022.

• Derby County have lost each of their past three away league games against Luton Town, with each of those defeats coming via a different scoreline (1-0, 2-1 and 3-2).

• Luton have lost just one of their past nine home league games (W5 D3), keeping three clean sheets during that time and conceding multiple goals in just two of those matches.

• Derby have won just one of their 11 away league games during the 2024-25 season (D4 L6), scoring more than one goal in just two of those matches.

• Derby have scored 13 goals from set pieces situations in the Championship so far this season – the most of any side in the competition, while both the Rams and Luton have netted eight goals from corners this campaign, the joint-most in the second tier.

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County right-back Kane Wilson says his performance in the 4-0 win over Portsmouth last Friday was his best for the club so far.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring against Pompey to help the Rams on their way to a convincing victory at Pride Park last time out in the Championship.

"I think taking in the level in the Championship, it probably is [my best performance] to be fair," Wilson told BBC's Rams Daily podcast.

"Portsmouth are in a similar situation to us just coming up from League One so it was almost like a six-pointer in that sense.

"It was obviously an important game, which playing well in meant a lot to the fans and myself included.

"It probably was, in terms of everything, my best game."

Derby travel to Luton Town on Friday night and would move up to 10th with a win before the rest of the weekend's action.

Listen to Kane Wilson's full interview on the Rams Daily podcast on BBC Sounds.

Dominic Dietrich
Senior Sports Journalist, BBC Radio Derby

Image source, Rex Features

There was a relaxed feeling around Moor Farm as head coach Paul Warne moved from his club interview into the press conference room and greeted members of the media, despite the fact he knew he was going to be the bearer of bad news in the form of Eiran Cashin and his injury update.

Cashin suffered a twinge in the midweek draw at Burnley seemingly but was deemed fit enough to play on in the game and then start in Friday night's 4-0 victory over Portsmouth.

His evening was cut short though as his hamstring went again, this time there was no chance he could play on and now, according to the head coach, he will almost certainly miss out in the next three games while they await further news on a timeline.

The classic move in these scenarios is to balance out some bad news with a positive and Warne delivered that as he revealed defender Ryan Nyambe is ahead of schedule on his return from a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.

The Derby boss expects him back in January when it was initially thought he could be out for as long as six months.

No doubt, last Friday night was a huge boost for Derby against Portsmouth but they go to a struggling Luton Town side now with the hope of backing that up and setting the tone as the curtain-raiser for another Championship weekend.

Hear every moment of Friday's game at Kenilworth Road on BBC Radio Derby, Sportscene from 18:00 GMT.

Image source, Rex Features

Paul Warne says Derby must aim to silence the Luton crowd on Friday night if they are to heap more woe on the struggling Hatters.

Rob Edwards side are just five points clear of the Championship relegation zone, having come down from the Premier League last season, five place below the Rams, who were promoted from League One.

Warne told BBC Radio Derby: "Rob is a brilliant coach, he's done excellent. Sometimes you have injuries or a little lack of form or confidence. Sometimes when you go down there is a little bit of a hangover.

"I've taken a team down before and it takes a lot of effort in the off season to get the balance right and get the lads motivated to play. I understand there is a pressure on Luton to win, as there is for Leeds, Sunderland, and all teams, really."

Luton have picked up 18 points from their 11 games at Kenilworth Road, but only four from 10 on the road.

"I think their home form has been really good, they've struggled away from home," Warne added. "But then again so have 85% of the league so there's nothing strange there.

"The games have all been really close, all fine margins. I don't think they're playing particularly bad, they have a few out and they probably haven't found their stride yet. If you take five or six of a side out any team is going to struggle.

"The crowd are such a big part in every away game in the Championship, more than most leagues I think. You have got to try and silence them early on.

"Luton is a tight pitch, the atmosphere is really good and it's a real storm if they get on top. We've got to really manage that. You've got to put the home team under pressure so that could help us if we start well."

Listen to the Rams Daily podcast here.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Derby County have shown elements of the performance against Portsmouth in many games this season - high tempo, pressing as a team and creating chances. The difference this time was the end product and consistency.

The Rams were electric in the first half and scored three excellent goals, enforced by individual skill and some generous defending.

Pride Park responded with a wall of sound while Pompey struggled. Kenzo Goudmijn's finest game in a Rams shirt was backed up by Ebou Adams controlling midfield and Kane Wilson running up and down the touchline like a man possessed.

We have talked about Derby's inability to find a simple pass on many occasions this season but in this game not one went astray. It was a complete performance against a Portsmouth team who have shipped a lot of goals, but had been four games unbeaten.

The manner of the Rams' performance will undoubtedly calm the sceptics who feel the head coach's time had run its course.

This was 'Warneball' at its finest and although you can only play the team in front of you, it is important you capitalise on your opponents' shortcomings.

After the highly criticised display at Leeds, they attacked Burnley and nearly won the game late on. Then when all eyes turned to Friday under the lights against Portsmouth, the Rams delivered.

It made the weekend enjoyable for those in black and white and now attention turns to Friday at Kenilworth Road when they take on Luton Town - why not head into Christmas with another three points?

"Don't worry, we've found the ball."

Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford tells the story of how then Derby County manager Steve McClaren reacted when he attempted 'the wobble ball' during an afternoon kick-off.

Listen to the full series of 'My Mate's A Footballer' on BBC Sounds

Image source, BBC Sport

Derby County welcome Portsmouth to Pride Park on Friday evening for an important clash in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Rams are without a win in six (D3 L3) and are currently 17th in the Championship, four points above the drop zone, following a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Burnley on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Pompey are in much-improved form with two wins and two draws in their past four matches, which has lifted them out of the bottom three on goal difference.

• Derby County are unbeaten across their past eight league games against Portsmouth (W3 D5), with each of the previous four encounters ending in a draw.

• Portsmouth have failed to win any of their past five away league games against Derby (D3 L2), since a 2-1 victory at Pride Park in November 2002.

• Derby are winless in their past four home league games (D2 L2) and could lose three in a row on home soil for the first time since October 2020 (run of five).

• Portsmouth have already conceded 20 goals in their first nine away league games this season (W1 D4 L4); Pompey last conceded more than 20 goals in their first 10 away league games of a season in 1999-00 in the second tier (24).

• Derby have won each of their past four home league games played on Fridays, while Portsmouth are unbeaten in their past eight away Friday league games (W3 D5).