There is something brewing at the western end of Brian Clough Way.
In the last six years alone, Derby have lost at Wembley when they were 90 minutes from the Premier League. They have been docked 21 points, entered administration, been relegated to League One, seen Wayne Rooney come and go and been rescued from the edge of extinction.
A founder member of the Football League, Derby have gone through more in that period that many peers do in their entire existence, but this grand old club is ready to rise again.
With a responsible, caring owner holding the reins and one of the best managers outside the Premier League in the dugout, the Rams can approach the new season with optimism.
While it might be a stretch to make them promotion contenders, the presence of John Eustace should inspire confidence. Eustace built his reputation in hugely difficult circumstances at Birmingham and Blackburn. Despite leading Blues into the top six during the early part of the 2023-24 campaign, he never had the confidence of the club’s American owners, who subsequently accepted they were wrong to sack him.
At Blackburn, Eustace somehow kept the team on course for the play-offs despite multiple challenges outside his control. Mail Sport understands he was just pipped to the Coventry job by Frank Lampard – himself a former Derby manager. Now, for the first time as a Championship boss, Eustace is working in a stable environment.
After a difficult period in their history, Derby County are starting to look forward again
With a responsible, caring owner holding the reins and one of the best managers outside the Premier League in John Eustace, the Rams can approach the new season with optimism
In the last six years alone, Derby have lost in the Championship play-off final (above), been docked 21 points, entered administration, and gone down to League One and back again
The 45-year-old, who had two spells at Pride Park as a player, has made a sizeable impact. Not only did Eustace keep Derby up against significant odds, he also impressed everyone with his relentless nature and attention to detail.
Without Eustace in charge, Derby might not have won the race to sign forward Carlton Morris from Luton, perhaps the club’s first proper No9 since Chris Martin.
Every player is presented with a personal dossier: what they do well, where they can improve, and what will be expected from them in Eustace’s team. At Eustace’s previous clubs, this tailored approach has also helped academy players settle into the first-team squad more quickly and there is every chance it will have the same effect here.
When he played for Derby from 2013-15, Eustace operated alongside Will Hughes in midfield and played a crucial role in his development. Hughes is now with Crystal Palace and helped them win the FA Cup last term. Eustace would like to establish a similar dynamic between the younger and more experienced players in his squad.
With that in mind, the free transfer signings of Danny Batth and Andi Weimann, who played for Eustace at Blackburn, look smart, with Batth’s arrival meaning Derby do not have to rush key defender Sondre Langas back from a knee injury.
There is plenty of work to do on the squad before the Championship campaign begins at Stoke on August 9. Anyone can see Derby need players, probably two midfielders, a pair of wingers, a full-back and a forward.
Like most of the second tier, Derby study Japan’s J-League closely, while they have a strong interest in US forward Patrick Agyemang, who plays for Major League Soccer club Charlotte.
Recruitment combines data analysis and traditional scouting. Ed Smith and Mo Bobat, whose background is in cricket, work in conjunction with analytics company Palantir in this and other areas.
Eustace had a big impact in the second half of the season and has big plans for his former club
Without the input of Eustace, the Rams may not have won the race for striker Carlton Morris
The sense of optimism is shared by supporters. The first home game in the league, against Coventry, is still six weeks away but Derby have already sold about 21,000 season tickets.
Owner David Clowes saved the club from administration in summer 2022, spending about £55million, and has placed them on a solid financial footing.
Steady but clear progress up the division is the aim, after a campaign spent trying to avoid an immediate return to League One.
This is one of the world’s most brutal sporting leagues. Clubs with Premier League parachute payments have a financial advantage over the rest – though those same clubs often arrive in the Championship with myriad problems. Just look at Leicester, barely 30 miles down the road.
Others strive to reach the top flight and take financial risks, which can lead to enormous problems if they fail to make it. Under previous owner Mel Morris, Derby were one such club. They were not the first, nor the last.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic, when clubs played in empty stadiums for more than a season, is still being felt across the EFL.
Trying to manage these challenges is hard enough, but clubs must do so while being allowed to lose no more than £41.5m over a three-year cycle. No wonder several Championship clubs would like those rules to be adjusted and linked more to the revenue generated by each.
It is not only about spending power, though. It is about the sort of smart thinking that helped Derby realise Eustace was gettable last February, even though Blackburn were pushing for promotion and Derby fearing the drop.
Owner David Clowes saved the club from administration in 2022, spending about £55million
Steady but clear progress up the division is now the aim after avoiding relegation last season
The innovative ideas that mean Derby will use a ‘B’ team next season, to aid integration of academy players and provide game time for senior stars returning from injury or who are out of favour.
Small details make the difference. Players walking through the first-team entrance at Derby’s Moor Farm training ground are greeted by a huge picture of Clough on one of the walls.
If they look closely, they will spot a tactical diagram of Paulo Wanchope’s timeless goal for Derby at Old Trafford in 1997.
This East Midlands giant is stirring again.
