It just seems like yesterday when everything was going well for the Rams. Now yesterday seems so far away.

It was 29th of December, 2015 at a little before 8:30 in the evening and the Rams were ahead 1-0 at Leeds. We had gone into the match sitting in second place in the Championship, just two points behind leaders Middlesbrough.

Being in the automatic promotion positions, we were not thinking much about the playoff places; but if we gave the playoffs a thought, we were a more than comfortable eleven points ahead of seventh placed Sheffield Wednesday.

The only real concern we had was that Chris Martin was not scoring; but set against that, the team was scoring consistently and defending well. The seven league games since defeat at Forest in early November, had brought five wins and two draws: seventeen points out of a possible twenty-one; and mostly against good quality opposition.

What could go wrong?

But then in just a few seconds, it all changed. There was no dramatic moment as in the opening match of the season at Bolton, when our midfield was destroyed by long term injuries to Will Hughes and Craig Bryson. No, it was just goalkeeper Lee Grant having one of his occasional brain fades; he went walkabout, Leeds equalized and the Rams eventually scraped a draw.

Since that match, the Rams have lost disappointingly at Middlesbrough, drawn at home with Reading and lost heavily at home to Birmingham. That makes two points from a possible twelve; in about three and a half league matches since that Grant-esque episode at Leeds, the Rams have scored two goals and conceded eight.

We now sit in third place, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough and a mere four points ahead of seventh placed Ipswich. The playoffs are now something we have to think seriously about.

If the Rams should lose next Monday’s match against the Clarets, it is very likely we will be hanging on to a playoff spot by the skin of our teeth. So how do the Rams’ prospects look for the match at Burnley?

Since Scott Carson was on the bench against Birmingham, it seems quite likely he will return for this match. Burnley are currently in fourth place; they are a solid team, and like all of the Rams’ opponents, they deserve respect.

But I will make the same comment I made before the match at Hull back in November; Burnley are not Barcelona. There is no reason to fear a team in fourth place in this division. Any team in this division can be beaten; Lord knows, the Rams have certainly proven this lately.

Although the Rams have begun conceding too many goals in recent matches, the back four remains the same as it was during a long run of good performances; in other words, they have not become bad players and are well capable of clean sheets.

The problem looks much more like midfield and attack.

In midfield, Bradley Johnson remains the one constant, while Hendrick, Butterfield and Thorne switch around from week to week. The midfield seems to lack any creative ideas, and appear afraid to venture far enough up field to where a simple back pass to Keogh or Shackell is not an option.

Confidence is often cited as being a problem in situations like this. I think in football, lack of confidence means a fear of making a mistake. Are the Rams players’ heads being filled with so much technical theory that they are unsure of what they are supposed to be doing? Whatever the cause of the problem, a recall for Bryson might be due about now.

In attack, Paul Clement may be losing patience with Chris Martin, but clearly does not see Darren Bent as the answer. It is still too early to know whether Nick Blackman will provide the missing spark.

Will there be any more January signings? Paul Clement says that any more are unlikely. Perhaps the performance at Burnley will give us an idea; it is hard to believe that another performance like Birmingham or Reading will not bring some sort of a response.

The next six league matches for the Rams present some interesting opportunities.

After Burnley next Monday, we have Preston at home on 2nd of February; Fulham away on the 6th; MK Dons at home on the 13th; Brentford away on the 20th and Blackburn at home on the 23rd.

I hate to seem too demanding, but after Burnley, the next five are very winnable. Sixteen points out of eighteen; is that realistic? I hope so!

After the next six matches, the Rams will have played thirty-three in the league. By that time, the season is beginning to draw to a close.

Big gaps become harder to bridge. We are four points behind second-placed Hull, but their next six look quite a bit harder than ours.

If the Rams face up to the next six games and find some form, hopefully we will look back at this recent sequence of results as an unfortunate blip and not the terminal tumble of last season.

It all begins at Burnley on Monday. COYR!

Photo: Action Images

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