The Rams take on the Bluebirds in the first fixture of the 2010-11 campaign at Pride Park Stadium.
Derby vs. Cardiff – Historical:
P 25 W 11 D 8 L 6 F 46 A 37
Last game at Pride Park Stadium:
Sunday, 2 May 2010 Derby County 2 - 0 Cardiff City (McEveley, Martin)
Form:
Derby - 9/24 P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 2 A 1
Leading scorers: Hulse (1), Commons (1)
Cardiff - 12/24 P 1 W 0 D 1 L 0 F 1 A 1
Leading scorers: Boothroyd (1 + 1 Cup), McCormack (2 Cup)
The Rams:
The win against Leeds United had many fans convinced that we were going to win the Championship at a stroll, while midweek Carling Cup defeat at Crewe has the doom-mongers predicting relegation by Christmas.
The reality will probably be something completely different. The fact remains that given Nigel Clough and the board have made it clear it's long-term real progress we are after, there are bound to be upsets on the way. That may be so but the fans patience won’t wear forever.
As most fans probably saw us get a good result on TV, there should be few getting on the players backs if things don't go well on Saturday.
There are those who probably suspect the club don't take the Carling Cup competition seriously - Nigel Clough doesn't sound as if he had that attitude though, according to his comments in the Derby Telegraph:
"I thought we were disappointing in the first half and didn't play in the manner in which we should have done, given the seriousness of the competition,"
"We settled down in the final 15 minutes of the first half and started playing some reasonable stuff without threatening too much. Players took too many touches and took too long on the ball. There was not enough conviction."
"We started great at Leeds on Saturday but it is very difficult to pick up the pace of a game when you start slowly. But give Crewe credit. They are capable of beating any side on their day. We had enough situations, especially in the second half, but we are great believers that if you deserve a break, you will get one."
"It is unbelievably disappointing to go out to a League Two club for a second year running. We are only in three competitions a season and when we are out of one four days into the season, that's disappointing."
Clough wants the team to get back on track after the midweek disappointment;
"Cardiff are a side who I believe will firmly be in the promotion mix this season, so it will be a tough test for us. We're back at Pride Park though for our first home game and we're looking to get off to a good start."
Anderson is out again and Porter remains troubled by his hip problem but Leacock & Barker should be fit. Barker did well against Leeds, but is short of match practice. It would be terrible to lose him again so soon after his recovery by rushing him back - but we ain't got much choice.
Probable Team:
Bywater
Brayford Leacock Barker Roberts
Bailey Savage
Cywka Pringle Commons
Hulse
Subs – Deeney, Moxey, Leacock, Hulse, Martin, Varney, Buxton
Current Squad:
No. Position Player
1 KEEPER Stephen Bywater
2 DEFENDER John Brayford
3 DEFENDER Gareth Roberts
4 MIDFIELD Paul Green
5 DEFENDER Shaun Barker (vice-captain)
6 DEFENDER Dean Leacock
7 STRIKER Steve Davies INJURED
8 MIDFIELD Robbie Savage (captain)
9 STRIKER Rob Hulse
10 MIDFIELD Kris Commons
11 MIDFIELD Stephen Pearson INJURED
12 STRIKER Chris Porter DOUBTFUL
13 KEEPER Saul Deeney
14 DEFENDER Russell Anderson INJURED
15 MIDFIELD David Martin
16 MIDFIELD James Bailey
17 DEFENDER Jake Buxton
18 MIDFIELD Ben Pringle
19 STRIKER Tomasz Cywka
20 DEFENDER Miles Addison INJURED
21 DEFENDER Dean Moxey
22 STRIKER Luke Varney
23 MIDFIELD Conor Doyle
31 KEEPER Ross Atkins ON LOAN TO TELFORD
32 KEEPER James Severn
33 MIDFIELD Arnaud Mendy
35 MIDFIELD Jeff Hendrick
36 DEFENDER Kallum Keane
37 MIDFIELD Ryan Connolly
38 DEFENDER Mitchell Hanson
39 MIDFIELD Medi Abalimba
Cardiff City:
Cardiff had more success than us in the cup - running out 4-1 winners against BBC Radio Derby's favourites, Burton Albion. They needed extra time though. Dave Jones isn't worried that the extra half-hour will leave his team tired;
"Playing an extra 30 minutes in midweek was not a problem for us. It was a good chance for players to get minutes under their belt and we hope to build on the draw against Sheffield United by getting a positive result at Derby."
Jones admitted that Cardiff lacked sharpness in the opener against the Blades and was relieved to get a draw. Jay Bothroyd equalised after the Blades had been reduced to ten men - though Michael Chopra did have a goal disallowed for offside early in the game.
That Cardiff were playing at all must have been a relief to the fans - the summer has been dominated by goings-on in the boardroom and courts, with HMRC having winding up orders and the League placing an embargo on transfers.
They are not out of the woods yet with another winding up order to face. Meanwhile star striker Michael Chopra has public stated;
"I'm well hacked off.
"If this club does not bring in new players, I'm off. I've had enough of this."
Suggesting it's not going too well behind the scenes, despite the chairman claiming to be in it for the long haul.
It all sounds wretchedly familiar, doesn't it?
Current Squad:
No. Position Player
1 Keeper David Marshall LFT
2 Defender Kevin McNaughton LFT
4 Midfield Gavin Rae
5 Defender Mark Hudson (captain)
6 Defender Gábor Gyepes
7 Midfield Peter Whittingham
8 Striker Michael Chopra
9 Striker Jay Bothroyd (vice-captain) LFT
10 Midfield Stephen McPhail (vice-captain)
11 Midfield Chris Burke
14 Defender Paul Quinn
15 Defender Anthony Gerrard
18 Midfield Solomon Taiwo
19 Midfield Jason Koumas (on loan from Wigan Athletic)
20 Midfield Seyi Olofinjana (on loan from Hull City)
21 Midfield Danny Drinkwater (on loan from Manchester United)
22 Keeper Tom Heaton
23 Midfield Darcy Blake LFT
24 Defender Miguel Comminges
26 Defender Martin John
27 Defender Adam Matthews
28 Midfield Aaron Wildig
44 Striker Ross McCormack
49 Midfield Jonathan Meades
52 Striker Nathaniel Jarvis
— Keeper Jordan Santiago
What the bookies think:
Derby are favourites for this at 6/4, whilst you can get 11/5 for the draw and 15/8 for a Cardiff win
Favourite to score inevitably is Rob Hulse at 5/1 while Michael Chopra is 11/2. Jay Bothroyd and Kris Commons are at 6/1.
Information for travelling fans:
Driving:
It’s M4, M5, M42 and M1 to J25 for Derby. Follow Brian Clough Way towards the city, until you see Pride Park on the right. The ground and away parking are signposted. About 162 miles and a three hour drive.
Parking:
Away fans can park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It's about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don't be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped.
You can also park at the Fireplace showroom - just at the turn off the A52 for Pride Park. Don’t be in a rush to leave however as it takes an age to get out of there.
Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island... Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It's about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.
Drinking:
There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters.
The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you're not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good.
The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Road opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.
There is also now a Gregg's The Baker's branch right in the stadium itself(!) It's just opening, where the Derbyshire Building Society branch use to be - so it might not all be hamburgers and hot dogs on offer!
Mick's prediction:
A good result against Leeds followed by Derby's traditional first round exit in the Carling Cup – entirely predictable to be sure. Equally as predictable is that our players will start breaking down after a few games.
It’s a worry that we don’t have any strength in depth and if we aren’t in the transfer market then I would expect loans to appear soon.
We’ve not won two openers for 37 years – so I’m going to predict we’ll break that record, with a 2-0 win.