Which Derby County players must improve under Nigel Pearson?

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Managerial change at any club can have long lasting effects on players and the club itself. Players may have a good history with that manager – at a different club – and thrive once more in a new environment, alternatively, players may worry for their future having been previously sold by that manager at another club. Some will not have experienced life under the new manager and may be fighting to prove why they were stalwarts under a previous regime or they could be attempting to reignite their career at their current club and hope for a new lease of life under a new boss.

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Having spent £25 million  on 11 players in the summer of 2015 and January of 2016, Derby now find themselves with one of the largest squads in the Championship with up to 30 players and further reserves in the u21 squad. Whilst such squads should be good for breeding competition, it can also cause some careers to go stagnant having failed to break into the squad and that is exactly what has happened at Derby. Some very solid players and experienced signings have simply failed to produce over the 2015/16 season – for whatever reason – and are currently pondering whether they’ll ever don the black and white of Derby ever again or if their future lies away from the iPro. However, they may not have lost all hope yet, as they may have one more chance to prove themselves under Nigel Pearson – should they want the opportunity to do so.

Abdoul Camara

Derby’s first signing of the January transfer window was Guinean-born Abdoul Camara, in a £1.25 million move from SC Angers in France’s Ligue 1. Lauded as the fastest man in France, Camara’s Derby career has not taken off as many had hoped. Making only one start – his debut in a 2-1 victory at Hartlepool United in the FA Cup in January – he has spent most of his time in Britain on the bench, failing to make a single appearance between February and May. Despite this lack of activity, he is already a fan favourite with many calling for Camara to start many more matches than he has.

His pace is something Rams fans are not used to seeing in a Derby shirt and he may be just the type of explosive player that Pearson will look to utilise next season during another push for promotion. Despite his lack of goals throughout his career, it is already clear during his brief substitute appearances that he has an excellent ability to deliver a good cross into the box, something Derby have lacked on a consistent basis over recent years. The 26-year old is also very keen to take on his man, which pleases Rams fans no end given the slow pace of play we have witnessed this season. He may have needed time to settle in a new environment and will surely be looking to prove himself during pre-season and cement a place in a team that is pushing for the Premier League.

Nick Blackman

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Another January signing, Blackman joined Derby for £3 million from Reading in an attempt to bolster the Rams front line and provide more cover for out-of-form Chris Martin. Having banged in 12 goals for the Royals during the previous half of the 2015/16 season, Blackman seemed like a good and reliable choice to give Derby that extra edge should they need it come to the business end of the season. However, things have not gone to plan at all for the Salford-born striker, failing to find the net in 13 Championship appearances for the Rams. His confidence seems to have deserted him and he has seemingly panicked in front of goal leading to wasted opportunities and a barrage of abuse from fans. However, the strikers’ instinct is clearly there, as shown by his 12 goals for Reading, he certainly hasn’t been helped by playing on the wing in Derby’s 4-3-3 system which has been completely out of position for Blackman. He can hope that Pearson may bring a new formation with him, allowing Blackman to play more centrally and exploit the pace that he has to finally kickstart his Derby career.

Bradley Johnson

Maybe not an initially obvious candidate for someone that needs to revive their career, Derby’s record signing Johnson will be keen to repeat the form of early autumn 2015 that helped propel The Rams to the summit of the Championship table. Signing from Norwich City on deadline day of the summer transfer window, £6 million Johnson enjoyed a good start to his Rams career, scoring 3 goals in the early months and cementing his place in the Derby midfield.

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However, along with the rest of the team, Johnson experienced a slump post-Christmas and found it hard to recover his form for the rest of the season – with the exception of a brace and Man of the Match performance in a 4-0 victory over Hull City in April, which he unfortunately then got injured in, keeping him out until the beginning of the Play-Offs. Combined with Craig Bryson and Will Hughes returning from injury, along with Jacob Butterfield’s discovery of form, Johnson soon lost his place in the team, though occasionally was played in an attacking midfield role, something that didn’t suit anybody. Despite the setbacks, there is a reason Johnson won Norwich City Player of the Year in 2014/15 and he now has a lot to prove to everyone in the East Midlands, something he’ll surely be raring to do under Pearson. Derby do have a crowded midfield in terms of personnel, but Johnson’s promotion experience could be crucial under a manager such as Pearson and it could just prove to by vital come this time next year.

There are many players that will be looking to prove themselves and start afresh at Derby and now is their chance to do it. Pearson is not reportedly looking to bring in almost any fresh recruits over the summer, so the current squad should do everything it can to prove to him that no further recruitment is needed. Only time will tell.

Featured Image – All Rights Reserved by Alex Hannam.