Our guide to the Rams
NORWICH City travel to Derby County on Saturday (3pm) in the Sky Bet Championship.Here we take a look at what City come up against in this weekend's fixture at the iPro Stadium.
IN THE DUGOUT
A return to Steve McClaren's preferred 4-4-3 formation has proven a wise move since the 55-year-old took the reigns at Derby County once again last month.
Previously struggling for league form, Derby are now displaying similarities in approach to the one which brought relative success during McClaren's first spell in charge from 2013 to 2015.
That period saw County twice fall short of promotion to the Premier League despite positive signs for much of both seasons, prompting the ex-England boss to move to Newcastle.
A tough first few months on Tyneside saw McClaren depart St James' Park in March of this year, ultimately freeing him to replace Nigel Pearson at the helm of the Rams six weeks ago.
Guiding Middlesbrough to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final and later managing the national side, McClaren also boasts experience on the continent having spent time in charge of both FC Twente and Wolfsburg.
Defender Chris Baird wants Derby County to build on their recent run of results when they host Norwich City this weekend in the Sky Bet Championship.
His side have had an upturn in fortunes since Steve McClaren returned as to the iPro dugout in mid-October, registering a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United in their last outing.
That extended their winning run to three games, and the now retired Northern Ireland international told Rams TV:Â "
The manager has come in and has given us a lot of confidence to bounce back from the bad start that we had.
"We want to continue that because our confidence is growing with every passing game. O
ur next game against Norwich is going to be a different challenge altogether.
"
"
They are a good team, but I just want to play football. I still enjoy it and I want to play every minute.
"I know that isn’t going to happen, but we will see what happens and hopefully I have put a marker down and can stay in the team.”Â
Few players across the English leagues will have enjoyed a more eventful matchday than Tom Ince did last weekend when Derby County met Rotherham United.
The attacking midfielder saw his 15th minute penalty saved by Lee Camp, but tapped home the rebound before scoring again after Darren Bent had extended the advantage.
Given a chance to secure his hat-trick after winning another spot-kick, Ince was once again denied by Camp as his personal tally for the afternoon remained at two.
That marked the second match in succession in which the 24-year-old had notched a brace, having previously netted a double during the Rams' 3-2 success at Wolves.
An unsuccessful spell at Hull followed before he got his career back on track with a loan spell at Derby; the move becoming permanent in the summer of 2015.
IN THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Chris Weale, Jonathan Mitchell.
Defenders: Cyrus Christie, Craig Forsyth, Jason Shackell, Richard Keogh, Chris Baird, Alex Pearce, Max Lowe, Jamie Hanson, Marcus Olsson, Farrend Rawson.
Midfielders: Craig Bryson, Ikechi Anya, Tom Ince, Bradley Johnson, Jacob Butterfield, Will Hughes, Timi Elsnik, George Thorne.
Forwards: Johnny Russell, Darren Bent, James Wilson, Abdoul Camara, Nick Blackman, Matej Vydra, Andreas Weimann.
Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Chris Weale, Jonathan Mitchell.
Defenders: Cyrus Christie, Craig Forsyth, Jason Shackell, Richard Keogh, Chris Baird, Alex Pearce, Max Lowe, Jamie Hanson, Marcus Olsson, Farrend Rawson.
Midfielders: Craig Bryson, Ikechi Anya, Tom Ince, Bradley Johnson, Jacob Butterfield, Will Hughes, Timi Elsnik, George Thorne.
Forwards: Johnny Russell, Darren Bent, James Wilson, Abdoul Camara, Nick Blackman, Matej Vydra, Andreas Weimann.