RamZone Preview: Derby vs. Scunthorpe
Friday, 19th Nov 2010 21:38 by Mick McDermott

Clough and his Rams return to Pride Park looking to avenge the double defeats inflicted on them by the Irons last season.

Derby County vs. Scunthorpe United

Saturday 20th November 2010 15:00

Pride Park - Derby

Derby v Scunthorpe United - Historical:

P 9 W 4 D 3 L 2 F 25 A 18

Last game at Pride Park:

9/01/10 Derby County 1 - 4 Scunthorpe ; Commons

Recent Form:

Scunthorpe: 18/24 P 17 W 6 D 2 L 9 F 19 A 27

Leading scorers: Woolford (4lg3cp)

Derby: 4/24 P 17 W 8 D 3 L 6 F 29 A 19

Leading scorers: Commons (9)

The Rams:

"Does it still hurt? It is still there?"

So says Nigel Clough to the Derby Telegraph talking about the low point of his football management career:

"Defeats like that over the years, at any club, are still at the back of your mind, but each positive performance pushes such defeats a little bit further back and you don't recall them as readily".

"We want to concentrate on all the positive things that are happening at the moment and try to get new memories to replace those bad old ones."

"The team are different now – and I think we are a better team now."

Wise words from Clough but will the memory of last January's defeat affect him and the players?

The 4-1 home defeat by the Irons was among the worst performances by a Derby side I (or indeed anybody) have seen - and I was at most of the Premier League debacle.

It's not just the opponents - Okay Scunthorpe will never be a glamour club - it was the nature of the defeat. A complete capitulation on all fronts.

Many of the players from that team could be playing tomorrow )Bywater, Moxey, Green, Savage, Pearson, Commons) or are still at the club (Addison, Buxton, Davies) but the difference between then and now is remarkable.

On that cold January day, the players didn’t look as if they were interested in wearing the shirt. They played poorly and they just gave up. That's crime number one in football for me. If we'd lost 4-1 but played as well as we good - I'd still hate losing but I would be able to accept it.

We always knew the players were better than the results. It took the arrival of Cywka, Bueno and Kuqi to make the players realise what they could do.

We've had players out on international duty (including Kris Commons who scored for Scotland) so Clough may be tempted to rest players. Stephen Bywater may be in contention for his No 1 Jersey.

Probable Team:

Fielding

Green, Brayford, Anderson, Moxey

Bailey, Savage

Bueno, Cywka, Commons

Kuqi

Subs - Bywater, O’Brien, Roberts, Moore, Pringle, Pearson

Rams 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

8 Midfield Robbie Savage

9 Striker Shefki Kuqi (on loan from Swansea City)

10 Midfield Kris Commons

11 Midfield Stephen Pearson

12 Striker Chris Porter

13 Keeper Saul Deeney

14 Defender Russell Anderson

15 Midfield David Martin

16 Midfield James Bailey

17 Defender Jake Buxton

18 Midfield Ben Pringle

19 Striker Tomasz Cywka

20 Defender Miles Addison

21 Defender Dean Moxey

23 Striker Conor Doyle

25 Defender Mark O'Brien

26 Striker Callum Ball

27 Striker Alberto Bueno (on loan from Real Valladolid)

28 Striker Luke Moore (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)

30 Keeper Ross Atkins

34 Keeper Frank Fielding (on loan from Blackburn Rovers)

35 Midfield Jeff Hendrick

36 Defender Kallum Keane

37 Midfield Ryan Connolly

38 Midfield Medi Abalimba

39 Defender Mitchell Hanson

Scunthorpe

Just in case any Derby fans think that Scunthorpe won’t remember their victory, here's a quote from midfielder Martyn Woolford to the Scunthorpe Telegraph:

"I'm expecting another tough game at Derby but we can take confidence from the fact we won there 4-1 last season and I am sure that is something that might be at the back of their minds."

Scunthorpe have had a very up and down season =- they are very much an anti-Forest. Terrible at home but good on the road - where they've won their last three matches. You think losing Hooper would have meant that the Irons would be likely to struggle this year and while they are in the bottom half - if they can reproduce their away form at home they should be fine.

Interestingly that's what their former player Alex Calvo-Garcia had to say when visiting the club recently. Having published his memoirs 'Scunthorpe hasta la muerte' - Scunthorpe til I Die - he was back at Glanford Park to promote the book. he said;

"To then get into the Championship shows how well the club is being run."

"The fans here are now privileged to watch football at this level."

"They should not forget how difficult a journey it has been for this club to get here – and how easy it is to lose it."

Irons Squad:

No. Position Player

1 Keeper Joe Murphy

2 Defender Andrew Wright

3 Defender Jim McNulty (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)

4 Midfield Sam Togwell

5 Defender Rob Jones

6 Defender Cliff Byrne (captain)

7 Midfield Martyn Woolford

8 Midfield Michael O'Connor

9 Striker Chris Dagnall

10 Striker Freddie Sears (on loan from West Ham United)

11 Midfield Garry Thompson

12 Defender Michael Raynes

13 Keeper Sam Slocombe

14 Striker Jonathan Forte

15 Defender David Mirfin

16 Midfield Josh Wright

17 Striker Bobby Grant

18 Midfield Michael Collins

19 Striker Adam Boyes

20 Midfield Dany N'Guessan (on loan from Leicester City)

21 Defender Eddie Nolan (on loan from Preston North End)

23 Defender Rory Coleman

24 Striker Matthew Godden

25 Defender Niall Canavan

26 Defender Johnathan Williams

28 Defender Trent McClenahan

30 Keeper Jake Turner

31 Midfield Kevin McDonald (on loan from Burnley)

32 Striker Paris Cowan-Hall

33 Keeper Tony Warner

What the bookies think:

Derby are favourites at 4/6 on while the Irons are outsiders at are at 15/4. The draw is 3/1. Shefki Kuqi is 9/2 favourite while Kris Commons is at 5/1.

Chris Dagnall & Freddie Sears are at 8/1 for the Irons.

Information for travelling fans:

Driving

It’s M180/M18/M1 South to J16 for Derby. Take the A500/A50 to Derby. Take the A6 turn-off for Derby and the ground and away parking are signposted. About 80 miles and a 1.5 hours 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 very good as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd 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.

Mick's prediction:

The team has moved on miles since the last time we played the Irons and we don't want to go back to the old ways. Many fans would like to see us put Scunthorpe to the sword tomorrow and while I would like to see that, a simple win would suit me.

Derby 2-0 Scunthorpe

Photo: Action Images

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