When a manager walks into a post-match press conference after a hard-fought 1-0 away win, the first thing they are meant to do is sing the praises of their side. Not Mark Robins. Instead, he leapt to the defence of John Eustace, whose side are still without a home victory this season. “He’s got a lot of injuries, John. Loads and loads of injuries, mostly in the backline, but a key injury to [forward] Patrick Agyemang. He’s a really good player. “So, he’s got a lot of in

Is this must win? April’s 2-0 home win over Stoke is a distant memory: Derby have won just once at Pride Park since. “We realise we haven't won enough home games up to now,” Eustace said in Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “But again, it's a new challenge now on Saturday and it's important that we just go and be as positive as we can and be as competitive as we can and see where it takes us.” It is well documented that the Rams’ squad is depleted, with Sondre Lang

The 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers that was John Eustace’s first game in charge of Derby laid bare the difficulty of the job he had taken on. Now keeping it seems a bigger task than ever. Looking to build on the positives of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Wrexham, the Rams boss named an unchanged XI at Loftus Road. Also unchanged, were Derby’s fortunes from that night exactly 20 months ago. This was a horrendous of full circle moment. Yes, I’d written that before Lars-

The confirmation of the inevitable administration season relegation. The Valentine’s Day thrashing which was the John Eustace era’s nightmare start. And, ugh, Bobby Zamora. Queens Park Rangers have not been the kindest of opponents for Derby in recent years. While demons were banished when Jaydon Banel kept the Rams’ play-off hopes alive with a stunning 88th minute winner back in April, Eustace’s mind is focused firmly on the job at hand. He said: “we’re in a different posi

Mo Fuseini sprints through the middle of the pitch following a Wrexham corner and finds Sam Szmodics. He might not have the same pace, but he oozes confidence as he connects with the pass across the inside-left, takes it around Zak Vyner to open up space and curls it into the top-left corner from 20 yards. Three weeks on the training ground brought a refreshed, better-drilled Rams side back to Pride Park. It is just a shame that Wrexham’s birthday boy Ollie Rathbone was int

After an extended international break, Mo Fuseini’s late equaliser at Burnley could easily feel like a lifetime ago for John Eustace. But instead, the exploits of the Union Saint Gilloise loanee, who has been away with Ghana, are still on his mind. Or rather, the reaction to it. During Thursday’s 25-minute pre-match press conference at Moor Farm, Eustace heaped praise on the Rams fans and suggested he could follow their requests to see the number 16 start against Wrexham.

Tom Coopey - football journalist John Eustace felt preparation was effective in the three-week international break and are now refreshed ahead of Wrexham on Saturday afternoon. Injuries have been a major talking point this season for Derby, contributing to a slow start, so a newly introduced longer break came at the perfect time. He said: “It's been great, it's given us an opportunity to work with the group that's available to work with and the boys have been fantastic. “T

With a cartwheel, back flip and a flex of his muscles, Mo Fuseini sprinted away in celebration. When he received Rhian Brewster’s pass from just behind the halfway line and raced through down the inside-right, the Ghanaian attacker had the weight of his team on his shoulders After 92 minutes of pedestrian, lacklustre football between two of the Championship’s bottom three, a chance to rescue a deserved point at Turf Moor. The lightning fast forward delivered a finish to mat

Given his surname, maybe it should not be surprising that the way James Morrison’s Baggies side shut up shop on Wednesday night was supremely impressive. There was wave after wave of Derby pressure, with no real threat to Max O’Leary’s goal. West Brom remained steadfastly alert off the ball despite being a player down for over an hour. Unfortunately for John Eustace, possession does not win you points; 78 per cent in the second half would have easily secured all three if it

After Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at West Ham, John Eustace called for his side to have more belief. What better way to cultivate that than with a rallying cry as in Monday’s pre-match press conference? In the opening month of the season, the Rams boss has spoken regularly about the need to build confidence and chemistry in his ranks. After a tough afternoon in front of more than 60,000 fans in London, a week with back-to-back home games against West Brom and Birmingham City repr

Leading The Rams on their first trip to the London Stadium, it looked as though John Eustace had one plan in mind: keep it tight. Facing West Ham was always going to be a tough task. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side possess two starting centre backs bought for a total of £60m, and the Championship’s most expensive import after they signed Celtic’s Belgian midfielder Arne Engels for £25m. Then there's Jarrod Bowen, who really should be playing European football this season. But un