A rich vein of winning form followed by shambolic mediocre outings, Derby County’s season so far has been an excellent example of a rollercoaster ride. Their recent slump in form has dented their prospects of earning a ticket to the Premier League and has crippled them to the stature of an eleventh-placed side.
Their latest defeat at the hands of Cardiff City on the 14th of Feb by a 3-4 score line aggravated their thorny patch; but on a brighter side, some of their key men have begged to differ and have been consistently consistent more often than not. The season is still far from over and with an eight-point deficit from being in the last play-off spot, a continuation of the good work from their performing assets does hold paramount importance. Here, we look back at three Derby County players who have outshone the rest.
Richard Keogh
A captain shouldn’t be a boss. Instead, he should set himself as an example, motivate them and lead the troops to glory. Richard Keogh has been a fine player for Steve McLaren & co.
The 30-year-old has added steel to the Rams’ central defence, making 29 appearances during which he mustered 33 interceptions, 19 blocks, 201 clearances and also won 18 tackles with a success rate of 53%. The attributes he has to offer are pace, excellent passing, steering the team forward and commanding the backline. Not bad, eh?
Scott Carson
Derby County have conceded merely 29 goals so far this season in 31 games, and this impressive data should be obliged to their no. 1 keeper Scott Carson. The sensational keeper has accumulated 14 clean sheets already, conceding 0.86 goals per game on an average and has played a huge role in making McLaren’s side one of the toughest nuts to crack.
He still has some good years still left in him (he’s a 31-year-old now) and will play a key role for the remainder of the season as well in Derby County’s important task of aiming for a play-off spot.
Tom Ince
Scoring 10 goals from the wings and creating 46, overall, alongside bagging 4 assists in the Championship, Tom Ince has meant business from the word go. Pride Park Stadium boats of one of the most lethal midfielders in the league, courtesy to the sensational outings Ince has added to his name. He has been a treat to watch, scoring spectacular goals, putting it neat crosses into the box and lending a helping hand to the attackers to lash on.
Statistics Credits: Squawka
