Derby County

The international break is finally over and Oxford United and Derby get back to business with a meeting at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

The U's slipped into the relegation zone last time out courtesy of a 2-1 defeat at Watford, making it one point from their past three Championship games and Gary Rowett's men are still awaiting their first home win of the season.

The Rams are two places and two points better off, though , like their hosts, have also won only one of their nine games so far.

John Eustace's side have scored only four and conceded only four in their past five games, with the past three ending in 1-1 draws.

• Oxford United have won just one of their past seven Football League games against Derby County (D2 L4), with both encounters last season ending level.

• Derby County are unbeaten as a visiting side to Oxford United in the Football League this century, winning on two of their three trips (D1).

• After a run of four successive home league wins between December 2024 and January 2025, Oxford have only won three of their past 12 games since (D3 L6), failing to win any of their last four (D2 L2).

• Only Watford (8) and Southampton (7) have earned more points from losing positions in the Championship this season than Derby (5), coming from behind to draw each of their past three matches.

• Patrick Agyemang has been involved in three of Derby County's past four Championship goals, scoring against Southampton last time out and assisting in games against West Brom and Wrexham in September.

Dominic Dietrich
BBC Radio Derby

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Thomas' departure is one that feels like it's been coming for a while.

Arriving as a head of recruitment and having a changed role to head of talent identification wouldn't have been the trajectory I'm sure he will have wanted, nor possibly the club.

Before the arrival of Leigh Bromby, much of Derby's recruitment had been criticised, granted in more trying circumstances financially and this feels like a move that could be best for both parties as Bromby showed his ability in the summer to get deals done.

Bromby staying offers consistency to Derby this season, but clearly the club have not been able to find a fitting replacement long term having been in the process for some time. He had a busy window restructuring John Eustace's squad and that relationship between the pair from what I gather is a strong one.

The biggest loss here for Derby County is no doubt, Matt Hale. From what I understand his work has been highly thought of at Moor Farm and he really seems to have got the academy ticking again following administration but it seems someone else is going to have to take that on from here.

There will also be a change up in the sporting intelligence department as they look set to recruit two roles in the data analytics department - one will be heading it up whilst the other will be their deputy.

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County's head of talent identification Mark Thomas has left the club by mutual consent.

Thomas, who joined the Rams in February 2023 as head of recruitment from Oxford United, leaves after a change in the structure of the sporting intelligence department at Derby.

BBC Radio Derby understands he did not feel the role was the right fit for him.

Interim head of recruitment Leigh Bromby will now stay at the club through the January transfer window after initially being appointed to help the club in the summer.

The club is still looking to appoint a permanent successor.

Academy manager Matt Hale will also leave his role at the end of the season due to personal reasons.

Hale joined the club in June 2023 after 10 years at Southampton, tasked with the rebuild of the club's category one academy.

Derby County would not want to lose on-loan midfielder Bobby Clark in January, says head coach John Eustace.

Reports in Scotland claim the RB Salzburg loanee is being lined up for a permanent switch to Celtic.

"It's the first I've heard of it - we don't want to lose him because we brought him in to help develop him and give him a platform to perform and he's certainly done that up until now," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"It's great that big clubs like Celtic are looking at him but we certainly don't want him to go there - but January is a long way away and I'm not worried about that so let's keep giving him some important minutes and see how his performances are between now and then."

Clark, 20, came through Liverpool's academy but made just one Premier League start before moving to RB Salzburg in September 2024. He joined Derby in August and Eustace accepts they would be the last to know if any move had been agreed.

"All we can do is keep working with Bobby - any player coming in will see there's a pathway to playing in Europe and moving to possibly bigger clubs but the important thing is Bobby is our player until then at least and we keep working well with him and he keeps performing for us."

Derby return to Championship action at Oxford United on Saturday (12:30 BST).

"At Oxford United away Derby County need to go into it looking to get three points - I can't imagine John Eustace will be looking at that game with any other thought.

"It is an opportunity and Derby have been good on the road and even better in some games on the road as well this season - it is an opportunity, that is the key word."

Ed Dawes, Dominic Dietrich and former Rams striker Malcolm Christie give their predictions for Derby's next six games, and what wins on the road might mean for the Rams' season.

Listen to the latest episode of Rams Weekly and more Derby County content on BBC Sounds.

Dominic Dietrich
BBC Radio Derby

Image source, Rex Features

Derby County have eight players from across the first team and academy currently out on international duty.

Fresh off his first goal for the Rams in the 1-1 draw against Southampton last Saturday, striker Patrick Agyemang (pictured) has gone away with the USA for the first time since recovering from hernia surgery.

The Americans host Ecuador in a friendly due to kick off at 01:30 BST on Saturday and will also be in contention to face Australia at 02:00 BST on Wednesday.

Midfielder Ebou Adams has once again joined up with The Gambia for their FIFA World Cup Group F qualifiers against Gabon on Friday (14:00 BST) and Seychelles in their final qualifier on Tuesday (14:00 BST).

Loan forward Ben Brereton Díaz links up with the Chile squad for their friendly against Peru on Friday night (00:00 BST), while defender Max Johnston was a late call-up for Scotland for their World Cup qualifiers at home to Greece on Thursday (19:45 BST) and Belarus on Sunday (17:00 BST).

Looking at the academy players in action, under-21s midfielder Cruz Allen joins the Wales Under-19s again, while midfielder Darren Robinson, currently out on loan with St Patrick's Athletic in Ireland, will join Northern Ireland's under-21s.

Defender Daniel Cox, on loan at Walsall, will join up with the Wales Under-21s, while under-18s midfielder Sean Corry has been called up to the Northern Ireland under-19 squad.

"That Southampton or Ipswich performance was the benchmark.

"I don't think either of them, when we look towards the end of the season, will be our best performance. There's loads and loads of positive things to come moving forward."

Ed Dawes, Dominic Dietrich and former Rams striker Malcolm Christie look ahead to how Derby County can evolve after the international break and what's impressed so far.

Listen to the latest episode of Rams Weekly and more Derby County content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, PA Media

Derby County full-back Max Johnston has been called into the Scotland squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Belarus.

The 21-year-old has been added to Steve Clarke's squad for the games at Hampden Park on Thursday and Sunday.

Johnston has four caps, having made his senior debut in a Uefa Nations League win over Greece in March this year.

The former Motherwell defender joined Derby from Austrian Bundesliga side Sturm Graz for an undisclosed fee in August.

Scotland are currently second in their World Cup qualifying group after two games, behind the leaders Denmark on goal difference, with the top side qualifying automatically and the runners-up facing a play-off.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

A 1-1 draw at Wrexham the previous weekend and a 1-1 draw with Charlton in midweek meant Derby went into their tough fixture against recently-relegated Southampton perhaps less confident than they would have hoped.

Yet again, though, Derby found themselves coming away with a point, through yet another 1-1 draw, heading into the second international break of the season as the league's "draw specialists", having drawn five of their opening nine matches.

As frustrating as it is that Derby can't seem to find a winning formula, it's arguably more important the Rams are showing resilience and aren't being defeated.

After falling behind in each of their past three fixtures, Derby have managed to bounce back and get an equaliser, showcasing the fighting mentality that John Eustace has projected onto the team since joining the club.

Some positives to take into the international break: Patrick Agyemang and Ben Brereton Diaz being up and running with goals. If Derby can have more than one attacker in form and high on confidence, the goals will come.

It's not that the Rams aren't creating good attacking opportunities, at times it's just been a lack of execution in the final third that's been the difference.

However, now you have Agyemang, Brereton Diaz, Rhian Brewster and Carlton Morris all with goals to their name, and once that first goal has come for an attacker at their new club, it gives them so much more confidence and self belief to go on and add to their tallies.

The midfield balance is improving: Since the signing of Lewis Travis, boss Eustace has found himself with a headache in the middle of the park, having to decide which of Ebou Adams, Travis and David Ozoh to play together as a central two.

Image source, Getty Images

The midfield conundrum has also been a hot talking point among fans, with many split between playing Travis and Adams, or playing Travis and Ozoh.

However, after watching the Travis and Ozoh pairing from the start on Saturday, I believe there's actually a case for both combinations, and potentially even an Ozoh and Adams option too, depending on the opposition.

Against more aggressive and physical opponents, Adams must start. His ability to win the ball back, his strength and aggression are all very much traits the team needs against "lesser" opposition who like to make the game as tough as possible for us.

However, against more technically gifted teams, Adams has recently lacked the quality needed in the middle of the pitch to retain possession and keep the team moving in an attacking sense. That for me is exactly where Ozoh makes the difference.

His natural passing ability, and ability to link play between the centre of the pitch to the attack much more efficiently, allows him to be the better fit against teams you'd expect to be in and around the top half of the table by the end of the season.

There's also a world where Adams and Ozoh could be paired up in midfield throughout the season. Those two have worked well together previously for the club, so there's no reason why they couldn't be trusted to repeat their positive performances.

However, I'm inclined to believe that we'll see a lot less of that combination with Travis being Eustace's main man, and captain.

Regardless, it's great to have depth in the midfield with three quality players who all suit the team in different ways. I wouldn't be surprised to see regular rotation between the three throughout the season, to manage minutes and prevent injuries.

With Brewster returning from his knock, plus Sondre Langas, Owen Beck and Corey Blackett-Taylor all looking to come back into the squad after the break, the Rams should feel a boost over the next week or two that will no doubt keep them hopeful they can find a formula to turn draws into wins as soon as possible.

You can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County boss John Eustace said his side had an "amazing" response to going behind in the 1-1 draw with Southampton at Pride Park Stadium.

He told BBC Radio Derby: "It was a great game of football between two good teams. We're up against top-quality players and we went toe-to-toe with them.

"The first goal was too easy unfortunately but the response was amazing. We are getting sharper and fitter as a team and I thought the football was really good.

"Heads haven't dropped all season. I'm delighted with the response and proud of the efforts again of the group.

"I'm delighted with the way Carlton Morris and Patrick Agyemang are linking up at the minute.

"Today was a good sign when we're confident and playing our football we can create and score against the best in the league."

Image source, Opta

Derby's quest for a first home win of the season resumes as they welcome Southampton to Pride Park on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Though Tuesday's late draw against Charlton means the Rams have lost just one of their past six matches, four of those have ended all-square and they have taken just two points from their opening four home games.

Will Still's side picked up their first away win of the season at Sheffield United on Tuesday, earning as many points as they had in their previous five matches combined.

Though County are fifth-bottom, a point above the drop-zone and six places adrift of Southampton, a two-goal win for the Rams would actually take them above the Saints in the table.

• Derby County have won just one of their past nine league games against Southampton (D5 L3), a 1-0 victory in February 2007.

• Southampton have won just four of their 31 away league games against Derby County (D12 L15), though are unbeaten across their last four since 2005 (W1 D3).

• Derby County have drawn four of their past six Championship games (W1 D1), while no team have drawn more matches than them (7) in the competition since the start of April.

• After beating Sheffield United in midweek, Southampton will be looking to achieve consecutive league wins for the first time since April 2024 (three in the Championship).

• Carlton Morris has scored 40% of Derby County's goals in the Championship this season (4/10). However, after scoring in his first four league games this term, he's failed to score in each of the past four.

Derby County manager John Eustace has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Championship clash with Southampton (15:00 BST).

Here are the main talking points:

• Despite just one league win, Eustace believes there have been encouraging performances all season. They have especially shown the guile to get back into games when being on course to lose, which is why they've lost just three times.

• In order to get more wins, the Rams need "more composure" and more "quality" in the final third in order to get more goals, because they have mostly been good at restricting oppositions attack when "under pressure."

• Eustace brought on David Ozoh for the second half in place of Ebou Adams in the midfield against Charlton on Tuesday because Derby needed to "play forward a bit quicker". Ozoh added "a little bit more oomph with the ball."

• Not being picked for the Scotland squad for the international break will be beneficial for Max Johnston as it gives him an opportunity to properly settle in at Derby without having to be constantly preparing for a match. His development as a player, when he's still only 20, is crucial.

• Dion Sanderson has been playing through an injury, he is questionable for the match on Saturday.

• Eustace is aware of Southampton's quality and is looking forward to testing his squad against the best squads in the Championship, which he feels Saints are one of having just come down from the Premier League.

Listen to the full press conference with John Eustace and more Rams on Sounds.

"Derby did start well, they got caught on the break, but then everyone gets frantic and any sideways or backwards pass would get the groans."

Recruitment expert and former Derby coach Darren Robinson joins Malcolm Christie and Ed Dawes to talk through the Rams' 1-1 draw at Pride Park on Tuesday night.

Listen to the full episode of Rams Weekly and more on BBC Sounds

Derby County defender Callum Elder believes that on another day the Rams would have taken all three points from their 1-1 draw against Charlton at Pride Park.

The Rams were knocked back by James Bree in the 37th minute, before Matt Clarke's header rescued a point at home for John Eustace's side.

Elder started the game and believes Derby were unfortunate not to get the winning goal.

"It's certainly frustrating, I thought we started the game strong, we were growing into the game, we were creating chances in the final third, and then one long ball against the run of play undoes us. It needs to be better," Elder told BBC Radio Derby.

"I thought we responded well, especially in the second half we pushed for the winner, firstly the equaliser - we managed to get it - and we looked like the team in the ascendency that would go on and win it.

"I feel on another day, with that persistence, we get three points, but certainly something to improve on and look forward to the weekend and try and turn draws into wins."

Derby have struggled to find form this season, winning just one of their opening eight league fixtures with Eustace having had 13 new additions to his squad, as well as injuries to contend with.

Elder believes that two of the new attacking additions in particular are starting to find their feet.

"I felt we were always a threat, especially Pat [Agyemang] in behind is a constant threat, Carlton [Morris] coming underneath him is a real working combination at the minute," he said.

"In the second half I felt we were the team that would go on and win the game and I think we showed good belief and character to get back into it.

"The next step for us as a group of players is to make sure we start winning those games, especially at home."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, PA Media

The 'I want it now' culture of modern society has never been as apt when linking it to football.

Derby County's new signings are just about getting up to match speed. But long after the summer transfer window closed, the Rams have been struggling for cohesion and consistency.

Head coach John Eustace had warned back in early August that it will take time for the Rams to hit the ground running in his first full Championship season - and he couldn't he have been more right.

Fans have asked why Derby County have signed so many injured players, but I suppose the answer is because they can attract them to Pride Park, get them fit and reap the rewards where others would prefer not to.

Eustace has the makings of a really good Championship team.

Competitive and creative. Packed with power and pace, with resilience in defence.

The only problem is, he hasn't been able to name his preferred strongest XI yet.

Just as Rhian Brewster burst onto the scene at Ipswich [in late August], he picked up an innocuous injury in training. Owen Beck's Rams debut was reduced to a breakdown in a warm-up in pre-season at Burton, while Bobby Clark is clearly regaining his confidence and Patrick Agyemang is not only learning the physical nature of the division, he's also building his fitness while learning how to play with new team-mates.

There are plenty of ifs, buts and maybes with Derby's start to the new season. But the underlying narrative has to be, right now, understood.

The nature of the Championship sees surprise packages and the obvious ex-Premier League teams among the front-runners.

The Rams are still building, and not just in the short term.

The long game is success that doesn't come out of the blue, with a campaign the following season that goes down in history, again.

Currently the Rams have only lost three of their first eight games and they are picking up points after going behind. They have done that four times now and could easily have won at Stoke on the opening day and at Ipswich.

Home form will click, and they will become harder to beat.

Patience is key and, by the end of this month, there is a hope that a fully-fit squad will have its identity nailed on and start picking up the points they deserve.

"That was all about the mindset and the psychology of the game, and we almost saw two faces of Derby County."

Former Derby County coach Darren Robinson joined Dom Dietrich and Ed Dawes to discuss the Rams' 1-1 draw with Charlton at Pride Park.

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after his side's 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic:

"It's important that we keep picking points up. We haven't been as fluid which is frustrating again tonight but we're getting valuable minutes into our top players.

"Patrick [Agyemang] is welcomed to the Championship on Saturday and I think it felt like that a bit today. The defenders were all over him, he's got to learn what the league's all about which is good, he's still a threat.

"There are lots of positives to take out of the game. We're really disappointed with the manner we conceded the first goal because I felt we started the first half really well.

"And when you concede first at home it does create pressure and a bit of tension. At half-time the lads came in, we regrouped and I thought [in the] second half we played well."