Derby County

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Derby County defender Ryan Nyambe said "a lot" is going wrong for the squad in the midst of the club's early season struggle.

The Rams suffered their seventh defeat of the campaign at home to Stoke City on the weekend, leaving them second from bottom of the Championship with only one win from 11 games.

Under-pressure boss John Eustace is trying to turn things round despite a lengthy injury list, which grew when Lewis Travis limped out of the match against the Potters.

Nyambe said it feels like they are dealing with "a lot" of issues.

"Obviously, you can see injuries," he told BBC Radio Derby. "Then you lose games, confidence goes down - those are the two main factors.

"Everyone needs to gain confidence somehow whether it's next game we win the scruffy way, just get a win and then maybe it's a start for us.

"We all need to stand up and showcase what we're about. It's a tough league but I think we've just got to compete."

With Derby's injury problems depriving them of key defenders Sondre Langas, Matt Clarke, Craig Forsyth and Eiran Cashin, full-back Nyambe filled in as a centre-half against Stoke.

He said he has only played the position "about five times" in his career but that the team have got to work together.

"It's something I'm kind of used to, at the same time, I'm not.

"The gaffer asked me to step in so obviously I stepped in and took one for the team."

The Rams are next in action on Saturday in an lunchtime trip to Sheffield United (12:30 BST) and Nyambe said they must regroup quickly.

"Let's not do blame games, it's all of us together, we're all letting ourselves down," he said.

"There's obviously individual mistakes in games but we've all got to look at ourselves and as a team as well."

John Bennett
Final Score at Pride Park

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The fine margins never seem to go your way when you're struggling in the relegation zone and that was certainly the case for Derby County on Saturday.

Stoke City's winner goes in off the post but meanwhile, at the other end, Derby sub Rhian Brewster saw his second-half effort bounce wide off the woodwork. And to add to that, in the 89th minute, Stoke keeper Viktor Johansson came up with what looked, from my position in the press seats, to be one of the best diving saves I've seen all season.

So in the technical area, just a few rows down from where I was sitting, the pressure ramped up on Derby boss John Eustace.

I was interested to check out the fan reaction at full-time and of course there was disappointment but I was impressed by the way the supporters had backed the team during this tough time.

Maybe that's down to what surely is the longest injury list in the Championship right now, which is severely hampering Eustace's chances of turning this around.

Lewis Travis was the latest player to limp off on Saturday, proving yet again that when you're a struggling side it never rains but it pours.

In the post-match press conference Eustace said he was pleased by the response to a heavy midweek defeat by QPR. But he added that he was frustrated and angry about their current predicament.

He also stressed how proud he was of the effort from his players and I have to say, I certainly saw a group of players who seemed to be still fighting for their manager. The work rate is there and the endeavour is there but, from what I witnessed, it's creative quality that seems to be desperately lacking at this present time.

Eustace now has to hope that he can get some of those key players out of the treatment room and out on to the pitch before patience from the supporters runs out.

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after their 1-0 defeat against Stoke City.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here:

Image source, Opta

Derby will seek to kick-start their season when Stoke head to Pride Park on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The second-bottom Rams have taken just two points from their past six games and were humbled 4-1 at QPR on Wednesday night, while they remain winless at home, drawing two and losing four of their six matches in all competitions.

The in-form Potters suffered a last-gasp 3-2 defeat at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, having taken 16 points from their six previous matches, but remain eighth and within striking distance of the top three.

• Derby are unbeaten in six home league games against Stoke (W3 D3) since a 0-2 defeat in February 2007.

• Stoke have scored just one goal in their past six league visits to Derby, Tom Ince netting in a 2-1 defeat in September 2021.

• Derby have been in losing position in their Championship matches this season for 50.3% of the time – the second-worst return in the competition, behind only Watford (52.1%).

• Stoke have won each of their past two away league games, and will be looking to win three in succession on their travels for the first time since December 2005 (run of four wins).

• So far during the 2026-27 Championship season, Derby remain the only side yet to score from a set piece (incl. penalties), while only four sides have conceded more set piece goals than the Rams (5).

Derby County head coach John Eustace says he does not feel under pressure despite the Rams sitting second from bottom in the Championship.

Wednesday's 4-1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers was the East Midlands club's fourth in a six-game winless run.

Eustace is in his second full season in charge of Derby, having started out at Pride Park by guiding the Rams to Championship safety in his first few months in the job before then going on to lead them to within four points of reaching the play-offs last term.

"I don't feel the pressure," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"I feel frustrated and angry, simple as that. It's not where we want to be and it's my responsibility to get results, no matter what anyone says or thinks. I have to find solutions with the team, and we have got to start picking up some wins as soon as we can."

Derby next face eighth-placed Stoke City on Saturday.

Listen to Eustace's full pre-match press conference by hitting the play button above, or visit Derby County's BBC Sounds page for all the latest interviews and analysis.

QPR are fifth in the Championship after beating Derby County 4-1 on Wednesday.

The defeat leaves the Rams still second from bottom and on a six-game winless run.

Here is what some of the fans of both sides made of the game.

QPR fans

Tomo - The team reached a different level. Shown glimpses of it before but it all clicked in the first half and even if Derby were off the pace it was a great performance.

Andrew - Classy Rangers. Plenty of moving parts, everyone looks good on the ball.

Don - Superb first half. We tore them apart and were too strong for them. From goalkeeper to up front everyone was superb. To give Derby credit they kept attacking for the whole second half even at 4-0 down and deserved their consolation goal. QPR now fighting with slick quick passing and energy - massive improvement from last season. Are we going up? Maybe.

Tim - Go on Rangers! Just hope we can get at least seven points from the next three games. Birmingham, Swansea and Southampton are three hard games. Be nice to finish in the play-offs.

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Derby fans

Steve - So poor. No passion, no desire, no creativity, no shape. Injuries are having an impact, but the style of football is negative and predictable.

John - Injuries acknowledged but, there is a reason why we lose a player for at least weeks if not months every game. Some is unlucky, some has to be down to the appalling level of fitness levels and conditioning of the players. It's a turgid style of football. I always want the manager and players to do well for Derby, but give us something to hang on to.

Andy - Lack of enthusiasm, fitness, desire and passion. Maybe time to change John Eustace, a certain Eddie Howe would be a great fit.

Per - Horrible defending and we must stop conceding sloppy goals to avoid relegation. Of course we have a lot of injuries but there seems to be a lack of leadership on the pitch.

Shaun - What can Derby do when you have nine players out including your whole back four and goalkeeper injured?

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after the Rams' heavy defeat against Queens Park Rangers. For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Derby County seek an exit from the bottom two as they prepare to face Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

The Rams have only won one game this season to leave them in 23rd place, a single point above bottom club Preston North End but equally one point below safety.

However, QPR are winless in five with four successive draws to their name and will be hoping to keep their spot in the play-off positions.

• QPR lost home (2-3) and away (0-1) to Derby in the Championship last season, the first time they did so versus the Rams in a league campaign since 2016-17.

• Derby are looking to win back-to-back league visits to QPR for the first time since September 2008.

• QPR have only won one of their last seven home league games (D3 L3), beating Cardiff 2-1 in September.

• Since the start of February, Derby have lost eight and won just three of their 12 Championship away games, drawing 1-1 at Burnley most recently.

• Against no side has Derby's John Eustace won more Championship games as a manager than versus QPR (5, level with Swansea and West Brom).

A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.

Malcolm Christie, Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes answer your questions and look ahead to Saturday's return to action against Wrexham.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Image source, Opta

Derby County will hope to kick-start their Championship season when they welcome Wrexham to Pride Park on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 BST).

The Rams are in the relegation zone after just one win from their opening eight games and are without a victory in their past four matches (D1 L3).

Wrexham ended a run of three games without a win by beating Southampton 2-1 at home before the international break and start the weekend in mid-table.

• Derby County failed to beat Wrexham in the Championship last season (D1 L1) and the Rams have won one of their past six league games against them (D3 L2).

• Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has lost three of his four league visits to Derby County, with all three seeing his side fail to score. However, the other was a 2-1 win with Wrexham at Pride Park last season.

• Derby have just five points in eight Championship matches this season (W1 D2 L5), their worst tally at this stage of a league season since 2020-21 (also five), eventually finishing 21st that season.

• Only Lincoln City (3) have more away Championship clean sheets this season than Wrexham (2), although the Red Dragons were beaten 6-0 in their most recent away game against West Ham, their heaviest Football League loss since February 2004 and a 6-0 loss at Bournemouth.

• Derby have just one point in their previous five home league games (D1 L4), having won six in a row beforehand. They've lost their past three at Pride Park with the last Derby manager to lose four on the bounce at home being Phillip Cocu (five between July and October 2020).

Robbie Savage will have his first crack at management in the EFL after taking over at Peterborough United, while Michael Duff has replaced Graham Alexander at Bradford City.

Savage and Duff both appear on the latest 72+ EFL podcast with Jobi McAnuff, who is joined by Luke Chambers and Tommy Smith.

The panel also discuss the teams who have impressed and disappointed them in the Championship so far this season.

Spoiler alert... Stoke City, Swansea City, QPR, Burnley, Norwich City and Derby County all get a mention.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

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Seven games to save the season? Maybe.

Derby County head coach John Eustace is a football man, from Premier League player to Championship midfield stalwart on the field, and a producer of miracles off it.

One win in nine at the start of his second full season at the helm of the Rams is not a great record in anyone's book.

In 2024-25, he inherited a group of players at rock bottom mentally, "a squad of League One players with a sprinkling of sugar", as his predecessor Paul Warne said.

After two narrow 1-0 losses, he instilled belief and a work ethic that saw them win four games in a row. They lost only twice more in the next eleven games, winning six, and survived.

Last season, his first full campaign, his Rams side finished eighth in the Championship table and were pipped to the play-offs in the second half of that final game against Sheffield United.

It is forgotten that the start of the 2025-26 season was littered with injured players, late transfer activity and new recruits who were not fit and ready for action.

After eight games last season, they had seven points. One win at West Brom, standard, and a cluster of draws. Games they could have won, games they should have won.

But the difference between then and now is having more than 75% of your first-choice players fit.

A fit squad enables coaching. It means three weeks away from the fixture list can be used to work on patterns of play, build confidence and get energy reserves working.

Right now, Derby County's international break has seen training numbers reduced to barely double figures on the grass at times. Meanwhile, the treatment room will have been working overtime.

So, what realistically can any coach do if his players are injured or away on international duty? Very little. It becomes about man-management and checking the medical bulletin.

Not having the core spine of your team ready for selection is damaging. We all know how important that is, and how one or two absences can be handled if you still have that central pillar.

The collapse of the Saudi takeover put the Rams on the back foot, which is surprising considering the deal was mooted at the end of May, talks were then confirmed and, until 10 August, it was all systems go.

Three different people said the club wanted to go one better and compete for the Premier League this season, which, on the face of it, was the correct trajectory.

So, when the transfer window concluded, many people were left scratching their heads and searching the internet for the playing history of their new heroes.

There is nothing to say that the Rams squad right now could not be the strongest in years when the full roster is available.

Sadly, it isn't available, and those are the cards the head coach must deal with.

What is most frustrating is the constant injury cycle.

Why does it keep happening?

What is it about Derby County's day-to-day, pre-match preparation, training and post-game formula that means players are breaking down?

Are the pitches too hard at Moor Farm? Could Derby fly to long-distance games? Would that help with recovery post-match? Are players being rushed back early because numbers are low? Are they simply injury-prone players?

Who knows?

Different messages come in interviews from across the set-up. "The players are injured" is never offered as an excuse for poor results, but it is a fact.

The squad is weaker when some of your top players aren't near it.

Currently, the Rams look weaker than at any time in their recent second-tier revival.

As for head coach Eustace, right now he cuts a frustrated figure.

The mood music from the boardroom points towards going one better than last season.

If he can turn the form around, get players back fit and get those signed for him ready for this level, he has a big chance to finish in the top eight and reach the play-offs.

Eustace knows it is a results-driven business and that patience in football only lasts so long. But, given what he has already achieved at Derby, he has earned the chance to get his players back, get his team on the pitch and show what this squad can really do.

There are 38 games left. Seven of them come before the next international break. That feels like a fair place to start judging where this season - and Eustace - are really heading.

A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.

Malcolm Christie, Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes discuss the highs and lows of Derby County's season so far, injuries and much more.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Sometimes in football there are moments where drawing feels like winning.

Derby have had a disappointing start to the season so far, winning only one game out of a possible eight, drawing twice, and losing five.

The Rams' position in the league table going into the first international break of the season isn't ideal, despite it probably being a fair reflection of how they have performed in both boxes so far this campaign, with a minus seven goal difference only backing that up.

Every club wants to take momentum into an extended break, but when you're in and around the bottom three, getting a result for the morale and confidence of the team feels extra important.

Derby have shown resilience at times this season, but Saturday felt different.

Despite having more shots, shots on target, and creating greater clear-cut chances than fellow strugglers Burnley, the Rams found themselves staring down the barrel of a fourth-straight defeat and going into the international break rock bottom of the Championship.

Step forward Mohammed Fuseini.

For the longest time Derby have been crying out for pace on the wings.

Patrick Agyemang offered Derby something raw and slightly different last season, but was always more about power and physicality than just pace.

Since signing on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise on deadline day, Fuseini has been one of Derby's brightest sparks.

Whilst his end product hasn't been consistently brilliant so far, his fearless attacking approach, confidence to beat his man, desire to get shots on goal, and willingness to utilise his pace to stretch defences and make runs in behind are attributes that have been there for all to see.

It goes without saying when you're in a bit of a rot, you need someone in your team who has the ability to produce a moment of magic and get supporters on their feet.

Fuseini absolutely brings that.

Saturday felt like the perfect example of how important his presence, particularly off the bench, is going to be throughout the season.

Bringing a player on who is that explosive will be an absolute nightmare for opposition full-backs, especially when they're tiring towards the end of matches.

You can only imagine the more he gets used to the new environment, new team-mates, and John Eustace's playing style, the more confident and valuable he will become.

When the Rams get players back to full fitness throughout the campaign, they have the ability to utilise both Fuseini, and Agyemang, on either flank.

With Carlton Morris as the number nine, and those two either side of him, you can see Derby becoming quite the force to be reckoned with in an attacking sense later on in the season.

Here and now though, Fuseini's sensational strike to secure Derby a last-gasp point has turned despair into hope.

Providing the team and its supporters with positives to hold on to throughout the interval, alongside a feeling that the Rams can kickstart a revival when the next block of fixtures begin on 10 October.

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

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