Meet the opposition | Derby County

As Swansea City prepare to head to the East Midlands to take on Derby County, we take a closer look at the Rams.

What’s their story?

The Rams have been in the Championship since a record-low Premier League points tally of 11 saw them fall into the second tier at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.

They have made four play-off appearances since, with their most recent seeing them miss out on promotion to the top-flight in May as they lost the Wembey final to Aston Villa.

Derby claimed their sole FA Cup victory after the second World War in 1946, when they were 4-1 winners over Charlton Athletic.

The East Midlands side also have two First Division titles to their name, with successes in 1971-72 and 1974-75 coming with Brian Clough and Dave Mackay at the helm respectively.

How’s their form?

Slowly improving. The Rams have endured a nightmare start to the season and have just two wins to their name from their first 18 games.

There have been nine defeats, but there have been signs of them becoming harder to beat in recent weeks as they have lost just one of their last five.

They have yet to win at Pride Park this season.

Who’s the boss?

Wayne Rooney. The former Everton, Manchester United and England forward is currently in caretaker charge following the dismissal of Phillip Cocu in November.

Rooney came through the academy ranks at Everton, making his first-team bow as a 16-year-old, before a trophy-laden 13 years with United over the course of which he became the club’s record scorer.

His 53 goals in 120 caps also made him England’s record goalscorer, and he had a second spell at Everton before moving on to DC United.

He returned to English football with Derby as a player-coach in January 2020, and is now having his first managerial experience.

He is also Derby’s club captain, with Curtis Davies wearing the armband since his move into the dug-out.

Who are the key men?

The young trio of Jason Knight, Duane Holmes and Louie Sibley have shown glimpses of their undoubted talent, with Knight’s two goals making him Derby’s joint-topscorer this term.

They have the experience of Colin Kazim-Richards and Martyn Waghorn to call on in attack, while former Celtic, Norwich, Cardiff, Hull and Wigan keeper David Marshall is the man between the sticks.

Wales international Tom Lawrence is another integral part of the Derby squad.