Football Season Guide

Derby were left kicking themselves as they failed to make the Premier League last term, missing out on the play-offs on the final day. The will he or won't he go to Newcastle saga of Steve McClaren ultimately affected the Rams and in the end the former England boss was sacked a few weeks after the season finished. In his place, Derby brought in Paul Clement, the Real Madrid assistant manager and he has had an excellent summer in the transfer market. The achilles heel last term was the defence but former captain Jason Shackell and Reading defender Alex Pearce have arrived to give that department a real air of strength. Tom Ince has signed permanently for a record transfer fee of just under £5 million while Andreas Weimann has come in from Aston Villa. With the squad strength now, there can be no excuse for Derby failing to secure promotion this time around.