Wayne Rooney gets Derby going again ahead of tasty Forest fixture | OneFootball

“Of course I’ll miss playing but time stops for no man. I’ve had my time, it’s time for the younger generation to have theirs and for me to try and guide the young players to be better players.”

And with that, Wayne Rooney’s near 20 year professional career as a footballer came to an end.

That was January 15 2021 and immediately the England and Manchester United record-breaker was thrust into one of the Championship’s most demanding and challenging coaching jobs.

But six weeks into the post and, despite a few hiccoughs, the signs are there of definite progress for Derby.

Rock bottom of the division when he took over, the Rams are now 18th, six points clear of Birmingham in 21st and with a record of nine victories, four draws and five defeats, returning 31 points from a possible 54.

The east Midlands club are one of the biggest and most-storied in the country and with Rooney at the helm, all the indications point to a return to those former glories.

Philip Cocu’s sacking on November 14 had been coming for a while.

His hiring back in July 2019 was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle, the star quality that would finally take the Rams back to the top-flight of English football for the first time since 2008.

It didn’t work out like that.

There was a clear hangover after the play-off final defeat the season previous and Derby finished in 10th position, their worst placing for eight years.

Something had to give and it did 11 games into the campaign, with the Rams having won just once all season.

Rooney, already on the playing staff, was asked to take temporary charge, and would be helped by Liam Rosenior, Shay Given and Justin Walker.

The former Derby boss and England head coach, Steve McLaren, was then hired as technical director to help oversee all aspects of the club while Rooney focused on coaching the players.

That upstairs-downstairs routine seems to have worked wonders with Derby’s form, since McClaren’s arrival, one of the best in the division.

Just counting the games from the end of November, the Rams are seventh in the form table and have racked up impressive victories over the likes of Swansea, Bournemouth and Middlesbrough.

But don’t confuse this for a Gerard Houllier/Roy Evans-type scenario, as Rooney said himself before their 0-0 draw with Stoke in December: “I pick the team”.

And that team has varied game-to-game, showing that Rooney us unafraid to make big decisions when it comes to personnel and adapting their approach depending on the opponent.

As was the case this week against Huddersfield.

Derby lined up with three centre-backs and two wing-backs, but despite leading 1-0 at half-time, Rooney was not happy with the shape of his side so took off centre-back George Edmondson and striker Lee Gregory, moving to a more traditional 4-4-2.

“We found it tough the way Huddersfield set up, especially with their wing backs, they pushed our wing backs right back,” he told the Telegraph afterwards.

“So we struggled a little bit with that. I felt I had to make a change at half time to help us get a bit more on the front foot and try and be more of a threat going forward.

“I said to the players at half time, tactically I got it wrong. I have no shame in saying that. I had to change it. First half I take full responsibility for the performance because it wasn’t good enough.”

Seeing a problem, admitting a mistake and then acting on said problem – it’s a skill that not all managers learn but having worked under the very best in the business, it’s something Rooney has brought into his arsenal straight away.

Derby would go on to beat the Terriers 2-0 but it’s not just tactical changes that Rooney has been installing into this side, he has also been at pains to add a mental solidity to the squad too.

After their 1-0 win over Bristol City in January, Rooney called for his side to be “horrible” and “more than tough to beat”.

It worked that day against the Robins and it worked earlier this month against Wycombe as well – Derby scored a 93rd minute winner thanks to Andre Wisdom.

It sets things up nicely then for this Friday’s much-anticipated derby against Nottingham Forest.

These two bitter rivals have endured some torrid times over the past decade but that hasn’t diluted any of the intensity.

The Rams travel to the City Ground having not won the Brian Clough Trophy in eight attempts, going back to 2017, and having not tasted victory at the home of their rivals in seven years.

This El Cloughico looks like a belter.