Ian Holloway reiterates Derby stance; points finger at the players

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Derby County currently find themselves 20th in the Championship table.

Former manager and current pundit Ian Holloway still believes the Derby County players are at fault for their poor Championship showing rather than suspended manager Nigel Pearson, Sky Sports report.

Pearson’s reign as Derby manager could be among the most short-lived the club’s history as after just nine Championship matches he was suspended by owner Mel Morris from first-team duties (BBC).

Despite many suggesting that the result of Pearson’s ongoing suspension is not based on results, there is no doubt that the promotion challengers have vastly underperformed during the former Leicester City manager’s tenure in charge.

The Rams finished fifth in the Championship last term, yet before the midweek win at Cardiff City they lied in the relegation zone having picked up six points – and scoring only three goals – from nine league games.

Holloway, however, has suggested that Pearson should be given more time to get it right at the iPro Stadium and feels the current problems are down to the players and their lack of fight.

“The owner has had a bit of a row with Nigel Pearson, from the outside looking in. At the end of the day, he sees it as his show, like a lot of chairmen do these days, but hopefully it’s just a bit of an argument and the wedding will carry on,” Holloway told Sky Sports.

“I’ve said it all along, there’s a problem in the Derby squad. They can’t turn games around and show the fight you’d think a group of talented boys like that should be able to show. I think that’s where the fault lies.”

While some players have no doubt been performing lower than expected, Pearson’s insistence of playing 4-4-2 with a talented group accustomed to playing 4-3-3 has certainly played a part.

Some supporters believe the decision to revent back to the 4-3-3 formation against Cardiff in midweek prompted a much better display from the Rams, with the midfield in particular very dominant.

It remains to be seen whether Pearson returns to manage Derby after events of the past week, but as for the players they can only play to the best of their abilities and look to justify their tag as promotion contenders.