McClaren has been named as the Rams’ new manager just 17 months after he was sacked by the club.
Steve McClaren has spoken of his excitement at being reappointed as Derby County manager and has told the club’s official website that the target remains achieving the promotion that eluded them during his previous reign.
McClaren was confirmed as the new manager of the Rams on Wednesday just 17 months after he was sacked by the club at the end of the 2014-15 season.
He was dismissed at the time after the club’s promotion challenge crumbled in the final weeks to see them miss out on a play-off spot, but things have taken a turn for the worse in his absence.
McClaren’s replacement Paul Clement struggled badly and was sacked in February of last season, and though his interim replacement Darren Wassall took them into the play-offs, they suffered defeat to eventual winners Hull City.
Wassall was removed in favour of Nigel Pearson this summer but the former Leicester manager’s reign was a disaster, comprising of one win from nine league games and a suspension following an argument with chairman Mel Morris.
The club have turned to a fourth spell in various capacities for former player McClaren, and the ex-England and Newcastle United manager has already spoken of finally completing his mission to lead the club back to the Premier League.
McClaren told dcfc.co.uk: “I am excited to be back at Derby County as the club’s manager. I have a great affiliation with the club, having been here on three previous occasions, and I am really delighted at the prospect of finishing what we started back in September 2013.
“I regret how my time at Derby ended back in 2015 and I am very motivated to put things right for the club and our supporters.
“My ultimate aspiration remains exactly what it was before, to take Derby County back to the Premier League.”
McClaren is likely to be a controversial appointment for many, but the fact of the matter is that he did well at the iPro Stadium until being linked with the Newcastle job late in the 2014-15 season.
He boasted a win ratio of over 53% win ratio across two-and-a-half years in the job from September 2013 to May 2015, the second-highest of any permanent manager in the club’s history and a full seven per cent higher than that of championship-winning boss Brian Clough.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
