Derby County are in fine form under Gary Rowett and their former manager thinks the playoffs are achievable.
Derby County manager Gary Rowett
Derby County have won three of their four Championship matches since Gary Rowett was appointed manager on March 14, taking ten points in the process.
Their latest success was a 2-1 victory at Rowett’s former club Birmingham City to move them up to eighth in the table and seven points from the playoff spots.
With only five games remaining for the Rams this season, making up the ground on sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday would prove tricky, but their former boss Chris Powell thinks it could happen.
“I came in at the beginning of the season under Nigel Pearson and it’s the fourth manager now and it’s been a real up and down season,” Powell said on Channel 5’s Championship highlights programme (broadcast 8/4/17).
“They’re a fantastic club; they’ve got the squad, they’ve got the facilities. They just need to get themselves going and maybe now with Gary, if he’s given the time to settle down and implement what he wants, they’ve got a fighting chance.
“They’ve still got a chance of the playoffs. An outside chance and it’s going to be tough.”
Derby caretaker manager Chris Powell
Powell was caretaker manager at Pride Park for two matches earlier in 2016/17 when Nigel Pearson was sacked, but stepped back to being assistant when Steve McClaren was reappointed for his second stint at Derby.
However, when McClaren was also dismissed in March, Powell left the club too, but clearly feels the potential is there for them to make a late march on promotion to the Premier League.
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