Derby County host Brentford this weekend at Pride Park.
Brentford boss Dean Smith believes Derby County are a club with expectations of being in the Championship’s top two and supporters will go to Pride Park expecting to be entertained, Brentfordfc.com report.
“Derby’s expectations compared to Ipswich will be different. Their expectations as a club are that they are a top two club, so they will expect to be entertained and excited, and it’s our job to make sure they don’t do that,” Smith told the club’s official website.
“They’re a good footballing team with really good players. You only have to look at the names on the squad list. Frank [Lampard] has gone in there and changed the system. They’re more of a possession-based team now.”
Should Derby County be competing for a top two spot this season?
Derby have been there or thereabouts for several seasons now, finishing in the Championship’s top six in three of the past five seasons with the other two campaigns narrowly missing out on a playoff spot.
Owner Mel Morris has dug deep to get Derby over the line, spending over £60 million in transfer fees while breaking the club’s transfer record several times on the likes of Tom Ince, Bradley Johnson and Matej Vydra.
But the Rams have so far fallen short, and this season they have turned to former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and backed him as the man to guide them to the Premier League.
Expectations of promotion remain following the arrivals of players such as Martyn Waghorn, Mason Mount and Florian Jozefzoon in the summer, but Derby are no longer the biggest spenders in the Championship.
The financial backing at clubs such as Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Aston Villa means competition is high. In Derby’s case, after finishing sixth last season, another playoff finish would represent a decent debut season for Lampard.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
