Clough is ready for clash with team he says can make it to the play-offs
NIGEL Clough believes Derby County's opponents tonight, Leicester City, have, on paper, a squad good enough to finish in the play-offs this season.
To add weight to the Rams manager's theory, Leicester have been boosted by the news that midfielder Danny Drinkwater is fit for the Championship clash at Pride Park Stadium (7.45pm).
Paul Gallagher and strikers Martyn Waghorn, Darius Vassell and Jeff Schlupp are all out but the Foxes welcome defenders Sol Bamba and John Pantsil back into the squad after their return from the African Cup of Nations.
Nathan Delfouneso has been providing striking cover, along with former Rams favourite Steve Howard, from the bench.
Delfouneso's one-month loan from Aston Villa expires after tonight's game and Leicester plan to discuss with Villa if they can extend his stay.
An 11-point gap has opened between Nigel Pearson's team and sixth place but Clough says Derby's East Midlands' rivals are still in the shake-up.
"They (Leicester) had a great win in the FA Cup on Saturday," said Clough.
"They seem to be a little bit up and down but Nigel will still be getting to know the players because quite a few different ones have come in since he was last there.
"When you look at the squad on paper, it is certainly a top-six squad."
Leicester have splashed the cash.
Striker Jermaine Beckford was signed for £3m from Everton and a fee understood to be in the region of £5m is what it took to secure the signature of defender Matt Mills.
The squad was strengthened in the January transfer window when defender Wes Morgan and winger Ben Marshall arrived from Nottingham Forest and Stoke City, for around £1m each.
It would be understandable if Clough looked at Leicester's spending power with a little envy.
"It would be nice to have a little bit of what they have been spending in the last year or so but we wouldn't swap our club for theirs," he said.
"To compete, we have to work that bit harder. We have to get everybody together as a team, so the team ethic is important and can get you an extra 10 or 20% in football. That is how we can compete."
Football is not a level playing field when it comes to spending, not even in the Championship.
"That is one of the reasons why we are trying to get these financial fair play rules in," said Clough.
"It is early days yet for them but in a few years' time, we might see it even out and teams spending pretty much the same on their squads.
"Then it might come down to how many young players you can bring through and how many players you can develop of your own and we are doing that very well at the moment."
Drinkwater's return is a boost for Leicester.
The former Manchester United player has recovered from a foot injury which kept him out of the Cup victory over Norwich City and assistant manager Craig Shakespeare admitted they had feared the 21-year-old would be absent for some time.
"It is a massive boost for him most of all, not only us and the fans, because he has impressed everyone with his all-round ability since he arrived," said Shakespeare.
"It was really pleasing to have him back in full training on Tuesday and to see him flying around."
8 Comments
by MadAmster
Thursday, February 23 2012, 2:48PM
“Newcastle Ram. We have one of the smallest wage budgets because the board has refused to spend more than it earns. Only one or two other NPC teams do likewise.
Whether we like it or not. The club will not spend money it doesn't have on buying players for huge fees or paying ridiculous wages. That is the truth of where DCFC finds itself.”
by MadAmster
Thursday, February 23 2012, 2:45PM
“I think any mention of the Plaza followed by thoughts of spending the money on the team instead is ill thought out at best.
GSE's backers had a plan when they came here. They had an amount of money earmarked for that plan. Buy the club, cover losses for a couple of years, get promoted, healthy club, great history, large fanbase and I think the fact that there was an investment possibility in the form of the Plaza will have influenced their decision to back Derby.
Stage 1. Buy the club. Tick.
Stage 2. Cover losses whilst making the club financially self sufficient. Tick.
Stage 3. Invest in the team to challenge for the playoffs and eventually to promote. Ti........ Oops, sorry, where did that worldwide financial crisis come from? The spare cash we had to fund the promotion gamble isn't there any more so no classy midfielder and no talismanic striker coming in.
Extra curricular. The Plaza. That is a sound financial investment that will pay recurring dividends year on year. Because tha Plaza will be built on land owned by the football club, they will share in those profits and gain extra income, year on year.
That is the difference. The money earmarked for football is a gamble and vanished with the recession. The money for the Plaza is a sound investment with a very good chance of a large return.
GSE and their backers came here to make money, not lose up to £50M. Investing in a football club will always be a gamble. They had their limit set before they bought. The recession has lowered that limit.
The football money and the Plaza money are not the same. No money from DCFC will be used to build the Plaza.”
by Newcastle_Ram
Thursday, February 23 2012, 2:07PM
“Paul72 - Question is.. why do we have one of the smallest budgets? with the fan base we have, we should be able to sustain a budget that can bring in players. Simple answer is lack of investment in the right areas. Its all nice to see the likes of Pride Park Plaza being built.. but invest in the team and show some ambition rather than settle for Championship survival every year!”
by paul72
Thursday, February 23 2012, 1:40PM
“its a fact we have one of the smallest budgets in league zak589 easy to blame nigel but what can he do”
by Newcastle_Ram
Thursday, February 23 2012, 1:25PM
“Nice to see that we are chomping at the bit to make the most of the disaster at Pompey and poach a couple of half decent players. Surely, they would be in NO position to turn down any offer at present? I reckon Kitson for one would be a good aquisition?”
by MadAmster
Thursday, February 23 2012, 10:44AM
“Losing is never nice, however, should we lose to the Fosse tonight it would be more acceptable if we went out and tried to WIN rather than parking the bus in a home game and being very negative.
Defending and hoping for a goal on the break is not the way to play at home. It is also not the way away against teams that you played off the park at PPS and beat 3-0 and are are just above the relegation zone. But that is exactly what we did at Millwall.
Brayford is out but we do have young lads waiting in the wings in Jones and Naylor. Give them a go. That would free up Green, an international midfielder, to play in midfield. Now there's a novel idea, playing folk in their proper roles.......
I'd love to see this side out. FF, Naylor/Jones, Barker, Shackell, Roberts, Green, Bryson, Bailey, Ward, any 2 from Savies/The O/Ball/Tyson. Bench Legzdins, Naylor/Jones, the 2 not selected forwards, Hendrick”
by Stiggsy
Thursday, February 23 2012, 10:20AM
“Right I'm not a season ticket holder anymore I cannot afford it with 2 boys wanting to come and 2 girls at home to support , but we go occasionally so feel I have a right to at least comment sometimes as I still am a ram till the day I pop my clogs, I have seen some rubbish and some good over last 36 years, I am on the fence regarding cough at least, agree he seems to need to manage players better sometimes especially in public.
Owners probably doing best thing long term just need to be a little more open with details, it is a hard world to run a company in that has no necessary product, but an envious support through thick and thin long after they leave. I know have run a small business in leisure for 10 years!
Now my question not a criticism, you statto's, what's our w, l , d record like in the transfer window compared to when it's shut? Think may be interesting! Would anyone care to make any conclusions?”
by Zak589
Thursday, February 23 2012, 9:46AM
“Every team is better than us according to Clough exuses always in early in case of defeat”