3/1 To Win
Phil Jagielka is relishing the start of the latest chapter in his footballing career with Derby County – and he’s already feeling part of the furniture.
The 39-year-old central defender joined Derby on a short-term deal earlier this week after spending pre-season training with the squad.
Jagielka, a former England international with 40 caps to his name, made his Derby bow in Wednesday night’s 1-0 away win at Hull City.
The defender, who now holds the record for being the Rams’ oldest outfield player, produced an impressive performance at the heart of the defence alongside Curtis Davies.
The former Sheffield United and Everton captain played alongside manager Wayne Rooney for club and country and he’s delighted to be in a position to continue his impressive career.
Jagielka has almost 700 appearances in club football to his name and he is delighted to be able to continue his career with Derby.
Jagielka’s career has been an impressive one, playing at the highest level for club and country and he brings a vast amount of experience to the dressing room both on and off the pitch.
“Initially I really enjoyed myself here,” Jagielka told RamsTV. “I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do (in terms of carrying on playing) but I settled into the group and was made part of the family here, so it gave me the emphasis that I wanted to continue playing football.
“I wanted to do something here and I felt I had something to offer. So did the management team, so did the club, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen before the first game.
“It was a bit gutting driving away without playing the first game of the season. We had been preparing for it for a while, so it wasn’t a nice feeling.
“Then I was waiting around for a bit which again wasn’t great, but it’s the way football is these days. I was constantly in contact with the staff and players throughout and it was nice to finally get it over the line, and even better, my debut was a day later and we got that win.”
He added: “There were bits and bobs on offer from elsewhere. If you were to ask Sam Baldock too (who signed at the same time as a free agent), we were invested into what was going on here.
“We did feel part of the team and squad and emotionally we expected to sign so we were prepared to give it a little bit of extra time. It’s great we got there in the end.”
Jagielka has seen enough of the Rams’ squad to know there’s quality right across the group.
Although Rooney has a small, and in some areas inexperienced, squad to call upon Jagielka has made it clear there’s a strong team spirit and determination to face up to any challenges head on.
“With what happened last year, staying in the league and coming back as a Championship team, a lot of people left and we have a youthful team with six or seven lads being here a little while, but I think everyone is ready for the challenge,” Jagielka said.
“Everyone knows it will be tough and we’ve been given a lot of hurdles and hoops to jump through, but we all have to be thankful we are still a Championship team.
“We can play some decent football; we have some decent players and we have a good squad of players. We will go out week in, week out and give it our all.
“The Championship is a long season but we’ve had a decent enough start and there are plenty of games to play.
“We know we need to keep our foot down and keep picking up points. The manager wants us to play a certain way and he feels he can stamp his ideas on the team after a full pre-season, so it seems a fresh start.
“Playing well is one thing but getting results breeds that bit more confidence in the squad and that’s all we need. We will be fragile down to the fact we have a lot of young men in there that haven’t had their ups and downs in their careers yet, but they will be better for it.”
After picking up three points at Hull in midweek, Derby are back on home turf on Saturday when they welcome Middlesbrough to Pride Park Stadium.
Boro are managed by a man Jagielka knows well, in the form of Neil Warnock.
Warnock gave Jagielka his big break in football at Sheffield United and he went on to become a key player during their time together at Bramall Lane.
While it will be a new experience going head-to-head with his former boss this weekend, he is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with his former manager.
“Neil came to Sheffield United and he wasn’t known to particularly give youth a chance but that’s what he decided to do,” Jagielka said.
“He mixed it with some older professionals and that is not too dissimilar to what is going on here.
“He promoted a few of us at the same time and gave me my chance in football. He played me all over the place; right back, centre half, centre midfield and in goal every so often so there was a hell of a lot of my development as a footballer, and as a person, that was down to him.
“I’ve got some fond memories with him and it will be amusing to hear his voice shouting at me for non-positive reasons this weekend!”
