3/1 To Win
Justin Walker is pleased with the progress Derby County are making as they prepare to step up the intensity in their next pre-season fixture against Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
It’s the Rams’ first home fixture of the summer as they take on the German outfit on Saturday 16th July (4pm kick off).
Derby started their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 victory over Bradford City at Valley Parade last weekend courtesy of goals from Craig Forsyth and Tom Barkhuizen, who arrived from Preston North End in the summer.
After a full week to prepare on the training ground, the Rams will now look to put what they have been working on into match practise in front of the home supporters.
Walker, who is Derby’s First Team Development Coach, has been pleased with what he has seen from the players so far and believes the Rams are heading in the right direction.
On The Recent New Faces Through The Door…
Haydon Roberts is a brilliant bit of business for us. We’re really excited about Haydon. He has high potential, has good physicality and is a very good footballer. We are excited to have him. He’s settled in brilliantly. He’s been with us a few days now and I’m looking forward to working with him throughout the season and he’s a great addition to the squad.
Jason Pearcey has had his black book out and as a staff we have worked really hard through the summer period. We have gone through a lot of targets and Scott Loach was on that list and we are delighted to have him with us. He has a wealth of experience and will be a welcome addition to the goalkeeping department. It’s the culture we are trying to build at the club and within the squad, also. There are a lot of players in there with a wealth of experience at different levels and that can layer on top of the younger players and really help us.
James Collins coming in is a massive plus for us and we have a number nine in the building who is hungry to score goals. We are really delighted to get that over the line. He has trained on Thursday morning and you can see the qualities he has got and what he is going to bring to this side. It’s going to take time to settle in with the other players in the way that we build the squad and style in which we want to play, but it’s exciting for us and we are really looking forward to it.
Kwaku Oduroh is another one through the door and he is an impressive man in terms of his temperament. He’s really mature, composed and he’s had a really good pedigree at Manchester City. He looks quite at home in the way that we’re playing and he has really stood out in the way he has gone about his business since he walked through the door, hence why we made the decision to make him an offer and luckily for us he has joined us. He is a young player and still has a lot to do but I think he is in the right environment and clearly he is a prospect for us for the season ahead.
On The Summer So Far…
The key word is adapt. We have to be very adaptable in how we work. We have learned that through our experiences over the past 18 months but I think you are only as good as the people around you. I think the people within the building and the togetherness and connections that we’ve got, I think that has been invaluable. We have to never get too high and never get too low, we just have to get there and make sure we have each other’s back. We have made positive strides in the past three weeks and it’s going to set us up for what we hope will be a positive season.
On Pre-Season Training So Far…
You need fresh impetus, especially after last season. We have been supported in that way and Liam Rosenior has identified the targets, along with the staff, and we have made a push for them. People need time to settle in and buy into the way we want to play, but I am delighted where we are to where we were three weeks ago. There is a real atmosphere around the training ground and long may that continue.
On Hertha Belin This Weekend And Looking Ahead To The Start Of The Season…
It’s the second run out and I think the most important thing is playing in front of our own supporters again. Getting out on the grass at home is always a nice feeling and I’m sure the fans will be looking forward to seeing some of the new signings. It’s only our second pre-season game so we know what we are after from the workout. It will be a really tough test for us but we need that during this period of time and we go into this period with three matches in a week so it will be a challenge for us and give us the physical conditioning that we need which will prepare us for that.
We have players at different stages of pre-season. Through joining us from other clubs, they have been at different parts of their pre-season also, so it’s an interesting one. We take into consideration that whilst everyone wants all the new signings on the pitch all of the time and to have a look what we are going to look like, we have to make sure that as a group we are ready for Oxford United in the first game of the season. That’s the biggest test; that we are ready on that day.
We know how we want to play. We have an identity and the most important thing is that the education that we get through this period of time in terms of how we play and the roles and responsibilities in the team. We have a wealth of experience in the team now that can add to that. Whilst Liam and myself will be looking at things, we will have players out there who can make decisions and add things to the group and that’s the way we want to work. We are all open to learning and we want to push each other because we want a successful season.
