Derby County interim boss Wayne Rooney told RamsTv there is still ample time to get the club’s season on track when asked whether Coventry City is now a must-win game.
The Rams sit bottom of the Championship table with one win from 14 games.
After back-to-back defeats at Bristol City and Middlesbrough, former Manchester United man Wayne Rooney has stepped up to be the main interim manager.
And his first decision was to take a step back and remove himself from the squad.
Derby’s first game with Rooney watching on the side-lines ended in a 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Wycombe Wanderers – a result which does little to help Derby’s situation.
The Rams’ next encounter is another home game against Coventry City. When asked if it’s a must-win game already, Rooney tried to ease the thought of a relegation battle.
There’s a lot of games to go. We know that we’re not in a position we want to be, but that’s where we’re at. As I said, we have to build on today. It’s a point, it’s obviously better than none and I think if we perform on Tuesday [against Coventry City] how we did in the first half today then we’ll give ourselves a great chance of winning the game.
Coventry are 20th in the Championship table. While there are just six points separating the two teams with 32 games remaining, Derby must look to gain some momentum.
50 points is usually the magic number for Championship survival. Derby are 43 points shy of that with 32 games remaining, requiring an average of 1.34 points per game.
Statistically speaking, over a 46-game season that would equal around 62 points which was only two points shy of Derby’s total under Phillip Cocu for the 2019-20 campaign.
Make no mistake, Derby face an uphill task and a relegation battle looms.
Rooney will be hoping Derby can build on the positives against Wycombe when Coventry arrive on Tuesday. It was certainly an improvement from the Middlesbrough debacle.
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