Wayne Rooney is in great danger of being relegated in his first management spell with championship side Derby County.
After winning only one game in 12, Derby are only four points above both Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday who are 22nd and 23rd respectively.
Rooney’s flying start
Rooney was appointed caretaker player-manager of Derby on November 15, with the Rams sitting bottom in the league.
After climbing two places and gaining 13 points in 11 games, Rooney officially hung up his playing boots and was appointed permanent manager.
Having lost his first game as permanent manager against Rotherham, Rooney steered Derby to a great run of form.
The Rams won six of their next eight games, securing a nine point lead on the relegation zone with 15 games to play.
Dismal Derby
However since then, Rooney’s side have completely lost their form and are now at threat of being relegated to League One.
England’s top-goalscorer’s team are struggling to find the back of the net, scoring only seven in their last 12 matches, where they have only won one game.
A 3-0 defeat to Preston on Tuesday night made it four straight defeats in a row putting great pressure on Derby heading into the last three games.
Despite having a four points lead on both Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday, the former team have two games in hand meaning Derby’s fate is out of their hands.
There are growing concerns from Derby fans over the former Manchester United legend’s managerial ability, especially due to him not experiencing a relegation battle before.
Derby are at home on Saturday against Birmingham, who are unbeaten in their last five games.
This is a ‘must win’ game if Rooney wants to secure survival, ahead of a tricky trip to Swansea before hosting Sheffield Wednesday in the last game of the season.
In this week’s Championship Crowd Podcast, Adam and Chris discuss the relegation battle between Rotherham and Derby previewing their upcoming games, as well as discussing loads more Championship news.
The best place to keep updated is through their Twitter page @champcrowdpod
Follow, Like and Subscribe to WD Sportz for more football news and updates.
