Old pal is good fit at helm
Craig Forsyth believes his former Derby County teammate John Eustace can bring calmness to Pride Park amid the inevitable relegation run-in chaos.
Having endured a tough start after returning to his old stomping ground – with a 4-0 thrashing at QPR followed by defeats to Millwall and Middlesbrough without scoring – new boss Eustace went into this weekend having ended the Rams’ 12-game winless run by registering their first back-to-back victories since September.
Even more impressively, those home triumphs came against a pair of play-off contenders in Blackburn Rovers – the team he left for a dogfight with Derby – and Frank Lampard’s Coventry City, who had prevailed in nine of their previous ten league contests.
Subsequently, a seven-point gap to safety had been shrunk to one ahead of yesterday’s crunch trip to Plymouth Argyle – the team that has replaced them at the foot of the table.
Experience
Veteran defender Forsyth, who gleefully scored the opener as visitors Blackburn were seen off 2-1 last weekend, shared a pitch and even roomed with Eustace when the pair played together for the Rams between 2013 and 2015.
Since then, the latter has racked up almost nine years in management and masterminded successful battles against the Championship drop with QPR (as caretaker), Birmingham City and Blackburn.
And Forsyth, currently in his 12th season as a Derby player, reckons that experience can prove decisive between now and the first weekend in May.
“It will be important,” the ex-Scotland international declared of Eustace’s pedigree for staving off the threat of League One football.
“I’m sure he’ll keep the messages the same as the ones he’s used before and will be looking to keep that calmness in the situation, because it can be a bit chaotic.
“He’s been working on our structure and discipline off the ball during these first few weeks and focussed on making us hard to beat.
“I think we’ve made progress on that front and can now concentrate on the other end of the pitch.”
Respect
The 36-year-old centre-back went on to admit that calling his old mate “gaffer” might not have come naturally at first, but also pointed out that he always felt Eustace was destined for the dugout due to the respect he commanded in the dressing room.
“It’s a bit of a strange one for myself, because I played with John and we were room-mates for a couple of years, so it’s taken a bit of adjusting to in terms of our relationship but he was definitely always one you thought would go down that route,” Forsyth explained.
“He’s always been a leader in the way he spoke and addressed the group and, when he spoke, people listened.”
If Eustace is to guide yet another club to Championship survival, the Rams’ home form could hold the key.
With an average attendance approaching 29,000, only Sunderland and Leeds United boast a bigger backing in the division and Derby’s last two Pride Park contests of the season pit them against relegation rivals Luton Town and Stoke City – the latter being final-day visitors.
Landmark
It’s a factor that isn’t lost on Forsyth, who declared: “Our sole aim is to stay up and Pride Park can play a massive part in that.
“It makes a big difference when the crowd are really behind us and cheering even when we win free-kicks.”
Having made his 486th senior outing in midweek, Forsyth is also aware that he will finish this term tantalisingly close to a significant appearance landmark and, although his current County contract expires in June, he has signalled that he would like to play on beyond the summer.
“You don’t really set targets like playing 500 games when you start out,” he reasoned.
“But, when you start hearing those numbers, it does make you feel that it would be nice to make that big milestone and, for as long as my body keeps feeling alright, I’ll keep going.”
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