Derby's Clarke set to miss three monthspublished at 15:51 BST 20 August
15:51 BST 20 August
Image source, Getty Images
Derby County defender Matt Clarke has been ruled out for three months in a "huge blow" to the side, boss John Eustace has confirmed.
The 29-year-old missed out on the Rams' opening Championship game against Charlton Athletic last weekend with a calf injury.
Left-back Derry Murkin is also set for a long period on the sidelines with an expected absence of four months with the hamstring issue he picked up at the end of last season.
"It's quite a big setback for him, a big setback for us as well," Eustace said.
"The most important thing is his mental health, making sure he's okay. There will be opportunities for him to help the group, not just on-field but off as well."
Meanwhile, forward Sam Szmodics is "touch and go" as to whether he can appear in the side's first home game of the campaign against Cardiff on Saturday (15:00 BST) after picking up a thigh injury.
🎧 Taking a deeper look at the squadpublished at 10:38 BST 20 August
10:38 BST 20 August
Media caption,
Rams Weekly - A deeper look at the squad
A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.
Former Derby County striker Malcolm Christie is joined by Dominic Dietrich to dissect the Rams' squad after a 2-1 loss on the opening day of the Championship to Charlton Athletic.
Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
Pick of the stats: Derby County v Cardiff Citypublished at 09:24 BST 20 August
09:24 BST 20 August
It is 100 years since these two sides first met in a league game.
On that day in 1926, Derby won 6-3 with the first four meetings producing 27 goals between them - something similar on Saturday (15:00 BST) would certainly keep the Pride Park crowd entertained.
Derby County have won just one of their past eight league games against Cardiff City (D2 L5), though that sole victory came in their last home fixture against the Welsh side – a 1-0 win in September 2024.
Cardiff City have won just one of their past five away league games against Derby County (D2 L2), scoring exactly one goal in four of those matches.
Derby are hoping to avoid losing their opening two league games of a campaign for the second consecutive season; prior to that, the Rams had only suffered that fate once since 2005-06 onwards (in 2020-21).
Cardiff have failed to win their opening away league game of a campaign in each of the past four seasons (D2 L2), with their last in the Championship ending in a 5-0 hammering at Burnley in 2024.
New Derby signing Alex Mowatt has netted three goals across 16 league matches against Cardiff – his joint-most against any team during his career.
Glimpses of positivity despite Rams defeatpublished at 15:05 BST 17 August
15:05 BST 17 August
Amelia Warren Derby County fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Derby County do not have the best opening day record, with their last win coming in July 2022, when they secured a 1-0 victory at home to Oxford United in League One.
It felt as though they were on course to break that curse after 45 minutes at The Valley on Saturday, as they took a 1-0 lead into the interval courtesy of a well-worked breakaway and a composed finish from Sam Szmodics.
However, despite Derby's lively start, history did in fact repeat itself. A second-half turnaround from Charlton Athletic saw the Rams fall to a 2-1 defeat, and yet another opening day loss.
Dropping points from a winning position was perhaps the most frustrating part of the result, something they were found guilty of far too often last season. Frustrations also came from some questionable substitutions, with a feeling John Eustace left it too long to make his attacking changes, only doing so once the damage had been done.
Despite the disappointing result, there were still some glimpses of positivity to take from the afternoon in south London.
Newest addition Alex Mowatt looked composed on the ball, progressed the Rams forward on a couple of occasions, and was defensively solid in midfield.
Szmodics looks as though he has come back to Derby fired up and with a point to prove having now scored two goals in two matches. He was a constant nuisance to the Charlton defence, running himself into the ground to apply pressure and feeding off Carlton Morris to get into some dangerous positions.
Corey Blackett-Taylor once again impressed off the bench, this time against his former club, looking confident on the ball and aiming to beat his man every time he received a pass on the left-hand side.
For the final 10 minutes pretty much everything Derby created came through him and with his Rams future in doubt, he appears to be putting up a solid fight for his place in Eustace's long-term plans.
In the end it did just feel like Derby ran out of legs in the second half. They were not battered by Charlton and actually strung together some impressive passages of play, particularly in the first period.
What is apparent is the need to sign two or three more players to complete the squad, and provide a little bit of extra depth - particularly out wide.
I have full confidence Derby would have been much better prepared for the season's opener had Turki Alalshikh not pulled out of his investment deal. Because of that, they are now operating on 'plan B', which will mean patience among the fan base will be important for the first few games.
Mistakes will be made, and Derby will look leggy at times. However, I believe the foundations are there for this side to compete in the top half of the Championship.
Once players like Derry Murkin and Rhian Brewster get back to full fitness and a couple of new additions start to bed in I believe the Rams will start to have a lot more joy.
Albion can't be affected by Mowatt exit - Morrisonpublished at 13:45 BST 17 August
13:45 BST 17 August
Image source, Shutterstock
Image caption,
Albion boss James Morrison has lost only two of his 14 games in charge since taking over in February
West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison says the thing that most frustrated him about captain Alex Mowatt's eve-of-season exit to Derby County was the timing of it.
And Morrison is now only looking forward after Albion's third successive opening-day Championship win in as many seasons.
"It's just football," Morrison told BBC Radio WM. "There's a little bit of a hangover. But am I going to let it derail me? No. I've got to lead the team and set an example and show that it can't affect us.
"The timing of it was the most disappointing thing for me. We'd been doing so much work - and him doing really well too. He's been the glue on the pitch and in the dressing room.
"But I can see both sides. It's a good opportunity for Alex - and for him to get the extra years too."
Albion's next key dates are this Sunday's opening home game of the campaign against relegated Burnley, followed by two tough trips to the North East, the Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, 26 August and the lunchtime kick-off at Middlesbrough three days later.
Albion then do not play again until 2 September, at home to Charlton Athletic, the day after the summer transfer window closes.
But, despite losing another midfielder, Ousmane Diakité, early in the second half at Carrow Road with what looked like an injury, Morrison said his only concern is replacing Mowatt.
"I'd like to bring in another one to replace Alex, " he said. "As for Ousmane, he has an ice pack on, but he's stronger than he thinks."
Pick of the stats: Charlton Athletic v Derby Countypublished at 10:53 BST 14 August
10:53 BST 14 August
Image source, Opta
Charlton and Derby get their new Championship season under way with a meeting at The Valley on Saturday (15:00 BST).
The Addicks, who began the campaign with an EFL Cup win at Cheltenham last weekend, are unbeaten in seven seasons on the opening day, winning five of those games, most recently 1-0 at home to Watford last year.
The Rams exited the EFL Cup at home to Lincoln and have seen a proposed takeover fall through in recent days while their 3-1 defeat at Stoke last season was their third straight defeat on the opening day.
Charlton Athletic have lost their past two home league games against Derby, only losing more consecutively between December 1946 and May 1951 (5).
Derby County have lost just one of their previous five league meetings with Charlton Athletic (W3 D1); a 2-1 defeat in February 2024.
Charlton lost five of their final eight league games last season (W1 D2), while only Sheffield Wednesday (12.7%) spent a lower proportion of their games in a winning position than the Addicks (16.5%) in the Championship last term.
Derby lost six of their final eight away games last season (W2), though did win their most recent match at QPR in April (3-2).
Carlton Morris' 12 league goals for Derby last season was his second-most in a single campaign in the top four tiers, behind his 20 for Luton Town in 2022-23; five of his goals in 2025-26 came from corners, more than anybody else.
Gossip: Rams eye Mowatt and Brereton Diazpublished at 10:42 BST 13 August
10:42 BST 13 August
Derby are in talks with West Brom over a move for 31-year-old midfielder Alex Mowatt and the Rams also remain keen on bringing 27-year-old Chile international Ben Brereton Diaz back to Pride Park from Southampton. (John Percy, external)
Reason to abandon takeover does not stack up - analysispublished at 15:19 BST 11 August
15:19 BST 11 August
Ed Dawes BBC Radio Derby commentator
Image source, Getty Images
With the click of a button, a social media post on X, external dashed the hopes and dreams of many Derby County supporters, who would have woken up on Monday morning desperately checking their phones for news of a takeover at Pride Park Stadium.
Instead, there is disbelief among all of us who have followed this story throughout the summer. The promise of riches for the recruitment team at Moor Farm had the city on tenterhooks, hoping the powers that be could get the deal over the line.
The EFL and the Independent Football Regulator [IFR] had already given the deal with Turki Alalshikh's Lion Sport the green light, so what could go wrong? It was a sure thing, wasn't it?
No. Alalshikh's statement, claiming there was "not enough time" to get the club in shape ahead of the new season, raised more questions than it answered. The Saudi billionaire, who has made his name successfully in boxing, clearly needs to elaborate on his reasoning, because it does not stack up.
Head coach John Eustace needs transfer funds. The dead wood in the squad has been shipped out to accommodate new arrivals. Three weeks from today, the transfer window closes after the Rams' trip to Portsmouth on 1 September.
Anyone with a knowledge of football understands the ferocity of the deals completed in the final week, days and hours of a transfer window. "Here you go, John, here's £20m," said nobody ever, but in essence it is as simple as that.
The club is debt-free. It has restaffed since administration and is being run properly under the guidance of local hero David Clowes. So, what isn't attractive about that? There are no giant bills to pay as part of the deal. Clowes Developments gets its money back and off you go.
Derby County is not a plaything. It is the beating heart of a hard-working community, allowing people to switch their focus for 90 minutes from the daily grind and the difficulties of life in 2026.
As we saw during the difficult administration period, the Rams will rally, the club will galvanise and life will continue as normal. Eustace will get blood from a stone and supporters will cheer his name.
🎧 Welcome back to… 72+published at 14:59 BST 11 August
14:59 BST 11 August
The 72+ podcast is BACK and it's got a brand new home.
Follow along as Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff dive into the biggest stories across the EFL, with expert analysis, exclusive guests and the moments everyone is talking about.
A new episode drops on Tuesday night so make sure not to miss it by clicking subscribe on the new 72+: The EFL Podcast BBC Sounds page here.
Follow your club this 2026-27 seasonpublished at 15:21 BST 7 August
15:21 BST 7 August
Image source, Getty Images
Can't get enough of your beloved Championship club? Fear not.
BBC Sport covers all 24 Championship sides with dedicated online and radio reporters at hand to tell the story from every angle.
Expect match reports, analysis, in-depth features, interviews, fan views, quizzes - the works.
We'll also have live text pages for every Championship match this season so you won't miss any of the action even when you're out of town.
Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.
Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.
And when following your Championship team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications which gives you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.
🎧 Rams Weekly is back!published at 14:45 BST 6 August
14:45 BST 6 August
BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast has returned.
Former Derby County striker Malcolm Christie is joined by Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes to dive into the Rams' summer and what the expectations will be for the new season.
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
Image source, Getty Images
