Hot Streak: McClaren and Ince reunion inspiring dramatic Derby revival

When Steve McClaren returned to Derby County back in October, it’s fair to say he had some making up to do. Having made his desire to take the Newcastle job plainly obvious, the former England boss left the club in disappointing circumstances.

It all served to mask what was an impressive record for the former Derby player and assistant at Pride Park despite a desperately underwhelming end to his first initial rein at the club. Having come so close to achieving promotion via the play-offs in his first season at the helm, McClaren looked set to go one better the next time around.

By March Derby were top of the Championship before links to the aforementioned Newcastle job saw McClaren’s command over the side seemingly unravel in front of his very eyes. With just two wins from the final 13 matches of the season, the Rams not only fell well off the pace at the top but out of the play-off places all together.

His return at the expense of Nigel Pearson, then, was met with some skepticism from some of the fans given the way McClaren’s first spell in the hot seat came to an end on and off the pitch and his failings in the North East. Now that Derby’s season can be split into two halves though, it’s clear just how much of an impact that the returning manager has had.

Indeed, only the top two - Newcastle and Brighton - have earned more points (both 27) since McClaren’s appointment in October than Derby (26). In 11 matches since his return, only Newcastle have won more matches than the Midlands outfit (8), while only Brighton have lost fewer (1).

When considering the club were way down in 20th in the Championship on 10 points prior to his appointment, their current standing just one place and one point outside the play-offs represents a remarkable turnaround. While the fact that Derby have conceded the fewest goals in the league since McClaren’s return (5) has played a part, in truth their defensive record was strong even before his arrival.

Instead it’s been the team’s ability to trouble opponents at the other end that has improved markedly, and there’s little secret as to the main protagonist in that regard. In the first 11 games of the season Derby had mustered a dismal 6 goals, which has risen to 17 in their last 11.

The fact, though, that only one player has scored more than twice in the league for the Rams this season highlights just how important their star man has been, and just as the case was during McClaren’s fateful end to his first spell at the club, that man is Tom Ince. Despite not playing up front, the attacking midfielder has been forced to cover for the shock departure of former top scorer Chris Martin, and is flourishing under the tutelage of McClaren once again.

In an initial loan period under the maligned manager in the second half of the 2014/15 campaign, Ince scored 11 goals in 18 appearances to help earn the fifth highest rating in the division that season (7.58). He made that loan switch permanent the following summer despite McClaren’s departure and while tallies of 12 goals and 8 assists were very respectable returns last season, his rating dropped to 7.20 by comparison.

Ince then started the current campaign under Nigel Pearson in underwhelming fashion, not given the attacking license that he requires to showcase his true ability. In his opening 10 appearances of the season, the former Blackpool playmaker scored just once and failed to register an assist for a rating of 6.78. In the 11 matches since, coinciding with the return of the man that first brought him to Pride Park, Ince has scored 7 goals and picked up 3 assists, with only Dwight Gayle (12) having a direct hand in more goals in that time.

Moreover, his averages for shots (2.5 to 2.9), key passes (0.7 to 1.9) and dribbles (0.5 to 1.5) have all risen substantially under McClaren, afforded the freedom he relishes in order to steal the show. Given the struggles in front of goal of the likes of Bent and Vydra - who have scored just twice apiece - Derby have relied on Ince to almost single handedly fire them back into promotion contention. His rating in said 11 matches since the change of manager is a whopping 7.75 after all.

Interestingly, both Ince and McClaren find themselves in a relatively similar position in their respective careers. Both have excelled at Championship level - and in the latter’s case on the continent with Twente - but flattered to deceive in recent attempts to make an impression on the Premier League. Both, then, will certainly feel they have a point to prove in terms of cutting it at the top level.

As far as Ince is concerned, his record of one goal in just 15 Premier League appearances in unfruitful spells with both Palace and Hull is an indication of the fact that he hasn’t been given a fair crack of the whip. What is abundantly clear - provided top-flight interest doesn’t arise next month - is that if the 24-year old is to have another chance to prove his worth among England’s elite he’ll have to maintain his superb form to secure Derby’s top tier return. Under the stewardship of McClaren, one wouldn’t bet against it.