Championship: Derby will hope the best side win again

Michael Lintorn
23 April 2014

The much-maligned Steve McClaren has worked magic at Derby

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Both trends and recent results point to Derby being the club to beat in the Championship play-offs...

"Only champions Leicester have pocketed more points than Derby across McClaren’s 34 league matches in charge, 21 of which ended in victory."

Recommended Bet: Back Derby to be promoted @ 3.613/5

The Championship play-offs have a habit of rendering the "end-of-season lottery" rhetoric nonsense by rewarding the most consistent August-to-May performers, and Derby will be praying that trend is maintained this term.

In five of the last eight Championship campaigns, the team that finished third eventually joined the automatically-promoted top two in the Premier League, including successive editions before Crystal Palace upset Watford in extra time 11 months ago.

Derby are on course for the third spot on the second-tier podium, sitting five points above former leaders QPR with just two games to play, and are 3.613/5 to follow Leicester and Burnley up. They prevailed the last time that they contested the play-offs in 2006/07.

Steve McClaren's return to the dugout for the club he represented as both a player in the 1980s and an assistant in the 1990s in early October transformed their fortunes.

Only champions Leicester have pocketed more points than the Rams across the former England manager's 34 league matches in charge, 21 of which ended in victory, which is why they have been able to climb from 14th to third under his guidance.

Assuming that they don't completely slack off in the final two fixtures of the 46-game schedule at home to Watford and away to Leeds, they will carry the most momentum of all the play-off contenders into the process.

Fuelled by the likes of 19-goal striker Chris Martin and tireless midfielder Craig Bryson, who is in double figures for Championship goals and assists, McClaren's men have won four in a row and scored ten times in the process.

They are effective defensively and offensively, conceding six times across their last ten encounters while netting three or more four times, and won't be overburdened with expectation in the manner that likely play-off foes QPR, Wigan and Reading - all Premier League sides last season - risk being.

As Derby soar, QPR toil with a run of six wins in 17, Wigan have mustered a mere two in seven and Reading's figures of four triumphs in 13 are similarly underwhelming.

Recommended Bet: Back Derby to be promoted @ 3.613/5