Derby County handed brutal ‘worst team’ verdict by Championship expert as John Eustace deals with ‘mess’

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Derby County are enduring a difficult season following promotion last year under Paul Warne, but it has been a particularly difficult couple of months for the Pride Park faithful.

For much of the season, it appeared they would be a mid-table Championship side or one that would at least keep their heads above water in terms of the relegation battle.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	35	10	9	16	43	57	-14	39
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	35	9	11	15	36	52	-16	38
19	Hull CityHull City	35	9	9	17	35	44	-9	36
20	Stoke CityStoke City	35	8	12	15	34	47	-13	36
21	CardiffCardiff	35	8	12	15	38	57	-19	36
22	LutonLuton	35	8	7	20	32	55	-23	31
23	PlymouthPlymouth	35	6	12	17	36	70	-34	30
24	DerbyDerby	35	7	8	20	33	48	-15	29

Since Boxing Day, however, they haven’t picked up a single league win and now sit rock bottom. In February, they then made the decision to part ways with Warne, despite giving him the full winter transfer window.

Instead, they appointed John Eustace, formerly of Blackburn Rovers. Eustace has plenty of problems to solve at Derby, but he’ll be hoping that the signing of Kemar Roofe can impress fans before the season ends.

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Damning EFL expert verdict lands as Derby relegation looms

As things stand, Derby are languishing in 24th place in the Championship table, and they’re showing very little sign of life right now, with some claims now stating that they are the worst side in some fans’ lifetime.

Speaking on The Second Tier Podcast, Justin Peach said: “I don’t think the confidence is there.

“Big statement, I think I’ve said it before, but this is the worst Derby team I’ve seen in my lifetime.

“I think it’s outright the worst team I’ve seen in my lifetime. The Premier League team was bad but at least it was interesting.

“But this team just looks devoid of any quality going forward. It’s actually probably one of the worst attacking teams I’ve seen at Championship level since we started covering the Championship on this podcast.

“And that’s not hyperbole of me saying that as a Derby fan; they genuinely have got nothing going forwards.

“It’s quite staggering. And I really do feel for John Eustace. He is having to sweep up a mess left by Paul Warne and his coaching staff.”

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Derby County have the fixtures to get out of relegation danger

Derby may not have won a single game in 2025, but they still have a glimmer of hope in their remaining fixtures due to who they are yet to face.

Matches against teams like Plymouth Argyle, Hull City, Portsmouth, and Luton Town are still yet to come and they must be targeted as must-wins.

Not only that, but if they’re still in with a shout of survival by May, they will welcome a struggling Stoke City to Pride Park on final day. It means Eustace has the time and capabilities to turn this around.

The home games are the most pivotal, while their head coach has valuable experience to draw on from last season with Blackburn; his leadership could well be the key to seeing them over the line.