Derby County player makes sobering comments amid relegation battle

Derby County centre-back Curtis Davies believes only wins will be able to get his side out of the relegation zone now despite still having nine league games left to go this season, issuing this stern warning to his teammates via BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Rams have fought bravely against adversity this season, suffering two separate points sanctions totalling up to a deduction of 21, an amount that looked set to relegate Wayne Rooney’s men to the third tier.

Despite turmoil off the pitch though, with the club still in administration nearly six months after they first entered this state, they are continuing to put points on the board, albeit at a slower rate than they were earlier in the campaign.

This is understandable though considering they have lost several key first-teamers in 2022 in a bid to remain afloat financially, with Graeme Shinnie being sold to Wigan Athletic during the January window and Phil Jagielka leaving the same month after the East Midlands outfit were placed under a fresh transfer embargo.

The departures didn’t stop there, however, with Kamil Jozwiak recently sealing a seven-figure move to MLS outfit Charlotte, a major financial boost for the Rams but it’s one that leaves Rooney another senior option short.

Nonetheless, Davies is continuing to demand more from his teammates with his side currently sitting five points adrift of safety, with 21st and 22nd-placed Reading and Barnsley both having a game in hand over them.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live (via Derbyshire Live), he said: “The reality is we need to win games to get out of this situation.

“Whilst earlier in the season we could be a little bit calmer about things and start picking off those points bit by bit, which we have done, now, it’s the time