Richard Keogh: Derby are aiming for promotion to Premier League
Thursday 25 February 2016 17:58, UK
Derby captain Richard Keogh says promotion to the Premier League is the goal this season and the club are in a "great place" despite their recent struggles.
The Rams endured a turbulent start to the year as Paul Clement was sacked following a run of seven Championship matches without a win.
In his statement explaining why Clement was dismissed, Derby chairman Mel Morris said promotion was not the "primary aim" this season.
But Keogh told the FL72 Podcast: "I think he was trying to take pressure off the club. We are the No 1 target in the division for a lot of teams and with the squad we have got we are capable of achieving promotion, ask anyone in the dressing room and that's the aim, to get to the Premier League.
"Anyone who doesn't have that mindset is not welcome in the dressing room. He was trying to make a point saying the club is on the right path and even [if] we don't get promoted this year we will keep striving to get it. The football club is in a great place to achieve it."
With former academy director Darren Wassall in charge, the Rams have stopped the rot recently with wins against Brentford and Blackburn.
Keogh says knowing Wassall will be the manager until the end of the season has provided the club with the stability it needs.
"Now we know he is going to be there until the end of the season we can focus on the path and knuckle down and try to achieve something great," he said.
"We have gone through a sticky period but we have got the two wins and now it's down to us. We have to keep performance levels high, we didn't do that over the eight-game [winless] run, but these last two games have been a step in the right direction."
Since being appointed manager, Wassall has reinstated Keogh as captain after he was relieved of the duty last summer.
"It meant a lot to me," he says. "It was great on a personal level, I was very humbled. I hope I can carry on and make the lads better and help the club move forward.
"In the six-month period when I wasn't captain I sat back a lot and reflected on things I did well and things I didn't do well. In any walk of life you learn from different experiences and I learnt from that. Hopefully I can be a better captain. That six months to step back and focus on it was good for me."
