EFL Championship club Derby County have announced Phillip Cocu as their new manager. He becomes the first non-British manager in the club’s 135-year history.
The former PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahce manager has signed a four-year contact at Pride Park. Cocu replaces Frank Lampard, who was confirmed as the new manager of Chelsea on Thursday.
Derby were runners-up in the play-off final back in May as the fans suffered more agony in coming so close to promotion to the Premier League without being able to cross the line.
The Rams have been among the favourites for promotion since a surprise appearance in the 2014 EFL Championship play-off final under Steve McClaren, where they lost 1-0 to Queens Park Rangers.
A number of managers have taken the hotseat at Pride Park since but have been unsuccessful in their attempts to take the two-time champions of England back to the Premier League for the first time since their disastrous 11-point campaign of 2007-08.
Derby are currently the eighth favourites for promotion this season with the bookmakers, with odds back at 11/2. Rivals Leeds United are 15/8 favourites, followed by Fulham at 9/4. If you are looking to learn more about betting odds go to www.soccerbetting365.com/betting-guides/ for a complete betting guide. They have also listed the top bookmakers that are currently providing the highest quality and most reliable service when it comes to live streaming of sports. So you never have to miss a live game again.
Mel Morris, Executive Chairman of Derby was pleased to announce the new manager, telling the club’s official website:
“We are delighted to welcome Phillip Cocu as our new manager.
“We are continuing to develop our philosophy at Derby County and from the first conversation with Phillip, and his team, it was very clear they share similar views.
“The fit is strong. We want to build on the momentum that we have in our style of play, our club values, and the increasingly important role of our Academy. Phillip and his team understand the need and benefits of this approach.
“We had very specific criteria for identifying a new manager.”
As a player, Phillip Cocu gained 101 caps for the Netherlands, playing at the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, Euro 96, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, helping the team to reach the semi-finals in three of those five tournaments.
He was predominantly a central midfielder but also played at left-back during a six-year spell at Barcelona where he won La Liga in 1999. He previously won the Dutch Eredivisie on four occasions with PSV Eindhoven as a player, and three times in five seasons as a manager.
During his time at the Philips Stadium he helped developed the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Steven Bergwijn, Memphis Depay, Davy Propper, Jurgen Locadia, Zanka Jorgensen, Oscar Hiljemark, and current Derby player Florian Jozefzoon.
Phillip Cocu played a 4-3-3 formation with PSV, with one holding midfielder in front of the defence. The tempo was quick, creating as many opportunities with as few touches as possible in the build up. Despite being in charge of one of the giants in Dutch football, they were actually very good on the counter-attack as Cocu wasn’t obsessed about a possession dominating game.
Cocu’s latest managerial spell was in charge of Fenerbahce, where he was dismissed after winning only four of his 14 games in charge.
