Ahead of the Boxing Day match at home to Fulham; I have interviewed Andrew Beck of ‘Cottagers Confidential’ to get the lowdown on the visitors.

What do you think of your club’s season so far and has it might your expectations?

The season has not met my expectations. I felt talent wise Fulham had at least enough to challenge for 6th place or better. That would be nearly impossible at this point.

Were the club right to sack Kit Symons and is Stuart Gray the right man to take the club forward?

It was time for Kit to go. He was given clear goals he had to meet, and failed. The problem is the plan to replace him failed pretty miserably. When he was fired, Fulham were still in position where a turnaround could still be possible.

Unfortunately for fans, the process of hiring a new coach has been a train-wreck; Stuart Gray had to basically be brought in to be a caretaker manager. Rumours are that Slavisa Jokanovic will be appointed soon. That seems a good choice to move the club forward, however it’s probably too little too late for this season.

Who should Rams fans watch out for in your side?

Ross McCormack is the easy answer, because he might very well be the best player in the division. The other answer is Moussa Dembele. He’s worth watching, because you probably won’t be seeing him the Championship for very long.

Match prediction and line-up?

I don’t expect a win, but that’s when Fulham usually surprises me. The games they should win always seem to end in failure. But often, when you least expect it, Fulham pull out a win. It’s very Fulham-ish. I still think the game ends up with a 3-2 Derby win.

If I had to pick a line-up it would be: Lonergan; Garbutt, Ream, Stearman, Richards; Kacaniklic, Parker, O’Hara, Pringle; Dembele, McCormack.

Thank you to Andrew Beck of ‘Cottagers Confidential’ for answering my questions and let’s hope it’s an enjoyable clash.

For more of Nathan's articles you can read his blog at www.derbycountyfan.com and follow him via @ramscorner on Twitter.

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