Davies targets 42 points
Davies and assistant David Kelly face a tough task to keep the Rams up
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Wednesday, 08, Aug 2007 04:48
Derby County manager Billy Davies has set his side the target of 42 points for what the bookies believe will be their unlikely survival in the Premier League this season.
The Rams are the pre-season favourites to be the league's whipping boys this year but Davies remains confident he has the players at his disposal to avoid the dreaded one-season syndrome that affects so many promoted teams.
"[It] will be pinned all over the place – 42 points," he told the club's official website. "That's the big figure we have got to think about.
"We have got to try and consolidate and become a Premier League side but to do that the 42-point mark, for me, is where we have got to get to."
In his planning for the upcoming season, which begins with the opening-day visit of Portsmouth, Davies is particularly keen to focus on his side's attacking prospects.
"This season what we have got to do is have the firepower that can finish teams off and score a number of goals," he continued.
"Too many times last season we were hanging on, too many times last season a game should have been dead and buried but was sitting at 1-0 or 2-1.
"Firepower is crucial in this league because you may only get one chance and it's important we do have the firepower up front to go and finish teams off."
A key part of this strategy was achieved earlier this summer when Davies secured club-record £3.5 million signing Robert Earnshaw in a bid to improve his team's goalscoring capabilities.