Derby County midfielder George Thorne has suggested that his side are now firmly on the right track after learning to adapt to the methods of manager Paul Clement.
The ex-Real Madrid assistant was brought in during the summer to replace axed chief Steve McClaren following last season's disappointment.
A slow start to the campaign has since given way to a much more positive run of form, with the Rams dropping just two points over their last eight games.
Thorne believes that this is down to the "trust" each player now has in Clement, although he admits that it was a tough transition at first.
"It was a strange experience for us last season and a massive disappointment," he is quoted as saying by the Derby Telegraph. "The new manager has come in and, if you watch us, I think we've adapted really well. We've got our game plan and formation - we know what we're doing now.
"We've got a couple of formations now that we can go to, if need be. Credit to the chairman (Mel Morris), because the depth of squad we've got now is probably one of the strongest in the league.
"We trust the manager and the manager trusts us. We're eight unbeaten, so whatever we're doing, it's working at the minute. We'll just look to continue that."
Derby will be aiming to make it nine games without defeat when taking on Championship strugglers Rotherham United at the weekend.
