Former EFL star Adrian Clarke has admitted that he does not see Derby County finishing in the top two and earning automatic promotion from League One this season.
Derby suffered a shock home defeat on Tuesday night against Charlton Athletic, who were without a win in the league since November and are sitting 19th in the Championship standings.
Paul Warne has been criticised for some of his tactics that have seen them lose their last two league games and the Rams are only ahead of Bolton in the table due to a superior goal difference.
Clarke pointed out that Derby have a penchant for not putting their foot down when they get into good positions, which has allowed the opposition to get back into games.
However, he conceded that he is surprised to see Derby in the top two and insisted that they will not be finishing in the automatic promotion spots.
Clarke said on the What The EFL Podcast: “I think they sit on leads and that’s the problem.
“The criticism that comes from their tactics, once they get into good positions Derby, they don’t put their foot down and they ease off.
“They go a little bit into safety mode and so they have got to learn to manage games better.
“For me, it was a surprise to see them in the top two.
“I think playoffs is where they will end up.”
Derby will look to get back to winning ways when they host 22nd-placed Port Vale at Pride Park this weekend.
