Derby County have been promotion contenders for the last few seasons now but haven't come that close to the top flight since their 2013/14 play-off final defeat.

The Rams' highest finish since that play-off heartbreak is 5th, under the caretaker management of Darren Wassall. But in the resulting play-off campaign, Derby crumbled and lost the first leg 3-0, leaving themselves a mountain to climb in the return leg which ultimately saw them miss out on a Wembley final.

Last season was another roller-coaster at Pride Park, which saw 3 different managers in the dugout, and the Rams go from the edge of the relegation zone to the edge of the play-off places. Nigel Pearson and his successor Steve McClaren were both axed following poor form, and for the final nine matches Gary Rowett was put in charge.

Rowett is now tasked with getting Derby to the big time, but it will be difficult with the competition that is posed by other clubs.

Here's TWO reasons why Derby can challenge for the title this season...

Rowett is putting his stamp on things

Gary Rowett had nine games last season to assess his squad, and it was clear that he needed to make changes to his squad.

The Rams won four of those games, losing just twice, but kept only one clean sheet which just highlighted Derby's defensive issues.

Rowett has already started to address those defensive problems, adding Curtis Davies and Andre Wisdom to his squad. The Derby boss has also started to axe a few players, offloading Abdoul Camara, as well as selling star men Will Hughes and Tom Ince.

While Hughes and Ince will be difficult to replace, it shows Rowett is not afraid to make changes to his squad and do what he thinks is right for the club and his plans.

Derby fans need to trust Rowett to build and bring in his own players this summer, if he does that, then the Rams could well be among the promotion contenders.

There is some quality in the squad to build on

While there is a fair amount of dead weight in the Derby squad, there is also some quality that Rowett should use as the foundations of his squad.

George Thorne and Craig Forsyth have returned from long term injury and Andreas Weimann will be available following his return from a loan spell with Wolves. All three of these players are an improvement in what Rowett previously had in their respective positions. Chris Martin is also back with Derby and could be an important player if he can rekindle his past form with Derby.

There are some good players already in the squad at Pride Park. Bradley Johnson, David Nugent, Matej Vydra and Max Lowe all bring quality to the squad and could be useful to Rowett next season.

Derby's squad does need trimming and others bringing in, but there are some good players that - if utilised correctly - could help the Rams to promotion.

Derby fans... Can you compete for the Championship title next season? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!