It was finally confirmed this week that Gary Rowett will be the new manager at Derby County and the appointment has surprised few supporters in the Championship.

After Steve McClaren was sacked for the second time, Rowett quickly emerged as the bookies favourite and having had spells at the club as a player, many suspected it was only a matter of time before he moved back to his old team as manager.

And after a few months out of the game following his controversial sacking as Birmingham City manager, many are expecting Rowett to turn things around at Pride Park, with Derby staring another season of disappointment in the face.

They started horrendously but picked up form, following McClaren’s appointment, but then quickly fell away again over the past couple of weeks.

But with a promising, young manager now at the helm, many are tipping the Rams for success again, if Rowett can get it right.

So with that in mind, here’s 3 things Garry Rowett must do if he’s to take the Rams back into the Premier League in years to come…

Clear-out the squad

It’s been clear for a long time now that there are far too many underachievers in this Derby County squad.

There are players that have struggled to perform under the likes of Clement, Pearson and McClaren and that in itself is not normal.

This summer, the best thing Gary Rowett can do is have a clear out and start again from scratch. The squad has come as far as it can and needs now foundations if the club are to push forward again next season.

Pick up where he left off with Birmingham City

In arguably one of the best jobs we’ve seen in the Championship in years, Gary Rowett took financially burdened Birmingham City from the bottom of the table to mid-table safety in a matter of months.

He had a real knack in getting the best out of decent, but by no means quality players and it’s a trait that will stand him in extremely good stead during his time in the Pride Park dugout too.

Get the fans back onside

It’s been the same old story for the Derby supporters for a few years now and the grumbles have been slowly creeping back in on the terraces.

It’s a shame for a side that should really be challenging for the top six, but year-after-year, they seem to fall at the first attempt.

Rowett knows the club, knows the fans and should be the ideal man to take the side back to the Premier League, if he can get results sooner rather than later.