WHAT can Derby County fans expect in the January transfer window?
The plan, according to head coach Steve McClaren, is to get to January and then reassess.
"It's an old cliche and I apologise for using it but the main focus is on one game at a time. Let's get to January and see where we are and what we need to really make a push," McClaren said.
Will Derby extend the loans of Simon Dawkins and Michael Keane?
Does Kalifa Cisse have a future at the club beyond his short-term deal that expires next month?
Will other new faces come in?
Dawkins impressed in Saturday's 5-1 thumping of Blackpool and the forward has gradually improved both his performances and his match fitness since he arrived in October.
Derby say they are due to hold talks with his parent club, Tottenham Hotspur.
Derby's hand appears to have been strengthened when looking to bring in young players on loan from the big Premier League clubs.
The Rams are winning games, sitting fourth in the Championship and playing good football.
A run of one defeat in 10 includes seven victories. The win against Blackpool was their fifth consecutive win in the League, something the club had not achieved in almost seven years.
A significant upturn in fortunes makes Derby an attractive destination in the January window.
McClaren agrees. "The most important thing is the kind of club, culture and environment we are trying to create and the kind of football we are trying to play," he said.
"I think that is important when you are dealing with the bigger clubs. They want their players to go to a certain club and one that plays a certain style.
"That attracts the top clubs when they are thinking of loaning out their young players and it has been successful with Simon Dawkins, Andre Wisdom and Michael Keane coming in."
But keeping hold of key players once the window opens in January might be more important.
McClaren has admitted from day one that he inherited a good team and squad from Nigel Clough. Loan signings and players returning from injury have bolstered the group. This has been highlighted by the strength of Derby's bench in the last two matches.
Jeff Hendrick, Conor Sammon and Adam Legzdins were among the substitutes against Blackpool. All were regular starters last season, as was Johnny Russell at Dundee United and Keane while on loan at Leicester City.
Breaking into Derby's 11 is a tough ask at the moment.
A number of players have been in fine form all season – Craig Bryson, Chris Martin and Will Hughes to name three.
Bryson is enjoying his best season for goals. The midfielder has eight and seven assists, and he has forced his way back into the Scotland squad.
Martin is top scorer on 13 and he has hit six in his last five games while Hughes, at 18, continues to show wonderful composure and ability both for Derby and England under-21s.
Derby are catching the eye. Clubs are well aware of Hughes and have been for some time. They will also be aware of the other in form players.
Only last week, Blackpool boss Paul Ince said Bryson has what it takes to play in the Premier League and when asked about the Scot, McClaren described him as a good footballer, an all-round midfielder, a box-to-box player.
Clubs showing interest in your players is a compliment, a sign of progress on the pitch and should not be feared.
An ideal scenario for Derby in January would be to keep hold of their better players and add the components they feel are needed to keep the team moving forward.
STEVE Howard, Rob Hulse and Grzegorz Rasiak have all threatened the 20 goals in a season mark while playing for Derby County.
Howard scored 19 in all competitions in the 2006-07 promotion campaign.
Hulse hit 18 in 2008-09 and Rasiak 17 in 2004-05.
Dean Sturridge remains the last Derby player to score 20 goals in a season.
All of his goals came in the League as Derby won promotion to the top flight in
1995-96.
Could we see the 17-year gap bridged this season?
Chris Martin's hat-trick against Blackpool at the weekend took his tally to 13 in 21 starts in all competitions.
His form coupled with Derby's attacking style and growing confidence suggests there is more to come, fingers crossed.
Martin showed glimpses during his loan spell at the club last season of how important to the team he could become, and he has kicked on since then.
He is now a key cog in the wheel, a focal point of the attack.
Strong, with a good touch and awareness, he brings team-mates into the game. Willing runners in Craig Bryson, Simon Dawkins, Jamie Ward and Johnny Russell play off Martin, who provides a target for Will Hughes to find with his threaded passes.
Martin gave as good a display in the centre-forward role as you will see at this level when the Rams won at Brighton in August.
Putting his two goals aside, his all-round display was outstanding.
He out-thought and outfoxed the Brighton central defenders. He shielded and held the ball and this gave team-mates the time to join in. If defenders tried too hard to nick the ball from him, it usually resulted in a free kick in a dangerous position.
His form has been impressive virtually all season and he has started all but one of the games.
Martin's performances have limited fellow-striker Conor Sammon to only one start in the League but the Republic of Ireland international's contribution must not be overlooked. He has won four points for Derby with his late winners against Watford and Middlesbrough after coming off the bench.
Derby are the team to watch and the iPro Stadium (formerly Pride Park Stadium) is the place to be when it comes to goals in the Championship.
Forty goals in 19 League games make the Rams the highest scorers in the division. They have scored nine more than their closest rivals when it comes to goals, Leicester City.
No ground in the Championship has seen more goals than the home of the Rams – 36 in 10 League fixtures.
SO, the "Special One" will be at the iPro Stadium for what should be a special day.
Jose Mourinho will bring his Chelsea to town in the FA Cup early next month and it is a plum tie for Derby.
The London club have won the competition twice in the past four years and seven times in total.
Their squad is packed with talent, although they have creaked defensively in the past two matches, conceding six goals.
Derby, meanwhile, are winning and scoring goals for fun. They are passing every test put in front of them.
Chelsea are a huge test but Derby head coach Steve McClaren is spot on when he says it is one the players should relish.
Mourinho's Chelsea will be favourites but something has got to give in the record between the two clubs in the FA Cup. Of the six meetings, which include a couple of replays, each club has won two, drawn two and lost two.
In 1946-47, Jack Stamps and Raich Carter scored in a 2-2 draw at Chelsea before a Stamps' goal settled the fourth-round replay at the Baseball Ground.
The third-round clash in 1952-53 also ended in a draw, this time 4-4, and the Rams lost the replay at Stamford Bridge 1-0 after extra time.
Kevin Wilson, now Ilkeston manager, scored twice to sink Chelsea 2-1 in a home fourth-round tie in January 1983. Wilson later played for Chelsea.
January 1988 was the most recent meeting in the FA Cup when David Penney scored for Derby but Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners.
