The third of these wins, 31 away to Bolton Wanderers looked like pointing towards survival, but it proved to be Derby's last win of the season as they proceeded to lose their next seven games on the trot, the sixth of which, 02 at Liverpool, confirmed relegation after a 6-year stay in the top flight. The move was received with widespread uproar from the Derby support, with the formation of a protest group, the holding of public meetings and even the backing of respected local M.P. Mr Kirkland was chairman of the Heage-based firm for. With the goals of front three Kevin Hector, Francis Lee (a 100,000 capture from Manchester City in August 1974), and Roger Davies, all of whom hit 12 or more league goals, supplemented by midfielder Bruce Rioch, whose 15 strikes helped me finish the club's top league scorer, Derby hit Q.P.R. They beat Manchester United 4-1 in the final of the competition on August 8 1970. Following a 30 capitulation away to title rivals Leeds United following an inconsistent period of form which saw 5 wins and 6 defeats from 11 fixtures, Clough savaged his squad and produced the desired effect Derby lost just 3 of their remaining 19 fixtures and did enough to hold off both Leeds United and Liverpool to claim the title. With Derby back in the top flight, Robert Maxwell took over from his son as chairman, who took the position of vice-chairman, and showed a clear desire to make his mark, with two England internationals being brought into the club in the guise of new club record signing Mark Wright, at a cost of 760,000, and Peter Shilton from Southampton. Derby opened the 197071 season with a pre-season participation in the inaugural Watney Cup, an invitational tournament in which the top two scorers from all divisions of the Football League who had not earned promotion or European football, took part. Derby's first second tier fixture for 11 years saw them crash 30 at Cambridge United but 4 wins in their next 5 matches boded well. One bright point to the campaign came with the reserves successful The Central League Division One Central Section campaign, which saw them finish top and become the first Derby reserves team to win the title since Arthur Cox's reserves claimed it in the 1985/86 season. The key departure, however, was Steve McClaren Smith's number two since he had taken the Derby managerial position 3 years earlier who departed in February 1999 to become Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United, winning the treble in his first 3 months at Old Trafford. but in the early 1970s it was clearly frowned upon. [38] On 28 January 2008, it was announced that Derby had been purchased by American group General Sports and Entertainment, with Tom Glick taking the role of new president and chief executive. One of the innovations Clough and Taylor brought about was a simplification of what was now considered a very old fashioned club crest. After a 21 win in Yugoslavia saw Derby proceed through to the second round 41 on aggregate, the club found itself drawn again Eusbio's Benfica, one of European football's leading lights. . Derby County Football Club is a club steeped in great tradition within the English game. Derby twice broke its transfer record in the space of a month when in March 1992 they signed Paul Kitson for 1.3m from Leicester City (Phil Gee being one of two players going in the opposite direction) and then Tommy Johnson for Notts County ten days later. Derby County chairman Mel Morris has become the club's sole owner after buying out the American ownership group for an undisclosed fee. Form declined badly and key players departed Paul Goddard was sold to Millwall for 800,000 whilst injuries bit into a squad increasingly short of depth. Although results did not improve dramatically (most games ended in draws, taking the club to a record 20 draws in a single campaign) Derby managed to take 18 points from their final 16 games and avoided relegation, finishing 20th. His immediate replacement was reserve team manager Colin Murphy as Derby, unsuccessful, mounted an attempt to bring Brian Clough, now at Nottingham Forest, back to the club. Burley achieved safety against a background of boardroom uncertainty Chairman Lionel Pickering, after putting temporary faith in former Coventry City chairman Bryan Richardson and a notional 30m bond, was removed from the chair after the club temporarily entered receivership by The Co-operative Bank, who instantly installed a new board composed of John Sleightholme, Jeremy Keith and Steve Harding, for the cost of 1 each. Promotion saw Derby return to the top flight for the first time in 16 years and Dave Mackay's performances saw him named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, alongside Manchester City's Tony Book, the only Derby County player to earn the honour.[1]. Docherty was unpopular amongst fans now used to success and it was with a sense of relief when he resigned in May 1979 to take over at Q.P.R. Richard, who was also a director of knitwear company Cox Moore, joined the Rams' board in the mid-1970s. A lack of consistency was one reason; not only in results (the club never recording more than two consecutive victories) but also in the club's inability to field a consistent team selection. [75], "Mel Morris (is) a micro-manager who demands success and is not known for his patience - four managers in just over a year testify to that. Derby County, champions of England twice in the 1970s, Championship play-off finalists in 2014 and 2019, the club of Brian Clough, Dave Mackay and Roy McFarland, have gone into administration. Although Taylor had an indifferent start to his career, a run of 15 unbeaten between 22 January 1983 and 30 April 1983 kept Derby up once more, and guided them to a 13th-place finish. However, a slump in performances and a poor run of form towards the end of the season in which Derby only picked up two wins in thirteen matches saw them slide down to eighth, not only missing out on automatic promotion, but the play-off positions as well. Derby's upturn in form had also sparked an upturn in attendances, which had fallen dramatically during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Perhaps Brian was ahead of his time." Clough's team entered the 196970 Division One campaign more than ready for the challenge of top-flight football and went 11 unbeaten from the opening day, briefly topping the table. "[60] Steve Nicholson of the Derby Telegraph added that Derby's 10th-placed finish was "thoroughly deserved" and noted that only the small size of the squad, combined with injuries and a lack of signings in the January transfer window, meant that the club did not qualify for the playoffs. Personal Twitter. Despite the headline grabbing capture of Italian international Fabrizio Ravanelli from Lazio, who scored on his debut in a 21 win over Blackburn Rovers, Derby's first opening day win since beating Sunderland 50 at the start of the 199394 season, Derby only took five points from their opening seven games of the 200001 season and Smith left his position in early October 2001, rejecting the position of Director of Football. With established stars such as Stimac, Wanchope and Poom added to with the captures of Stefano Eranio and Francesco Baiano, Derby became renowned for their "rare mix of style and guile",[12] more intent on attacking than defending. There's a buzz about the place, and I have a genuine feeling we can achieve success this season. He lost in the Republican primary on June 28, 2022. When this was not granted, Mackay's position became essentially untenable and he was sacked on 25 November 1976. In his two years in charge at Derby, Docherty could only oversee 12th placed and 19th placed finishes. League Fixtures (1970-1979) Following a seven-match winless run which saw the club drop to 5th place in the table, Clement was sacked on 8 February 2016, though Morris said the sacking was not due to results but because "not enough progress had been made" in the club's playing style. Although Stimac's debut ended in a heavy defeat, 51 to Tranmere Rovers with Stimac scoring, Smith's jigsaw was complete and Derby's season turned on its head. [79] Earlier, in October 2020, it was announced that Morris was intending to sell the club and was actively seeking new owners. Derby's summer signings had mixed fortunes with Craig Bryson, Jason Shackell & Frank Fielding all being in contention for the Player of the Year award. Nigel Clough described the club's 201213 campaign as being "Frustratingly close to being in the top six (but) we were also very pleased with the level of performances, home and away. [58] Derby County CEO Tom Glick, said that the plans would help the club deal with the new Financial Fair Play regulations, due to be introduced in the Football League from 2012, as revenue from the Plaza was intended to be reinvested back into the club. The 29-year-old and his family have . The ownership trio of Sleightholme, Keith and Harding, dubbed "The Three Amigos", came under increasing criticism from the Derby support, with two separate supporters groups set up in protest of their ownership in the form of the RamsTrust and the Rams Protest Group (RPG). Derby County were a club on the up; Pride Park's capacity was expanded (32,913 fans attended the 32 victory over Liverpool) and Derby's players were getting noticed five had represented their countries at the 1998 World Cup, and Christian Dailly was sold to Blackburn Rovers for 5.35m, comfortably the highest fee Derby had ever received. [58] Derby City Council's Planning Control Committee gave planning permission for The Plaza @ Pride Pride Park development in January 2012,[59] with chief executive Tom Glick stating the club had started looking for a development company to build the plaza.[59]. He left with a record of just 13 wins in 58 matches, though he did take the club to their first major cup semi-final in over 30 years when the club reached the League Cup final four, where they lost 43 on aggregate to eventual winners Manchester United. Murphy lasted just 6 games into the 197778 season before being replaced by former Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty. Roy McFarland became the seventh, and most recent, player to reach 500 Derby County appearances when he appeared in a 31 home win over Sheffield Wednesday on 4 October 1980 and Kevin Hector was brought back from his spell at Vancouver Whitecaps the same month. A rise back to the top followed towards the end of the 1980s and start of the 1990s before a spell of flitting between top flight and second-tier football followed over the next 20 years. Although domestic cup progress was limited (only reaching the third round of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup), Derby's UEFA Cup debut proved relatively fruitful. Allsop played 33 times last season as Derby were relegated after a 21-point . "[29] The day after the game, thousands of Derby County supporters lined the streets of the city as the club's staff and players took part in an open top bus tour.[30]. During this period the Rams did secure their biggest ever victory, with a 120 home demolition of Finn Harps on 15 September 1976, with Kevin Hector grabbing 5 and Leighton James, a club record 310,000 capture from Burnley, and Charlie George each grabbing hat-tricks (Rioch scored the other). Derby went from being financially stricken to one of the richest clubs outside the top flight. Derby County chairman Sam Longson greets new manager Brian Clough and assistant Peter Taylor at the . [53] However defeats to Middlesbrough and Cardiff City in 4 days ended the Derby's play-off chances. Either they were wrong to appoint (Todd) or wrong to dismiss him Pickering's Chairmanship was pointing the club towards disaster. It was revealed that the debt had risen to 52million, with the Gadsby-led consortium injecting more than 20million, paying off the ABC Corporation loan and negotiated a deal over the remaining debt with the Co-operative Bank, as well as returning Pride Park to club ownership. Several key players left in the build-up to the 19992000 season; Igor timac joined West Ham United for 600,000, Paulo Wanchope joined him at Upton Park for 3.5m, Lee Carsley joined Blackburn Rovers for 3.2m and Francesco Baiano also left in the course of the season. Arthur Cox retired in October of the 199394 season, citing severe back problems, leaving the role after 9 years in charge. A 21 win over Norwich City in Burley's first match got his reign off to the perfect start, and although only 6 points were taken from the next 6 games, it was enough to finish 18th in the league with 52 points, 6 clear of relegated Sheffield Wednesday in 22nd. A hard-running midfielder with perceptive passing ability, Gemmill joined Derby in September 1970 from Preston North End for a bargain 60,000. [8] The run ended with a 03 defeat by title rivals Sunderland at Roker Park but the club recovered to take 12 points from their next 8 fixtures, including revenge on Tranmere with a 62 win at The Baseball Ground. Despite the addition of Craig Short for 2.5m from Notts County a record for a team outside of the top flight and for a defender at any level the club could only an 8th-placed finish in the 199293 Division One table, largely as a result of taking three points from their opening 7 fixtures, missing out on the playoffs altogether. Shop by category. After a 22 draw at home to Hull City on 10 February 2007, Derby were 7 points clear at the top of the table[25] and had strengthened for the promotion run in with the signing of Tyrone Mears, Jay McEveley, Gary Teale, David Jones, Craig Fagan, Stephen Pearson and Jon Macken for a combined 5m. The season also saw Roy McFarland released by the club after 13 years and he left to become Player-manager at Bradford City. With money tight, Clough was forced to cobble together a team from free transfers and loan deals ahead of the 200910 season, with 14 players signing temporary deals over the season and only Shaun Barker and Dean Moxey of the nine permanent signings arriving for fees, despite almost 3m being made in player sales (including 1.5m for Emanuel Villa). Unlike the flair of Burley's playoff team, Davies side was built on a strong defence with more than 1 goal conceded in a match on just 4 occasions as a tightly knit defence of Marc Edworthy, Dean Leacock, Darren Moore and Mo Camara helped Bywater to keep 12 clean sheets, including 5 on the trot through January. Whilst the club did manage a trip to Wembley for the first time in nearly 20 years reaching the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, where they lost 13 to Cremonese and recorded a club record 7 consecutive away league wins, starting with a 31 win at Cambridge United on 3 October 1992 and ending with a 21 defeat at Brentford on Boxing Day, 1992, the season was seen as something of a disappointment considering the amount of money spent and the players available to the club. Strupar in particular adapted well to English football after arriving from Genk, netting 5 goals in 13 starts including the first Premier League goal of the new 2000 millennium with a 3rd-minute strike in a 20 win over Watford. [57] The plans included five cafes/restaurants, two convenience stores and 2,000 square metres of office space. [19] He was replaced by Academy Coach Terry Westley who made key captures in Alan Wright, Kevin Lisbie and Michael McIndoe as well as introduced youngsters such as Lewin Nyatanga and Giles Barnes into regular first team action. He also praised Derby's home form, their best in six years, and noted that "foundations are in place" for a top six finish. Davies praised the players "great courage", emphasising the importance of scoring the first goal and making note of how organised and well-prepared his side had been, adding promotion was "a dream come true. The season was notable for a run to the League Cup semi finals, the club's first ever notable run in the competition, where they lost 42 on aggregate to eventual winners Leeds United. Both played a key role as the club fought hard to secure a 15th-placed finish, eight points clear of relegation, although an eight-match mid-season losing run prevented them from finishing higher. Prior offices. 1. 32 of 81. As with Clough, Mackay lasted just 18 months at Derby after winning the title. Other late signings, such as John Barton and John McAlle were also vital, and an ageing Kevin Hector was still contributing to the cause; he grabbed his 200th Derby goal in a 23 League Cup 2nd Round defeat by West Ham and made his final appearance for the club, his 589th (a club record), in a 32 victory over Watford on the final day of the season at the Baseball Ground and notched his 201st and final goal for the club with the opener, only Steve Bloomer having more goals for the club,. One of these matches, a 52 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in which Baiano scored twice, was the club's first victory at Hillsborough since September 1936. [24] With new ownership, Derby were able to compete in the transfer market for the first time in a number of years, with Luton Town's Steve Howard becoming the club's first 1m singing since Franois Grenet six years previously and, alongside captures from Premiership club's such as West Ham United's Stephen Bywater and Fulham defender Dean Leacock, Davies began shaping a side capable of competing at the right end of the table. With the addition of Willie Carlin and the 'inspirational' capture of Tottenham Hotspur's Dave Mackay, whom Clough converted from his famed midfield role into a commanding centre half, Clough's restructuring of Derby County was complete and the embarked on a successful promotion campaign the following season (196869), winning the Football League Second Division title at a canter, seven points clear of second-placed Crystal Palace, and equalling the club record 63 points in a season (2 points for a win). Despite such an embarrassing relegation from the Premier League, hopes were high of an immediate return, especially after manager Paul Jewell's summer reconstruction of the squad seeing 16 players come in and 12 leave. Derby maintained their top 2 position in September, with the main highlight being a 21 win at local rivals Nottingham Forest, despite the fact that goalkeeper Frank Fielding gave away a penalty and was sent off after 67 seconds, Jeff Hendrick's winner in the game was his first goal in senior football. After a 11 draw at The Baseball Ground, Derby found themselves 31 down with 10 minutes to go in the replay at White Hart Lane, before Roger Davies grabbed a brace to take the game to extra time, before completing his hat-trick as Derby ran out 53 winners. With the club low on registered professionals, home grown youngsters were given a chance at first team level, with Lee Holmes (who became the youngest player in the club's history when he took the field against Grimsby aged 15 years and 268 days), Lee Grant, Pablo Mills, Izale McLeod and Lee Camp all handed debuts throughout the course of the season. Advanced: Help & Contact; Sell . Murphy managed just 7 victories in his 35 games in charge of Derby, whilst adding 300,000 Derek Hales and 175,000 Gerry Daly to the team and oversaw a finish of just 15th, the club's lowest since they had returned to the top flight. The match was dubbed "The 60m Final" (in reference to what the winning club would expect to earn as a result of competing in the Premiership[28]) and, after three failed attempts, Derby finally won promotion via the playoffs thanks to Stephen Pearson's 61st-minute goal, his first for the club, proving the decisive moment in a 10 victory. With the team of Taylor and McFarland leading the team to an impressive second half of the season, hopes were raised for the 198384 campaign. The Start 1900 to 1940 1946 FA Cup Winners 1946 to 1970 1970 to 1980 1980 to 2000 2000 to 2010 2010 to 2020 2020 to Present Day CLUB CONTACTS Club Telephone Number: 0871 472 1884 * Ticket Office: 0871 472 1884 * (opt 1) DCFC Megastore: 0333 011 0452 What may just strike a distant chord with Benitez is Clough's dysfunctional relationship with Longson, his chairman at Derby County. After Forest won the European Cup, Clough allowed Parkin to take the trophy home for one night, so that he could get photographs with it. Paul Simpson also came in from big money (800k from Oxford United) as did Marco Gabbiadini (1.3m from Sunderland) and even Bobby Davison (who had left for Leeds United three years earlier), returned for a spell on loan and reached a century of goals for Derby, only the 7th player and most recent to do so, when he netted in a 22 draw with Newcastle United. George grabbed another goal in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabu Stadium but Derby conceded 5 and crashed out 56 on aggregate. A refinancing scheme was put in place which saw Pride Park sold to the "mysterious"[18] Panama-based ABC Corporation and the club paying rent of 1m a year to play there, which local journalist Gerald Mortimer described as "an affront.. to those who put everything into building (the ground)."[18]. Colin Todd was awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year award for the 197475 season, the only Derby County player to do so. John Gregory, was Todd's replacement, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract and becoming Derby's third manager of an increasingly troubled campaign, and initial seemed to have the force of personality to keep the Rams up. Again, however, the season was overshadowed by confusion off the pitch. "[14] Another former Rams hero. [72] Derby started poorly under Pearson, with only one win in the opening nine games. Dave Mackay ended his three-year tenure at the club with his first ever ever-present campaign, a personal goal, and won the club's Player of the Year award. and Burnley 52 and Luton Town 50 (with Davies becoming the first Derby player to hit 5 goals in a match since Hughie Gallacher in 1934) to finish the season as the league's leading scorers. Wayne Rooney's valiant attempt to keep Derby County in the Championship despite a 21-point deduction came to an end on Monday as a 1-0 defeat at QPR saw the Rams relegated