Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship.

History

Early years

The club was formed in 1884 as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. They originally wanted to name themselves directly after the cricket club as Derbyshire County FC, but objections from the local football association (who thought the name was too long) led them to choose Derby County FC. They initially played at the Racecourse Ground.

Related Topics:
1884 - Derbyshire County Cricket Club - Racecourse Ground

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Rams, as Derby County are known, were founder members of The Football League when it was launched in 1888. In 1891, they absorbed another Derby club, Derby Midland F.C., who had been members of the Midland League. In 1895 the club moved to a new stadium, The Baseball Ground (so called because it was previously used for baseball, it became their home for the next 102 years), and adopted their traditional colours of black and white.

Related Topics:
The Football League - 1888 - 1891 - Derby Midland F.C. - Midland League - 1895 - The Baseball Ground - Baseball

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1898, Derby appeared in their first FA Cup final, but lost. They were losing finalists again in 1899 and 1903. Derby's luck didn't get any better and they were relegated to the Football League's Second Division for the first time in 1907, but they regained their First Division place in 1911.

Related Topics:
1898 - FA Cup - 1899 - 1903 - Second Division - 1907 - First Division - 1911

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1914 they were relegated again, but instantly won the Second Division to get promoted (though World War I meant that they had to wait until 1919 to play First Division football again). After just two seasons, they were relegated yet again in 1921.

Related Topics:
1914 - World War I - 1919 - 1921

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, more successful times lay ahead, instigated by Derby's promotion in 1926. Despite not winning anything, the club became a formidable force, with constantly high finishes, from the late 1920s and all the way through the 1939-1940 season, which was abandoned due to World War II. For example; 1931 Derby County finished in second place in the first division with 50 points behind Sheffield Wednesday on 60 points.

Related Topics:
1926 - 1920s - 1939-1940 season - World War II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FA Cup triumph

The FA Cup restarted in the 1945-1946 season. Derby got to the final again, but this time managed to go all the way and win by beating Charlton Athletic 4-1 after extra time. (Derby's previous lack of success in the FA Cup — they also regularly lost at the semi-final stage — gave rise to a superstition that the club was subject to a gypsy curse, supposedly because of gypsy anger that the Baseball Ground was built on a gypsy camping ground. Prior to the 1946 final, Derby County players went so far as to ask the gypsies to lift the curse.)

Related Topics:
1945-1946 season - Charlton Athletic - Extra time - Gypsy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Football League restarted the following season and, despite the Cup win, Derby could not reproduce their pre-War form and were eventually relegated in 1953. Things went from bad to worse and in 1955 they were relegated to the Third Division North for the first time in their history. The Third tier proved easy for Derby, though: they finished second at the first attempt and then bettered it by finishing first (and gaining promotion) the following season.

Related Topics:
1953 - 1955 - Third Division North

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Clough years

In 1967, the now-legendary Brian Clough took over Derby County (in partnership with assistant manager Peter Taylor) and led them to their greatest glories. They were promoted to the First Division in 1969 and won their first ever Championship in 1972. Though Derby did not retain their title the following season, they did get to the semi-finals of the European Cup, eventually losing to Juventus in a controversial match which was subject to subsequent allegations that the Italian club had bribed the match officials. Clough left under controversial circumstances and, after brief tenures at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and Leeds United F.C., Clough joined Nottingham Forest F.C. where he went on to win a First Division championship and two European Cups.

Related Topics:
1967 - Brian Clough - Peter Taylor - 1969 - 1972 - European Cup - Juventus - Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. - Leeds United F.C. - Nottingham Forest F.C.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Clough

Nevertheless, Derby's League success was repeated in 1974-1975 season when they won the title again, this time under Dave Mackay. When Mackay left in 1976, Derby began to gradually decline until they were relegated in 1980.

Related Topics:
1974-1975 season - Dave Mackay - 1976 - 1980

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Though they challenged well in their first season, Derby's stay in the Second Division was not a happy one and they were relegated to the now-national Third Division in 1984, their centenary year and just nine years after their last Championship.

Related Topics:
Third Division - 1984

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the relegation, the club appointed Arthur Cox to stop the rot - and stop it he did. After a two year stay in the Third Division (just like last time), they were promoted to the Second Division and won it at the first attempt, returning to the First Division in 1987.

Related Topics:
Arthur Cox - 1987

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The club was now under the control of controversial businessman Robert Maxwell, who was universally unpopular. With Maxwell dead from suspected suicide, the club was relegated back to the Second Division in 1991 (which became the First Division a year later when the First Division clubs broke away to form the FA Premier League).

Related Topics:
Robert Maxwell - 1991 - FA Premier League

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The FA Premier League (or, more precisely, the money it brought) made it even more difficult for Derby to gain promotion to the Premier League, let alone stay there. However, this did not appear to trouble Jim Smith, who was appointed manager in 1995. Throwing his brief of 'a top-half finish' out the window, Smith guided the Rams to a second-place finish and, more importantly, the Premier League.

Related Topics:
FA Premier League - Jim Smith - 1995

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recent times

Derby County made a good Premiership debut in the 1996-1997 season, finishing 12th in the final table with a side containing quality players like Aljosa Asanovic, Igor Stimac, Jacob Laursen and Ashley Ward. The club moved into the new 33,000-seat Pride Park Stadium for the 1997-98 season, and it has also hosted several England games. The next two seasons brought ninth and eighth place finishes before a slump in form saw Derby finish 16th at the end of the 1999-2000 Premiership campaign. Another relegation battle followed in 2000-01 when Derby narrowly avoided the drop by finished 17th in the Premiership - one place clear of relegation.

Related Topics:
1996-1997 season - Aljosa Asanovic - Igor Stimac - Jacob Laursen - Ashley Ward - Pride Park Stadium

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jim Smith resigned as manager in October 2001 after rejecting an offer to become the club's director of football. He was replaced by assistant manager Colin Todd who remained in charge for just 3 months before he was sacked in the aftermath of a humiliating FA Cup Third Round home defeat against Division Three strugglers Bristol Rovers. At the end of January 2002, John Gregory was appointed Derby manager less than a week after walking out on Aston Villa. Derby won their first two games under Gregory's management and also held title chasing Manchester United to a draw, suggesting that Gregory might be able to save Derby from relegation. But seven defeats from their final eight fixtures condemned Derby to relegation from the Premiership after six successive seasons of top division football.

Related Topics:
Colin Todd - John Gregory

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Derby County's relegation to the Football League First Division saw the club enter a serious financial crisis - which forced them to sell many key players and build a team mostly of home-grown youngesters like Tom Huddlestone and Lee Grant. An 18th place finish was secured at the end of the season. In late March, Gregory had been suspended from his managerial duties over alleged misconduct and former Ipswich Town boss George Burley was drafted in as a temporary manager. At the end of the season Gregory's contract was terminated and Burley received the job on a permanent basis. The club's parent company went briefly into liquidation in October 2003 and the majority shareholder Lionel Pickering gave way to a new board of John Sleightholme, Jeremy Keith and Steve Harding. Derby finished 20th in the 2003-2004 First Division campaign, but improved dramatically in the 2004-2005 season and finished 4th in the Football League Championship (the new name for the Football League First Division) and qualified for a promotion play-off spot, though lost in the semi-finals to Preston North End. Soon afterwards, Burley resigned citing differences between himself and the board. He was replaced by Phil Brown.

Related Topics:
Ipswich Town - George Burley - Lionel Pickering - John Sleightholme - Jeremy Keith - 2003-2004 - 2004-2005 - Football League Championship - Preston North End - Phil Brown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~