Unreliable History
The initial kit worn by Derby County replicated the colours of the county cricket club, who founded the club, not because they were interested in the game, but because they saw it as a way of cashing in on the game’s popularity to boost their finances. And so the early profiteers entered the game and made the 1884 side turn out in chocolate, amber and pale blue strip !! It didn’t thwart the club’s development as they were founder members of the Football League and went on to reach the FA Cup finals of 1898, 1899 and 1903—unsuccessfully on each occasion. The club had moved into the Baseball Ground in 1895, having to evict gypsies who had been camping on the site and since that date the club had believed there was a curse on the ground put there by one of the former inhabitants. The curse had not stopped Derby reaching 13 FA Cup semi-finals between 1895 and 1909 and becoming Division 2 champions in 1912 and 1915. They did suffer a record 0-6 defeat in the 1903 FA Cup final against Bury, when their keeper was injured, but many say that Shakers would have won by more had that not happened. The matter of the curse had lasted for such a long time, that when they reached the 1946 FA Cup final the captain of the side crossed a gypsies palm with silver to lift the curse. It worked as they beat Charlton to take the Cup back to Derby, despite the ball bursting during the game. That also happened in their next League match – also versus Charlton – five days later and in the next two games after that too. The cost of replacements almost equalled their FA Cup winning bonuses !!
When Dai Astley (no relation to Rick) scored 29 goals in his first 30 games, the Rams fans wondered what was happening. Between the years of 1936 and 1939, he went on to score 49 in 98 League and Cup games. The Rams run to the 1946 FA Cup final saw the end of midweek afternoon matches in this country, because the semi-final replay at Maine Road attracted a crowd of 80,000 and the post-war Government were in fear of the massive loss of productivity because of people being away from work. Considering the other side was Birmingham, it is a mystery where all these fans came from. The club were embroiled in an illegal payments scandal in the war years, which involved crossing gypsies palms with silver to curse the opposition. It is a period in the club’s history that does them great shame at a time when many, many lost their lives fighting to protect the country from this sort of thing. The club went into hibernation until the early 70’s when a brash young manager took over at the club and took them to the League title in 1972. Manager Brian Clough led them to their best years, including European football and this was followed up by Dave Mackay, who had been captain in ‘72 and repeated the feat in 1975. As the club fell from it’s exalted position, media tycoon, Robert Maxwell moved in and in their Centenary season 1983-84, he almost took them into Division Four. Since his death and the subsequent move to the modern surroundings of Pride Park, the club have established themselves as Premier League material. Foreign imports have come and gone and the club does well to stay in the top league despite a limited budget for signing new players. Manager Jim Smith is an experienced campaigner who is trying to get Derby back where they belong. The new stadium has echoes of the old Baseball Ground. The old place was developed by a baseball mad foundry owner and had Catchers Corner and Homerun stands. But the craze was not long-lived and he had to move in a stand from the Racecourse ground (their previous home) to make enough room for supporters when the football team took over the stadium. The new ground boasts a number of Lion bar outlets and also the Simba stand, which is a reserved area for Junior Rams. Pride Park is also has a lavishly grassed pitch in complete contrast to the old Baseball Ground, which was quite often a mud heap and many a player had to be treated by the physio for trench foot. With troubles on and off the pitch, Derby struggled after being labelled the worst Premier League of all time in the 2007-2008 season when they had a points total of 11 and a goal difference of -69. Changes came and went in the boardroom and the managers office, but the Rams were stuck in the Championship, coming close to regaining their place in the top flight, but not close enough. With the recruitment of Wayne Rooney as a player and then the manager of the team, it was hoped that his winning mentality would reap rewards. FAMOUS PLAYERS : – Colin Todd, Jack Stamps, Jack Bowers, Kevin Hector, Manila Envelopes, Steve Bloomer, Roy McFarland, Dave Mackay, Colin Boulton, Paolo Wanchope, Raich Carter. FAMOUS FANS : – The late Tim Brooke-Taylor (Comedy actor – The Goodies), Simon Groom (former Blue Peter presenter), Robert Lindsay (Actor – Citizen Smith and My Family (BBC), Tracy Shaw (Actress – Coronation Street (ITV). |
Club Records
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Formed | 1884 |
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Turned Professional | 1884 |
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Became a Limited Company | 1896 |
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Previous names | – |
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Previous grounds | Racecourse Ground – 1884-95 Baseball Ground – 1895-1997 |
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Nickname | “The RAMS” |
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Club Colours | HOME : AWAY :
THIRD : |
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Record Premier League Win | 4-0 v Wimbledon Home 04.03.2000 4-0 v Southampton Home 27.09.1997 |
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Record Premier League Defeat | 0-6 v Liverpool Away 01.09.2007 |
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Record Football League Win | 9-0 v Wolverhampton Wanderers Division 1 10.01.1891 9-0 v The Wednesday Division 1 21.01.1899 |
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Record Defeat | 2-11 v Everton FA Cup R1 18.01.1990 |
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Record Cup Win | 12-0 Finn Harps (Republic of Ireland) UEFA Cup R1 15.09.1976 |
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Record Fee Paid | £10 million to Arsenal for Krystian BIELIK (2 August 2019) |
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Record Fee Received | £11.3 million from Huddersfield Town for Tom INCE (4 July 2017) |
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Record Premier League Appearances | 170 – Darryl POWELL (1996-2002) |
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Record Premier League goal-scorer | 32 – Dean STURRIDGE (1996-2001) |
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Record goal-scorer in a Premier League season | 13 – Paolo WANCHOPE (1997-1998) |
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Record all-time League goal-scorer | 293 – Steve BLOOMER (1892-1905, 1910-1913) |
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Record all-time goal-scorer | 332 – Steve BLOOMER (1892-1906, 1910-1913) |
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Record goal-scorer in a season | 43 – Jack BOWERS Division 1 (1933-1932) |
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Record goal-scorer in a League season | 37 – Jack BOWERS Division 1 (1930-1931) 37 – Ray STRAW Division 3 (North) (1956-1957) |
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Most goals in a match | 6 – Steve BLOOMER v Sheffield Wednesday Division 1 02.01.1899 |
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Most goals in a League season | 111 – 1956-1957 Division 3 (North) |
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Record League Appearances | 478 (+8 as a sub) – Kevin HECTOR (1966-1977 and 1980-1981) |
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Record Appearances | 581 (+8 as a sub) – Kevin HECTOR (1966-1977 and 1980-1981) |
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Record Home Attendance (all-time) | 41,826 v Tottenham Hotspur Division 1 20.09.1969 Baseball Ground |
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Record Premier League Attendance | 33,378 v Liverpool 18.03.2000 Pride Park |
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Record total of goals in a Premier League season | 52 – 1997-1998 (38 games) |
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Record Premier League points total | 55 – 1997-1998 (38 games) |
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Record total of goals in a League season | 111 – 1956-57 Division 3 (North) |
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Record League points total | 2 points for a win : 63 – Division 2 1968-1969 (42 games) 63 – Division 3 (North) 1955-1956 (42 games) 63 – Division 3 (North) 1956-1957 (42 games) 3 points for a win : 85 – The Championship 2013 (46 games) |
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Most Capped player while at club | 42 – Deon BURTON (Jamaica) |
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Youngest player | Mason BENNETT 15 years and 99 days v Middlesbrough (The Championship) 22.10.2011 |
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Oldest player | Peter SHILTON 42 years and 164 days v Watford (Division Two) 29.02.1992 |
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Stadium details
Address : Pride Park Stadium, Derby DE24 8XL
Telephone : 0871 472 1884 (calls at 13p/minute)
Ticket Office: 0871 472 1884 (Option 1) (calls at 13p/minute)
Email: ticket.office@dcfc.co.uk
Capacity : 33,597
Away Allocation : 2,700 (can be up to 5,000)
Pitch size : 105m x 68m (115 yards x 74 yards)
Official website : www.dcfc.co.uk
Directions
By car …
Exit the M1 at Junction 25
Take A52 to Derby
Turn off at the Wyvern Shopping Centre and follow the signs to Pride Park Stadium.
By train to Derby Midland (20 minute walk to the ground)
By bus, catch the shuttle bus to the stadium from Derby Bus Station (every 10 minutes)
Honours
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Division One Champions (Top tier) | 1971-1972, 1974-1975 |
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Division One Runner-up (Top tier) | 1895-1996, 1929-1930, 1935-1936 |
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Division Two Champions (Tier Two) | 1911-1912, 1914-1915, 1968-1969, 1986-1987 |
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Division Two Runners-up (Tier Two) | 1925-1926 |
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Division One Runners-up (Tier Two) | 1995-1996 |
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Division Three North Champions (Tier Three) | 1956-1957 |
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Division Three North Runners-up (Tier Three) | 1955-1956 |
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FA Cup Winners | 1946 |
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FA Cup Finalists | 1889, 1899, 1903 |
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FA Charity Shield Winners | 1975 |
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Texaco Cup Winners | 1972 |
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Anglo-Italian Cup Runners-up | 1993 |
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Watney Cup Winners | 1970 |
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Managers
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Harry NEWBOULD | 1 August 1896 – 31 July 1906 |
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Jimmy METHVEN | 1 August 1906 – 30 June 1922 |
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Cecil POTTER | 1 July 1922 – 31 July 1925 |
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George JOBEY | 1 August 1925 – 1 May 1941 |
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Ted MANGER | 1 August 1944 – 1 January 1946 |
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Stuart McMILLAN | 1 January 1946 – 1 November 1953 |
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Jack BARKER | 1 November 1953- 1 April 1955 |
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Harry STORER Jnr | 1 June 1955 – 31 May 1962 |
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Tim WARD | 1 June 1962 – 31 May 1967 |
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Brian CLOUGH | 1 June 1967 – 15 October 1973 |
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Jimmy GORDON (Caretaker) | 15 October 1973 – 23 October 1973 |
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Dave MACKAY | 23 October 1973 – 25 November1976 |
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Colin MURPHY | 25 November 1976 – 17 September 1977 |
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Tommy DOCHERTY | 17 September 1977 – 10 May 1979 |
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Colin ADDISON | 6 July 1979 – 25 January 1982 |
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Johnny NEWMAN | 25 January 1982 – 11 August 1982 |
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Peter TAYLOR | 11 August 1982 – 4 April 1984 |
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Roy McFARLAND | 4 April 1984 – 28 May 1984 |
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Arthur COX | 28 May 1984 – 2 October 1993 |
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Roy McFARLAND | 2 October 1993 – 29 April 1995 |
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Billy McEWAN (Caretaker) | 29 April 1995 – 15 June 1995 |
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Jim SMITH | 15 June 1995 – 7 October 2001 |
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Colin TODD | 8 October 2001 – 14 January 2002 |
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Billy McEWAN (Caretaker) | 14 January 2002 – 30 January 2002 |
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John GREGORY | 30 January 2002 – 21 March 2003 |
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Mark LILLIS (Caretaker) | 21 March 2003 – 31 March 2003 |
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George BURLEY | 31 March 2003 – 7 June 2005 |
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Phil BROWN | 24 June 2005 – 30 January 2006 |
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Terry WESTLEY | 30 January 2006 – 2 June 2006 |
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Billy DAVIES | 2 June 2006 – 26 November 2007 |
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Paul JEWELL | 28 November 2007 – 29 December 2009 |
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Chris HUTCHINGS (Caretaker) | 29 December 2009 – 6 January 2009 |
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David LOWE (Caretaker) | 6 January 2009 – 8 January 2009 |
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Nigel CLOUGH | 8 January 2009 – 28 September 2013 |
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Darren WASSALL (Caretaker) | 29 September 2013 – 1 October 2013 |
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Steve McCLAREN | 1 October 2013 – 25 May 2015 |
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Paul CLEMENT | 1 June 2015 – 8 February 2016 |
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Darren WASSALL | 8 February 2016 – 27 May 2016 |
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Nigel PEARSON | 27 May 2016 – 8 October 2016 |
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Chris POWELL (Caretaker) | 27 September 2016 – 12 October 2016 |
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Steve McCLAREN | 12 October 2016 – 12 March 2017 |
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Gary ROWETT | 14 March 2017 – 22 May 2018 |
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Frank LAMPARD | 31 May 2018 – 4 July 2019 |
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Phillip COCU | 5 July 2019 – 14 November 2019 |
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Liam ROSENIOR (Interim manager) | 15 November 2020 – 26 November 2020 |
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Wayne ROONEY (Interim player-manager) | 26 November 2020 – |
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League Record
The Football League structure has historically been as follows …
1888-1892 | 1892-1920 | 1920-1921 | 1921-1958 | 1958-1992 | 1992-2004 | 2004 to date | |
First tier | Football League | Division One | Division One | Division One | Division One | Premiership | Premier League |
Second tier | Division Two | Division Two | Division Two | Division Two | Division One | Championship | |
Third tier | Division Three | Division Three (North) and (South) |
Division Three | Division Two | League One | ||
Fourth tier | Division Four | Division Three | League Two | ||||
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Founder member of Football League | 1888 |
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Division One | 1907-1912 |
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Division Two | 1912-1914 |
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Division One | 1914-1921 |
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Division Two | 1921-1926 |
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Division One | 1926-1953 |
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Division Two | 1953-1955 |
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Division Three North | 1955-1957 |
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Division Two | 1957-1969 |
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Division One | 1969-1980 |
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Division Two | 1980-1984 |
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Division Three | 1984-1986 |
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Division Two | 1986-1987 |
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Division One | 1987-1991 |
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Division Two | 1991-1992 |
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Division One | 1992-1996 |
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Premier League | 1996- |
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