Vital Statistics
Founded: 1884
Chairman: Andrew Appleby
Last Season: Championship - 19th
Nickname: The Rams
Rivals: Nottingham Forest
Major Honours
League Champions: 1972, 1975
FA Cup: 1946
Scheduled Matches
Derby vs Portsmouth: Saturday, October 29th (3pm)
Portsmouth vs Derby: Saturday, April 21st (3pm)
Transfers In
Frank Fielding (Blackburn - £400,000)
Jamie Ward (Sheffield United - Free)
Craig Bryson (Kilmarnock - £350,000)
Jason Shackell (Barnsley - £750,000)
Chris Maguire (Aberdeen - £400,000)
Theo Robinson (Millwall - Undisclosed)
Nathan Tyson (Nottingham Forest - Free)
Adam Legzdins (Burton Albion - Undisclosed)
Chris Riggott (Unattached)
Kevin Kilbane (Hull - Loan)
Transfers Out
Ben Pringle (Rotherham - Free)
Miles Addison (Barnsley - Loan)
Robbie Savage (Retired)
Chris Porter (Released)
Arnaud Mendy (Released)
Greg Mills (Released)
Michael Boulding (Released)
Luke Varney (Portsmouth - £750,000)
Probable Starting XI
GK: Frank FIELDING
RB: John BRAYFORD
CB: Jason SHACKELL
CB: Shaun BARKER
LB: Gareth ROBERTS
RM: Jamie WARD
CM: Craig BRYSON
CM: James BAILEY
LM: Stephen PEARSON
CF: Steven DAVIES
CF: Nathan TYSON
The Manager: Nigel Clough
Son of one of the greatest managers in the history of the game, Nigel's playing career was mainly spent at Nottingham Forest before later stints at Liverpool and Manchester City.
Clough's first managerial role came at Burton Albion where he set the foundations for their eventual promotion to the football league before moving to Pride Park to revive Derby's fortunes.
After a couple of mediocre seasons in the Championship which has seen many players come and go, fans will be expecting better from the man whose surname has a huge reputation in the midlands.
The Fans
Derby fans are some of the most loyal in the country, with Pride Park selling out despite the worst season in Premier League history back in 2007/2008. Home attendances still remain one of the highest in the Championship and their away support also make their voices heard.
There are a few recognisable Rams out there with the most famous names being actors Timothy Dalton & Robert Lindsay and Olympic Gold Medallist Rebecca Adlington.
Derby fan Luke Barraclough on the upcoming season:
After last seasons awful campaign I can speak for the vast majority of Derby County fans by saying we really can't accept another relegation fighting season. We were promised 'improvement' year after year by the Clough regime 2 years ago and the standards slipped last year.
After a few early summer signings which will no doubt improve our squad I'm expecting a healthy mid table position. As long as we are not dragged down the bottom I'll be happy.
The Ground: Pride Park (Capacity: 33,600)
Pride Park is a nice ground to watch football but is very similar to the "Meccano" grounds built in the 90's. If you have been to Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium then think of this ground as a smaller but more populated version of that.
For some reason, I have lost the photos I have of Pride Park bar this one. I shall upload the rest when I find them but for now, here is a photo of the North Stand that I took when Derby were playing Southampton back in 2005.
