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Derby County:
A Season Review
Edited by Gareth Davis
In 2005–06 Derby County were close to financial
meltdown and were almost relegated to League One.
In 2006–07 they became financially stable and
returned to English football’s top table after
winning promotion to the Premiership.
That’s quite a 12-month turnaround, even for
this club’s long and distinguished – and
often turbulent – history. Even the most ardent
of Rams follower couldn’t have expected a year
like it, not least after a summer of change that
had seen a new board installed, a new manager appointed,
new coaching staff arrive and a wave of new players.
But when Billy Davies took over the Pride Park hot
seat in June there was a feeling that the new directors
had got the right man for the job.
Davies, after all, had just taken unfancied Preston
North End to the Play-offs in each of the previous
two seasons. Upon arrival Davies spoke of a three-year
plan and asked the Derby supporters to be patient
while he shaped the club as he desired. It would,
he said, take a few transfer windows for him to mould
his squad and bring in the players he wanted. The
signing of Steve Howard was an immediate signal of
intent that Derby weren’t just there to make
up the numbers, a message that the club was to be
reckoned with in the transfer market, and that backing
continued with several other arrivals before the
close of the first window.
By the time the second window opened in January,
the Rams were right up with the chasing pack, and
Davies invested further in his squad – there
was a chance of promotion, and Derby were going for
it. Davies predicted plenty of twists and turns,
and he was right, as a six-point lead at the top
was eroded and the Rams ultimately finished third
in the Coca-Cola Championship. That in itself was
a remarkable achievement, considerably ahead of schedule
in the three-year plan. The most dramatic of Play-off
semi-finals against Southampton followed, and then
it was Wembley…
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