I saw this thread on twitter from 2nd teir podcast concerning Derby County
Derby County could face a points deduction after they were charged with breaching financial rules.
Let's take a look back at the rollercoaster that is Derby County Football Club, starting off with Bobby Zamora.
So as you probably know, Derby were beaten in the 2014 Playoff final by a 91st minute goal by Bobby Zamora.
It was QPR's only shot on target.
Derby go into the new season full of optimism that they can build upon last seasons success.
They spend £3 million on George Thorne.
5 days later he's ruled out for 9 months with a knee injury.
They also brought in Spanish defender Raul Albentosa.
He was getting rave reviews for his performances for Eibar.
He played 8 games before disappearing off the face of the earth.
He also apparently had back problems because he left his orthotic insoles in Spain.
Not joking.
Their transfer business wasn't all bad that season though!
They brought in the likes of Jesse Lingard, Jack Butland, Jordan Ibe, Tom Ince, Stephen Warnock, Darren Bent and... er... Leon Best.
But surely with some of those players, promotion is guaranteed that season right?
After spending most of the season in the top two...
Derby end up needing a point on the last day to stay in the playoffs.
They lose 3-0 to Reading and Steve McClaren is sacked.
He's replaced by Carlo Ancelotti's assistant Paul Clement.
He's well backed by the club, who spend £21 million in the 2015 summer transfer window.
That includes £10 million on the dynamic midfield pairing of Jacob Butterfield and Bradley Johnson.
On Boxing Day, Derby are top of the Championship and unbeaten in seven games.
7 games later Paul Clement is sacked.
Derby chairman, Mel Morris, says the team weren't playing "the Derby way".
Also worth mentioning in January they spent £4 million to sign striker Nick Blackman from Reading and winger Abdoul Camara from Angers
Blackman played 29 games and scored 1 goal... he nows plays in Israel.
Camara played 26 games... he's now without a club at the age of 29.
Derby appoint academy director Darren Wassall as manager until the end of the season.
His only previous managerial experience was a 4-4 draw with Ipswich in 2013
In March, Derby are winning 3-0 away at Rotherham.
Wassall changes the formation and brings on two attackers.
Rotherham score 3 goals in the last 5 minutes.
Leon Best got two of them
Derby reach the playoffs but are beaten by Hull after losing 3-0 in the first leg.
Wassall isn't given the job.
Midfielder Jacob Butterfield's arrested at his own engagement party after a fight.
It supposedly started after a friend nibbled on his fiancée's big toe
New season, new manager.
Nigel Pearson's the new man in charge.
It's his first job since saving Leicester from relegation, prior to their title-winning season.
The goal? Promotion.
Derby win 3 of their first 14 games.
Pearson falls out with Mel Morris after reports he was spying on training sessions using a drone.
He's suspended pending an investigation into his behaviour before eventually being sacked.
Similar to the second (or in this case fourth) coming of Jesus, Steve McClaren returns to Derby for his fourth spell at the club (second as a manager).
He’s sacked six months later.
This is one of the rare seasons Derby weren’t challenging for promotion towards the end of it.
They already bottled it at the start of the season.
Gary Rowett’s appointed the new manager in March 2017.
In February, Derby are 2nd in the Championship.
They’ve lost just 5 games out of 30.
It finally looks like the Rams might have cracked it.
Of course not.
They win just four games in the rest of the season.
The Rams just scrape into the playoffs but lose to Fulham.
Despite Gary Rowett calling Derby his “dream jobâ€, he leaves to go to Stoke
This season is when things start to go even crazier...
Let’s start with the positives.
Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard’s appointed the new manager.
He also brings in loan stars Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Harry Wilson
In January Derby accuse Leeds of spying on their training sessions.
It turns out that was the case and they’d actually been spying on everyone else as well.
Nevertheless the two sides meet and Derby lose 2-0.
Oh by the way I completely forgot!
Back in March 2018 sacked chief executive and Stone Cold Steve Austin impersonator Sam Rush.
It’s all a bit technical but in summary he was accused of:
- Paying Tom Ince’s mum £700k
- Paying Paul Ince to be an adviser
- Overpaying agents
He also allegedly paid £2 million for a scout report which recommended Derby sign Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
Not bad shouts tbf.
Anyway, where were we?
Oh yeah.
Probably England’s best ever left back, Ashley Cole, joined.
He was 38 by this point but still... banter ain’t it?
Derby scrape into the playoffs but come up against Leeds.
They lose the first leg 1-0.
No team has ever overturned a first leg loss away from home.
Derby win 4-2.
It wasn’t to be though...
Derby were beaten 2-1 in the playoff final.
The fourth time the club has lost in the playoffs in six seasons
Frank Lampard leaves to go to Chelsea in one of the most telegraphed moves in managerial history.
Less telegraphed though was the appointment of Phillip Cocu at Derby.
To sum up how that’s gone so far, here’s a before and after. (photo's of Cocu looking like he's aged 5 years in 6 months)
Less than two months into the season, Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence are charged with drink driving after a night out.
It later turns out that captain Richard Keogh was in one of the cars and will be out injured for the rest of the season
Bennett and Lawrence are found guilty of drunk driving.
The club respond by... sacking Richard Keogh.
Derby announce the signing of Wayne Rooney.
Wayne.
Rooney.
How did they afford his wages?
A gambling company of course!
The same one who sponsor numerous other clubs in the Championship.
On the same day Rooney makes his debut, it’s revealed Derby paid their players late.
The club blame investment not coming in as expected...
In January, £10 million record signing Krystian Bielik is ruled out for the season with an ACL injury.
It’s the 10th ACL injury the club’s had in 6 years
And finally we get to now...
The club potentially on the verge of a points deduction.
Hardly surprising considering the club has spunked at least £60 million on transfer fees alone in the last 6 seasons.
Well it wasn't dull but some of decision making along the way is just bizarre. Fans want rich owners to pump money into clubs but Morris's reign at Derby has been crazy the fact they have come within touching distance of the dream is almost in spite of the ownership rather than because of it.
