The 2008–09 season was Derby County's 110th season in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. It is their 41st season in the second division of
English football
Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...
and their first season in the second tier since the
2006–07 season. They were relegated from the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in the
2007–08 season.
Despite relegation from the Premier League the previous season hopes had been high of an immediate return, especially after manager
Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town.
Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...
's summer reconstruction of the squad seeing 16 players come in and 12 leave. However, things did not go to plan and the club spent the majority of the season in the lower reaches of the table. They were bottom of the league going into the August international break, after a 2–0 defeat away to
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
left the club with a single point from the first four games of the season. A 2–1 win over
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
was the club's first league win in almost a year, bringing to an end of a 38-game winless sequence, and a run of just one defeat in 11, with 5 wins, lifted the club to the season high of ninth. Form soon dipped again and, after a run of just two wins in 11 matches which left the club 18th in the table, Jewell quit as manager on 28 December 2008 after just over a year in the job. He left with a record of just 13 wins in 58 matches, though he did take the club to their first major cup semi-final in over 30 years when the club reached the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
semi-final, where they lost 4–3 on aggregate to eventual winners
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
His replacement was
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
, manager of non-league
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
and son of the club's former manager
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meani ...
. Despite overseeing two defeats in his first two games, Clough soon turned the club's form around, taking them to the 5th round of the FA Cup and just three defeats in 13 matches, a run which included four consecutive wins. A run of three consecutive defeats in mid April meant that survival was not guaranteed until the penultimate game of the season when Player of the Year
Rob Hulse
Robert William Hulse (born 25 October 1979) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Sheffield Un ...
scored the winner in a 1–0 win over
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
at
Pride Park
Pride Park is a business park on the outskirts of the city centre of Derby, England. Developed in the 1990s, It covers 80 hectares of former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines. Pride Park Stadium and Derby Arena are both ...
.
Review
Pre-season
Following the final day of the 2007–08 season, Jewell publicly announced his displeasure with the current squad, promising drastic changes. Within four weeks of the close of the season Derby confirmed five new signings, namely
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
defender
Paul Connolly,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
midfielder
Paul Green,
["Rovers' Green set to join Derby"](_blank)
BBC Sport, 29 May 2008 Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
The club’s original foundation is 1881, aligned with that of its antecede ...
defender
Jordan Stewart and Nottingham Forest winger
Kris Commons
Kristian Arran Commons (born 30 August 1983) is an English-born Scottish professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Commons started his career at Stoke City and made his debut in 2000. After four years with the club, he rej ...
on frees.
Watford's Nathan Ellington
Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington (born 2 July 1981) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
Ellington started his playing career with non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United. Having played once for the club, he sw ...
joined on a season-long loan (with a view to a permanent deal).
["Trio Make A Famous Five"](_blank)
dcfc.co.uk, 30 May 2008 In addition to these, the club signed out of contract
Tranmere youngster
Steve Davies on 12 June 2008 on a Bosman (although as he is under 24, a tribunal fee was set at £275k, with an additional £450k based on appearances and promotion).
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
's
Martin Albrechtsen
Martin Albrechtsen (born 31 March 1980) is a Danish football player. He can play in any position across the back four and has played four games for the Danish national team. He is the older brother of Jacob Albrechtsen.
Career
Akademisk Bol ...
joined for free on 30 June 2008,
and
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
striker
Liam Dickinson
Liam Michael Dickinson (born 4 October 1985) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a striker for Droylsden.
He began his senior career in non-league football with Irlam. He also played for Swinton Town, Trafford and Woodley ...
signed for £750k on 1 July 2008.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
striker
Rob Hulse
Robert William Hulse (born 25 October 1979) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Sheffield Un ...
followed for £1.75m on 21 July 2008,
the same day a season long loan deal for
FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...
and Poland international midfielder
Przemyslaw Kazmierczak was finalised.
On 7 August, just two days before the start of the new season, the club completed its eleventh and twelfth signings of pre-season, in the shape of Swiss-born
Serbian U-19 international Aleksandar Prijović
Aleksandar Prijović ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Пpиjoвић, ; born 21 April 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for A-League club Western United. Born in Switzerland, Prijović played for the Serbia national team ...
, who rejected a new deal with
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
to join the club, for free and
Latvian international midfielder
Andrejs Perepļotkins
Andrejs Perepļotkins ( uk, Андрій Ігорович Перепльоткін, ''Andriy Igorovych Pereplyotkin''; born 27 December 1984) is a Ukrainian born Latvian footballer, who plays primarily as a right winger for SK Super Nova.
Alth ...
on a season long loan from
Skonto FC Rīga after impressing on trial at the club.
Finally, on 19 August the club signed
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
attacking midfielder
Nacer Barazite
Nacer Barazite (born 27 May 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who can play either as an attacking midfielder or striker. Most recently, he played for Thai club Buriram United.
Barazite has during his career played for, among others, Eng ...
on loan until 31 December 2008 from
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
.
These thirteen signings all came in addition to Australian midfielder
Ruben Zadkovich
Ruben Anton Zadkovich ( hr, Zadković, ; born 23 May 1986) is a former Australian professional football (soccer) player, and manager of Perth Glory. He played for 6 clubs in a career that spanned between England and Australia, notably becoming a ...
, who was signed in March.
There were also unsuccessful attempts to sign
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
midfielder
Ferrie Bodde and
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
's
Marlon King
Marlon Francis King (born 26 April 1980) is a Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Born and raised in south London, he started his career in non-League football with Dulwich Hamlet. He played for Barnet, Gillingham, ...
on a season-long loan. Trials were also given to former Reading winger
John Oster
John Morgan Oster (born 8 December 1978) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder.
Oster was a product of the youth team at Grimsby Town where he was added to the first team squad in 1994, however he didn't ...
(who rejected the offer of a contract
), Nigerian midfielder
Richard Eromoigbe
Richard Eromoigbe (born 26 June 1984) is a Nigerian former football midfielder.
Career
In January 2002 Eromoigbe signed a contract with Bulgarian club Levski Sofia and joined Cherno More Varna in a year-long loan move, alongside his compatriot ...
(whom the club decided not to sign
), Australian defender
Daniel Piorkowski (who eventually joined
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
) and French midfielder
Julien Sablé. (who, as with Eromoigbe, the club declined to sign
)
Four players were initially allowed to leave the club, with the contracts of
Michael Johnson,
Lee Holmes
Lee Daniel Holmes (born 2 April 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Mickelover.
Holmes began his career with Derby County and became their youngest ever player and goalscorer, as well as the youngest foo ...
and
Marc Edworthy
Marc Edworthy (born 24 December 1972 in Barnstaple) is an English former professional footballer. He started out playing as a right winger before being moved to right back. He was also occasionally deployed at left back and in central defence. ...
not being renewed following their completion,
[Will Let Four Go"''](_blank)
, dcfc.co.uk, 13 May 2008. and
Ben Hinchcliffe's contract being terminated.
Andy Todd was told he could leave on a free transfer but is still currently with the club. Players moving out for fees were
Kenny Miller
Kenneth Miller (born 23 December 1979) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Miller, who played as a striker, is one of only five post-war players to have played for both Rangers and Celtic.
Miller began his career at ...
, who rejoined
Rangers for £2m;
club record signing
Rob Earnshaw for £2.65m to rivals Nottingham Forest less than a year after joining the club;
David Jones, who joined Wolves for £1.2m;
Craig Fagan
Craig Anthony Fagan (born 11 December 1982) is a football coach and former player who was most recently assistant manager of Southend United. He played as a winger or forward, notably in the Premier League for Birmingham City, Derby County and ...
, who returned to
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
for £750k
and
Darren Moore
Darren Mark Moore (born 22 April 1974) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current manager of Sheffield Wednesday.
Born in England, he earned two international caps for Jamaica. Moore is a ...
, who signed for
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on a free.
Stephen Pearson
Stephen Paul Pearson (born 2 October 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
He began his career at Motherwell and joined Celtic in 2004, where he won domestic honours including two Scottish Premier League ...
was expected to move to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
but the move fell through due to Birmingham's unwillingness to sign the player while injured and Pearson rejecting a loan move. Stephen Bywater was the subject of an accepted £200k bid from
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
. However, despite taking a medical, Tottenham decided not to sign Bywater. Shortly after the start of the season, these players were joined by
Eddie Lewis Edward Lewis may refer to:
Politicians
* Edward Lewis (Devizes MP) (1650–1674), British MP for Devizes, 1669–1674
* Edward Lewis (Radnor MP), British MP for Radnor, 1761–1768, 1769–1774 and 1775–1790
* Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837–1 ...
, whose contract was terminated by mutual consent
[
] and
Benny Feilhaber
Benny Feilhaber (; born January 19, 1985) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is currently head coach of MLS Next Pro side Sporting Kansas City II, an affiliate of Sporting Kansas City. A midfielder, Feilhaber played fo ...
who joined
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
side
AGF Aarhus
Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ), is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and gymnastics and fencing are featured as its main sports. Howev ...
on a free.
Another, unwanted, departure came with the news of club captain
Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs (born 6 October 1971) is an English football manager and former professional footballer
As a player he was a centre-back who played top flight football for every club he played for. He played in the Premier League with Bolton Wand ...
' retirement through injury on 20 August.
[
]
August
The first game of the new Championship season saw nine of Jewell's summer signings make their debuts (seven starting and two as substitutes), but lost 1–0 to
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
. This stretched the club's winless run to 33 matches and saw Jewell express disappointment with his players failing to cope with the pressure. Jewell finally got his first win as Derby manager (not counting an FA Cup third round penalties victory against
Sheff Wednesday in January 2008) three days later as Derby beat
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
3–1 in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
first round, with Nathan Ellington getting his first goals for the club with a hattrick. A 1–1 draw with
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
four days later saw the club break the league record for longest winless streak, stretching it to 34 matches.
On 14 August 2008 the club finally announced the extent of the club's debt after several months of speculation. The club's new chairman, Andrew Appleby, announced that upon arrival at the club in January 2008, Derby were £31m in debt. This had been reduced by £6m to £25m in the first six months of the new boards tenure, with the aim to reduce it by a further £10m by August 2009, leaving Derby with only the £15m mortgage on the
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Derby, England, that is the home ground of English Football League club Derby County. With a capacity of 33,597, it is the 16th-largest football ground in England and the 20th-largest stad ...
to repay.
[
] It was also announced that £10.4m of the 2008–09 season's £11.5m parachute payment has already been spent on players bought the previous summer. These players (such as
Kenny Miller
Kenneth Miller (born 23 December 1979) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Miller, who played as a striker, is one of only five post-war players to have played for both Rangers and Celtic.
Miller began his career at ...
and
Claude Davis
Claude Davis (born 6 March 1979) is a Jamaican former footballer who played as a defender. He previously played for Portmore United (Jamaica), Preston North End, Sheffield United, Derby County, Crystal Palace, Crawley Town and Rotherham United ...
) had still not completely been paid for, with Chairman of Football
Adam Pearson stating that "We’ve (Derby County) still got to find £3m this month for Claude Davis, Kenny Miller, David Jones and Benny Feilhaber – so that's another significant investment."
He added that "At the minute, the wages are circa £2.5m more than where I’d like them to be on an annual basis, so that needs taking care of."
This was followed by a mixed series of results, with two more league defeats (1–0 at home to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and 2–0 away to
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, both clubs previously without a win) leaving the club bottom of the table going into the two-week international break, sandwiching a 1–0 win away to in-form
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
second round.
On 29 August 2008 Mears caused controversy when he flew to France to go on trial with
Olympic Marseille without the express permission of Derby manager
Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town.
Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...
. Jewell responded, saying that Mears will never play for the club again whilst he is in charge. Following the trial, the clubs agreed that Mears would go on loan to Marseille for the duration of the 2008–09 season, for a loan fee of £160,000, with the French club having the option to buy him for £1.5m at the end of the loan.
September
Following the two-week break for international fixtures, Derby's next match was against
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
. The game generated much media coverage as it was approaching a year since Derby's last league win, a run which saw the club break the English league record for most matches without a win. On 13 September 2008, four days short of the anniversary of the 1–0 win over
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, Rob Hulse scored against his former club as Derby ran out 2–1 winners, earning Paul Jewell his first league win as Derby boss at his 27th attempt. The win sparked an upturn in the club's fortunes and Derby went the whole of September undefeated, including the club's first away win in 18 months with a 2–0 success away to
Q.P.R. and a draw at home to league leaders
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. The form of defender
Martin Albrechtsen
Martin Albrechtsen (born 31 March 1980) is a Danish football player. He can play in any position across the back four and has played four games for the Danish national team. He is the older brother of Jacob Albrechtsen.
Career
Akademisk Bol ...
saw him nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award, though he lost out to
Reading's Kevin Doyle
Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...
.
October
Derby's undefeated run was stretched to six games after a 2–1 win away to
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, which saw
Nathan Ellington
Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington (born 2 July 1981) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
Ellington started his playing career with non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United. Having played once for the club, he sw ...
get his first league goal for the club with an 85th-minute winner. The win meant that Derby had earned more points in six matches than in the whole of the
previous season and put them within two points of a play-off place going into the international break. Returning from the international break, The Rams continued their run, taking it to seven games, by beating Plymouth Argyle 2–1 at home. A 3–2 defeat away to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
ended the club's unbeaten streak, but the Rams recovered to earn a point at
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
and beat Norwich for the second time in a month, winning 3–1 at home with a performance Paul Jewell described as "Our best yet".
Rob Hulse
Robert William Hulse (born 25 October 1979) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Sheffield Un ...
's form during October saw him awarded the Championship Player of the Month award, after he scored four goals in five games, while Paul Jewell earned his first
Championship Manager of the Month nomination as Derby boss, though he eventually lost out to
Cardiff's Dave Jones.
November
November started with the return of the
East Midlands derby against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
to the fixture list, following a three-year absence. The match ended as a 1–1 draw after referee
Stuart Attwell
Stuart Steven Attwell (born 6 October 1982) is an English football referee who officiates primarily in the Premier League.
Attwell made a prominent debut in 2008 as the youngest person ever to referee in the Premier League. but was demoted from ...
disallowed two Derby goals in the final few minutes. Atwell also booked eight players and issued a straight red card to Forest midfielder
Lewis McGugan
Lewis Shay McGugan (born 25 October 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. A player with excellent natural stamina, technical skills and mental attributes, he has represented England at under-17 and under-19 lev ...
. Jewell was especially vocal in his dismay at Attwell's performance, accusing the 25-year-old official of 'losing control' of the game and 'robbing' the Rams of a victory. The press furore around his display saw Attwell called in for a meeting with Referee's Chief
Keith Hackett
Keith Stuart Hackett (born 22 June 1944) is an English former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, South Yorkshire area in 1960. He is counted amongst the top 100 referees of all time in a list maintained b ...
and was consequently axed from the following week's fixture list. Days after the game Derby manager
Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town.
Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...
said that a member of
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
had contacted him and told him that the second goal should have stood. The Attwell controversy overshadowed Derby's run of only one defeat in 11 and their retention of the
Brian Clough Trophy
The Brian Clough Trophy is contested whenever East Midlands rivals Derby County and Nottingham Forest play each other (known as the East Midlands derby). The trophy is named after Brian Clough, who managed both clubs to great success. The tr ...
. It also stretched Derby's unbeaten streak against Forest to five, having lost just once to their rivals in the last 11 meetings. Following the Forest game however, Derby's form began to stutter – despite two wins over
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
clubs
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
(4–1) and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
(2–1) in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, taking Derby to their first quarter-final in the competition since 1989, Derby won just one of their next four league games, a 3–0 win over
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
that gave them their biggest league win since a 5–1 win over
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
in May 2007. The club's dip in form saw Jewell making vocal his desire to bring fresh legs and impetus into a squad being hit by injuries and a busy fixture list, whilst assistant manager Chris Hutchings called for greater 'consistency'.
Despite the club's disappointing form they remained in contention for the play-offs. The last week of November proved to be a busy one as the club signed former
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
defender
Darren Powell
Darren David Powell (born 10 March 1976) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. During his playing career, he appeared over 250 times in the Football League and Premier League. Powell was known as "a tough-t ...
on a free transfer
and brought in
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
youngster
James Tomkins and
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
's
Luke Varney
Luke Ivan Varney (born 28 September 1982) is a former English professional footballer who played as a striker. Across his career he had spells with 11 different teams.
He began his career with non-League club Quorn, a club in his home county ...
in on loan, with Andy Todd,
Liam Dickinson,
Jay McEveley
and Mitchell Hanson
[heads to Notts"''](_blank)
dcfc.co.uk, 27 November 2008. going out on loan to Northampton, Blackpool, Charlton and Notts County respectively.
December
Despite these changes the club's poor form carried into December, where defeats by
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
and
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
saw the club drop to 18th in the league and claims within the media that Jewell's position as manager was under threat, rumours denied by the club itself.
[raps Jewell report"''](_blank)
, therams.co.uk, 15 December 2008 Away from the league, a 1–0 win away to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
in the League Cup saw the club reach the semi-final of a major cup competition for the first time since the 1976 FA Cup semi-final against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, who, ironically, the club drew to face this time around too. The league form continued to worsen, with defeats against
Preston and
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
leaving the club just five points clear of relegation and, with pressure from supporters and the media increasing, Paul Jewell resigned as manager on 28 December,
[County Club Statement"''](_blank)
, dcfc.co.uk. 28 December 2008 with assistant manager
Chris Hutchings
Christopher Hutchings (born 5 July 1957) is an English former footballer and manager. He played for a number of clubs including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. He has managed in the Premie ...
taking over as caretaker manager. His first move was to recall
Liam Dickinson
Liam Michael Dickinson (born 4 October 1985) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a striker for Droylsden.
He began his senior career in non-league football with Irlam. He also played for Swinton Town, Trafford and Woodley ...
from his loan spell at
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
.
[Returns To Derby"''](_blank)
, blackpoolfc.co.uk, 30 December 2008
January
The resignation of Paul Jewell saw a raft of names being linked with Derby County, including former manager
Billy Davies
,
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship side Reading. A former midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1982 to 2007, star ...
,
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
,
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
,
Aidy Boothroyd
Adrian Neil Boothroyd (born 8 February 1971) is an English former footballer who is currently the manager of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur.
At club level, he was manager of Watford from 2005 to 2008. During his time with Watford, he was r ...
and
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley (born 8 November 1957) is an English former football player and manager. He played as a midfielder for West Ham United, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion and has worke ...
.
On the pitch Hutchings first game in charge saw The Rams go 2–0 down in the first 20 minutes away to non-league
Forest Green
At right is displayed the color forest green.
''Forest green'' refers to a green color said to resemble the color of the trees and other plants in a forest.
This web color, when written as computer code in HTML for website color display, is w ...
in the FA Cup Third round before eventually winning 4–3, earning the club a draw with local rivals
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the 4th Round. The club made its first foray into the January transfer window on 5 January 2009 with the signing of
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
defender
Seb Hines on a monthlong loan.
The same day Adam Pearson announced that a shortlist of managerial candidates had been written up, with suggestions it contained caretaker manager
Chris Hutchings
Christopher Hutchings (born 5 July 1957) is an English former footballer and manager. He played for a number of clubs including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. He has managed in the Premie ...
,
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
's
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
,
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
boss
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
and former Derby player
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
, manager of
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, with Clough as the 'top target'.
The same day saw Clough officially approached about the position
and he was announced as Derby's new manager on 6 January 2008, bringing his backroom staff of
Gary Crosby,
Andy Garner
Andrew Garner (born 8 March 1966) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Derby County and Blackpool. He is a first-team coach at Mansfield Town.
Playing career
Born in Stonebroom, Derbyshire, Ga ...
and
Martin Taylor with him from
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
.
[
]
Clough was introduced to the Derby support on 7 January, prior to the kick off of the League Cup Semi-final First Leg against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. The match presided over by Academy Manager
David Lowe as a result of
Chris Hutchings
Christopher Hutchings (born 5 July 1957) is an English former footballer and manager. He played for a number of clubs including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. He has managed in the Premie ...
leaving the club following Clough's appointment and
Kris Commons
Kristian Arran Commons (born 30 August 1983) is an English-born Scottish professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Commons started his career at Stoke City and made his debut in 2000. After four years with the club, he rej ...
's 30th minute 25-yard strike was enough to give the Rams a 1–0 lead to take into the second leg. The win was their second against
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
opposition in the competition and put the club in the strange position of beating more Premier League teams in the 2008/09 season than the previous campaign when they had actually been in the Premier League.
Clough's first game in charge was due to be
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
away in the Championship, but it was called off due to a frozen pitch. Clough also announced his intention to cut the squad as he felt it had 'too many players',
with his first move being to cancel Latvian winger Andrejs Pereplotkins' loan,
release defender
Darren Powell
Darren David Powell (born 10 March 1976) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. During his playing career, he appeared over 250 times in the Football League and Premier League. Powell was known as "a tough-t ...
when two-month contract expired
and loan out
Aleksandar Prijović
Aleksandar Prijović ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Пpиjoвић, ; born 21 April 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for A-League club Western United. Born in Switzerland, Prijović played for the Serbia national team ...
,
Giles Barnes
Giles Gordon Kirlue Barnes (born 5 August 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. He began his career with Derby County, where he won the club's Young Player of the Year award in 2007 and was Championship Player of the Month i ...
,
Lewis Price
Lewis Peter Price (born 19 July 1984) is a retired Welsh international professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the First-Team Goalkeeping Coach for League One club Milton Keynes Dons.
Apart from making 6 Premier Lea ...
and
Claude Davis
Claude Davis (born 6 March 1979) is a Jamaican former footballer who played as a defender. He previously played for Portmore United (Jamaica), Preston North End, Sheffield United, Derby County, Crystal Palace, Crawley Town and Rotherham United ...
out to
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
,
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
,
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
and
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
respectively. He also cancelled the contract of
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
n left back
Mo Camara
Mohamed "Mo" Camara (born 25 June 1975) is a Guinean former professional footballer who played as a left-back or left midfielder.
Club career Early career
Born in Conakry, Guinea, Camara spent the early years of his professional career in Fre ...
.
Clough's first game in charge was a home game against
Q.P.R. which ended in a 2–0 defeat and saw Derby drop to 20th in the table and followed it up with a 4–2 defeat away to Manchester United in the second leg of the League Cup Semi-final which saw Derby knocked out of the competition 4–3 on aggregate. Derby's second cup match in three days saw them draw 1–1 with rivals
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
at Pride Park in the FA Cup Fourth round. His second league match, away to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
ended in a 1–0 defeat which saw the club drop into the bottom three for the first time since August. Clough's first win came with a 2–1 victory over
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
, which saw the club leap to 18th in the table. The match was watched from the stands by Clough's first signing,
Chris Porter, who signed for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £400k from
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
.
February
Clough earned his first away win as Derby manager with a 3–2 win away at
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the FA Cup 4th Round replay on 4 February 2009 to book an FA Cup 5th Round tie at home to
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. The win was Derby's first win at the
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,445.
The stadium was a venue when E ...
since October 1971, when the club was managed by Nigel's father
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meani ...
, and saw the club come from being 2–0 down after 15 minutes to get the win, earning the Rams th
F&C Performance of The Week award A 3–0 win away at
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
the weekend after was Derby's biggest away win for seven years and saw the club leap up to 16th in the table. The Rams three match winning streak was ended when Man Utd knocked them out of a cup competition for the second time in a month as they ran out 4–1 winners in the FA Cup Fifth round. The Rams returned to winning ways with a 4–1 victory over
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and a 3–1 win away at
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
, their second win at their
rivals ground in a month, before a 2–1 defeat away to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
.
March
The first game of March saw Chris Porter grab his first goals for the club since his move from Motherwell in a 2–2 draw at home to
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
, a match in which The Rams threw away a 2–0 lead, leaving them just 5 points clear of the relegation zone, though still with games in hand on the majority of their relegation rivals due to the club's various cup successes. Despite only drawing, Clough declared the performance "the best since we have been here. "
Away from the pitch, the same week saw the club take
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
youngster
Josh O'Keefe
Joshua Adam O'Keefe (born 22 December 1988) is a former footballer who played as a midfielder, he retired in 2020 after spending four years at Chorley.
Career
Blackburn Rovers
Born in Whalley, Lancashire, O'Keefe was educated at Queen Elizab ...
on trial, with a view to a permanent move in the summer when his contract expired.,
Jordan Stewart's 25-yard strike in the October 2008 win over
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
nominated for the Football League
Mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
Goal of the Year 2008 award
and key players
Miles Addison
Miles Vivien Esifi Addison (born 7 January 1989) is an English footballer who plays for side Stratford Town, where he plays as a defender.
Club career Derby County
Though born in London, Addison moved to Nottingham at the age of three, where ...
and
Paul Green seasons ended by injury. Despite these setbacks, the Rams returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory over play off chasing
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, with Chris Porter scoring his third for the club after just 52 seconds and Rob Hulse grabbing his 15th of the campaign to seal the win just 2 minutes after Bristol City had equalised. The result meant the club had taken 16 points from the last 21 available and took the club to 15th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation places. In an attempt to soften the blow of losing Green and Addison, midfielders
John Eustace
John Mark Eustace (born 3 November 1979) is an English professional association football, football Coach (sports), coach and former Football player, player who is head coach of club Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City.
During his playing car ...
and
Barry Bannan
Barry Ryan Bannan (born 1 December 1989) is a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday.
Bannan began his career at Albion Rovers F.C., ...
were brought in on loan from
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
and
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
[
] respectively. As Clough stated he felt the club had too many strikers, strikers
Liam Dickinson
Liam Michael Dickinson (born 4 October 1985) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a striker for Droylsden.
He began his senior career in non-league football with Irlam. He also played for Swinton Town, Trafford and Woodley ...
(
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
),
[
] Aleksandar Prijović
Aleksandar Prijović ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Пpиjoвић, ; born 21 April 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for A-League club Western United. Born in Switzerland, Prijović played for the Serbia national team ...
(
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
)
[
] and
Paris Simmons (
Lincoln City)
and
Luke Varney
Luke Ivan Varney (born 28 September 1982) is a former English professional footballer who played as a striker. Across his career he had spells with 11 different teams.
He began his career with non-League club Quorn, a club in his home county ...
(
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
)
[
] were sent out on loan, though Simmons returned after just 4 days due to an ankle injury.
The new signings could not help the Rams record a win in the months remaining fixtures, with draws against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
sandwiching a 2–4 defeat away to playoff chasing
Sheff Utd.
April
April proved to be a difficult month for the Rams, with 4 of the first six matches of the month coming against clubs in the Top 6. Three ended in defeat – 4–1 away to
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
, 3–2 at home to
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
and 2–0 at home to
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. The club did earn a point at home to
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
, thanks to
Paul Connolly's 93rd-minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw, but a defeat away at midtable
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
meant that only a 1–0 victory at
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
gave Derby three points. It meant a run of only one win in 9 games, but the victory at Hillsborough did take the club over the 50 points marker set by
Clough
Clough ( ; ) is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits about 3 miles from Dundrum, County Down, Dundrum on the A2 road (Northern Ireland), A2 between Newcastle, County Down, Newcastle and Belfast. The A2 road (Northern ...
as the target for survival.
The last home game of the season against
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
saw Hulse presented with the
Jack Stamps Trophy for Player of the Season by 1997 winner
Chris Powell
Christopher George Robin Powell (born 8 September 1969) is an English football coach and former player, who is currently head of coaching at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur's Academy and a coach for the England national team. As a left b ...
. He celebrated by hitting his 18th goal of the season as Derby won 1–0 to guarantee their Championship survival.
With safety assured, Clough began to restructure the squad and backroom staff ahead of the 2009–10 season. In terms of backroom staff, Clough announced his intention to restructure the academy, appointing former Derby players
Darren Wassall
Darren Paul James Wassall (born 27 June 1968) is an English football coach and former player who played as a defender. He has been academy director of Derby County since 2009; he was also the club's head coach on a temporary basis during 2016. H ...
and Michael Forsyth and
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
Academy director John Perkins to the backroom staff,
to replace the departed Phil Cannon, David Lowe and Brian Burrows.
In terms of playing staff it was announced that Andy Todd and Paris Simmons would not have their contracts extended, with loanees Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Nacer Barazite and Barry Bannan returning to their clubs.
May
The season ended with an experimental line-up, featuring
Rob Hulse
Robert William Hulse (born 25 October 1979) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Sheffield Un ...
at centre-half and
Stephen Pearson
Stephen Paul Pearson (born 2 October 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
He began his career at Motherwell and joined Celtic in 2004, where he won domestic honours including two Scottish Premier League ...
at left back, losing 3–1 away to
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
to finish 18th in the Championship, the club's lowest league finish for three years, eight points clear of the relegation zone. The day after the match, Clough announced his intention to cut the playing staff by up to 17 players.
End of season squad
*Up to and including 4 May 2009.
Transfers
Summer (1 July 2008 – 1 September 2008)
In
=Permanent
=
* Total spending: ~ £3.25m
=Loan
=
Out
=Permanent
=
* Total income: ~ £6.6 million
= Loan
=
January (1 January – 2 February 2009)
In
=Permanent
=
* Total spending: ~ £1.4m
=Loan
=
Out
=Permanent
=
* Total income: ~ £0.0 million
= Loan
=
Results
Pre season
Cancelled Fixture
A proposed friendly away to
Lincoln City, due to take place on 26 July 2008, was cancelled by mutual consent when the two clubs drew each other in the first round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
.
Football League Championship
FA Cup
League Cup
Squad statistics
Appearances, goals and cards
''Last Updated – 3 May 2009''
2008/09 Records
Club
*Biggest Win – 4–1 v
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
(18 February 2009)
*Biggest Defeat – 1–4 v
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
(8 April 2009)
*Consecutive Victories – 4 (31 January 2009 – 21 February 2009)
*Longest Unbeaten Run – 7 (14 September 2008 – 18 October 2008)
*Consecutive Defeats – 4 (26 December 2008 – 27 January 2009)
*Longest Winless Run – 6 (22 November 2008 – 15 December 2009)
Individuals
End of Season Awards
League
Most league appearances:
Most league Goals:
All Competitions
Most appearances:
Most Goals:
References
Notes
External links
Derby County FC official siteDerby County FC on Soccerbase
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Derby County F.C. Season
Derby County F.C. seasons
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...