Derby County’s former manager James Michael Smith, known as Jim Smith or the Bald Eagle to Rams fans, sadly passed away on 10 December 2019 aged 79. He joined Derby in 1995 and resigned in October 2001, taking charge of 281 games. Based on league position in the top divisions, Jim Smith was the best manager the club have had in the last 30 years since Arthur Cox guided the Rams to fifth in the old Division 1 in the…
This article first appeared in issue 21, the final edition, of Derby County Memories. If you enjoyed reading it, why not buy copies of the magazine? See the About section for further details. There were a number of key events at Derby County in the mid to late 1960s that paved the way for the incredible success that followed. The signing of Kevin Hector in September 1966 was a major development for a club that had been in the doldrums…
Tim, a true gentleman, was probably too nice a person to bring the success that Rams fans craved, not helped by the board of directors at the time, seemingly content to see their cash-strapped club coast along in the old Second Division. His five year tenure might have been a frustrating one for him but he left behind a huge legacy. As well as bringing the splendid Alan Durban to the Baseball Ground, Tim was responsible for signing Kevin Hector,…
In December 1950 the FA withdrew its ban on floodlit football which allowed English clubs to install floodlights. However, competitive games under floodlights were still banned by the FA and clubs that had installed these had to organise friendly matches to use them. One such match was Derby’s friendly at Aldershot on Monday 18 October 1954. Derby were a team in decline and on their way towards relegation to Division 3 North only two seasons after being relegated from the…
Harry Storer managed Derby County for seven seasons starting in the summer of 1955 through to the end of the 1961-62 campaign. His achievements, considering the chaos at the Baseball Ground when he arrived, were quite extraordinary. Storer, a tough tackling wing-half for the Rams back in the 1920s and talented enough to win a couple of England caps (and a fine cricketer for Derbyshire too), had already enjoyed considerable success as a manager at Coventry and Birmingham. He arrived…
Hero Hector! Sparkling display has fans whooping. Durban grabs the goals, but £40,000 new boy is man of the match. They cheered him off the pitch, then they waited half-an-hour and cheered him out of the ground, jostling to pat him on the back. And no wonder, for nobody could have asked more of a player on his debut than £40,000 Kevin Hector provided at the Baseball Ground on Saturday’. Headline from the Derby Evening Telegraph, 26 September 1966. …
The Texaco Cup was a tournament played in the 1970s between clubs from England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland that had not qualified for European competition. It was one of the first examples of corporate sponsorship in football, backed by the American petroleum company who were keen for additional exposure after acquiring the Regent filling station chain. Matches were played during the same weeks as the European competitions, rounds consisted of two-legs and penalty shoot-outs settled drawn ties. Wolverhampton Wanderers won the first Texaco Cup…
David Moore recalls the remarkable impact made by the manager who, he believes, has never quite had the recognition he deserved for his achievement in emulating Harry Storer by quickly stabilising the club and then lifting it out of the third tier of English football the following season. The mid-1980s saw a remarkable transformation in Third Division Derby’s fortunes under the shrewd managership of Arthur Cox. At the time I was living in a leafy village close to Chester. A…
The Watney Mann Invitation Cup (the Watney Cup to supporters) was a pre-season tournament held in the early 1970s contested by the two highest scoring teams in the four divisions of the Football League the previous season that had not been promoted or involved in European competition. Sponsored by the Watney Mann brewery, it was the first tournament in England to sell its naming rights. The Rams were invited to take part in the inaugural competition and faced Fulham at Craven Cottage in the first round…
All in the Game was a football skills competition broadcast on ITV between 1976-1977 that featured players from English and Scottish clubs competing in ‘It’s a Knock-Out’ style events. The show was devised by the then Bristol City manager, Alan Dicks, who was convinced that the theme could be used to help City financially in their push to the First Division. The four preliminary rounds, two semi-finals and final were shown by ITV in seven 30 minute programmes in July…