shannon2007

October/November/December 2006

The Nottingham Forest and Leeds United jobs again became vacant during this period, but once more neither club was interested in re-appointing Clough. The manager though was not overly unhappy as things were going reasonably well at Hartlepool and there was a good chance they could gain promotion. The League Cup though would not be coming to Victoria Park, after a 2-1 defeat in the 4th round as Premiership Fulham.

In the League, things were going well. Although there were the odd blips, defeats to QPR, Hull and table topping West Brom, these were more than offset by some spectacular wins. 5-0 triumphs over Port Vale and Plymouth, 5-1 over Sheffield Wednesday, 6-1 over Leeds and a couple of 4-1's. Tom McManus was continuing to do well, his 22 League goals so far already a new Hartlepool record. McManus had also added the December player of the month to his earleir September award, and Steve Adams had picked up the same award in November.

With just over half the league season gone, Hartlepool sit in an excellent 2nd place. Although the Championship title looks to be going to West Brom, the other automatic promotion spot is a distinct possibility, and it would seem that a play off spot is the worst the side can achieve now. And if they do go up, perhaps certain club directors will start to realise what they're missing.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | West Brom | | 26 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 58 | 7 | +51 | 71 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Hartlepool | | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 63 | 23 | +40 | 53 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Q.P.R. | | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 42 | 22 | +20 | 52 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Wolves | | 25 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 39 | 18 | +21 | 48 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Stoke | | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 34 | 25 | +9 | 43 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Nottm Forest | | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 44 | 31 | +13 | 41 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Leeds | | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 39 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Hull | | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 38 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Sunderland | | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 37 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Blackburn | | 26 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 36 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Rotherham | | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 35 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Plymouth | | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 | 36 | -1 | 35 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Gillingham | | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 44 | -9 | 35 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Sheff Wed | | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 34 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Sheff Utd | | 26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 29 | -3 | 34 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Portsmouth | | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 33 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Crystal Palace | | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 32 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Ipswich | | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 38 | 44 | -6 | 32 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Watford | | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 38 | 44 | -6 | 31 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Burnley | | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 31 | 41 | -10 | 31 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Brighton | | 26 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 31 | 54 | -23 | 24 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | | Cardiff | | 26 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 20 | 45 | -25 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | | Millwall | | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 24 | 53 | -29 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | | Port Vale | | 26 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 8 | 65 | -57 | 9 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

shannon2007

Moving on

Having been knocked back by Forest twice, Leeds twice and Derby once already, Clough was not exactly overly confident when he sent off his CV once more to Derby County, who sitting in 5th place in League One, decided that appointing Colin Todd had after all benn a huge mistake, and promptly sacked him.

Apparantly Barnet manager Paul Fairclough was tge hot favourite, with Jan Molby, Leroy Resenoir and Mark Hateley also all linked with the job. No-one even so much as mentioned Brian Clough, so when at a press conference on the 16th of January 2007, the 71 year old was unveiled as the new boss of Derby County, the press were amazed. And a new era had begun.....

retired_halo218

finally!! KUTGW!

Mike..

Booooo!!

Oops, erm, well done Cloughie

shannon2007

Thanks guys, was a relief I can tell you!

shannon2007

Derby

January/February 2007

Derby sat in 5th place when Clough arrived, hardly what you would call a disasterous performance from the previous manager. With two £15M loans that wouldnt be paid off for many years draining £200k a month the finances might not be expected to be the best. Yet with a current account balance of just over £5M, Clough found himself with a tidy little nest egg of £3M to spend.

That was just as well, as with only fifteen players at the club the squad was at breaking point. It was unsurprising that it was to former club Hartlepool Clough turned and no fewer than nine players were lured away, including both that clubs keepers. A further four players were brought in, at a total cost of £2M, but the sale of right back Shaun Barker nearly covered that as he went to Portsmouth for £1.5M.

Things have started quite well, although the race is on to find a striker before the deadline closes in. After winning nothing with Hartlepool, Clough had only been at Derby two weeks when he picked up the January manager of the month. A run of eight successive wins saw the side rise to the top of the table, although that run ended with a 2-1 loss at Torquay. Its very tight at the top, but there is a feeling Derby will be bouncing straight back to the Championship.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Derby | | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 73 | 39 | +34 | 70 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Swindon | | 35 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 68 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Coventry | | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 65 | 45 | +20 | 68 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Swansea | | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 67 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Oldham | | 36 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 53 | 39 | +14 | 63 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Bristol C | | 36 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Preston | | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 44 | +3 | 55 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Chesterfield | | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Crewe | | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 51 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Bradford City | | 36 | 15 | 5 | 16 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 50 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Notts Co | | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 50 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Doncaster | | 36 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 49 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Walsall | | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 53 | 59 | -6 | 49 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Barnsley | | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 48 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Grimsby | | 36 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 54 | 61 | -7 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Brentford | | 35 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 48 | 56 | -8 | 44 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Yeovil | | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 42 | 56 | -14 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Huddersfield | | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 45 | 61 | -16 | 42 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Blackpool | | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Colchester | | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 43 | 52 | -9 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Torquay | | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 53 | 60 | -7 | 39 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | | Stockport | | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 43 | 55 | -12 | 38 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | | MK Dons | | 36 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 46 | 62 | -16 | 36 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | | Oxford | | 36 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 68 | -37 | 23 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_amyslack

Congrats on the new job PM :thup: - 'bout time they saw sense.

enjikari

Hurrah!

Well done. Good luck with the rest of this stage

shannon2007

Thanks again, lets hope I dont get sacked now lol

shannon2007

March/April/May 2007

Although promotion wasnt 100% guaranteed, it was fair to say it nearly was and it would take a spectacular collapse. Yet heading into the finishing straight, the race wasnt only for promotion but also for the league title, which would certainly be an added bonus. Yet it seemed the Derby players didnt want the honour as they lost to Bradford, then after another two wins, proceeded to draw with Yeovil and then the big one with Swindon.

Final game wins though over Grimsby and Barnsley, along with the fact that Swindon could only draw there last two, and Derby were crowned Champions. Clough was back in the Championship and now it was full steam ahead. Hopefully.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Derby | | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 94 | 43 | +51 | 91 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Swindon | | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 87 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Pl | Coventry | | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 84 | 53 | +31 | 86 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Pl | Swansea | | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 76 | 56 | +20 | 79 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Pl | Oldham | | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 66 | 50 | +16 | 77 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Pl | Walsall | | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 82 | 70 | +12 | 74 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Bradford City | | 46 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 79 | 70 | +9 | 69 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Doncaster | | 46 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 69 | 64 | +5 | 69 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Barnsley | | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 68 | 61 | +7 | 66 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Chesterfield | | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 68 | 67 | +1 | 66 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Bristol C | | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 64 | 70 | -6 | 66 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Blackpool | | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 63 | 59 | +4 | 62 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Preston | | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 54 | 59 | -5 | 62 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Crewe | | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 70 | 70 | 0 | 60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Brentford | | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 58 | 72 | -14 | 58 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Yeovil | | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 52 | 68 | -16 | 57 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Notts Co | | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 64 | -11 | 56 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Grimsby | | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 62 | 77 | -15 | 56 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Colchester | | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 56 | 68 | -12 | 54 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Torquay | | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 63 | 72 | -9 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | R | Huddersfield | | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 57 | 77 | -20 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Stockport | | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 52 | 62 | -10 | 52 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | MK Dons | | 46 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 50 | 80 | -30 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | Oxford | | 46 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 43 | 84 | -41 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>