That's On Point: The Web Site

So there you have it, your approximately $75 million winners -- Derby County.

The Rams 1-0 victory at Wembley Stadium today over West Bromwich Albion ensured promotion into the top flight for the first time since the 2002 season. Stephen Pearson is your goalscorer.

Derby is a team with some history behind it. The club won the FA Cup (when it still meant something) in 1945 and 1946. It also claimed the old First Division in 1971/72 and 1974/75. It's also one of the original Football League members.

Of course Derby's biggest claim to fame is that the town is most likely the origin of the term 'derby' to describe a soccer rivalry. From wikipedia:

"Another widely reported, and somewhat more plausible theory (although not accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary) is that the phrase came about from the city of Derby itself. The traditional Shrovetide football match was also common place in the city. It was renowned as a chaotic and exuberant game which involved the whole town and often resulted in fatalities! The goals were at Nuns Mill in the north and the Gallows Balk in the south of the town, and much of the action took place in the Derwent river or Markeaton brook. Nominally the players came from All Saints' and St Peter's parishes, but in practice the game was a free for all with as many as 1,000 players. A Frenchman who observed the match in 1829 wrote in horror, 'if Englishmen call this play, it would be impossible to say what they call fighting'.

And let's not forget, that when we all see The Rams playing next season, those hoighty-toighty English announcers will be calling the team, "Darby". Fun.

Since I legitimately can't say anything reasoned on Derby County, and already made a Dean Leacock joke a few weeks ago, let's take a look at how the Championship/First Division promoted teams have fared in the EPL since the 2000-01 season.

2000/01:

Charlton Athletic (9th), 52 points
Manchester City (18th, relegated) 34 points
Ipswich Town, playoff winners, (5th) 66 points, UEFA Cup

2001/02:

Fulham (13th), 44 points
Blackburn Rovers (10th), 46 points
Bolton Wanderers, playoff winners (16th), 40 points

2002/03:

Manchester City (9th), 51 points
West Bromwich Albion (19th, relegated) 26 points
Birmingham City, playoff winners, (13th) 48 points

2003/04:

Portsmouth (13th), 45 points
Leicester City (18th, relegated) 33 points
Wolverhampton Wanderers, playoff winners, (20th) 33 points

2004/05:

Norwich City (19th, relegated) 33 points
West Brom (17th, the great escape) 34 points
Crystal Palace, playoff winners, (18th, relegated) 33 points

2005/06:

Wigan Athletic (10th), 51 points
Sunderland (20th), 15 points...record for futility
West Ham United, playoff winners, (9th) 55 points, UEFA Cup (FA Cup runners up)

2006/07:

Reading (8th) 55 points
Sheffield United (18th, relegated) 38 points
Watford, playoff winners, (20th relegated) 28 points

As you can see, the recent trend is that in three of the last four years the playoff winners have gone straight back down a division. By the same token, go back to 2001 and you get Ipswich gaining 66 points -- the most of the sampling.

Scanning the Derby County roster, there aren't that many household names. Well, at least households in America. Probably the most well-known player is Arsenal 19-year-old loanee Arturo Lupoli and he's already signed for Fiorentina.

That said, I'd personally rate the current Derby team more to the promoted West Ham playoff winners from 2006, than to last year's Watford. Simply put, Watford overachieved to gain promotion to the EPL, less than a year after nearly being demoted to the English League One. It seemed like everyone at the club knew this, including manager Aidy Boothroyd since the Hornets wisely didn't overspend on marginal players in hopes of staying up another season.

Derby seems to have a pretty good young nucleus, more akin to West Ham.

Admittedly, I am pulling a total Ace Ventura here, as in I'm talking straight out of my rectum.

Labels: Soccer