Derby County had high hopes going into the season after finishing fourth the previous season, but manager George Burley, who had transformed Derby from relegation candidates into promotion hopefuls, quit in June following the sale of young midfielder Tom Huddlestone to Tottenham Hotspur, without Burley's knowledge nor consent. His replacement, Phil Brown (in his first full-time managerial position) was unable to build on Burley's good work and their poor form dragged them into the relegation mire instead. He was sacked in January after a 6–1 thrashing against Coventry City in the league and a 3–1 defeat against League One side Colchester United in the FA Cup, with Derby languishing in 19th. Former coach Terry Westley stepped up as caretaker manager; despite no wins in his first five games, he was named as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season - Westley promptly won his first game two days later, 1–0 at home to Plymouth. Westley marginally improved Derby's form and they managed to confirm their Championship survival with a few games of the season to spare. Westley, however, was not offered the role of permanent manager; that went to former Preston North End boss Billy Davies.
Derby's form was especially poor away from home, with only 2 away wins all season, a complete contrast from the previous season from which they won 12 away games including six in a row.
Kit
Derby changed both their kit manufacturer and sponsor this season, with Spanish company Joma producing the kits and the Derbyshire Building Society sponsoring the kits.[1]
Updated to match(es) played on 2 December 2011. Source: RSSSF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (R) Relegated
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
These charts below depict the most used starters in the most used starting formation. The most recent starters/formations are listed when total starts are equal between two players/formations.[3]
^Camp was born in Derby, England, and represented them at U-21 level, but also qualifies to represent Northern Ireland internationally and would make his full international debut for Northern Ireland in March 2011.
^Johnson was born in Nottingham, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and made his international debut for Jamaica in 1999.
^El Hamdaoui was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and represented them at U-21 level, but also qualifies to represent Morocco internationally and represented them at B level before making his full international debut for Morocco in February 2009.
^Moore was born in Birmingham, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Jamaica in 1999.
^Barnes was born in Barking and Dagenham, England, and represented them at U-19 level, but also qualifies to represent Jamaica internationally through his paternal grandparents and would make his international debut for Jamaica in May 2015.
^Nyatanga was born in Burton upon Trent, England, but also qualifies to represent Wales internationally through his mother and Zimbabwe through his father, and represented Wales at U-17 and U-21 level before making his international debut for Wales in March 2006.
^Lisbie was born in Hackney, England, but also qualifies to represent Jamaica internationally and made his international debut for Jamaica in 2002.
^Blackstock was born in Oxford, England, and represented them at U-18, U-19, and U-21 level, but also qualifies to represent Antigua and Barbuda internationally and made his international debut for Antigua and Barbuda in February 2012.
