Mick Harford

He literally stood as a Senate candidate for the far-right VOX party in Spain who run on an anti-immigrant, anti-feminist, anti-gay, authoritarian platform.
 
[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZQ2FG7u.png[/img]
 
https://elecciones.lacronicabadajoz.com/resultados-elecciones/generales/senado/la-rioja/la-rioja/hervias.html

He literally stood as a Senate candidate for the far-right VOX party in Spain who run on an anti-immigrant, anti-feminist, anti-gay, authoritarian platform.
 
[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZQ2FG7u.png[/img]
 
https://elecciones.lacronicabadajoz.com/resultados-elecciones/generales/senado/la-rioja/la-rioja/hervias.html

Eric is the name stated on the Companies House director list:
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12971781/officers
 

He literally stood as a Senate candidate for the far-right VOX party in Spain who run on an anti-immigrant, anti-feminist, anti-gay, authoritarian platform.
 
[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZQ2FG7u.png[/img]
 
https://elecciones.lacronicabadajoz.com/resultados-elecciones/generales/senado/la-rioja/la-rioja/hervias.html

Is this a new one? I cannot keep up.

Is this a new one? I cannot keep up.

There were certainly discussions back in 88/89 for Cruyff to come in as manager.  I believe that summer we also made moves to bring in Wise and Townsend as well as Houghton . 
 
 

I'm hoping somebody can back me up here because I'm not sure it was ever public knowledge, but at the time my old man was friendly with a number of the directors and they made a run at Johan Cruyff to grab him before he went to the USA after  leaving Barca.
And somebody mentioned Ray Houghton. That was more than he rumor, he gave Derby a verbal 'yes' before Liverpool stepped in.

Wonder if it was Zdravko Mamic?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/07/how-luka-modric-and-dejan-lovren-got-caught-up-in-croatian-corruption-world-cup-football

Ray Houghton was rumoured to be coming here from Oxford, for some reason chose Liverpool instead.
Carlos Valderama trained at the Ramarena although unsure if he was ever a realistic signing.
Lubos Kubik,  and Ivo Knoflicek as some form of insane Maxwell deal.
Rather pleased that we didn't get Jason Steele last season.

Eric Steele tells a good story about going to scout him for Villa and how all transfers from Croatia had to go through a 'Mr. Big' and what they offered Eric as hospitality (Eric, being an utter gent refused obviously)
 
 

I am bringing up the little guy (loweman3) to be a devout Ram, just like my old man did with me, when I die and they lay me to rest it’s going to go to him, my thoughts are that over time the shirts will become rarer and more valued, but I would still love to see in some mad world or parallel universe a load of mannequins displaying each shirt, like in the yard were they could all be on a shelf about ten feet up and running around the entire internal perimeter all 160 of them ! Or of course when we get this rams museum open at Pride Park !
i reckon it has cost around £8,000 so far putting together, I would like to think that some of them are quite valuable.

Jim Walker the forgotten man
As many of you know I have been for the last 18 months meeting up with the old brigade, the proper DCFC legends, the ones that put us on the map in footballing terms, the ones that made us the best team in England and got us to the European Cup semi finals, the teams of 71/72 and 74/75.
It started off as way to spend time with my Dad who was a bit lost after the loss of my mum, he is a season ticket holder now and was back in the day so I started off out on a journey that has lead us to meet most of them, one of them remains elusive and one didn’t wish to participate.
All of them have been fantastic, eager to tell stories of the great Brian Clough and the amazing fortunes of Derby County who in those bleak years of three day weeks, power blackouts, strikes and Rolls Royce nearly going under taking thousands of local jobs with it gave the people of Derby something to be proud of.
Upon meeting one of those legends, Jim Walker I was particularly struck by how at peace he was with the world, very relaxed, very friendly and by far the best story teller of them all.
Jim had not long ago lost his wife to illness so immediately him and my dad had something in common other than the love of football, he made us very welcome and gave us an open invite to go round when ever to continue with the tales.
Now most people may remember Jim as the guy who was signed by Clough & Taylor from non league football to play for Derby County and was a major part of the team that won promotion from division two in 1968/69.
He lost his place in the team to John Mcgovern but captained the reserves and stepped in when required to cover injuries of suspensions, this meant that he played only a few games in the 1971/72 season but it was his goal in a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace in late march that gave Derby both points and if you remember we won the league and finished first above dirty Leeds who were just one point behind and had a greater goal difference, so in effect Jim scored the goal that won us the First Division Championship.
Aswell as a footballer Jim is probably better known as the Aston Villa physio, he was there for around twenty years and served under many managers including Graham Taylor, Ron Atkinson, Brian Little and John Gregory, he was also the man charged with looking after Paul McGrath for many years both on and off the pitch and is spoken of in very high regard in Pauls autobiography.
He had a private practice at the Belfry for the golfers and was also the go to man at the NEC when any pop stars suffered an injury or needed attention from a physio, he worked with George Michael, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Michael Hutchence and Kylie to name a few hence him having so many fantastic stories.
Jim has also had illnesses this however does not dampen his spirit or take a smile from his face.
One thing that I was amazed to hear that Jim did not receive a medal for winning the league title despite being only one of sixteen players in that 71/72 season to have donned the shirt and scoring such a valuable goal.
When ever you see the pictures of the team celebrating and holding up their medals jim does not have one.
I approached Andy Ellis the club historian and the writer of many Derby County books and the fount of all knowledge and he confirmed it.
So we the approached the club and asked if they would support an application to Gordon Taylor of the PFA to ask if he would inturn support an application to the football league to present Jim with the medal that he should have received 46 years ago.
The club agreed and they sent the letter to Gordon Taylor who gave it his blessing and the approach was then made to the football league, this was back in February this year after the ball was started rolling in June of 2017 so it took a while.
I am delighted to say that the agreement was given and Derby County approached the very same jewellers who had made the original ones to make one for Jim, to the exact specifications of the original medals and in the same box and made from 9ct gold with all of the hall marks.
For some reason the club at this time can not be seen to publicly present Jim with the medal which is a great sadness as I thought that he was going to be able to step out on the pitch at Pride Park on the opening home game against Leeds (quite fitting as he stopped them winning the league with his goal), it is a litigious matter so I will comment no further other than to say that they did everything that they could.
So to wrap up the story I had the great honour of going to Jims house today with my dad and my son and presenting him with his long overdue medal, he had no idea that it was coming and to say that he was over whelmed is an understatement.
It was great to see his face and to have the privilege to do something like that, I had the medal at my house for a while but obviously didn’t want to post any pictures until now as it was a secret.
Not very often that you get to present a league championship winning medal on behalf of Derby County and to one of the few from those great days and can be called the legends.
We are hoping that Jim will still be able to have amore public presentation at sometime in the season at Pride Park when what ever issues are resolved.
Up the Rams !!
 

O
 
Travelled overland independently by train, lots of snow around Banya Luka (October), but still arrived in good time at Mostar. Walked from the station to the ground in conversation (in French!) with a German, who recognised the Ram motif on my shoulder bag. Gateman at the ground was after Rams souvenirs when Stuart Webb arrived, we exchanged a few pleasantries, he showed his DCFC credentials and I was allowed in with him!  The team coach arrived shortly after and Alan Hill was struggling with the kit hamper across a pebbled area, so yes, just offered a hand to get it to the visitors dressing room. Most of the players had gone to have a look at the pitch, but David Nish followed us in. He had just moved into our village and had had conversations over the garden gate with my Dad, so that was a useful starting point until Zac arrived with his bit of typical Yorkshire forthright approach!
I bade my adieus, and walked out into the next room which happened to be the club bar, which, needless to say, was full of Bosnians and Serbs. My bag and rucksack singled me out as a Rams fan, and it was only seconds before I was besieged with more requests for Rams souvenirs. I had only two left when their inside forward Vidic, who had played in the first leg at Derby, came and sat down, and he ended up with a copy of the Football League Magazine which came out with the Rams programme.
Whilst waiting in the York Hotel outside the station for the train back home after the first leg, a tall smartly dressed individual wanted the phone, speaking in  reasonable English to the hotel staff, who of course had to get the call for him - in the 1970s it was necessary to wait for calls to be obtained to less popular international locations, in this case Mostar. I assumed that he was possibly the Mostar president or CEO perhaps, so in the bar I motioned to Vidic that I wanted to speak to the "President". He disappeared and duly returned with an ageing gentleman who was in fact the Club President. But the message had got across that we needed an interpreter, and shortly after the guy seen in Derby appeared. I recalled to him that I had seen him at the York, so we were well away! Drinks and food were provided gratis, courtesey of the club / President, and I could leave my rucksack there until after the game. The well dressed guy was the reporter for the local paper, and this was news, as Mostar had beaten one of the Moscow teams (? Spartak?) over two legs in the previous round, unbelievable for a town the size of Burton!
As it built towards kick-off, I made my way out to the Terraces, only to find that I was in the private part of the ground, with only a small three- step terrace which held about 20 people maximum! A programme seller appeared walking round the ground, the very guy who had been manning the gate earlier on. I called to him and rummaged in my shoulder bag for the last souvenir, one of those circular gold and dark blue DERBY COUNTY pin badges with a Ram in the centre - you might have one still, I haven't! I thought that offering it was an appropriate gesture to a guy who had been instrumental in what was turning out to be some totally unexpected "adventure", and he proudly pinned it on, safe in the knowledge that no one else had one!
The Rams of course lost 4-1, and it was almost dark as the firecrackers went of following their third and fourth goal, the latter a penalty against Colin Todd which was clearly ball-to-hand rather than the reverse, which the high profile and even more highly controversial Dutch referee, Charles Corver, duly gave.  (He was handing out photos of himself on the flight into Dubrovnik apparently - some ego!). Stuart Webb was beside himself at this unexpected setback, and on returning home made it clear that Derby would appeal against the firecrackers during the match, so I sent in some camera shots of them to him, and weeks later they were returned after the appeal had been turned down.
So, back to the bar, where the President came to commiserate - and celebrate that lightning did sometimes strike twice. In true English fashion I offered my congratulations, and eventually took my leave of them, reflecting, in spite of my disappointment, that I had witnessed what had been a momentous event in the history of this small club.
This must sound unusual to many of you, but the club is not like an English club. The dressing rooms and bar were part of what we would call a large two story club house, set back some 50 yards from the pitch and behind the goal. The directors / officials watched the games from easy chairs in a first floor "terraced room" with sliding -folding doors, looking out "onto all they surveyed". The 50 yards in between were flower beds with rose trees, neatly trimmed low privet hedges and a pebble path for the players to access the pitch. The opposite end was not spectator accommodation. The side nearest the road was terraced, and provided perhaps 15 steps the length of the ground, and the opposite side had 3 /4  steps of concrete terrace, with a small seated stand at the half way line. Beyond this, the (enclosed) hillside rose quite steeply into the far distance, and would have accommodated the population of the three East Midlands cities with ease.  Little did I know the horrific significance that this welcoming club was to play some 20 years later. During the dissolution of the old Yugoslavia, you may be aware of the subsequent ethic cleansing which took place: the Radavan Karadice saga / era, plus others.
That same pitch was used as a concentration site / camp for those unfortunate enough to be on "the wrong side"......
And no, I had no part at DCFC, I'm just a popside fan who took his chance when it came, this being the third "adventure" that being a Rams fan has brought my way. To me, DCFC has always been a Way of Life.
Thanks for reading - sorry if I bored you.

True legend.
After a few years of decline, Arthur revived us. So many memories, thing with Arthur with his teams, you went on away days full of optimism that even as underdogs we could still get results. We never seemed to fear anyone to me.
Made all the stopovers in the likes of London all the more enjoyable. My barely/just legal drinking days were fuelled with the joy of Rams away performances and treks back from college then Uni to follow them on supporters club coaches or trains wherever the weekend took us, often with a celebration of sorts to be had.
Bloody wish those days back, no mobiles, just pure meet here and there trips and be proud to be a Ram. All because of Arthur and his teams.

Loved Arthur as our manager, absolute legend of a man and a fantastic manager, I was too young to truly appreciate what Cloughy did for us, even though I loved it at the time, but being in my early 20's when Cox was manager meant endless fun on match days and loads of brilliant memories and hangovers and maybe even a little bit of a criminal record. 

Rites of passage with King Arthur. The very best days of supporting Derby. The glorious marching progression from 1984 -1989 and then 2 Rams in the Semi Finals of Italia 1990. Absolutelyfookinamazing.
The BBG for Rotherham; Lincoln, Shef Wed; Leeds; Plymouth; Arsenal, ManU, Arsenal...
Away at Shef Utd 86 and 87, Walsall, Grimsby, Donny, Notts, Sunderland, Barnsley, notts, absolutely everywhere......
I was too young to understand the real timescales of being recent league champions and european regulars but old enough to know that my team was still relevant, going places and had a king for a manager. 
And if you couldn't get to an away match, then GR was on hand to bring it straight into your house.
Cool as custard. 
 
 
 

This day was special !