Bill Curry

I became disillusioned with the professional game almost 20 years ago now.  For me it was spoilt by greed and the increasing financial domination of the so-called big six.  I follow the Rams now out of habit more than anything else. The best example I can give you of why I became disillusioned is a recent one.  It can be defined by two words. 
Lionel Messi.
Cries crocodile tears at a press conference because his current club can't afford to pay him 50 squillion euros a year to add to his already vast fortune which must be bigger than a third world debt. He he really wanted to play then he could afford to do so for nothing for the rest of his career.
I had a DCFC season ticket from the early sixties in the days of Tim Ward up to 2006 when I retired.  I stopped buying a ST then and never had one since, being unable to justify the silly amount it now costs.
Other team - well I've watched Belper Town for a long time now and have a Concessionary Season Ticket for the princely sum of £65 a year, full price being is a bit more.  For that I get a friendly club where they seemingly know everyone by their first name, a really good standard of football, a pleasant social club and some of the best match food available anywhere at VERY cheap prices.
If Belper are playing too far away for me to travel, I go the Matlock Town, Alfreton Town, Heanor Town or Mickleover Sports.
I enjoy my football now far more then I ever did when I was watching the Rams, especially latterly.
 
Bill
 
 

I became disillusioned with the professional game almost 20 years ago now.  For me it was spoilt by greed and the increasing financial domination of the so-called big six.  I follow the Rams now out of habit more than anything else. The best example I can give you of why I became disillusioned is a recent one.  It can be defined by two words. 
Lionel Messi.
Cries crocodile tears at a press conference because his current club can't afford to pay him 50 squillion euros a year to add to his already vast fortune which must be bigger than a third world debt. He he really wanted to play then he could afford to do so for nothing for the rest of his career.
I had a DCFC season ticket from the early sixties in the days of Tim Ward up to 2006 when I retired.  I stopped buying a ST then and never had one since, being unable to justify the silly amount it now costs.
Other team - well I've watched Belper Town for a long time now and have a Concessionary Season Ticket for the princely sum of £65 a year, full price being is a bit more.  For that I get a friendly club where they seemingly know everyone by their first name, a really good standard of football, a pleasant social club and some of the best match food available anywhere at VERY cheap prices.
If Belper are playing too far away for me to travel, I go the Matlock Town, Alfreton Town, Heanor Town or Mickleover Sports.
I enjoy my football now far more then I ever did when I was watching the Rams, especially latterly.
 
Bill
 
 

I became disillusioned with the professional game almost 20 years ago now.  For me it was spoilt by greed and the increasing financial domination of the so-called big six.  I follow the Rams now out of habit more than anything else. The best example I can give you of why I became disillusioned is a recent one.  It can be defined by two words. 
Lionel Messi.
Cries crocodile tears at a press conference because his current club can't afford to pay him 50 squillion euros a year to add to his already vast fortune which must be bigger than a third world debt. He he really wanted to play then he could afford to do so for nothing for the rest of his career.
I had a DCFC season ticket from the early sixties in the days of Tim Ward up to 2006 when I retired.  I stopped buying a ST then and never had one since, being unable to justify the silly amount it now costs.
Other team - well I've watched Belper Town for a long time now and have a Concessionary Season Ticket for the princely sum of £65 a year, full price being is a bit more.  For that I get a friendly club where they seemingly know everyone by their first name, a really good standard of football, a pleasant social club and some of the best match food available anywhere at VERY cheap prices.
If Belper are playing too far away for me to travel, I go the Matlock Town, Alfreton Town, Heanor Town or Mickleover Sports.
I enjoy my football now far more then I ever did when I was watching the Rams, especially latterly.
 
Bill
 
 

Probably go and watch Belper or Matlock, decent pint and an excellent pie ! 

Non-league.. The future 

Belper Town. Walk there and good pubs

Well Burton Albion, I think.  He was certainly on their bench in coaching capacity on Tuesday night last when a Burton Albion XI (mainly youth players) played Belper Town in a friendly.
At half-time he opened Belper's new 4G training facility too.
I might have been wrong but I'm sure I saw Eric Steele in the crowd too...
Bill
(Season ticket holder at Belper Town...)

My Dad played football with him in the Army when they both did National Service. A few months after they both left the Army Derby had a goalkeeping injury crisis and Jack remembered my Dad and got him to play a couple of A team (not sure if this was the reserves or third team of it's day) games.
The romance ended their as my Dad said he and the team were out of their depth and they lost 8-2 to Spurs. He always spoke highly of Jack and was grateful for the call.  

Remember him very well along with Havenhand etc. A polished performer

The name probably only means something to Rams fans of my vintage.  He was the Rams captain when I first started going to the BBG around 1961 and played what was then called wing-half (No 4) having started out as inside forward (No.8).
He was that very unusual species - a one club man and I'm sorry to se him suffering from that dreadful scourge of dementia.
He was the epitome of the Rams in that era - solid and unspectacular just like his team mates Geoff Barrowcliffe, Ray Young, Tony Conwell et al.
Very sad situation for him and his family.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/battling-ex-Derby-county-star-5607389
One of the greatest characters and finest players in Derby County’s history celebrates his 90th birthday later this month, in a care home where he suffers from dementia.
Former striker Jack Parry can remember many of his ex-teammates from the 1950s - but often cannnot recognise his own son.
Adored by his family and Rams fans fortunate enough to have seen him play, Jack began his Derby County career in the days of Raich Carter and Billy Steel.
A measure of his longevity as a player was that he ended it when Kevin Hector was starring. By then he had amassed 517 first-team appearances – only one of them as a substitute – and had broken the club record for League appearances and scored 110 goals.
Jack was a one-club man who gave the Rams 20 years’ loyal years. Over 500 games, half of them slogging through the ankle-deep mud of the Baseball Ground, is testament to that.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
Bill
 

The name probably only means something to Rams fans of my vintage.  He was the Rams captain when I first started going to the BBG around 1961 and played what was then called wing-half (No 4) having started out as inside forward (No.8).
He was that very unusual species - a one club man and I'm sorry to se him suffering from that dreadful scourge of dementia.
He was the epitome of the Rams in that era - solid and unspectacular just like his team mates Geoff Barrowcliffe, Ray Young, Tony Conwell et al.
Very sad situation for him and his family.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/battling-ex-Derby-county-star-5607389
One of the greatest characters and finest players in Derby County’s history celebrates his 90th birthday later this month, in a care home where he suffers from dementia.
Former striker Jack Parry can remember many of his ex-teammates from the 1950s - but often cannnot recognise his own son.
Adored by his family and Rams fans fortunate enough to have seen him play, Jack began his Derby County career in the days of Raich Carter and Billy Steel.
A measure of his longevity as a player was that he ended it when Kevin Hector was starring. By then he had amassed 517 first-team appearances – only one of them as a substitute – and had broken the club record for League appearances and scored 110 goals.
Jack was a one-club man who gave the Rams 20 years’ loyal years. Over 500 games, half of them slogging through the ankle-deep mud of the Baseball Ground, is testament to that.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
Bill
 

The name probably only means something to Rams fans of my vintage.  He was the Rams captain when I first started going to the BBG around 1961 and played what was then called wing-half (No 4) having started out as inside forward (No.8).
He was that very unusual species - a one club man and I'm sorry to se him suffering from that dreadful scourge of dementia.
He was the epitome of the Rams in that era - solid and unspectacular just like his team mates Geoff Barrowcliffe, Ray Young, Tony Conwell et al.
Very sad situation for him and his family.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/battling-ex-Derby-county-star-5607389
One of the greatest characters and finest players in Derby County’s history celebrates his 90th birthday later this month, in a care home where he suffers from dementia.
Former striker Jack Parry can remember many of his ex-teammates from the 1950s - but often cannnot recognise his own son.
Adored by his family and Rams fans fortunate enough to have seen him play, Jack began his Derby County career in the days of Raich Carter and Billy Steel.
A measure of his longevity as a player was that he ended it when Kevin Hector was starring. By then he had amassed 517 first-team appearances – only one of them as a substitute – and had broken the club record for League appearances and scored 110 goals.
Jack was a one-club man who gave the Rams 20 years’ loyal years. Over 500 games, half of them slogging through the ankle-deep mud of the Baseball Ground, is testament to that.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
Bill
 

The journey is nearing its end now so it was time to catch up with the big one, the man who was brought to derby in September 1966 to score goals, to get Derby in the big time ! That was by the then manager Tim ward, He played for the Rams for a total of 12 years, during which time they won the Football League First Division championship twice, the Football League Second Division championship and promotion to the First Division in 1969, and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, FA Cup and the League Cup.
He left Derby for Vancouver Whitecaps and scored 15 goals for the Canadian outfit as they won the 1979 NASL title.
After his time in North America he rejoined Derby in the early 1980s.
He made a record 589 appearances for Derby in his two spells, 486 of which came in league games.
he scored 201 goals, second only to Steve Bloomer and missed only four league matches in seven seasons between 67 & 74, not a coincidence that these were our most successful years.
he didn’t say much but when he did everybody listened !
it is of course the king 
Kevin Hector was quality, I spent an hour and a half with him and we discussed all things Derby County, another really pleasant guy, funny and razor sharp with his memory ! 
More great stories, he didn’t really see eye to eye with Mr Clough but he didn’t need to, Cloughie couldn’t play his mind games with his top scorer.
still looks fit and well and enjoys his football, he is often to be found in the south stand, but he says it’s nothing to what the BBG was but we all know that.
another one sadly disgruntled with the way that the club view them, that has been the common core running through this journey, none of them feel valued by the club, yesterday’s men who no longer generate money for the club so left out to graze.
as I have said many times before they could surely be put to use by the club !
what a legend !
a king of kings !
king Kev !