Derby fans with no connections to Derby

[CWC1983]

That sounds like me but I moved down 7 years ago. Went to Derby, Forest, Leicester, Stoke, Birmingham, Villa games. Ended up doing mostly Derby games due to living in the city and the Scottish players around at the time. 

Started to go most weeks when Mclaren got the job and the team started to play really  entertaining football. 

I got my first season ticket a few years ago just before the play off final. 

Now, if the team loses it ruins my weekend and if they win Ive got a spring in my step until the next game. 

I love the one team one city feel about the club, it reminds me of home, and Im proud of telling my mates back home about whats happening with dcfc.

The weird thing is that ive never bought any aberdeen merchandise, but my brother has bought me some Derby stuff  for the past 2 christmas that i wear when im back in the granite city. 

Basically, I love going to the football, and found a club on my doorstep that i care about. 

 

[toddy]

I am originally from the NE- county Durham, my father was a maccam. Long story but my dad used to go around the working men's clubs with buckets with Cloughy trying to raise cash for Hartlepools utd. By the time I was into football circa 70, my dad would tell me the stories of Cloughy, playing for Sunderland and managing H/pool  etc and suddenly this bloke who my dad said was one of the best CF he had seen play was on tv  with this club called Derby County, I was an 8 year old and matching MoTD everytime Derby were on, reading the sports pages and I was hooked on Derby because of the connection of my dad and Cloughy. 

[RamNut]

9 minutes ago, toddy said:

I am originally from the NE- county Durham, my father was a maccam. Long story but my dad used to go around the working men's clubs with buckets with Cloughy trying to raise cash for Hartlepools utd. By the time I was into football circa 70, my dad would tell me the stories of Cloughy, playing for Sunderland and managing H/pool  etc and suddenly this bloke who my dad said was one of the best CF he had seen play was on tv  with this club called Derby County, I was an 8 year old and matching MoTD everytime Derby were on, reading the sports pages and I was hooked on Derby because of the connection of my dad and Cloughy. 

Kinell

sounds like you are the real Toddy 

[Mostyn6]

49 minutes ago, StockholmRam said:

There is a quite sizable ( 100 or so) DCFC supporters club in Sweden ran by a fella called Bjorn in Malmö. 

In my early ex pat days living here I joined the Stockholm branch a few games in designated pubs in Stockholm for matches. I have to say it was quite a bizzare experience as coming from real Derby, in Actual England I was treated as something that can best be described as heroic and maybe even slightly exotic!! Pinned into a corner of the bar and quizzed constantly about Derby, which streets I know, walked on, where I hung out. A few of them had been over for games and spent time in Derby which they thought was utopia... 

Most of us from Derby know the old place inside and out and as much as we have obvious affection for the streets we grew up in I think we know only too well that utopia it ain't... It was quite quaint this brief dalience with these fellas as I found it a bit too much after a while. 

Reason for the supporters club over here is that late 60s Sweden was the first country to show live football from England abroad and Derby were shown a lot in those times right through the 70s. Swedes into football usually adopt an English team. Usually Man Utd, Arsenal, Spurs, Leeds, Liverpool. I meet the odd Ipswich, Forest and Villa fans out here too. All throw backs to 70s...

you know what? Going to Stockholm to meet up with Swedish Rams fans and perhaps doing a pub crawl and then watching the Rams on TV really appeals to me.

[North_Stand_Ram]

There was a fella in the DET a few years back who follows the Rams home and away who lives in Scotland, think there was a season where he went to every game, think he started following us in the 70's

[Duracell]

Plain and simple, I support Derby because my dad does.

Born in Bedford but raised in Northamptonshire, I've grown up in pointless counties with no passion for anything, let alone football. Sixfields might be the most dour stadium in the country, and Nene Park was a new stadium so unfit for purpose, it's sent two clubs bust.

Supporting local was never an option for me anyway - and supporting Derby wasn't much of a choice either.

Wouldn't say I have no connection to the city though, because I've been going there every other weekend since the age of 5.

[uttoxram75]

18 minutes ago, Mostyn6 said:

you know what? Going to Stockholm to meet up with Swedish Rams fans and perhaps doing a pub crawl and then watching the Rams on TV really appeals to me.

Its the £8 a pint bit that puts me off.....not been mesen but me lad spent three weeks there some years ago and said its the most expensive beer in the world!

[Cisse]

In 1987 I started to follow the results of the Derby games from the football magazine. In early 1990's I decided that Derby County would be my number 1 football team. I was watching Derby game to start from TV and the announcer was telling about all kinds of trouble that Rams had at that time and I said to my girlfriend that this is the team for me the rest of my life.

In 2007 I attended my first Derby game at Pride Park and have been there since every season.And  now that I have found the Pointy Room and some friends from there you won't ever get rid of me again.

Derby 'til I die.

[uttoxram75]

11 minutes ago, Cisse said:

In 1987 I started to follow the results of the Derby games from the football magazine. In early 1990's I decided that Derby County would be my number 1 football team. I was watching Derby game to start from TV and the announcer was telling about all kinds of trouble that Rams had at that time and I said to my girlfriend that this is the team for me the rest of my life.

In 2007 I attended my first Derby game at Pride Park and have been there since every season.And  now that I have found the Pointy Room and some friends from there you won't ever get rid of me again.

Derby 'til I die.

Fook off you Port Vale barsteward.

[froggg]

2 hours ago, Jortat said:

      I was a gooner born and bred but when the legend Charlie George moved from Arsenal to Derby I switched my allegiance and have supported Derby ever since. 

    So now its 150 miles each way to a home game instead of a quick jaunt down to North London ,but I have never regretted it .

are you serious?

[uttoxram75]

Just now, uttoxram75 said:

Fook off you Port Vale barsteward.

Mind you, it could have been far worse....you could have liked the other team from that area.

Mind you, Dario Gradi at Crewe has links with Derby!

[RamNut]

17 minutes ago, Cisse said:

In 1987 I started to follow the results of the Derby games from the football magazine. In early 1990's I decided that Derby County would be my number 1 football team. I was watching Derby game to start from TV and the announcer was telling about all kinds of trouble that Rams had at that time and I said to my girlfriend that this is the team for me the rest of my life.

In 2007 I attended my first Derby game at Pride Park and have been there since every season.And  now that I have found the Pointy Room and some friends from there you won't ever get rid of me again.

Derby 'til I die.

No mention of what happened to the girlfriend.

i have a mental image of her immediately getting up and walking out.

[i-Ram]

I started supporting the Rams c1967/68 although then, and never since, have I lived within 100 miles of Derby.  

I support Derby only because of a 1 in 3 chance. My dad (who to this day has had zip interest in football) used to manage a petrol station, and returned home one evening with 3 framed pictures of football teams, which I suspect was promotional garbage hanging around. WBA, Fulham and Derby. I was 7'ish at the time, and whilst I think I liked football at the time, I have no memory say of the World Cup or Celtic/Man U winning the European Cup. 

Anyway I chose Derby to support as I liked that picture the best - I have this strong memory of the team sat posing in front of what looked like a dilapidated green corrugated shed, with a vivid orange ball to the forefront.

My first Ram's game was WBA (c1969 - I remember Colin Suggett being great that day, and losing 2-0). I went to very few games during the glory years - all of them were away and many were defeats; WBA, Wolves, Villa, Coventry and Brum. No Sat Nav at the time, but my dad obviously knew Birmingham quite well.  I found to my cost he knew Derby less well as my first home game was 1976'ish - Arsenal. We arrived 15 minutes before the end, and my only other memory was sobbing a lot of the way home. Pathetic now I think about it, but it was my first visit to BBG (and to this day the worst). 

Never been a season ticket holder. But once I passed my driving test at 20 I watched a great many games throughout the 80's travelling back and forth in a battered Morris Marina, replaced in 1984 by an Escort. It was my only escort, I never travelled with others as I didn't know any other Derby fan - a mobile phone / forum board would have been good back then. I did know Steve Emery ironically as he lived in my town, and we became good mates over the years as we played for the same cricket team.

The 90's brought kids and career progression, but I still look back to the 80's with great fondness, even though we were ***** most of the time. So in truth were my haircuts and fashion sense.

[StockholmRam]

2 hours ago, uttoxram75 said:

Its the £8 a pint bit that puts me off.....not been mesen but me lad spent three weeks there some years ago and said its the most expensive beer in the world!

Only 3 quid for the beer Utch... The other fiver is just for the privilege... If you pay ten quid we let you ogle the lasses too.

[Detroit Derby Fan]

I live in suburban Detroit, and have been following Derby since halfway through the 2013/2014 season. I became aware of Derby through meeting Andy Appleby (also in the Detroit area).  Some of my friends follow the bigger clubs, but my son and I have been hooked on Derby since the unfortunate loss to QPR at Wembley.  With one of my boys playing high school soccer, following the analysis on your message board and watching the games on BEIN has really helped our understanding of the nuances of the game.  

I even sent a few emails to the club to inquire about starting  a local supporters group, but have had no response. Hopefully Derby will be  touring the states again, after their inevitable promotion.

[SaintRam]

4 minutes ago, Detroit Derby Fan said:

I live in suburban Detroit, and have been following Derby since halfway through the 2013/2014 season. I became aware of Derby through meeting Andy Appleby (also in the Detroit area).  Some of my friends follow the bigger clubs, but my son and I have been hooked on Derby since the unfortunate loss to QPR at Wembley.  With one of my boys playing high school soccer, following the analysis on your message board and watching the games on BEIN has really helped our understanding of the nuances of the game.  

I even sent a few emails to the club to inquire about starting  a local supporters group, but have had no response. Hopefully Derby will be  touring the states again, after their inevitable promotion.

Don't trust the "analysis" on this site too much 

[Bris Vegas]

I wonder what Valleyram's reason is for following Derby? 

I support Derby because my Dad took me there. What's quite surprising is that he's always listening to the matches, he's very much a loyal fan but he didn't move to Derby until he was in his 30s.

I've asked him who he supported before, but he never really told me. Can somebody not like football for 30 years and then all of a sudden become a big fan? I've always wondered,

 

[RamNut]

3 hours ago, i-Ram said:

I still look back to the 80's with great fondness, even though we were ***** most of the time.

85-6 onwards we were ok. Just shows what a great job Arthur did.

Poor old Steve Emery......got absolutely smashed by Gerry Gow at Rotherham. Is that a record for the fastest ever sending off?

[Cisse]

7 hours ago, RamNut said:

No mention of what happened to the girlfriend.

i have a mental image of her immediately getting up and walking out.

She later married success. A ManU fan.

[ValeRam]

9 hours ago, mozza said:

my all time fave is Charlie..

I agree Mozza , definitely in my top three of all time

Its interesting though that he often doesn't feature at the top of  the list of Rams greats. Ive got an 'Unforgettables' picture on my wall where he doesn't feature at all , bought from DCFC . There are 16 on there, including Kinkladze and David Nish.