I'm writing a 10 minute presentation, I think I've already wrote too much and I'm getting a bit bored. Please read it and tell me where to trim :)

[trekkie_ram]

Ladies and Gentleman, today I am going to bore you with a 10 minute presentation

on the football team that I support, Derby County.

Derby County were founded on the 5th of February 1884, this was the same year in which:

• The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.
  
• And it is the same year as the Colchester Earthquake. Which is the single most destructive Earthquake in UK History...
  

... making the forming of Derby County the second most tragic event to occur that year.

The club were founded by William Morley, as an offshoot to the much more popular Derbyshire County Cricket Club, as a way to give the players something to do in the winter. The original plan was to call the team Derbyshire County Football Club, but the FA decided that having that name would confuse fans who thought they were attending a Cricket match.

Our nickname is The Rams, which is a tribute to the clubs links with The First Regiment of Derby Militia.

Despite the club being formed in February, It took seven months before we played our first match.

A friendly against a footballing giant by the name of Great Lever.

We lost 6-0.

The following year we made our debut in the FA Cup, and played our first ever competitive match against the mighty Walsall Town.

We lost 7-0.

At home.

Despite these early setbacks we went from strength to strength. Derby were one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and as two of those teams no longer exist, we are one of only ten clubs that have competed in every single season of the English Football League.

We had an excellent early history which will be remembered most fondly for an individual named Steve Bloomer. Bloomer played for Derby for a total of 18yrs, scoring 332 goals in 525 matches, and would have certainly played more if not for a minor tiff with Germany in 1914.

Steve Bloomer had an outstanding record for the England national side, scoring 28 goals in only 23 games, and is considered by many to have been England's first superstar. But unfortunately Roy Hodgson has decided to take Andy Carroll & Stewart Downing to the Euro's instead.

Derby were a competitve force in 1890's finishing runners up in 1896, and twice finished 3rd. We had several excellent runs in the FA Cup, reaching the final on three occasions.

In 1898 we played local rivals Nottingham Forest.

We Lost 3-1.

The following year, 1899, we reached the final again, we played Sheffield United.

We lost 4-1.

In 1903 we reached the final again, we played Bury, surely third time lucky?

We lost 6-0.

109yrs later, this is still the record, for the biggest winning margin in FA Cup Final history.

Derby County have played their home games at three different stadiums, namely:

The Racecourse Ground from 1884 to 1895.

The Baseball Ground from 1895 to 1997.

And since 1997 we have played in our present stadium, Pride Park.

Derby County are the only team that have hosted a home England international at three different grounds. The most recent being a 4-0 friendly win over Mexico in 2001.

Following that FA Cup Final defeat in 1903, Derby County spent 30yrs yo-yoing between the old first and second divisions, but did very little of note before the second world war.

The year was 1946, and it was the first FA Cup Competition since the war had ended. For some reason, every single round up to the final was contested over two legs. This was the first and last time this had ever happened. It was also the last time...

... that Derby County reached an FA Cup Final.

We were playing Charlton. It had been 43yrs since our 6-0 defeat against Bury, and as you now know, BECAUSE that 6-0 scoreline is still a record, we couldn't have done any worse. Surely?

We won 4-1, we needed Extra Time, but we won!

7yrs later we were relegated.

2yrs later we were relegated again.

We have only ever had two stints in the third division, each lasting two seasons, this was the first. We scored 221 league goals in two seasons in the third tier, finishing second (which wasn't good enough for promotion back then) and then as champions.

We established ourselves as a mediocre Second Division side before the arrival of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in 1967. Now the story of Brian Clough & Peter Taylor could easily be turned into an hour long presentation by itself, and I only have 10 minutes to talk about Derby County.

They were a revelation for the club and had turned Derby County into English Champions by 1972. With legendary players including Kevin Hector, Roy McFarland, Colin Todd & Archie Gemmill. We went on to compete in Europe in 1973, we reached the Semi-Final of the European Cup, where we controversially beaten by Juventus, amid strong accusations that they had bribed the referee. Considering they have been found guilty of this on multiple occasions, it seems likely that a bribe cost us the 1973 European Cup.

[SillyBilly]

http://www.golocalprov.com/images/made/images/remote/http_images.golocalprov.com/lifestyle/D_360_270

[JacobDcfc]

Really good read 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

[p.shilton]

so far so good, it is amazing how quickly it will be over though- nowhere near 10 minutes there yet

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Think about what you want to say and put it down in bullet points rather than scripted. It will come over as much more natural. By the way our history in the top flight (overall points gained) is not bad at all. More research please! D -

[Brammie Steve]

Enjoyed that!

The Rams are named after the folk song "The Derby Ram" which I presume is the origin of the regimental Mascot also.

In 1946 the ball burst during the cup final. Derby went on to lose on the Monday night after their cup win!

Could you fit in a sentence about us holding the record for the worst premier league achievement of 11 points and only one win all season.

I think you'll keep folk's attention particularly in the way you build up expectations and then bring them crashing down with a resounding thud by saying that we lost. Good technique, get the audience laughing and you can get away with almost anything.

I know you've only got 10 minutes but anyone who ever went to the baseball ground will recall that it was probably the boggiest ground in the country, worth as much as a 12th man on the pitch.

Hope the talk goes well! Leave 'em wanting more! KISS (keep it simple, stupid) 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Here it is!

http://www.myfootballfacts.com/All-TimeTopFlightPointsTable1888-89to2008-09.html

[davenportram]

The reason the FA cup was two legs was that there was no league season that year I think

[Pearl Ram]

Enjoyed that trekkie. http://knifewallpapers.com/smilies/thumbs_up_smiley

[davenportram]

Here we go

http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=2763

Bert turner scored for us and them, the ball burst en route to goal too

[-JW-]

Whats the presntation for? it's good so far mate.

[mozza]

Here it is!

[url=http://www.myfootballfacts.com/All-TimeTopFlightPointsTable1888-89to2008-09.html]http://www.myfootbal...9to2008-09.html

Interesting stats Pimp.

Weve played 2,468 games in the top flight..

Home P 1,234 W 644 D 289 L 301 F 2,436 A 1,539

Away P 1,234 W 262 D 296 L 676 F 1,328 A 2,371

Total points gained in top flight = 2510 pts. = 15th position in all time chart, 1 place above Dirties and 2 places

above Red Dogs 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

[davenportram]

Maybe worth mentioning that Bloomer is still above Wayne Rooney in the goals for England table courtesy of the fact that it has taken Rooney 50 more games to reach 28 goals than it did Bloomer

[uttoxram75]

Good stuff trekkie.......you .could mention the gypsy curse? there's a bit about it here...........

[url=http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=2763]http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=2763

[trekkie_ram]

Thanks for all the feedback and idea's guys. I'd love to say it's for school - lol - but as I'm nearly 30 it isn't. It's for a 'Public Speaking Course' that I need to take for a tick in the box towards becoming an instructor (hopefully).

[Duracell]

You need to mention that the first ever African to play for us was in 1927. Tewfick Abdullah.

And in the 1946 cup final, the ball burst and Turner scored for both teams in the space of two minutes.

It looks really good though Trekkie, deliver that well and you've got an excellent speech.

[sage]

Good stuff. If you need to trim anything, I'd go for the two paragraphs before the 1946 final.

[PrivateDerby]

Enjoyed reading that trekkie.

The Baseball Ground had nothing on the Racecourse, my ears are still ringing.

[ilkleyram]

good luck Trekkie

I thought that it had been proved beyond all doubt - following years of investigation by the Sunday Times - that the ref in the Juventus match took a bribe. I don't think it's an accusation or 'likely' I think it's undoubtedly true

[t'oldu]

And the game of 3 halves

First day of 1894-95 at Sunderland. The ref was late so they started without him. We were 3-0 down at half-time when the ref arrived and restarted the game. We lost 8-0 ........... or 11-0 if you count them all.....................