Pride Before the Fall

Pride Before the Fall: How Derby County went from Play-Off Final to Near Extinction is the ultimate cautionary tale of how chasing Premier League riches can lead a club to the brink of collapse. Its a story of how one of English footballs greatest clubs were on the cusp of Premier League football, but instead were left to rue play-off heartache and then went down a path of EFL charges and legal battles, phantom takeovers from American and Saudi businessmen, administration, points deductions and a seemingly endless stream of financial woes. That tiny snowflake in the background would turn into a raging snowstorm. But before all that England and Manchester Uniteds record goalscorer Wayne Rooney turned up to partner with former Barcelona captain Phillip Cocu to lead a play-off push back to English footballs top tier at least that was the plan. The book examines how a founding member of the English Football League and two-time First Division champions were nearly wiped off the face of the earth.