What Happened to the Derby County Team of 2008?

Following Sheffield United’s first Premier League victory of the season on Tuesday night, many Blades fans feel they may have turned a corner. However, they still sit bottom of the league with just five points.

Many have begun to speculate as to whether Derby’s infamous 11-point season may be replicated, as, still, based off the current points per game ratio, Chris Wilder's men will still break that record.

Here, we take a look at what happened next for Derby’s final starting XI of the 2007/08 campaign.

Former Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll was signed by Derby on deadline day in January 2008, following a short stint at Rangers. Despite failing to help the Rams avoid relegation, Carroll remained at the club the following season but was soon replaced as first choice keeper.

In 2009, Carroll’s contract at Derby was cancelled, in order to allow him to leave for Danish side Odense BK.

Tyrone Mears Signed on a permanent deal following a successful loan spell at the club and he suffered an injury-ridden season in the Premier League. At the start of the following campaign, Mears caused controversy by flying to Marseille for a trial, despite not being given permission by Derby.

The then-manager, Paul Jewell, proclaimed that the right-back would not play for the Rams again, before sanctioning Mears’ loan move to France. The move would go through, and he would leave Derby soon after returning to England. Three years in the Championship and three years in America would follow, before being released by West Bromwich Albion after a handful of games in 2019.

Academy graduate Lewin Nyatanga made just two Premier League appearances for Derby that season, including a final day thrashing at the hands of Reading, having spent the majority of the campaign on loan at Barnsley. The following season would see Nyatanga make 30 league appearances, before joining Bristol City in 2009.

Just another man who chased the exit door soon after.

Despite a hugely disappointing campaign, Darren Moore was named Derby County’s Player of the Season for the 2007/08 campaign. Following relegation, Moore left the club to join Barnsley, with manager Simon Davey claiming that they had beaten several clubs to his signature. He spent two years at Oakwell and left in 2010 and then spent two years at Burton Albion before retiring in 2012.

American winger Eddie Lewis spent just one season at Pride Park following his move from Leeds United, but failed to make an impact. Lewis did not score in any of his 24 league games for Derby, and ended up joining LA Galaxy in August 2008 and played his final two years of his career there, bagging two trophies alongside David Beckham before his 2010 retirement.

Another player who spent just one disappointing season in Derbyshire is Australian midfielder, Mile Sterjovski. Sterjovski scored twice in 27 league appearances, before returning to Australia to sign for Perth Glory. He retired in 2014, aged 34, and despite a decent turnover of 31 league goals in 71 appearances for Basel, Sterjovski never really did much in his European career.

Robbie Savage is the most memorable man from this disastrous time at Derby and he signed for the club in the 2008 January transfer window, for a reported £1.5m fee.

The Welshman was made Derby captain on his first day after Matthew Oakley was sold to Leicester City, and in truth, the fact a 33-year-old came into the club midway through the season and instantly took the armband tells you everything you need to know about how shambolic things were for Derby back then.

The midfielder was left out of the starting XI at the start of the following season and was eventually loaned out to Brighton & Hove Albion in October. Upon Nigel Clough’s appointment as Derby manager, Savage was brought back into the side and stayed at the club until retiring in 2011.

Manchester United sold David Jones to Derby in January 2007, after an initial loan spell at Pride Park. Jones was in and out of the team during the Rams’ miserable Premier League season, making just 15 appearances. The Englishman left the club following relegation and joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he would help to guide them to Premier League promotion.

Jones retired with Oldham Athletic last year, and in truth, arguably had a much better career post-Derby thank most in this list.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Hossam Ghaly joined Derby in the January transfer window after controversially throwing a Spurs shirt on the ground after being substituted. Ghaly would make 15 appearances for the Rams, before heading back to White Hart Lane, where he was hugely unpopular with the Tottenham supporters.

The Egyptian joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on a permanent basis in 2009, and bar a few months in Belgium in 2013/14, Ghaly would bounce between Saudi Arabia and Egypt for the 10 years after leaving Derby, before retiring in 2018.

Derby signed the Argentinian striker Emanuel Villa from Mexican club Tecos in the January window for a reported £2m. However, Villa failed to find consistency in a Derby shirt, so despite remaining at the club post-relegation, the forward eventually returned to Mexico, signing for Cruz Azul.

In fact, bar that year in Derby, Villa spent his entire 17-year playing career moving between Mexico and Argentina, and ultimately, summarised quite well why this Rams side failed so miserably: most players didn't really have the credentials to cut it in Premier League.

After years in Scotland and four in the Championship, Kenny Miller made the move back to England with Derby County in 2007/08 to relive his Premier League dream, three years after being relegated from the top flight with Wolves.

Miller would score four league goals for Derby that year and be the club's top scorer in the process. After Derby, the striker would have two more stints at Rangers and win seven major trophies, become a regular for Scotland, and experience football in Turkey and America. In truth, it actually ended up being a stellar career after leaving Derbyshire for Miller.

By Luke Feather