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.

It’s a story of how one of English football’s 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 United’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney turned up to partner with former Barcelona captain Phillip Cocu to lead a play-off push back to English football’s 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.

Ryan Conway has covered Derby County extensively since August 2019, first with The Athletic and later for the Derby Telegraph and through his own platform, Conway Conversations. Ryan has also appeared on Football Focus, BBC Radio Derby and Canal+ to discuss the Rams. He was named on the Football Blacklist’s Ones to Watch list 2020. Pride Before the Fall is Ryan’s debut book.