On Monday 18th July 2011, our beloved Pride Park is 14 years old.
Like many, I’d visited the site on a number of occasions whist Pride Park was being built and was increasingly impressed by what I saw. When the first seats went in and you could see the word ‘DERBY’ spelt out in the black & white rows, it gave me goosebumps, it still does.
I remember the opening day of the stadium very well. Her Majesty the Queen, a proud as punch Jim Smith & Lionel Pickering, everyone excited about our swish, state of the art new home & facilities.
As you walked away from Pride Park, you could still see the floodlights of the deeply nostalgic Baseball Ground and you almost felt sorry for it. The new Pride Park took some getting used to, not only the name, but the fact you would never stand or sit on those magnificent terraces of the Baseball Ground again, was quite painful.
This was progress though. This was a statement to the English Football League that Derby County were back and meant business. A solid ownership, financial security and a footballing facility that would be the envy of many for years to come.
What I’d like to know from fellow ja606 ers, is, as Pride Park enters it’s 15th year next week, what is your best and worst moment or experience of Pride Park in it’s relatively short history.
My memory will hopefully be jogged by others, but the coffee cup game against Forest in 2004 was definitely one of my favourites.
My worst was at home to Aston Villa in the Prem during that season. We lost 6-0 and I had tears in my eyes by the time the game was in it’s closing stages. I was not part of the 'conga' nor did I cheer when Villa scored.
There are a number of other bad moments, but I was actually depressed after that Villa game.
I’m not an angry or in any way a violent person, but I was sick with rage after the game against Leicester when Savage dived for that penalty and also the game against Forest a couple of years ago when Stuart Attwell was the referee. You know the feeling when you think your head is going to explode ? That was me.
Look forward to reading you memories.
Happy Birthday Pride Park
posted on 12/7/11
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 12/7/11
TEG - it;s quite unusual for us to see what the writing on our seats says, on account of them being full. It's not such a big deal for you - you can read yours even during a match
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you had as many empty seats as us last season
-------------------------------------------------------------------
That's with 7000/10000 freebies every week.
posted on 12/7/11
That's with 7000/10000 freebies every week.
When did we get a 38,000 seater stadium?
posted on 12/7/11
Best: Play Off Semi V Southampton.
Worst: QPR 2005, when one of our own Fans tried to push me from second tier SouthWest Corner into the lower tier!
posted on 12/7/11
Weird that a couple of people mentioned the Play-off Semi V Southampton, that was one of my least enjoyable matches.
Viafara tore us apart - I wanted so much to win that match that I couldn't just relax & enjoy the match; it's the same with matches against the Dogs - even when we win (remember those days? They seem so distant now...) I can't enjoy it until it's over.
Weirdly, I think I only enjoy matches I don't care about, like AJ's hated 0-6 loss to the Villa, where we all had a laugh.
Perhaps 30-odd years of disappointment has left me a bit warped…
posted on 12/7/11
The best memory for me would be the win over Arsenal with Wanchope weaving his magic and hearing Hansen drool about his skills later on M.o.D.
Almost any game at PP involving Stimac, Biano and Eranio, Wanchope, Carsley, Poom et al. On their day as entertaining as any Derby side I have ever witnessed in 40 years.
The worst..........getting hammered by Leicester was singularly the most painful game, but witnessing Doncaster Rovers play us off the park in the first game of the season after relegation from the EPL made me realise that we were truely light years away from a return to the big time. Hopefully that corner has now been turned.
posted on 12/7/11
Worst for me was the 4-0 Leicester defeat which I think changed Smith's philosophy from trying to play attractive football to trying to "keep it tight" and nick a goal with the likes of White Feather.
Best probably the cofffee cup match for pleasure, the Southampton match for excitement.
posted on 12/7/11
SDS, you saying the best game you have seen at Pride Park was in the play off second leg against Southampton, well for me mate, the better team lost, Southampton played really well that day.
For me, the best games at Pride Park was under Jim Smith, with Baiano, Wanchope, Stimac and Eranio etc, I used to always look forward to travelling to Pride Park in those days. I've got family members who are red dogs (unfortunately) who used to come along to the odd game with me, they couldn't believe the rubbish they were watching at the city Ground, compared to the fantastic stuff we were playing. They even rang Radio nottingham, telling them this!! I even heard, that Derby fans who followed Brian Clough to Nottingham Forest in the 70's, came back to Derby when Jim Smith was manager.
My worst games, were under John Gregory and Phil Brown, enough said about them the better!
posted on 13/7/11
Ay up Wassa
"what is your best and worst moment or experience of Pride Park in it’s relatively short history."
I was basing me answer on the question me Duck !
posted on 14/7/11
14 Years old, still looks new
Cost us £30m - similar build today would be well over £100m.
Thank you Mr Pickering!