# 2001–02 Derby County F.C. season

During the 2001–02 English football season, Derby County competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

## Season summary

Derby started their new season quite well with a 2–1 win over newly-promoted Blackburn Rovers. Manager Jim Smith rejected the offer to become Director of Football and resigned on 7 October after more than six years at the helm. His assistant Colin Todd, who won two league titles with the club in the 1970s, was promoted to the manager's seat, but by this stage the Rams were deep in relegation trouble. A shock 3–1 home defeat against Division Three strugglers Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup proved the final straw for the directors and Todd was sacked days later, after a mere three months in charge. By the end of the month, John Gregory had taken over at Pride Park just six days after quitting Aston Villa. Two quick wins and a draw against Manchester United suggested that Gregory might be Derby's saviour, but seven defeats from their final eight games condemned Derby to relegation.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 44 | 62 | −18 | 40 | |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 40 | |
| 18 | Ipswich Town (R) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | UEFA Cup QR and relegation to the First Division |
| 19 | Derby County (R) | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 30 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 20 | Leicester City (R) | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 30 | 64 | −34 | 28 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
* ↑ Ipswich Town qualified for the UEFA Cup qualifying as the winners of Premiership Fair Play League by The Football Association, and as one of the UEFA Fair Play ranking winners.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Statto

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | L | D | D | L | L | L | L | D | D | L | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | D | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | D |
| Position | 4 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |

## Results

Derby County's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 18 August 2001 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | 28,236 | Ravanelli, Christie |
| 21 August 2001 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–3 | 21,197 | Ravanelli |
| 25 August 2001 | Fulham | A | 0–0 | 15,641 | |
| 8 September 2001 | West Ham United | H | 0–0 | 27,802 | |
| 15 September 2001 | Leicester City | H | 2–3 | 26,863 | Burton, Ravanelli (pen) |
| 23 September 2001 | Leeds United | A | 0–3 | 39,155 | |
| 29 September 2001 | Arsenal | H | 0–2 | 29,200 | |
| 15 October 2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–3 | 30,148 | Ravanelli |
| 20 October 2001 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–1 | 30,221 | Ravanelli |
| 28 October 2001 | Chelsea | H | 1–1 | 28,910 | Ravanelli |
| 3 November 2001 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–5 | 28,117 | Ravanelli |
| 17 November 2001 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | 32,063 | Mawéné |
| 24 November 2001 | Newcastle United | A | 0–1 | 50,070 | |
| 1 December 2001 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 33,289 | |
| 8 December 2001 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 25,712 | Christie |
| 12 December 2001 | Manchester United | A | 0–5 | 67,577 | |
| 15 December 2001 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 38,615 | |
| 22 December 2001 | Aston Villa | H | 3–1 | 28,001 | Ravanelli, Carbone, Christie |
| 26 December 2001 | West Ham United | A | 0–4 | 31,397 | |
| 29 December 2001 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–0 | 23,529 | Christie |
| 2 January 2002 | Fulham | H | 0–1 | 28,165 | |
| 12 January 2002 | Aston Villa | A | 1–2 | 28,881 | Powell |
| 19 January 2002 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–3 | 29,658 | Christie |
| 29 January 2002 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–1 | 25,387 | |
| 2 February 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–0 | 27,721 | Morris |
| 9 February 2002 | Sunderland | H | 0–1 | 31,771 | |
| 23 February 2002 | Leicester City | A | 3–0 | 21,620 | Kinkladze, Strupar, Morris |
| 3 March 2002 | Manchester United | H | 2–2 | 33,041 | Christie (2) |
| 5 March 2002 | Arsenal | A | 0–1 | 37,878 | |
| 16 March 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 3–1 | 25,893 | Christie, Ravanelli, Higginbotham (pen) |
| 23 March 2002 | Everton | H | 3–4 | 33,297 | Strupar (2), Morris |
| 30 March 2002 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 37,849 | Strupar |
| 1 April 2002 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | 30,822 | |
| 6 April 2002 | Southampton | A | 0–2 | 29,263 | |
| 13 April 2002 | Newcastle United | H | 2–3 | 31,031 | Christie, Morris |
| 20 April 2002 | Liverpool | A | 0–2 | 43,510 | |
| 27 April 2002 | Leeds United | H | 0–1 | 30,705 | |
| 11 May 2002 | Sunderland | A | 1–1 | 47,989 | Robinson |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 6 January 2002 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–3 | 18,549 | Ravanelli |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 12 September 2001 | Hull City | H | 3–0 | 11,246 | Burton (2), Kinkladze |
| R3 | 10 October 2001 | Fulham | A | 2–5 | 9,217 | Burley, Ravanelli |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | EST | Mart Poom |
| 2 | DF | ARG | Horacio Carbonari |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Brian O'Neil |
| 4 | MF | JAM | Darryl Powell (captain) |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Chris Riggott |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Rob Lee |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Craig Burley |
| 9 | FW | JAM | Deon Burton |
| 10 | MF | GEO | Georgi Kinkladze |
| 11 | FW | ITA | Fabrizio Ravanelli |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Malcolm Christie |
| 14 | FW | ENG | Lee Morris |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Danny Higginbotham |
| 16 | MF | ARG | Luciano Zavagno |
| 17 | DF | FRA | Youl Mawéné |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Richard Jackson |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Steve Elliott |
| 20 | FW | SCO | Gary Twigg |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Adam Murray |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Warren Barton |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Paul Boertien |
| 24 | GK | ENG | Andy Oakes |
| 25 | FW | BEL | Branko Strupar |
| 26 | FW | ENG | Marvin Robinson |
| 27 | GK | SUI | Patrick Foletti |
| 28 | MF | FIN | Simo Valakari |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Ian Evatt |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Adam Bolder |
| 38 | DF | FRA | François Grenet |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Seth Johnson (to Leeds United) |
| 7 | FW | ITA | Benito Carbone (on loan from Bradford City) |
| 20 | MF | ITA | Stefano Eranio (released) |
| 20 | GK | USA | Ian Feuer (on loan from Wimbledon) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | DF | ITA | Daniele Daino (on loan from Milan) |
| 27 | DF | AUS | Con Blatsis (to Colchester United) |
| 37 | MF | FRA | Pierre Ducrocq (on loan from Paris Saint-Germain) |

### Reserve squad

    The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Bjørn Otto Bragstad (on loan to Birmingham City) |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Marcus Tudgay |
| 32 | GK | ENG | Lee Grant |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Lewis Hunt |
| 34 | DF | NIR | Gareth McKeown |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 35 | MF | IRL | Fiachra McArdle |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Matt O'Halloran |
| — | GK | ENG | Lee Camp |
| — | DF | ENG | Pablo Mills |
| — | MF | FIN | Kristoffer Weckström |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
| 27 July 2001 | FW | Fabrizio Ravanelli | Lazio | Free |
| 16 October 2001 | DF | Luciano Zavagno | Troyes | Signed |
| 1 November 2001 | DF | François Grenet | Bordeaux | £3,000,000 |
| 1 February 2002 | DF | Warren Barton | Newcastle United | £200,000 |
| 7 February 2002 | MF | Rob Lee | Newcastle United | £250,000 |
| 21 February 2002 | GK | Patrick Foletti | FC Luzern | Free |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
| 10 July 2001 | MF | Rory Delap | Southampton | £4,000,000 |
| 8 October 2001 | MF | Stefano Eranio | Released | Released |
| 18 October 2001 | MF | Seth Johnson | Leeds United | £7,000,000 |
| 15 March 2002 | DF | Con Blatsis | Colchester United | Free |
    Transfers in: £3,450,000
    Transfers out: £11,000,000
    Total spending: £7,550,000

### Loan in

| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return |
| 8 August 2001 | DF | Daniele Daino | Milan | 8 November 2001 |
| 12 October 2001 | GK | Ian Feuer | Wimbledon | 4 November 2001 |
| 16 October 2001 | MF | Pierre Ducrocq | Paris Saint-Germain | 11 May 2002 |
| 18 October 2001 | FW | Benito Carbone | Bradford City | 10 January 2002 |

### Loan out

| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return |
| 10 August 2001 | DF | Ian Evatt | Northampton Town | 10 October 2001 |
| 6 September 2001 | DF | Bjørn Otto Bragstad | Birmingham City | 21 September 2001 |
| 22 February 2002 | FW | Deon Burton | Stoke City | 12 May 2002 |
| 25 February 2002 | MF | Adam Murray | Mansfield Town | 21 April 2002 |
| 22 March 2002 | DF | Horacio Carbonari | Coventry City | 22 April 2002 |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | EST | Mart Poom | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | ENG | Andy Oakes | 22 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | GK | SUI | Patrick Foletti | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders and wing-backs ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ARG | Horacio Carbonari | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Brian O'Neil | 11 | 0 | 8+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Chris Riggott | 39 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Danny Higginbotham | 40 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ARG | Luciano Zavagno | 27 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | FRA | Youl Mawéné | 20 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Richard Jackson | 7 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Steve Elliott | 6 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Warren Barton | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Ian Evatt | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | DF | FRA | François Grenet | 16 | 0 | 12+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | JAM | Darryl Powell | 24 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Rob Lee | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Craig Burley | 13 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | GEO | Georgi Kinkladze | 25 | 2 | 13+11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Adam Murray | 8 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Paul Boertien | 34 | 0 | 23+9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | FIN | Simo Valakari | 10 | 0 | 6+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Adam Bolder | 12 | 0 | 2+9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | FRA | Pierre Ducrocq | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | JAM | Deon Burton | 19 | 3 | 8+9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | FW | ITA | Fabrizio Ravanelli | 34 | 11 | 30+1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Malcolm Christie | 37 | 9 | 27+8 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ENG | Lee Morris | 16 | 4 | 9+6 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | SCO | Gary Twigg | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | BEL | Branko Strupar | 12 | 4 | 8+4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | ENG | Marvin Robinson | 2 | 1 | 0+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | ENG | Seth Johnson | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ITA | Benito Carbone | 14 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | GK | USA | Ian Feuer | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ITA | Daniele Daino | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |