| Club: | Derby County |
| Season: | 2001–02 |
| Manager: | Jim Smith (until 7 October) Colin Todd (from 7 October to 14 January) John Gregory (from 30 January) |
| Chairman: | Lionel Pickering |
| Stadium: | Pride Park Stadium |
| League: | Premiership |
| League Result: | 19th (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| League Topscorer: | Christie/Ravanelli (9) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ravanelli (11) |
| Highest Attendance: | 33,297 (vs. Everton, 23 March) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 11,246 (vs. Hull City, 12 September) |
| Average Attendance: | 29,818 |
| Prevseason: | 2000–01 |
| Nextseason: | 2002–03 |
During the 2001–02 English football season, Derby County competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
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.[1] 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.[2] By the end of the month, John Gregory had taken over at Pride Park just six days after quitting Aston Villa.[3] 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.
See main article: 2001–02 FA Premier League.
Derby County's score comes first[4]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| 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 |
See main article: 2001–02 FA Cup.
| R3 | 6 January 2002 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–3 | 18,549 | Ravanelli |
See main article: 2001–02 Football League Cup.
| 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 |
The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2001 | FW | Fabrizio Ravanelli | Lazio | Free[7] | |
| 16 October 2001 | DF | Luciano Zavagno | Troyes | Signed[8] | |
| 1 November 2001 | DF | François Grenet | Bordeaux | £3,000,000[9] | |
| 1 February 2002 | DF | Warren Barton | Newcastle United | £200,000[10] | |
| 7 February 2002 | MF | Rob Lee | Newcastle United | £250,000[11] | |
| 21 February 2002 | GK | Patrick Foletti | FC Luzern | Free[12] |
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 July 2001 | MF | Rory Delap | Southampton | £4,000,000[13] | |
| 8 October 2001 | MF | Stefano Eranio | Released[14] | ||
| 18 October 2001 | MF | Seth Johnson | Leeds United | £7,000,000[15] | |
| 15 March 2002 | DF | Con Blatsis | Colchester United | Free[16] | |
Transfers in: £3,450,000
Transfers out: £11,000,000
Total spending: £7,550,000
| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2001 | DF | 8 November 2001 | ||||
| 12 October 2001 | GK | 4 November 2001 | ||||
| 16 October 2001 | MF | 11 May 2002 | ||||
| 18 October 2001 | FW | 10 January 2002 | [17] |
| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2001 | DF | 10 October 2001 | ||||
| 6 September 2001 | DF | 21 September 2001 | ||||
| 22 February 2002 | FW | 12 May 2002 | [18] | |||
| 25 February 2002 | MF | 21 April 2002 | ||||
| 22 March 2002 | DF | 22 April 2002 | [19] |
|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders and wing-backs|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred out during the season|}