Derby County: Fans on why the club means so much

As the future of Derby County hangs in the balance, fans have been telling the BBC why it is more than just a football club to them.

The city of Derby normally thrums with tension ahead of their most anticipated match of the season - the clash with local rivals Nottingham Forest.

But, at present, the stress levels are a few notches higher than usual.

The club was put into administration in September and, since then, fans have anxiously followed the efforts to save it.

On Friday it emerged a wealthy US family had made a formal offer to buy the Championship club.

Fans of all generations told the BBC what the club means to them.

Ron Webster, 92, has been following the Rams since he was a child and even went to some pre-World War Two matches with his father.

His daughter Hilary said the club's current financial position is "massively concerning" for him.

"Ron is reading everything to try to understand the situation and we often discuss all the possibilities and implications," she said.

"He's been through some dark times with Derby County - relegations, play-off finals, the sacking of Clough - but this is the worst because he is facing the complete destruction of something that has been part of his life for the past 80 years or more."

Mr Webster was born in Derby. In 1963 he moved to Australia but has continued to follow the club's fortunes.

"Before he left England, Ron organised a renewable airmail subscription to the Derby Football Telegraph or Green'un that was printed soon after every game, containing results, match reports, interviews," said his daughter.

"It usually arrived seven to 10 days later. He read every copy from cover to cover.

"Results could sometimes be heard on the crackly BBC World Service with occasional commentaries - but the time difference meant sitting up half the night to maybe hear them.

"In the 70s, we finally got TV coverage with The Big Match and Star Soccer on Australian screens.

"Today the internet and subscription TV make it so much easier to stay in touch - Ron can watch almost every game live or replayed."

Ms Webster said, for her father, supporting Derby County was not a choice. Not to do so, he has told her, would be "simply unthinkable".

Sunil Jalporte said worrying about Derby County is keeping him up at night.

"I didn't think it would affect me as much as it has," he said.

"I'm not sleeping; it's just on my mind.

"I'm constantly looking at Twitter and refreshing things to hear what people have got to say."

Mr Jalporte started watching Derby County as a child, going to games with his father and brother.

His father came from India to live in Derby in the 1960s and Mr Jalporte said Derby County helped him to settle into the city.

"He would go with his older brothers to games and I think it just allowed him to feel part of something," he said.

"He was lucky enough to see the second division side that got promoted and then the championship-winning side in the early 70s."

The family had an "emotional" return to Pride Park in October for the first time since the pandemic and are hoping they can continue to follow the club's fortunes there for many years to come.

Ross Lowe, 45, believes Derby County is responsible for saving his relationship with his father.

Mr Lowe said he had fallen out with his dad when his parents got divorced in 1997 but their mutual love of Derby County gave them a reason to continue talking.

He said: "I was really angry with him and we didn't speak for a couple of years other than to talk about Derby County.

"Six years after my mum and dad split up, my dad died from cancer so had we not healed and crossed that barrier it would have been absolutely horrific.

"I'm grateful for Derby County and everything it stands for because it held us together."

Mr Lowe said when his father passed away in 2003, they were were "back to being best mates".

Since then the club has developed a second sentimental meaning to Mr Lowe and his now wife Reeganne.

In 2018 he took her to Pride Park to see the Rams play for the first time and, at half time, he asked her to marry him.

They now live in Berlin together with their nine-month-old daughter who is also a fan.

Mr Lowe said the vulnerable position of the club is having a "terrible" impact on his mental health.

"I've been scrolling on my phone constantly," he said.

"It terrifies me and sickens me that Derby County could go out [of business]."

Ben Knowles said he became an "avid Derby County supporter" when he was about 10 years old, after watching the Rams beat Luton Town at Kenilworth Road with his father.

"We were in the home section of the fans, keeping quiet obviously, given my dad was a Derby County supporter," he said.

"By the end of the game, I don't know what happened but I got captivated by it."

Mr Knowles said he then went to as many games as he could with his father, who lived abroad at the time.

"Whenever he was over in the UK, that was our opportunity and we absolutely bonded over Derby County and we still do to this day," he said.

Now a father himself, to two boys, he's hoping they will also become Rams fans.

His eldest son Ethan, now six, learned to sing club song Steve Bloomer's Watchin' when he was just two.

Mr Knowles said the club is the "heartbeat of the city" and it would be "devastating" if the club couldn't be saved.

"I think it's going to be terrifying for a lot of people," he said.

"I've got a lot of distractions in my life.

"I'm very fortunate with my family and kids and I've got a full-time job, but I think I'm struggling with it."

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