ten things...

Derby
1 As ever in England one group or another of invaders was often responsible for settlement in a particular area. The Danes thought Derby worth an unlikely punt for Premiership recognition in the first Dark Ages of historical midlands battle grounds.
2 Bonnie Prince Charlie reached the place but didn't fancy tackling those big London outfits on a Jacobite road to Wembley, otherwise known as Young Prem Pretenders way.
3 Come the railways and a means to travel quickly, football developed almost in tandem. A lot of teams sprung forth from cricket clubs but Derby was actually an off-shoot of the County side - get it? You might say they trained for it!
4 Bizarrely their pitch was next to the cricket ground in the middle of a racecourse. In 1895 they moved to the Baseball Ground as founder members of the Football League. Somethings seemed to go together and some didn't - especially on a Saturday.
5 Derby got beat by a cricket score in the 1903 cup final by Bury. The latter club had also come into some luck and ironically the Earl of Derby rented them a pitch on his estate. Talk about ramming it home.
6 Prior to WW1 County were up and down from div1 like yo-yos. After the war they were at it again and the owner of the Baseball Ground eventually baled out when football at any level would be seen to survive.
7 The club rebuilt their venue and up to WW2 reaped rewards for endeavour both on and off the pitch. It proved very good business too.
8 After a long period of basic div2 footy post fifties, Clough and Taylor arrived to shake the joint up and also spend, spend, spend. As sixties became seventies Derby became big again, almost in proportion to C&T cash a/c.
9 In the eighties Robert Maxwell flew in by helicopter and became another larger than life owner playing with his big boys toys. He died in 1991 as Derby were relegated - very curious!
10 In 1996 County went forward with a community stadium route to success, when the Derby Pride consortium started building a new arena out of town. Prem football followed and what possibly could stop 'em now?