David Close Photo: Derby County Football Club/Andy Clarke
Just one year ago Derby County are founding members of the Football League and two-time champions England were less than a week away from extinction.
Here's how close it was, according to David Close, the longtime Derby fan who saved his beloved club and now, for the first time in their ages, they face a new season without an existential threat hanging over them.
From the brink of elimination last June to finishing just one point outside of League One play-off positions at the end of the season, Close led a massive rebuilding effort that rekindled pride and hope.
Early last year, when Derby teetered on the brink, Close, who owns a local real estate company, decided to put together a rescue package.
He is a reluctant hero who is thanked on the streets but who prefers to stay out of the limelight, and this is his first interview since the £55m takeover last July.
However, there is now optimism about the future Close can still reflect bitterly on how close Derby was to disaster.
“The club was on life support. If it was something else, you would have left. He was in such a state,” he says.
“I sincerely believe that if we had not made a deal on July 1, the club would have left in another five days.
“Not money left to pay salaries. It was the end of the road, that's all.
“The Football League was getting impatient and the season started a week early because of the World Cup in Qatar. It was a very worrying time.»
Derby's players, staff and supporters went through a long nightmare before Close made a life-changing decision.
Hardly indebted, the club ran administration for nine months, withstood a total of 21 points from the Football League for financial irregularities, and sold any player of value for tiny sums.
When Close took charge, more than £30m was owed to HMRC. Around £22m was paid to US investment company MSD, which owned Pride Park, as well as unpaid payments to Arsenal for the record signing of Christian Belik and other creditors.
Close does not want to directly criticize the former owner of Mel Morris, who was chasing a dream and almost threw the club off a cliff. However, even now, Close is struggling to figure out the mess he had to clean up.
“There were things that threw me into a stupor, and over the years we have reviewed some of the baskets,” he says. sits in the garden of the Clowes offices near his home in Brailsford.
“I didn't understand why they went the way they did. The amount of money spent on players from 4 to 5 million pounds, for which they never received a penny and went to waste. You will be in big trouble if you go that route.
“When it came to administration, I didn't sleep that night. I did not foresee this.
«I thought the admins would have someone by December, but that was before I realized how complicated it was.»
Derby made savings in the 17 days after the takeover talks. collapsed
Close's concerns about Derby's future intensified early last year. In January 2022, he attended a march from the city center to Pride Park for the match against Birmingham and still remembers «so many people in tears.»
As Quantuma's administrators struggled to find a buyer, Close was encouraged. went into action, and on May 8, his interest turned serious.
Chris Kirshner, an American businessman, wanted Close to buy the stadium, admitting that he did not have the capital to do so. Kirchner then missed a deadline in June and eventually pulled out of the deal, and when the time expired, Close contacted Quantuma to initiate a buyout.
“We reached out to them on June 9th, signed non-disclosure agreements, and received access to the data room. We cracked it in 17 days,” he says.
“I thought it was the duty of the local company to be careful. I would never forgive myself if I just sat back. If Derby were to become a phoenix club nine leagues below League Two, I would be very sorry I didn't do anything.»
Right now, Close is only focused on the next chapter in Derby's history, and it's hard work continues.< /p>
Under head coach Paul Warne [whom Close describes as the 'King of League One'], Derby were in contention for promotion last season until the final minutes of the last day, losing to Sheffield Wednesday.
Four new signings. already arrived this summer, and in May the EFL lifted Derby's transfer embargo after more than two years. Now the club can pay fees for the players, but under Close there will never be gambling with their future.
«We can't go over budget, but this is not rocket science,» he says. “EFL feels very comfortable with us and knows that we will do the right thing. This will not change.
“Many [other] clubs are in trouble. If we're not careful, we'll lose one. We were a big warning.
“Is Derby lucky to have me? I don't know. Perhaps they were lucky.
“We have stabilized the situation and laid a solid foundation. We didn't get promoted, but it wasn't the end of the world. It would be a bonus if we moved up.»
«There's no reason we can't get back to the Premier League»
Derby's infrastructure is now strong and there are many more improvements to come. CEO Stephen Pierce has proven to be a key figure in the recovery, working closely with Mark Thomas [Head of Recruitment], Ross Burberry [Head of Performance], and newly appointed Academy Manager Matt Hale.
Maintaining Derby's Grade 1 academy status is critical for Close, and from July the women's team will now be based at Moor Farm's training facility. There will be an elite path from the under 9 team to the senior team, in line with the 'one club' philosophy.
Close never envisioned being in this position despite his nearly five years of affiliation with the club. decades. His first match came on 14 January 1978, when mortal enemies Nottingham Forest visited the baseball field to draw 0-0 [«We should have won.»]
He sat in the middle of the Ley Stand with his father Charles and remembers the drama and intensity of the day when a brass band played before kick-off and at half-time.
Close then became a season ticket holder in the early 1980s, traveling home and to leave in a mixed period in the history of the club. His favorite players were Charlie George [who scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in the European Cup in October 1975] and Bobby Davison, who played a decisive role in the promotion's 1986 and 1987 seasons.
Plans for the future also includes the construction of a museum to honor Derby's proud past, but preparations for the new League One season are well under way at the moment.
«Derby County is a big football club and if we do it right, there's no reason why we can't get back to the Premier League in the coming years,” says Close.
“The immediate goal is to get out of the first league. Everything went very quickly and I think we did some good things.
«I know what we're trying to do behind the scenes and I'm very excited about the future of the club.< /p>
«I I see the progress of the club and feel very privileged to be in this position.”
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