Manager: Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough was appointed as Manager of Derby County Football Club in early January 2009.
Nigel's managerial record at Burton Albion had been one of continued progress year-on-year over a decade-long period, one of the qualities that prompted Derby's Board to appoint him as Paul Jewell's successor.
As a player he was a stylish forward with an eye for goal.
Born in Sunderland, Clough joined Nottingham Forest as a player upon leaving school in 1982 and progressed to become a key player for the Reds by the end of the decade.
He helped Forest win the League Cup in 1989 and 1990, played in the 1991 FA Cup final and the 1992 League Cup final, and moved to Liverpool in 1993 for £2.75m.
Fourteen England caps had come his way while at the City Ground and he added more than 40 club appearances on Merseyside having settled in to a midfield role.
Manchester City paid £1.5m for his services in the summer of 1996 and he later rejoined Forest for a short spell on loan, and was briefly at Sheffield Wednesday the following season.
Ironically, his last appearance in a professional game came when Derby triumphed 5-2 at Hillsborough in September 1997.
A little over a year later he accepted the role of player-manager at non-league Burton Albion - in October 1998 - beginning the decade-long journey that brought him to Pride Park Stadium.
There began a record of success unmatched in the Brewers' history.
Burton improved their position in each of Clough's early seasons before ultimately taking the club into the Conference, the top level of non-league football, in 2002.
Three years of continued progress followed at Eton Park ahead of the move to the brand-new Pirelli Stadium in the summer of 2005.
Manchester United came down for the official opening of the stadium that winter and were seen off 3-1 on a memorable night - then came back for competitive action the following January in the third round of the FA Cup.
They held their star-studded visitors to a thrilling 0-0 draw, despite the second-half introductions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, before losing the replay 5-0 in front of over 53,000 fans at Old Trafford.
Burton just missed out on a place in the Conference play-offs in 2007 but 12 months later they reached the semi-finals, where they were edged out by Cambridge United over two legs.
But in 2008/09 they made yet more progress with a mixture of flowing football and the ability to pull a result out of the bag when it mattered.
Clough's Burton went on an 11-game winning streak to open up a 13-point lead at the top of the table and put themselves in pole position to claim a place in the Football League for the first time, and despite a late wobble after his departure they claimed their place in the Football League on the final day of the season at Torquay United.
Coach: Gary Crosby
Gary Crosby was Nigel Clough's trusted assistant at Burton Albion, before he followed the Rams boss to Pride Park in January 2009 having worked with his former Nottingham Forest colleague for over ten years.
The pair were together at the City Ground for five years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with Crosby a flying winger on the right supplying the ammunition for striker Clough.
And they were reunited in October 1998 when they arrived at Eton Park to begin a remarkably successful partnership.
Crosby's playing career began at Lincoln City and he has also played for Grimsby Town and Huddersfield Town, along with spells at non-league clubs Lincoln United, Grantham Town and Rushden & Diamonds.
Coach: Andy Garner
Andy Garner returned to the club where he started his professional career in January 2009 as part of Nigel Clough's backroom team.
That began in 1983 when he broke into the senior side as a teenager under Peter Taylor, and netted a hat-trick just a month after turning 18.
Born in the Derbyshire village of Stonebroom, Garner forged a reputation as a powerful forward and scored 30 goals in 88 games as part of the side that won successive promotions from Division Three to Division One.
A spell with Blackpool followed before he was back playing locally with Gresley Rovers, and then with Burton Albion.
He was their leading scorer in successive seasons before moving into coaching with the Brewers and becoming an integral part of Nigel Clough's backroom staff.
Coach: Johnny Metgod
Johnny Metgod joined the Derby County coaching staff in May 2009, bringing with him decades of experience in England and on the continent.
Metgod won 21 caps for Holland during a glittering playing career that took in spells at Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Feyenoord.
It was during his time at Nottingham Forest that he first came across current Derby manager Nigel Clough, who was delighted to have Metgod - who left his post as first-team coach at Portsmouth in February 2009 - on board.
Prior to that, his coaching career had been spent in his homeland with spells as youth director and assistant manager at Feyenoord, along with two periods in charge at Excelsior Rotterdam.
As a player, Metgod was one of the most stylish defenders of his generation.
Amsterdam-born, he began his career with HFC Harlaem before moving to AZ Alkmaar for a successful six-year period.
In 1982, Spanish giants Real Madrid came calling and he spent two years at the Bernabeu until Brian Clough took him to Nottingham Forest.
Three years at the City Ground followed ahead of a move to North London with Spurs, and he moved back to Holland with Feyenoord in 1988 where he played for another six years beore calling it a day.
Internationally he scored four goals in 21 caps during the Dutch 'Total Football' era in the late 1970s and early 1980s, playing in the finals of the 1980 European Championships.
In the summer of 2010 Johnny was asked to be part of Holland's backroom staff for the World Cup in South Africa, as a scout.
Coach: Martin Taylor
Martin Taylor starred as a goalkeeper with the Rams in an 11-year playing spell and rejoined the Rams as part of Nigel Clough's backroom team from Burton Albion in January 2009.
Taylor moved to the Brewers in the summer of 2004 to take a player/coach role after a long career in the professional game.
He arrived at Derby in the summer of 1986 from non-league Mile Oak Rovers as a promising youngster and went on to play over 100 games for the club.
The Tamworth-born stopper was named player of the year in 1993/94 having played in every minute of every game, but a badly broken leg in October 1994 set him back.
Some 29 months later he was back in a Derby shirt with the Rams in the Premier League before his Baseball Ground career came to an end on an emotional testimonial occasion against Everton in May 1997 - when, true to form in these games, he scored a last-minute penalty.
During his time at Derby, Taylor was loaned out to Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United, Crewe Alexandra and Wycombe Wanderers - who he joined upon his release.
He was a part of the Wycombe side that reached the semi-final of the FA Cup in 2001 and played almost 300 times for the Chairboys, before short spells at Barnsley and Telford United ahead of his move to Burton.