Paul Warne celebrated his second Derby County anniversary over the weekend, and it’s been a wild trip for the Rams head coach.
Since joining the club in September 2022, his immediate goal has been to guide the team back to the championship.
After narrowly missing out on the League One play-offs in his debut season, Warne went one better the following season, leading the club to its first promotion in 17 years. Derby set a new club record for the amount of away wins in a season, and they finished with League One’s top defence.
That sealed a magnificent return to the Championship, and the Rams have had a great start to life in the second tier. With 400 games under his belt, Derbyshire Live reflects on three notable occasions and what Warne has to say about attaining such a significant milestone.
Beautiful chaos
Nothing beats a last-minute winner, and the wonderful chaos that ensued on a frigid night in Port Vale in January of last year was incredible to witness.
Derby was trailing after Funso Ojo’s strike in the 56th minute, and more than 3,000 fans in the away end were counting down the minutes, begging for an intervention. However, as time ran out, Derby staged an astonishing comeback in the final two minutes that caused havoc everywhere.
First, David McGoldrick scored three minutes from time, and Derby fans may have settled for a draw. But, encouraged by Lewis Dobbin’s appearance from the bench, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored in the 89th minute. That sparked all kinds of chaos.
Carlisle win and hell of a party
After being relegated to the third tier following the club’s darkest period in history, owner David Clowes turned to Paul Warne to help them return to the Championship.
Warne, dubbed the King of League One, proved himself worthy of the title by leading his team to their first promotion in 17 years. After defeating Cambridge in the last game of the season, only a calamity would have prevented them from clinching the deal at home to Carlisle on the last day.
But a goal from Max Bird started the champagne corks popping as a 2-0 win on the day sparked one hell of a party at Pride Park. Grown men were reduced to tears, strangers hugged each other and the players, to quote Warne, were like six-year-olds at a birthday party.
It finally closed the chapter on the Mel Morris era as Derby triumphantly returned to the Championship as the county were reduced to a virtual standstill as later that night, the city was decked in black and white. For Warne it was a fourth promotion on his CV in a season that was not without its challenges. But he overcame them with his brand of humour and a team that packed a brothers in arms mentality.
Bristol City masterclass
Having been appointed in September 2022, there has long been a feeling that we are yet to see a true Paul Warne team. It is very much a work in progress still given it takes time and transfer windows to get the squad into the correct place.
But we did bear witness to the best performance of his reign which encompassed all of the attributes he values in a stunning 3-0 win over Bristol City this season. With a midfield that had been rebuilt over the summer, and facing a Robins side tipped to push for the top six, Derby outthought and outfought their opponents in style.
It was pedal to the metal after the opening 20 minutes as Derby ploughed through and round Liam Manning’s side to make it a miserable homecoming for Jason Knight and Max Bird.
Kenzo Goudmijn scored the opener, Kayden Jackson hit a fine second and David Ozoh capped off a wonderful display with the third. City were lucky it did not end five or six that day as Derby also hit the woodwork through Jerry Yates.
Warne said it was the best performance of his reign and nobody would disagree with him.
400 games as boss
Warne celebrated his two-year anniversary in charge of Derby on Sunday and has now overseen 400 games in the dugout. With four promotions tucked under his belt, it’s not bad going for someone who is very much a reluctant manager.
“I am fortunate to reach 400 games as everyone knows I didn’t want to do it (be a manager),” Warne told Derbyshire Live. “I lost a stone in weight, spat blood, couldn’t sleep, bad dad, bad husband, ruined my life but changed my life and made my life in equal measure.
“I’ve been blessed in that I have had some amazing players who have enabled me to do 400 games. It doesn’t matter how good of a manager I am, if the team doesn’t win it’s Goodnight Vienna.
“I am blessed that I’ve had loads of great people who have touched my life. I am honoured by that I really am. When I look back at my playing career, I loved it but I give more kudos to my managerial career because I’m fortunate to have signed and work with great people. When I am really old and make even more noise when I put my socks on, I will look back at the moments like Nat scoring at Port Vale and when Tyreece John Jules scored there too. It is those little moments like that or something the coaches have done or the physio – it’s just phenomenal and I would miss it.”
