Paul Warne is the new Derby County manager. The 49 year old joins the Rams on a contract until 2026. Warne was manager of Rotherham United for six years prior to joining Derby. We spoke with the Rotherham United podcast, New York Talk to find out all about him and what he can bring to The Rams.
Paul Warne has just been named Derby County manager. What do you make of it?
He is an excellent manager who knows how to get the best out of his players. He is used to working on a tight budget so will be interesting to see how he gets on with a bigger playing budget.
Warne has been at Rotherham for six years. How would you sum up his time there?
He is a legend at Rotherham United. He was a player here (he played more than 250 times) and he had a brief stint as a fitness coach. But as a manager he has had three promotions and a Wembley win in the Papa Johns Pizza Trophy. He has taken the club from tumbling down the league to a solid team that was attractive for players. They wanted to play for him.
Warne was under contract with The Millers, are you surprised he's taken the Derby job?
We are all surprised! There were rumours he was not backed in the summer which might have led to him wanting to seek a new challenge. It makes more sense he would leave to go to Derby, who are on their way back up rather than Huddersfield (he was linked with them recently) with who would be a big unknown.
How would you describe the style of play of a Paul Warne team?
His style very much depends on who he has, when we had striker Michael Smith last season we played fairly direct at times. Smith departed in the summer so this season we started playing much tidier stuff through the midfield. He is aggressive and will normally try and win games, rarely settling for a draw especially in League One.
What is his favored formation?
His favoured formation has been 3-5-2. He started with 4-4-2 but for nearly two years 3-5-2 has worked well but it did take time for him to get the players in he wanted. He is pragmatic and is flexible so is formations will likely change to fit in the players that he has available.
Does he trust in youth players or does he tend to like more veterans?
Paul Warne is happy to trust youth when he has it available. He helped bring midfielder Ben Wiles from the youth team into the first team where he has played more than 150 games and has been linked with moves to bigger clubs. But he has always used experienced players such as defender Richard Wood as a focal point of his teams. He likes to find a balance between youth and experience.
How has his recruitment been at Rotherham?
His recruitment has been very good apart from one season in the Championship, but this has been helped our recruitment team. It did take time to get a “Paul Warne team”. He likes to bring “good humans” into the club and he has always worked on a shoestring budget so that should help Derby in the short term with their transfer limitations, however it will be interesting to see how he will manage with a much bigger budget, when those limitations end.
Do you think he can be a success at Derby County?
He will be a success if given time. But if he has a poor start will he be afforded the time? That is the big question. That being said, if he is allowed time and to bring in his own players he will get promotion.