Derby sack boss Warne after dire losing run

With the Rams currently relegationary in the championship and on a seven-game losing streak, Derby County have fired head coach Paul Warne.

With only 16 games left, Derby finished 22nd in the table and two points clear of safety as a result of Sheffield United’s defeat on Saturday.

Their worst run in the league in 17 years comes from their eight successive defeats in all competitions that began in late December.

In his final full season as manager at Pride Park, Warne led the Rams to promotion from League One for the final time in his first and only full term in charge.

Derby owner David Clowes said “no fan should ever forget his contribution”.

Owner Clowes removed Derby from the system less than three months prior to Warne becoming the head coach.

With loan signings and free transfers, he led a team that had been hastily rebuilt for its first season since returning to the third tier for more than three decades.

Warne was ushered into Pride Park as the “King of League One,” having successfully led Rotherham to promotion from the division in each of his three seasons in charge of that division.

And while Warne’s side failed to even reach the play-offs in the 2022-23 campaign, he oversaw automatic promotion 12 months later.

For Warne, a fourth promotion from League One was not a coronation but vindication.

In spite of his three attempts to win the championship at Rotherham, he also was unable to keep the Millers in the lead.

The Rams were 11th in the current campaign after a strong start to the season, but their terrible form, including an FA Cup defeat against League One side Leyton Orient, now puts them in danger of making an immediate return to the third tier.

He has been the target of mockery from the terraces in recent months due to their losing run, Warne’s second-tier record, and his comments about his Derby side being a “League One team with a little sugar on top.”

BBC Radio Derby’s senior journalist Dominic Dietrich

So, following seven league defeats in a row and receiving calls to change from the fans, Derby County made the decision to sack head coach Paul Warne.

This news, according to what I understand, was shared with Warne and his coaches after their routine training session this morning before their trip to Norwich, should surprise those inside and could indicate an imminent replacement before tomorrow’s game, perhaps even as early as tonight.

In his time at Derby, Paul Warne has faced a difficult hand since taking on the position to improve his chances of winning the championship.

He was denied access to what he had publicly told us he needed due to embargoes, restrictions, and a number of obnoxious transfer windows.

He can look back on his time at Derby with his eyes set on a high-level promotion, which the club have always wanted to maintain in the second tier.