Derby County’s new Head Coach Paul Warne delivered his first interview as a Ram on Tuesday afternoon.
In a sit down with RamsTV, he discussed his hectic first few days at the club, his aspirations moving forwards and much more.
On his first few days…
Honestly, a bit hectic. I’ve met the majority of the staff at the training ground yesterday and obviously because of the academy and everything at the training ground there was a lot going on.
It’s been hectic but we’ve had a good time on the grass with the players. I’m really pleased with them. I like to think they will buy into us. I follow Liam in who has done a brilliant job. He’s put a really good side together in a difficult situation and we’ve got to try and progress the club and progress the team and build a really competitive team.
I’d like to think we’ve been brought in not only as football coaches but how we are as people. We’ve got to try and filter that into the players. It’s been a good couple of days with the players, a good couple of days with the staff. I’ve never met so many people but everyone feels like they are pulling in the right direction which from my point of view is great.
On the attraction to Derby…
There’s a handful of clubs that aren’t in the Premier League that will get to the Premier League. Whether I can play a part in that, a big part, a small part – whether I’m the lucky one that takes them back to the Premier League – that is the ambition of the club.
I’m not saying that is the ambition of the club within 24 months but I do believe that this club will get back to the Premier League and have great times so I want to be part of that journey.
I’ve come away from a brilliant journey in my previous job that I loved. I felt like we improved everything about the club with the ownership’s help and I feel like this club is the same. It’s had a chance of ownership, it feels like we can stamp our culture and our respect values onto everything and hopefully put on performances on the pitch that our fans like and it’s just a real good opportunity for us a management team to take a real big step.
On the decision to leave Rotherham United…
Difficult. Very difficult.
I think even on the last day when I was saying my goodbyes it was difficult. I’m an emotional guy. I was emotionally attached to all of my players, all of my staff – they were all people that I employed. I had really good relationships with the majority of the fans and the sponsors I think.
My analogy is, if you buy a new house you’re excited about moving into the new house but when you actually shut the door on your old house – you’ve got a lot of great memories in that house and it felt a little bit like that. It was really difficult but I knew it was the right decision.
That’s how football is, I can’t stay the manager there forever. We had a great journey, it was amazing and we left the club in better fettle than what we found it and that was important to me so I wish the next group that take over that club all the best and I’ll be watching out for their results but obviously now my focus is on trying to do similar here.
On his coaching staff…
I’m not the brains of the group, I’m just the leader. I just select really good people and delegate really well. Richie my number two is an amazing football coach and you can speak to any of the players they will tell you that – they’ve been impressed with him after two days.
Hammy is crucial, he speaks to the players individually more, he has relationships with them. Football is about ability obviously but it’s 90% psychology and the lads have got to feel loved and cared for and Hammy is really good at that but really good on the attacking play – on the wingers and on the strikers all that sort of thing so Hammy is essential.
Andy, my goalkeeping coach has been like – I don’t know – we had 28 clean-sheets last year, Rotherham had five out of nine in the Championship this year, his coaching of the goalkeepers is imperative. Without a decent goalkeeper you’re going to struggle to pick up any points but it’s not just that, his attention to detail on set-pieces on that – we had one of the best records on defensive set plays and all those little facets add up.
I’m just the voice really and probably the comedian. I’m the one at the front but without them there is no team and if none of them wanted to come it wouldn’t have happened. I discussed it thoroughly with all three of them and made the decision.
Luckily we work as a group and that’s why it works and chemically it works. In the room it works, we all have different opinions – fundamentally it’s me that picks it but everyone has a say and that’s why it was all or none.
First impressions of the squad…
They are good people which is crucial to me. I would never sign people that aren’t good people. They are people you want to hang around with, they are people you want to talk around the coffee machine with. They are good lads, they want to learn.
I don’t want to come across disingenuous, but I asked them straight away – ‘what do you want to achieve?’ and they told me. I said OK, well if this is what you want to achieve this is how it’s going to have to happen, these are the points you are going to have to collect, these are the standards that you have to take and I think they’ve agreed and come aboard with it.
They are in a position where look, we’ve got a lot of very good young players and very good senior players. Ideally, you’d have some inbetween the 23s to 29s but it’s a really good balance in that respect that the seniors drive the younger pros on. The actually standard in training has really impressed me.
The movement of the ball is really good. I appreciate you or someone else may ask me about my style of play but I want to press, I want to get the ball back high, I want to stop counter-attacks, keep attacks going and for that you have to press, you have to be athletic but fundamentally you have to be really good on the ball and I think the lads have been really conducive to what we’re trying to do.
I’m really, really pleased with them. There isn’t a character that I haven’t got on with. I know as a manager, I’m a relationship manager more than anything. I have to get to know them, I want to get to know their families, I want to get to know their lives and it does take time but from the first two days I’ve been really pleased.
On promotion aspirations…
It’s an ambition of mine. I wouldn’t come here to not be top of the league. It’s an ambition of mine, it’s an ambition of the club and it’s an ambition of David’s to get the club through the leagues.
Now how long that takes I don’t know, we can’t just come in on day one and snap our fingers and win every single game and in fairness we inherit a good team in a good position. There’s a lot of things you can control and a lot of uncontrollables but we’ve come here to try and get this team promoted and everyone knows me and knows my staff know we will give everything. It is realistic.
It isn’t me sat here like it’s Disneyworld, saying oh if we could get promoted and we’re 21st – we’re not in a bad position. There’s obviously things that we can improve on but then the other 23 teams need to improve on stuff as well. I’d like to think come the end of the season we will be there and there abouts. That’s not a guarantee but we should be there.
On what supporters can expect from Paul Warne’s Derby County…
I’d like to think you will see a team with a real integrity. I’d like to think you will see a team that, even if they are losing in the 80th minute, you won’t want to leave the crowd or leave the ground, you’ll want to cheer them off at the end because they will leave everything they have on the pitch. They will never give up.
I like to think they will be relentless; they will be fearless, they will be brave on the ball and I think they’ll have a togetherness which I think they already have but also have a real drive to succeed. Whichever system you play, style you play – take all that back you’re just going to have 11 people on the pitch at any one time that want to win for this club and I think as a fan and as a manager that’s all you can ask for.
