Pre-Match Thoughts: Forsyth Previews Cambridge And Life Under Warne

Derby County defender Craig Forsyth is looking forward to getting back into the League One football this weekend under a new Head Coach.

Derby appointed Paul Warne as their Head Coach during the recent two-week break inbetween fixtures, owing to international call-ups, after he elected to leave Championship side Rotherham United to take charge of the Rams.

Forsyth, the longest-serving player on the Rams' books after signing from Watford in 2013, sat down with RamsTV to look ahead to Saturday's away fixture at Cambridge United and discuss Warne's first few days in charge of the side.

On the last few days…

It always is quite intense when a new manager comes in and especially as you’ve got the week leading up to a game, so it’s about trying to get all the stuff across to us in terms of being in possession, out of possession, set-piece stuff and all that kind of thing. It is also a case of trying to get it all into the four sessions before the game.

On what a change in management is like as players…

We found out in the afternoon before it was announced to the press, as Liam Rosenior had sent a message in to the lads.

It’s always pretty similar. There’s normally a message or email comes out to the lads saying 'this is what is happening' – sometimes it’s a surprise sometimes it’s not; but it’s pretty similar.

You know that when a new manager is coming in, it’s going to be a clean slate for everybody unless they’ve played under the new manager coming in before - so it’s a chance and an opportunity for people to prove themselves all over again.

I’ve been through enough managers here and elsewhere and it’s part of being a footballer you have to get on with and prove yourself.

On what Warne expects from the team…

I think he’s been very clear in the fact that he wants hard-work and he expects his team to give it their all for 90 minutes or longer. It’s very clear in terms of the intensity he wants to play at so that’s what we’ve been having put across to us this week.

He’s been open in saying it’s a clean slate for everybody. He’s obviously watched us probably and watched the games back and he’ll have his own opinions, but it’s a chance for everybody this week to get out on the training pitch and try to impress.

On the games ahead…

It’s a long winter now. The games come thick and fast so hopefully we can get on a good run run and it will carry us through this period.

We’ve got to approach this weekend's match in a bullish manner in the fact that we want to go there and win. We need to win away games, there’s been no shying away from that.

We’ve not managed to do it yet, so we need to put that right. I’m sure the boss will have his own ideas on how he can get the best out of us to get points on the road this year.