Derby County: David Clowes breaks silence after major Paul Warne decision | OneFootball

The Rams have parted ways with Paul Warne after over two years in charge at the club.

David Clowes has paid tribute to Paul Warne after Derby County parted ways with the 51-year-old on Friday following a run of seven straight defeats in the Championship.

The 51-year-old took over at Pride Park in September 2022, and after narrowly missing out on the League One play-offs in his first season at the club, he guided the Rams to promotion back to the second tier in 2023/24.

However, after a bright start to the campaign, results have taken an incredibly negative turn in recent weeks and the decision to sack the former Rotherham United boss has been made.

Derby travel to Norwich City on Saturday afternoon as they look to take just their second away win of the season, and climb out of the bottom three.

Clowes breaks silence after Warne sacking

While it eventually felt inevitable, the sacking of Warne has come at a surprising time ahead of this weekend's EFL fixtures, and the club will now be searching for a successor ahead of a busy week in the Championship.

Clowes backed his now former manager to make the changes needed to the squad in the January transfer window, but with just four new faces brought in, and the mood at Pride Park becoming more hostile by the minute, the decision has been made to relieve him of his services.

Owner Clowes said to the Rams' official site: "Paul is a man of great integrity and embodies the values we hold important at Derby County. No fan should ever forget his contribution in securing promotion to the Championship. I certainly won’t.

"However, results in football dictate decisions and we felt that to give us the best chance of retaining our Championship status, the time was right to make a change.

"Paul goes with our thanks, gratitude and best wishes. He and his family will always be welcome at Pride Park."

Derby have to get this next appointment right

Warne's first task was to take the Rams back to the Championship, and he managed that during his first full season in charge of the club.

However, his past struggles in the second tier came back to haunt him once again, and a run of four wins in 26 matches has put Derby into serious danger of returning to League One at the first time of asking.

The departure of Eiran Cashin to Brighton & Hove Albion for £9m a week ago has made the situation even more bleak for the East Midlands outfit, and they must now make the right decision when hiring Warne's successor.

Clowes' statement shows just how much he appreciated the 51-year-old as a person and everything that he has done for the club until now, but Derby are now at the next stage of their project and they must survive in the Championship.

The Rams have already started the search for a new manager, and have stated that no further comment will be made until a decision has been made. Nevertheless, the new era at Pride Park starts tomorrow, and supporters will be backing the team completely to help to start the turnaround.