“Has the experience and qualities needed” – Will Paul Warne deliver promotion at Derby County this season? | OneFootball

Icon: Football League World

Football League World

·24 September 2022

“Has the experience and qualities needed” – Will Paul Warne deliver promotion at Derby County this season?

Article image:“Has the experience and qualities needed” – Will Paul Warne deliver promotion at Derby County this season?

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County have shown their ambition to win promotion from League One this season by replacing Liam Rosenior with Paul Warne as manager.


OneFootball Videos


Rosenior had performed admirably as interim manager at the start of this term, having the Rams on the outskirts of the play-offs and instilling a possession-based style of football.

The latter is set to change with Warne’s introduction, as the former Rotherham United boss aims to clinch promotion to the second tier for the fourth time in his managerial career.

We gathered the thoughts of a selection of FLW writers to see if they believe Warne can deliver promotion this season…

Adam Jones

Paul Warne has the experience and qualities needed to guide the Rams to automatic promotion this term, though other teams will have a say over whether they will be able to secure a top-two finish.

Ipswich Town look very strong at this stage, with Sheffield Wednesday also having the quality and depth required to push for a place in the top two.

However, the likes of Conor Hourihane and Curtis Davies should have the necessary experience to help push their team towards the right end of the division, though anything could happen in the play-offs if they fall short of automatic promotion.

And this is why promotion for them isn’t guaranteed, even though they have made a good decision to poach Warne.

And it’s a boost for them that they have an international break to enable Warne to implement his ideas on the training pitch, a crucial period that could be vital for them in their quest to get out of their current division.

Marcus Ally

They are up against it given the strength of the squads that Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday have built over the last few transfer windows.

Derby also do not have the same depth in their roster as other competitors, which is something that may be addressed in January.

It will likely have to be via the play-offs if Derby are to win promotion this season, but Warne’s job probably will not hinge on that coming this term, and the 49-year-old has experience of getting up at Wembley Stadium with Rotherham United in the not too distant past.

Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle have looked better than the Rams so far and it is important they do not give themselves too much work to do come the second half of the campaign.

As it stands, promotion is more unlikely than likely, but Warne’s experience in the play-offs could come to the fore in a positive way.

26 Derby County trivia questions that will determine if you are a true fan or not

1 of 26

Article image:“Has the experience and qualities needed” – Will Paul Warne deliver promotion at Derby County this season?

DERBY WERE FOUNDED IN WHAT YEAR?

1880 1884 1888 1892

Toby Wilding

You do get the feeling that Warne does have a chance of taking the Rams back to the Championship this season.

There is plenty of time for him to make his mark at Derby, with the club already in a solid position in the table, and the calibre of player they have brought to Pride Park means they should be capable of competing as well.

Indeed, Warne himself obviously knows how to get out of this division from his time with Rotherham as well, and too should give Derby the belief they need to push on in the battle for a return to the Championship.

With the stregnth of a number of other clubs in League One however, things will not be easy for Warne and Derby with regards to automatic promotion, but top six should certainly be on the agenda.

View publisher imprint