Paul Warne makes Derby County admission ahead of West Ham fixture | OneFootball

Derby County boss Paul Warne has revealed he is more concerned about the Rams’ performance against West Ham United rather than the result, speaking in an interview with The Telegraph ahead of this evening’s FA Cup clash.

The Rams have been in excellent form under Warne in recent months, going winless in the league since the latter stages of October and with that, launching themselves into the automatic promotion mix.

Also overcoming Torquay United, Newport County and Barnsley in the FA Cup this term, they are in good shape coming into this clash and won’t be short of confidence considering the players they have and the fact they have the home advantage.

Quiz: Are these 20 Derby County facts real or fake?

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Derby County have won the top-flight title on two occasions

Real Fake

David Moyes’ side, meanwhile, have struggled in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign so far, although the Hammers will be in a reasonably good mood following their 2-0 victory against fellow struggles Everton.

Still, they haven’t fared well this season and Moyes could be under real pressure again if he loses tonight’s clash in the East Midlands.

With the pressure on, Derby have a real chance of causing an upset but Warne isn’t too worried about the result, even though he is keen to see his side secure a place in the hat for the next round.

He said: “I want to win and the owner to have a great night, but I’m more concerned about the performance, because it’s good habits.

“Whatever happens, I have to take it into the next league game. It’s a nice distraction but if we lose it’s not a season killer.

“I don’t regard a League One team losing to a Premier League team as a failure. I regard it as failure if they significantly underperform.”

The Verdict:

Considering where the club was during the early stages of the summer, they have done remarkably well to get to their current position and it would be a massive story if they were to overcome Moyes’ side tonight.

You feel this is an excellent opportunity for them to cause an upset considering there’s likely to be a huge number of home supporters backing them at Pride Park, with that potentially hindering the away side as much as it will benefit the hosts.

The result against Everton earlier this month may have given the Hammers a timely boost and that’s one reason why they will still be favourites in this clash – but it remains to be seen whether Moyes fields his strongest 11.

He won’t want any of his key players getting injured this evening if his side wants to continue dragging themselves away from the relegation zone, so the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice may not be involved.

That would only boost the Rams’ hopes of securing a win or a replay at the London Stadium – and it would be a massive boost if the hosts were able to continue their unbeaten run – something that will only help them to build more momentum.