“They’re big boys” - Paul Warne sends strong Derby County message ahead of huge Peterborough clash | OneFootball

Derby County boss Paul Warne insists he doesn’t need to fire his players up ahead of their big game against Peterborough United on Saturday.

The Rams have stuttered in recent weeks, with a 2-0 defeat at home to Fleetwood Town last time out meaning they’ve won just one in four. As a result, the chasing play-off pack have closed in, with the Posh and Wycombe just four points behind Warne’s side as they battle to finish in the top six.

Therefore, the stakes are high going into tomorrow’s fixture, but Warne told Derbyshire Live that he doesn’t need to read the riot act to his players after their disappointing display last time out, and that the group are ‘desperate’ to put things right against Darren Ferguson’s side.

“They're big boys, they know. They don't need me to come and talk about it (Fleetwood). Anyone, myself included, that when I sit down with the staff at 5pm and speak all weekend and what we could have done differently, you are picking an imaginary team against the one that has already played.

“The imaginary team looks amazing, doesn’t it? But whatever 11 we choose to start the game, they should have performed at a higher level than that. That's the nicest way to put it. The lads have seen where their performance, and collectively we could have made five or six changes at half-time.

“I've never said that in my career let alone here. It was disappointing. The lads understand it, and they want to get back to it. They are desperate to put on a performance that we can all be really proud of.”

Warne has no fresh injury worries going into the game, although the Rams will be without Jason Knight, who is on international duty with Ireland.

The verdict

This is a sensible message from Warne, as he has plenty of experience in his squad, and they will be well aware that they dropped below their usual standards last week.

That surprise defeat has increased the pressure on the trip to Peterborough, and the East Midlands outfit know that a defeat against their rivals will really tighten things up during the run-in.

So, it’s a massive fixture, and the Derby players need to show character and personality to go with the quality they undoubtedly have, to ensure they pick up the points to get back on track on Saturday.