To the bitter end, Paul Warne, complete with his trademark bobble hat, answered questions about his future with the kind of grace and self-deprecating humour we have come to expect.

"I could manage this club - which will disappoint a lot of people - for the next 3,000 days," he said. "But I could also manage this club for the next 3,000 minutes."

From his press conference at Moor Farm yesterday, it was actually 24 hours before his fate was sealed in a decision that David Clowes will have found incredibly difficult to make. That is because, as an ambassador for the football club and its community, Warne was an exceptional fit. Even in the last week, he had personally responded to an email from a fan who had sent him messages of support.

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He was never afraid to give Derby fans a personal touch whether it was a video message, letter or email and when it comes to football managers, he just about breaks every norm. There are no cliches, he is a terrific raconteur, and you sense he could convince Eskimos to install central heating.

But above all else, he has an exceptionally big heart. When Tyreece John-Jules ruptured his hamstring last year at Reading last season and was going to miss the rest of the campaign, a steady line of tears followed when asked about the player's fate in a subsequent press conference given the striker's previous injury problems.

Those emotional characteristics made him an incredibly popular figure with the staff, and his departure will not be one that anybody around the club, and Clowes in particular, will relish. But over the last couple of weeks, and from listening to Warne talk about his future, he perhaps sensed that there would be a regrettable parting of the ways.

A run of seven straight defeats in the league, which had left Derby in the bottom three, sounded the alarm, and when chants about his football were aimed at him during the Sheffield United defeat, the situation was becoming unhealthy - not just in terms of the league table, but also for the man himself. He did not deserve that, but there's often no way back when it happens.

Injuries had not helped his cause, but he refused to use them as an excuse despite the club's casualty list equalling an episode of Holby City. The loss of David Ozoh earlier on in the season was an enormous blow, and Derby never seemed to be able to catch a break.

Not a week went by as players came back only for others to be added to the list, and with the team being chopped and changed, the dam eventually broke. Whether it was 3-5-2, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, the team just couldn't find a way to win. Nobody ever thrashed Derby, but Warne, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't turn slender margins in his favour, and he was not helped by players missing big chances.

Crucially, the attacking players, particularly the wingers, lost form at a key time of the season. Corey Blackett-Taylor could not stay fit, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has not been able to reproduce the quality of last season, and Kayden Jackson lost his pomp after an impressive start to the season.

You always felt Derby had to be exceptional to get a result, and unfortunately, a large proportion of the players who had served him so well in League One have found the Championship a difficult beast to conquer.

Some people have questioned his tactics amid claims Derby were too one-dimensional and too reliant on crosses into the box. But to play through the middle, as many have demanded in recent weeks, you have to have players of sufficient technical capability. While Derby are blessed with a lot of graft, there is precious little craft, and in the Championship you can't get away with it. Harrison Armstrong's arrival from Everton on deadline day looked to remedy that, but Warne will not have the chance to see whether he would be the solution and the debate about recruitment will continue to rage.

And so, despite the hierarchy's sheer willingness for him to succeed, there is always a point when it just becomes too much and sitting in the relegation zone is why we are here right now. And it should come as no surprise. Warne said yesterday he will not look back with any regret because he did the very best he could - and he is right. Nobody could accuse the players of downing tools and they certainly gave him everything, but while there was a lot of perspiration, in the key moments they couldn't find the inspiration to turn defeats into draws or victories.

But Warne's legacy as Derby manager will be that promotion he delivered last season, the first the club had tasted in 17 years. He gave fans young and old memories that will last a lifetime as the city was brought to a standstill for 48 hours.

He did so against a backdrop of transfer restrictions having arrived as the club began to rise from the ashes of administration. He masterminded it all as he put a fourth promotion on his CV with a club-record number of away wins and the best defensive record in the division. Some managers don't even enjoy one promotion let alone four.

But he achieved that with a great deal of heart and honesty, not to mention a vast number of bobble hats. Sadly, he no longer has to wear them.

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