Paul Warne speaks out on Derby County future as pressure mounts
Paul Warne says he does not need reassurance over his job at Derby County because he understands the position they are in - and implored the fans not to turn on the players.
Pressure is mounting at Pride Park with the club having slipped into the Championship relegation zone and suffered a sixth straight defeat against Cardiff last weekend. It does not get any easier for Derby either with big-spending Sheffield United up tomorrow with the Blades having just signed Tom Cannon for £13m and signed Ben Brereton Diaz from Southampton on loan.
Warne, who led the club to their first promotion in 17 years last term in League One, is aware that he needs to transform Derby's fortunes and quickly given their recent form and amid growing unrest. But injuries are not helping with Callum Elder, Kane Wilson, Dajaune Brown and Nat Phillips all set to miss the game against Chris Wilder's side.
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"I've met the board this week and I don't need their reassurance in the nicest possible sense because I am a big boy," he said. "I understand the position we are in, I understand the form we are in, I understand everything.
"I don't expect someone to say to me it doesn't matter about results because you will be here for the next two years. I am well aware of how football is. My job is to pick my team up, pick my staff up and send them out willing for Saturday.
"If they do that and they perform at their best and we do not get the result, that is all we can do which is to try to get the best out of the group that we can.
"I do believe we are doing that and I do speak to David (Clowes), Stephen (Pearce) and the board pretty regularly but in the same way, I've done this for seven years so it's not my first rodeo. I do understand the situation. We do need to pick up points, we do need to pick up wins, but I don't want the fans to turn on the players because the players need them more than ever.
"I know I have to answer questions, but you do know I get it? I do get on the team bus, I do look at the league table, I do go in the dressing room after games, I do see how hard they train, I do see how academic they are in team meetings, I do see everything.
"Everyone is doing everything they can to turn around this poor form. Between now and then, there will be ups and downs, swings and roundabouts. People will jump out of the bottom three and out of the top six. That's how it is."
