‘I cry in front of players – so what?’: Derby boss Paul Warne reflects on becoming more emotional following his father’s death… and continuing the Rams’ revival ahead of their FA Cup clash with West Ham

Paul Warne’s voice cracks as he fights back tears. The Derby manager is remembering his father, Russell, and how he always thinks of him when he sees the sun rise.

Russell died from a lung condition in June 2019 and is never far from his son’s mind. When Derby face West Ham in the FA Cup fourth round at Pride Park on Monday, it will put one of the most interesting characters in the game in front of a national audience.

‘When the sun comes out, I think it’s my father, because he loved the sun,’ says Warne, who played for five clubs across 15 years before taking his first job in management at Rotherham in 2016. ‘I always think that. If I talk about it, it’s hard.

‘The first home game I had as manager of Derby was in October. We played Port Vale and it was a sunny day. I walked on to the pitch and I thought my dad was with me. I thought, “How proud would my dad be of me, managing Derby?”’

Over the course of a fascinating hour in his office at Derby’s HQ, Warne discusses everything from the new coffee machine at the training ground to the changing attitudes of today’s managers —and whether he believes in life after death.

In a sport still laced with machismo, Warne is a refreshing antidote. His emotional speech to his Rotherham players after promotion from League One in 2020 went viral and he sees no reason to put up any defences in front of his squad.

‘I have broken down, I have cried in front of players before,’ he reflects. ‘I don’t care. I have got a bit emotional in a couple of team talks here, though I haven’t actually cried in front of this squad, I don’t think.

‘But it doesn’t bother me. So what? If I’m asking them to be open and emotional and trusting of me, I have to show vulnerability. I need them to know each other and if it starts with me crying, then that’s fine.

‘I don’t think I could have managed in the 1980s or 1990s. I wasn’t that character to shout and scream, grab people by the throat and all that macho nonsense. It’s pathetic, isn’t it? Nobody ever throws a punch anyway.

‘If my centre forward’s partner was having a baby on a matchday, he’d get the day off. That wouldn’t have happened when I was playing. It would have been, “So what? The game is at 3pm. Get there”.

‘I’ve got more emotional over the years. I’ve turned into a wreck! I could watch a Disney film and I’d cry. Since I lost my father it’s definitely changed me but I don’t believe in life after death.

‘I wish I did. I speak to the lads who are religious all the time and I say, “Explain it to me”. It doesn’t make sense to me. My brain won’t allow it to be believable.

‘I wish I had faith, I do. I’ve got a strong moral compass but faith passed me by.’

Warne has, however, inspired faith at a club finally finding stability after a hugely traumatic period. Derby spent 10 months in administration from September 2021 to July 2022, their future uncertain as boss Wayne Rooney tried to keep them pointing in the right direction. Though the former England captain did his utmost, a 21-point deduction for financial irregularities was too difficult to overcome and the Rams were relegated to League One.

After Rooney left, the club was saved by local property developer David Clowes and, after a short period under interim boss Liam Rosenior, Warne was hired last September.

Following six years’ superb work in the Championship and League One with Rotherham, Warne’s recipe is delivering for the two-time champions of England. They meet West Ham having lost only one of their last 19 games — a defeat on penalties at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in November — and have won their previous six.

‘When I arrived, I felt there was a bit of PTSD knocking about,’ Warne explains. ‘I know that sounds a bit extreme, but they had gone through administration and every day people were coming in not knowing whether they were losing their jobs.

‘There’s a financial crisis going on and losing your job would make it even worse. I sensed that everyone felt vulnerable and even though the club had been saved, I don’t think they fully believed it. I remember speaking to one of the cooks on my first day and she was saying it was really stressful.

‘I’ve tried to change certain things. The first thing I did was no massive deal, but I got the coffee machine mended. You’re always better speaking to the gaffer if he’s had five coffees rather than three!

‘It’s an amazing training facility but everything is black and white. I tried to inject colour with pictures of the lads scoring goals, with a “win wall” and a “clean sheet wall”. We have the family “why wall” — why we do what we do — in the dressing room. It has pictures of family members of all the players and we take it everywhere.

‘The tunnel feels a bit like a museum to me. In a team meeting the other day, I mentioned Alessandro Costacurta and Zico and no one in the room knew who they were. You’ve got to remember that this generation have their own heroes, so I’m going to get big pictures of them in colour in the tunnel and try to inspire them.

‘It might backfire, I don’t know. They have been doing quite well at home — it could be the worst thing I’ve ever done! But I want to empower the team and make them feel it’s their workplace.’

With an immediate return to the Championship the main target, Warne can afford to take a breath tonight. An exciting test against Premier League opposition is a chance to showcase the club’s revival, but Derby’s season will not be measured by progress in the FA Cup. Warne sums it up with typical candour.

‘If you go through and get another good draw, it can be a motivating factor for the rest of the season,’ he says. ‘Or it can be a royal boil on your backside.

‘Win or lose, I’m not too bothered. That’s the honest truth. If we win and get another fixture — and I know it’s not politically correct to say it — it’s a bit of a pain.

‘However, if you get a fixture that creates a memory for the players and the football club, that’s great.’ And a few more pictures to hang on the walls at the training ground.