Derby County owner David Clowes has now explained how long he wants Paul Warne to stay at Pride Park.
David Clowes hired Paul Warne as Derby manager in September 2022 and ever since, the pair have developed an unbreakable bond.
In his first campaign in charge of the Rams, Warne narrowly missed out on the play-offs, ending the 2022/23 season in seventh position.
Fast forward a year and Warne has just delivered Derby their first promotion in 17 years, returning to the Championship with a second-place finish in League One.
Clowes showed tremendous faith in his manager to get the job done and he did just that, adding a fourth promotion to his CV in the process.
David Clowes explains how long he wants Paul Warne to stay at Derby
In the modern era, it’s rare to see loyalty from the owner in his manager as instant success is expected.
Looking at some of the top clubs in England, including Tottenham and Chelsea, rarely do they give their managers time to stamp their philosophy on proceedings.
When things start to go pear-shaped, owners will hit the self-destruct button as opposed to giving the man in the dugout time to fix their current situation.
In the case of Derby, it’s the complete opposite and in an interview with the Derby Telegraph, Clowes says he wants Warne to stay at Pride Park for eight or nine years.
When asked about a new contract for the manager, Clowes replied: “Those are conversations that we have got to sit down and discuss with Paul obviously. But we will do. It would be nice if Paul was with us for eight or nine years.
“Arthur Cox was at Derby for a long time. We had a lot of success under Arthur and why can’t this be the same? I know football has changed since those days and the lifespan of a manager is what? A year and a half max?
“That’s crazy. I don’t think you can build a club up through that mentality.”
David Clowes must tread carefully
It’s brilliant that Clowes has shown so much faith in Warne and backed him in the transfer market.
However, he does have to be careful with what he’s saying, as while it’s sunshine and rainbows currently, a poor start to the Championship campaign could see his opinion change.
Warne’s record in the second tier isn’t great. In each of the three seasons he’s taken Rotherham there, the Millers have gone straight back down, albeit with a much smaller budget than Derby have.
For the Rams boss to prove a lot of people wrong, he has to keep his side in the division and avoid adding a fourth relegation to his CV.
Regardless of what happens, though, to suggest he wants Warne to stay in Derbyshire for a decade is a rare show of faith, though it’s faith that could soon backfire.
The post 'Would be nice if...': David Clowes explains how long he wants Paul Warne to be Derby County manager for appeared first on Derby County News.