What Paul Warne has done to cement his legacy alongside Nigel Clough and Derby County managerial greats

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Paul Warne has cemented his name among some of the greatest managers to ever manage Derby County as one impressive statistic emerges.

When David Clowes tookover Derby County football club in July 2022, he knew that the managerial appointment was going to be imperative to their success.

It would have been easy for Clowes to make the wrong decision but he ultimately made the right one as Paul Warne arrived at Pride Park in September 2022.

Joining Derby with an impressive three promotions on his CV while at Rotherham, Warne would add a fourth to that list in his second season at the club as the Rams finished second in League One.

Derby have since acclimatized to the Championship very well, sitting 10th in the table with nine points from six matches.

Position	Team	PlayedMP	WonW	DrawnD	LostL	ForGF	AgainstGA	DiffGD	PointsPts
5	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	6	4	2	0	9	3	6	12
6	LeedsLeeds	6	3	2	1	9	4	5	11
7	SwanseaSwansea	6	3	1	2	7	4	3	10
8	WatfordWatford	6	3	1	2	10	9	1	10
9	Oxford UnitedOxford United	6	3	0	3	10	8	2	9
10	DerbyDerby	6	3	0	3	8	7	1	9
11	NorwichNorwich	6	2	2	2	8	7	1	8
12	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	6	2	2	2	6	5	1	8
13	Bristol CityBristol City	6	2	2	2	8	12	-4	8
14	QPRQPR	6	1	4	1	8	9	-1	7

Derby County’s defensive record under Paul Warne

One thing has remained a constant since Warne arrived in Derbyshire and that is an incredible defensive record.

During last season’s promotion-winning campaign, Derby conceded just 37 goals in 46 matches and kept a whopping 22 clean sheets in all competitions.

Warne’s success was built on defensive solidity and in particular, the partnership of Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin, who continue to flourish in the Championship.

READ MORE: Derby County star Eiran Cashin’s journey from almost released to Premier League transfer interest

While Derby are pointless on their travels, their 100% home record remains intact and that includes conceding zero goals in wins over Middlesborough, Bristol City and Cardiff City.

In total, the Rams have kept an impressive 44 clean sheets in Warne’s 97 matches in charge while producing 56 wins, 24 draws and 27 defeats.

Perhaps more importantly, though, such a return has helped him keep his job for over two years and that has been a rarity for most managers of Derby since the turn of the millennium.

As pointed out by BBC Sport Derby, of the 18 full-time managers the Rams have had, only Nigel Clough, George Burley and Jim Smith have lasted two years or more, cementing his legacy among some of the greats.

• READ MORE: ‘Terrific’ Derby County star is now finally showing exactly why Paul Warne signed him in 2023

Paul Warne’s Derby County win percentage vs Brian Clough

Brian Clough is one of the greatest managers to ever grace the beautiful game and of course, Derby, where he helped the Rams win two first division titles in the 1970s and reached a European Cup semi-final in 1973.

Clough brought unprecedented success to Derbyshire and their noisy neighbours Nottingham Forest but how does his win percentage rank against Warne’s?

The legendary manager won 161 of his 332 matches at the helm which equates to a win percentage of 48.5% and when comparing that to Warne’s, it makes for interesting reading.

With the current Derby boss collecting 56 wins from 107 matches in charge, the former Rotherham United manager boasts an impressive win rate of 52.3%, bettering Clough’s.

Now there is no doubt that Warne will never eclipse Clough’s legacy but his record very impressive and deserves praise.