Paul Warne: Derby County appoint Rotherham United boss as new head coach

Paul Warne was the sixth longest-serving manager in the EFL at Rotherham

Derby County have appointed Rotherham boss Paul Warne as their new head coach on a four-year deal.

He led the Millers to three promotions to the Championship, but was also relegated from the division three times after taking over in November 2016.

Warne, 49, replaces interim manager Liam Rosenior at the Rams.

His first game in charge of Derby, who are seventh in League One, will be the trip to Cambridge on Saturday, 1 October after the international break.

Warne will be joined at Pride Park by coaches Richie Barker, Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington who worked alongside him with the Millers.

He had two spells with the South Yorkshire side as a player before moving on to the club's coaching staff in 2012.

He was initially appointed manager on a caretaker basis in November 2016 when Kenny Jackett resigned before being given the job in April 2017, despite being able to stop them from being relegated to the third tier.

Under his guidance they won promotion straight back to the second tier through the play-offs the next season but were again relegated the following campaign.

They bounced straight back again by finishing in second place in 2019-20 when the League One season was curtailed and decided on a points per game basis because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A draw at Cardiff on the final day of the 2020-21 season again condemned them to relegation, where a win would have sent the Rams down instead, but, once again, Warne led them straight back up in second place.

Rotherham have made a strong start to the Championship season and are in eighth place with 14 points from their first nine matches.

Rosenior helped 'stabilise club'

Former assistant manager Rosenior was made interim boss in June after ex-England captain Wayne Rooney resigned following a turbulent period for the Rams.

Derby were deducted 21 points at the start of the 2021-22 season after entering administration and suffered relegation from the Championship amid uncertainty about their future.

Liam Rosenior's interim spell at Derby was his first role in management

Local businessman David Clowes eventually completed a takeover of the beleaguered club on 1 July but by then Rooney had quit.

The 38-year-old was placed in interim charge and helped rebuild the side with a recruitment drive that saw the Rams bring in 14 new players, having previously only had five contracted players.

He lost just three of his 12 games in charge but Derby have now turned to a manager who has three League One promotions on his CV.

"On behalf of everyone at Pride Park, we would like to thank Liam for all his efforts during an incredibly difficult period and in helping to stabilise the club under new ownership," a Derby statement said.

"There can be no doubting Liam's hard work and dedication and he undoubtedly has a huge future in management. At this time, however, we believe the time is right to make a transition in terms of leadership and progress on the pitch."