Conor Hourihane, a midfielder for Derby County, has disclosed the explicit directive Paul Warne provided his team prior to the promotion play-offs.
Derby County’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cambridge United on Saturday puts them in position to be promoted back to the Championship.
With three more points, The Rams now have 89 points and only need to draw with Carlisle United to finish in the top two.
Despite being out of the second division for two years, star winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing says he will be restless the night before the game on Saturday.
Paul Warne’s team has been desperate to get out of the third division, so nerves have been a major factor throughout the season.
Midfielder Conor Hourihane explains how things have changed since the goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers two weeks ago, when those were evident.
Paul Warne’s letter to Derby County players following the draw with Wycombe
After Derby’s lacklustre performance at Wycombe, where they recorded zero attempts on goal, and their subsequent two-point deficit, many fans lost it.
Fortunately, Derby defeated Leyton Orient and Cambridge, and Bolton Wanderers drew their two matches against Portsmouth and Shrewsbury, gaining ground in the promotion race.
The Rams have recovered admirably from their setback against Wycombe, setting up a likely promotion celebration for this Saturday afternoon. Hourihane is now disclosing how Warne altered his players’ mindset.
Two huge victories have resulted from his squad’s encouragement to settle down and relax following their “erratic” performance against The Chairboys.
Paul Warne has been excellent, Hourihane said on the NFL All Access podcast. “Wycombe away, four games ago, give or take, is the big thing for me.”
We ended up drawing the game, and I thought that was the main lesson we learned from the evening. We were a little disorganised, erratic, and disorganised, but we still managed to draw.
“For the past four or five games, the unambiguous message has been to unwind and quiet down a little bit while on the field. The group and the boys have embraced that message wholeheartedly. For the past four or five games, there has been a strong, obvious message. Hopefully, things will continue to be that way through this weekend.
A hint of refinement from Paul Warne
Derby has been dragged to the verge by his message of relaxation and calmness on the pitch, rather than placing pressure on his players to perform.
As long as they complete the work by Saturday, Warne, who has guided Rotherham to three promotions, is an expert in these circumstances and has found that putting less pressure on has paid off.
The Rams can’t celebrate their return to the championship without a point. While the players will receive a great deal of the credit, Warne proved to be a master of man management by rallying his team after the Wycombe game.
He’s about to add a fourth promotion to his already impressive resume as a result.
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