Derby have sacked manager Paul Warne after three years in charge.
The Championship club have slipped into the relegation zone after a run of seven straight league defeats.
The latest result was a 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield United last weekend.
It’s a result that leaves them 22nd in the table and two points adrift from safety.
Warne’s dismissal comes ten months after he secured automatic promotion from League One in the 2023/24 season.
It is also just 24 hours before the Rams travel to Norwich in a crucial league match on Saturday.
Owner David Clowes told the club’s website: “Paul is a man of great integrity and embodies the values we hold important at Derby County.
“No fan should ever forget his contribution in securing promotion to the Championship. I certainly won’t.
“However, results in football dictate decisions and we felt that to give us the best chance of retaining our Championship status, the time was right to make a change.”
Clowes added that “The search for Paul’s replacement is underway and there will be no further comment until the position has been filled.”
In the meantime, first team coach Matt Hamshaw will lead the team.
He will be supported by Jake Buxton, Bradley Johnson, Andy Warrington and the rest of the existing backroom staff.
Derby had been brought out of administration just three months before Warne was appointed in September 2022.
Warne failed to secure promotion in his first season in charge – a campaign that saw the Rams rely on loan signings and free transfers to build a credible team.
However 12 months later he did secure promotion from League One as Derby returned to the second tier.
It’s been a tough season with Warne speaking after a defeat to Leeds in December to describe his side as ‘a League One side with some sugar on top’.
He said: “Every single one of their players was quicker than ours and apart from being tidy on the ball, I didn’t see how we were going to create a chance.
“I know that sounds negative but that’s the truth. We are playing a Premier League team with a League One team with a bit of sugar on top.
Derby’s last seven Championship matches
| Opponent | Result | Date |
| Leeds (H) | 0-1 (L) | 29/12/24 |
| Sheffield Wednesday (A) | 4-2 (L) | 01/01/25 |
| Bristol City (A) | 1-0 (L) | 04/01/25 |
| Watford (H) | 0-2 (L) | 18/01/25 |
| Sunderland (H) | 0-1 (L) | 21/01/25 |
| Cardiff City (A) | 2-1 (L) | 25/01/25 |
| Sheffield United (H) | 0-1 (L) | 01/02/25 |
“I could have gone guns out, but if I stood here after a five or six nil defeat the damage in the dressing room could have been colossal.”
With Championship survival the aim of the game this term, Derby fans will be desperate to claim some positive results in their final 16 games to avoid the drop.