John Eustace made a mockery of Paul Warne’s December 2024 comments, fans were right to be furious

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Derby County ended the 2024/25 campaign positively as they maintained their Championship status with a 0-0 draw at home to Stoke City on the final day.

The Rams headed into the clash knowing that a win would automatically secure their survival, but results elsewhere ensured that they will line up in the second tier once again in 2025/26 with Luton Town tasting their second successive relegation.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	46	14	12	20	58	71	-13	54
17	Oxford UnitedOxford United	46	13	14	19	49	65	-16	53
18	Stoke CityStoke City	46	12	15	19	45	62	-17	51
19	DerbyDerby	46	13	11	22	48	56	-8	50
20	PrestonPreston	46	10	20	16	48	59	-11	50
21	Hull CityHull City	46	12	13	21	44	54	-10	49
22	LutonLuton	46	13	10	23	45	69	-24	49

John Eustace’s side picked up 21 points in their last 11 games to go from the bottom of the table to 19th, and supporters were keen to celebrate with their head coach and players following the final whistle, although Saturday was potentially Harrison Armstrong’s last appearance in a Derby shirt.

Nevertheless, attention will now turn to the summer transfer window as the club look to avoid a repeat of this season and climb up the Championship table following a difficult first year in the division.

Derby need to add more quality throughout their side, something that ex-head coach Paul Warne noted as a huge vulnerability, but perhaps let it slip in the wrong way following a defeat to Leeds United back in December.

Paul Warne’s ‘League One’ description of Derby County was proven wrong by John Eustace

The Rams went into their clash with the eventual league champions in December very much on the back foot.

They had won just once on the road all season by that point, and the home side made them pay twice, running out 2-0 winners at Elland Road as Derby failed to lay a glove on Daniel Farke’s team.

Following the defeat, Warne explained the reasons why his players struggled to compete against Leeds, but in doing so, supporters were left annoyed.

He said (via: BBC Radio Derby): “I understand why people would want you to go for it but the honest truth is that this is a very good team that made it very difficult for us when we had the ball.

“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.”

Warne continued: “The lads competed really well which I’m proud of. You just don’t want to be open and that brave that you get ripped apart. 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.”

The current MK Dons boss won just two more games with the Rams before being sacked in February after seven straight losses in the league, leaving Eustace with a mountain to climb once he arrived at the club.

However, he proved his predecessor wrong and got the points that were needed to keep Derby County in the Championship and his connection with the supporters is clear to see after less than three months in charge at Pride Park.

John Eustace has to take Derby further next season

Survival was the key to the next few months for the Rams, and they can now focus on new signings and keeping hold of those whose deals are due to come to an end soon, including that of Liam Thompson, whose Derby contract expires this summer.

This season is now one for the history books, and fans will be looking to move on and look ahead to the future with a top half finish surely the target for Eustace after finding himself in that position previously with both Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers.

Pride Park has to continue to be the fortress that it has been for the last few years, while Derby have to find a way to ensure that they do not have the same issues on the road over the course of the entire campaign.

Warne kept the Rams battling at times, but he had perhaps taken the club as far as he could and Eustace was the correct man to take over and push the team onwards, proving the ex-Rotherham United boss wrong in the process.