LAUNCH PADEL
DERBY V WEST HAM MOYES: BOWEN’S GOAL TALLY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE
PAUL Warne says he’d be whipped by Jurgen Klopp at padel tennis — but is confident he’d wipe the floor with David Moyes at badminton.
As Derby County’s boss prepared to face his second Premier League opponents this season when the Hammers arrive at Pride Park for tonight’s FA Cup Fourth Round tie, he recalled a surreal chat he had with Liverpool’s boss during their League Cup tie earlier this season.
Warne, whose Rams are on a 19-match unbeaten run, said that he discovered Klopp’s lighter side after an injury to one of his coaches forced him out onto the Anfield pitch to do the warm-ups.
Circle
Klopp famously stands in the centre circle, watching his adversaries’ drills.
And this is where the conversation veers off-topic.
DAVID MOYES has told Jarrod Bowen it is time to get his goal tally up to an “acceptable” level.
Bowen is likely to be West Ham’s main threat at Derby tonight in the last of this weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round clashes.
The 26-year-old will head to Pride Park with
Warne said: “When I went out onto the pitch, Klopp was there. The Germans love all that. They stand there and intimidate you. They say it’s not intimidation - but it is because Klopp’s 12-feet tall.
“But then he comes over and said ‘Hello’ and invited me for a drink afterwards.
“I didn’t have any arguments with him during the game because, generally, I was terrified.
“Afterwards, I went in and we were just talking about life, I asked him what he did to look after himself.
“I swim and run a lot. Apparently, he plays padel.
“He said, ‘Warney, you need one of them at your training ground’.
“Trouble is, I didn’t fall off the Premier League money tree - I can’t pop a padel court onto a bit of land out the back.
“I played it myself and I loved it.
“But Jurgen thinks he’s excellent. Then he said, ‘I’m one of only three people in the world who have got a sponsorship deal on my padel racquet’.
“So, I went, ‘What?’.
“And he said, ‘Yes, there’s Rafa Nadal, the world champion and me’.
“He turned to his assistant and said, ‘That’s true, isn’t it?’ And he nodded and I said, ‘Oh my god’.
“And with that, I went, ‘Right, we’re leaving’.”
Klopp wasn’t pulling Warne’s leg, either, he on holiday renewed confidence after bagging both in last week’s 2-0 win at home to fellow Premier League strugglers Everton.
Those were his first goals since October, however, and the player himself admitted his early-season form dipped has a sponsorship deal with well-known tennis equipment manufacturer, Wilson.
Wonder
The conversation led Derby’s boss to wonder if tonight’s dugout foe Moyes had a secret sporting ability that he was keeping under wraps.
But he did warn the Scot that he would need his A-game if he was to turn up and challenge because he was too worried about missing out on a World Cup place.
Prove
England ended up heading for Qatar without him but Hammers boss Moyes is confident Bowen is now in a better place — and will prove it with goals. him at badminton.
He said: “I cannot see how David would beat me at badminton. I used to take on the players at my old club – and the new signings too.
“I’d ask, ‘Do you play badminton, at all?’ I don’t play for money. I play to embarrass them, then I’ve got them.
“I played Will Vaulks once who was at Sheffield Wednesday and who’s now at
He said: “Up till now his numbers haven’t been acceptable really.
“He’s not performed well in the first half of the season and I still think he’s got a lot more to go again.
“But the one thing with Jarrod if you look through his career, even when he was at Hull, he’d
Cardiff.
“I don’t think he took a point off me. He couldn’t believe it, either.
“He was awful and I’ve absolutely hammered my assistant, Matt Hamshaw.
Surprised
“I don’t think David could live with me on a badminton court. I’d be very surprised if he could, let’s put it like that.” score 10 goals, 12 or 13.
“When you think of the journey he’s had, the rise he’s had, Jarrod has shown he’s more than capable.
“Last year in the second half of the season he took over the goalscoring here, got us big goals, in Europe and in the league.”