The gap is huge but we might confuse City
Rotherham boss Paul Warne plots a miracle win against Guardiola
I was dressed as an elf when I got the manager’s job
PAUL WARNE has tasted the blood. He used to spit it out in the morning as he wrestled with the stresses of a job he never asked for or applied for.
Warne has shed tears, standing before his players to bare his soul in a speech about his father who is seriously ill.
This week, the manager of Championship club Rotherham has been shivering and sneezing inside the oversized padded coat he likes to wear on the touchline. Yet he is undaunted. Blood, snot and tears fuel the pursuit of an FA Cup miracle at Manchester City.
At least Warne’s illness persuaded him to swerve what might have been an unnerving scouting mission to see the champions beat Liverpool on Thursday.
He watched from home in South Yorkshire, trading WhatsApp messages with his staff and trying to work out City’s team with his 12-year-old daughter, Riley.
‘We get the squad up and I’m saying, “Yeah, Phil Foden, I think he’ll play”,’ said Warne. ‘She says, “Is he good?” and I say, “Yes, he’s good, Riley”. “What about him, will he play?” “Yes, I think he will”. “Is he good?” “Yes, he’s very good”.’
Even without those who started against Liverpool, Pep Guardiola can call on Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus in tomorrow’s third-round tie.
‘The gap is monumental, but the good thing is football’s not fair. The best team doesn’t always win,’ said Warne, who was in Rotherham’s attack for a 1-1 draw with City in League One in March 2002 — the last time the teams met.
‘With Oldham we played away in the FA Cup at Chasetown on a wet, muddy pitch and it was the live TV game. Our captain, Chris Swailes, reckoned their captain wanted to fight him when he went to hand in the team sheet.
‘He returned and said, “They’re a bit revved up, he didn’t even have a shirt on”. We got a draw and battered them in the replay. That’s why fans love the FA Cup.
‘And that’s the thing with City. The levels are so wide some of the things my players do they won’t be used to seeing. They might be confused if Jon Taylor or Ryan Williams run at them.’
Now 45, Warne was dressed as an elf, waiting to shoot a Christmas advert for the club shop when he learned he was to be Rotherham’s next manager. ‘The chief exec tapped me on the shoulder and said, “You’d better get out of the elf outfit. You’re going to be the caretaker manager”.’
It was late November 2016. Rotherham had seven points from 18 Championship games and Kenny Jackett had walked out after only 39 days in charge.
Warne was the fitness coach and a popular figure after playing nearly 300 games at the club in two spells covering 10 years. ‘I thought it would be one game,’ he admitted. He was in charge for the rest of the season but was unable to prevent relegation.
‘I was chewing at my mouth when I was sleeping — waking up and spitting blood. I lost a stone in weight. I wanted to do well but my record was horrendous.
‘It hit me hard. I went from being a fitness coach who cycled 40 miles a day, ran with the team and swam with the injured lads to a manager who drove to work, didn’t eat because I was wired from drinking caffeine all day. I got home and I’d done no exercise, hadn’t eaten.
‘I wasn’t engaged with my wife and kids. I’d watch TV but you could ask me at the end what had happened and I didn’t have a Scooby. If we lost, I’d pull into a lay-by for half an hour before I got home. I couldn’t face their pity. They look at you like they know how much you’re hurting.
‘My daughter had a party on a Tuesday and she said, “Dad, if you lose on Saturday will you still be down by the Tuesday”. I thought, “Jesus Christ”. She was 10.’
It did not prevent Warne from taking the job permanently at the end of the season and he devoured leadership books to find a style to suit his infectious personality.
He convinced his chairman, Tony Stewart, to invest in the training ground rather than transfers and set about improving his players.
Tears flowed as Warne stood before his squad and explained the motivational force of his family. Players followed suit. One told of losing a best friend in an accident, another of losing a child. ‘To be successful our internal relationships have to be strong,’ said Warne. ‘I can’t bring anyone in who is going to break that.’
He has urged players to connect with fans through social media, and adorned walls with images of the wins, points and clean sheets collected on the way to winning promotion last season.
Another idea, taken from his friend Paul Thompson, former head coach of Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team, was to commission a print of Rotherham’s windmill crest to place in the centre of the dressing-room floor at away games. It will be at the Etihad.
At Christmas, Warne gave his players 13 different self-improvement books with titles such as Ego
is the Enemy and The Obstacle is the Way and told them to read at least one chapter.
‘They’ll have to stand up and tell us what they’ve read,’ he said. ‘If they didn’t like it, fine. If it improves a few, great. You’ve got to be honest with yourself and that’s the idea behind the books. Footballers can be quick to blame others when things go wrong.’
Last year, Warne found himself at an awards ceremony at the same table as Guardiola separated only by Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray. When Mowbray stood to address the room and said he was honoured to be sitting next to the world’s greatest coach, Warne couldn’t resist the joke: ‘I said he must mean me, that’s a nice gesture. He didn’t take it too well.’
An FA Cup upset won’t appeal to Pep’s sense of humour, either.