"I think it's really disrespectful" - Derby County boss Paul Warne questioned for comments after Leeds United loss | OneFootball

The Rams were well beaten by the Whites on Saturday at Elland Road, despite a 2-0 scoreline.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County were beaten for the third time in a row on Saturday afternoon in the Championship, with Leeds United running out 2-0 winners at Elland Road in stormy conditions.

Joe Rodon and Max Wober both scored just before half-time to hand the Whites all three points at home against a Rams side that went into the game without their key man, Ebou Adams.

The midfielder was suspended for collecting his fifth yellow card of the season against Sheffield Wednesday in his team's most recent home game, and he was forced to sit out against Leeds.

It was a big loss for Derby, and his presence was missed in midfield throughout the game. However, Paul Warne had set up his team to limit any potential loss rather than push for a win in West Yorkshire, something that irked much of the fanbase.

Paul Warne's comments will frustrate and anger supporters

Following the defeat, Warne faced up to the media, and put some level of blame onto his lack of stars compared to Leeds. He said to 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."

It was clear that the Rams were not in the fight from the off, with Jerry Yates often the sole player up the pitch for the away side as they played long passes in the hope of finding the striker.

It was an extremely frustrating day for the club, and Football League World's Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, who was asked if the criticism of Warne was warranted following the interview.

He told FLW: "I said it before the match against Leeds that it reminded me of how it felt when Gary Rowett was the manager, and we played away at Wolves when they got promoted. We went there with the intention of not losing by a lot but absolutely showed no intent to win the game, accepting that we were going to lose, and it was just a matter of trying to keep the score down. I feel that that is exactly what we did on Saturday.

"We went there almost damage limitation, and the mindset was just to go out there and lose, but not lose too badly and that's disgusting really. We're a Championship side against another Championship side.

"Yes, there's a gulf between the squads that's clear to see, but you've got to go out there, and you've got to give it your all and try and win the game. Yes, be hard to beat, but give it a go.

"We're not playing against Real Madrid or Liverpool, this is Leeds. With all due respect they're good, but they're not world beaters themselves. They're in the Championship for a reason, and I just feel like the mindset was we'd already lost before we went out there."

Shaun continued: "I've seen the interview Paul Warne did and I think it's really disrespectful to the players and if I was a player at Derby, I would be quite disgusted by that comment he made about them being League One.

"What does that say to the players that he signed? He's basically saying they're not good enough for the Championship. To me, that's not going to motivate them, I'd be really worried. I think for potential signings in January, I think if they've seen that as well, I think it's going to potentially impact on who comes to the club.

"So, all in all, it's been a terrible weekend, and I don't think Paul Warne has come out of it with any credit.

"I think he's got a massive week ahead now because I think if we lose to Portsmouth, I think that could potentially be his time at Derby up."

Derby must do better against Burnley and Portsmouth

The Rams now have another difficult away game on the horizon, with a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley coming on Tuesday evening.

They still have won just one game on the road all season, and they will go into their clash with the Clarets as huge underdogs once again. It is a match that they will not expect to win, but Derby must show more desire to get themselves up the pitch and attack with intent.

The travelling support will already be tense, and Warne must win them back over, especially with a crunch game against Portsmouth coming up on Friday at Pride Park.

If Derby lose both of these matches this week, then Warne could be at risk of losing some of the security that he has in his role in DE24, and the Rams could easily find themselves in the relegation zone by the time the weekend is over.