Paul Warne

Paul Warne (born 8 May 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of League Two club Milton Keynes Dons.

Warne started his playing career in his native Norfolk for Great Yarmouth Town, Diss Town and Wroxham. In the summer of 1997, Warne made the transition into full-time Football League football by joining Wigan Athletic, after a spell on loan at Kettering Town in November 1998, Warne would then join Rotherham United in January 1999, where he would spend five-and-a-half-years and help the club gain promotions from the Third Division to the First Division in three seasons. In 2004, Warne had a short loan spell at Mansfield Town. In June 2005, Warne left Rotherham after 257 appearances to join Oldham Athletic, where in two-years Warne would make 100 appearances, in August 2007 Warne joined Yeovil Town, until he left in 2009 to rejoin Rotherham United in 2009, he would retire for football in the summer of 2012.

After retirement from playing, Warne would join the coaching staff at Rotherham United, where he acted as fitness coach, in November 2016 after Kenny Jackett resigned, Warne was named interim manager of Rotherham United until the end of the 2016–17, despite relegation and difficult results during this interim spell, Warne was named full time manager in summer of 2017 and would regain promotion again by winning the 2018 EFL League One play-off final, Rotherham became a yo-yo club under Warne, with club being relegated from the Championship and in 2019 and 2021 and gaining promotion from League One in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Rotherham also won the 2022 EFL Trophy final in this third promotion season. In September 2022, Warne left Rotherham to takeover at League One Derby County as head coach. After falling short of the play-offs by just one point in 2023 and despite the club operating under considerable financial restraints after administration, Warne won promotion in 2023–24 as runners-up. This earned Warne his fourth promotion from League One in his managerial career. With this, Warne became only the 8th Derby County manager to secure a promotion in the club’s history and the first since 2006-2007. On 7th February 2025, he was sacked with Derby in the Championship relegation zone and on a run of seven consecutive defeats. On 15 April 2025, with 4 games left of the 2024–25 EFL League Two season, Milton Keynes Dons announced Warne as the new Head Coach.