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Neil Warnock: More clubs than Tiger Woods

The name Neil Warnock is synonymous with football fans throughout the EFL pyramid. The Sheffield born manager did actually have a playing career before picking up the tactics board for the first time in 1980 with non-league club Gainsborough Trinity. 

His first piece of success came at Scarborough winning the seaside town promotion to the football league for the first ever time. His next spell in the dug-out at Notts County saw him breaking more records by gaining promotion to the first division. In 1993 he joined Huddersfield Town the first of his 5 Yorkshire clubs, but it’s in 1999 he really showed the footballing world who Neil Warnock is by joining boyhood club Sheffield United.During this time Warnock led the Blades to two semi-finals in the 2002-03 season and would later gain promotion to the Premier League in the 2005-06 campaign. Around this time Warnock’s fame grew as a documentary was released, footage that often resurfaces to this day. Unfortunately, the South Yorkshire club suffered relegation in 2007 prompting Warnock to resign and take time out of football, a phrase heard many times down the years. 

After a brief and not very successful spell at Crystal Palace Warnock swapped South London for West and joined Queens Park Rangers where he added another promotion to his resume in the 2010-11 season. Despite leading the Rs to the topflight for the first time since 1996 Warnock was sacked but left with his head held high. 

In 2011 Leeds United were in disarray, Ken Bates pulling the strings in the boardroom and things were just as bleak on the pitch. Income Yorkshireman and serial promotion winner Neil Warnock, the appointment was destined for success. As Gary Neville said “this was the no brainer,the one that couldn’t fail, the one that’s never failed. “However, it did fail, the sales of key personnel like Robert Snodgrass and Luciano Becchio in exchange for Danny Webber and Steve Morrison halted any potential progress. He left the whites in April 2013. 

A brief stint back at Selhurst Park, followed by another Yorkshire club Rotherham United looked like his last challenge in football. That was until Cardiff City were in need of promotion back to the Premier League, Neil took Sharon and the kids for another journey which led to yet another promotion in true Warnock style. A 0-0 draw to Reading on the final day in the 2017-18 campaign clinched his latest promotion to date. In 2019 he told the press he’d “considered retirement from football” and subsequently left that year following defeat to Bristol City.

As the world looked different in 2020, one thing didn’t change. Neil Warnock was back in a job. This time with Middlesbrough where he gave the Boro faithful some iconic times including his memorable Tom Hanks impression during a Zoom press conference. After keeping them up when relegation looked inevitable, Neil Warnock officially retired from management. Again.

Which brings us to the present day, the Terriers are in a dog fight to avoid relegation. Step forward Neil Warnock, 30 years later from his first visit to HD1 and the club in need of a quick fix the experience figure is back and instantly gives supporters a much needed boost. It won’t be glamorous to watch but Town fans know despite the current league table survival is possible with Neil at the helm. 

Not many people can say they’ve had such a long and illustrious career in an industry, especially one that’s unforgiving and constantly changing. Warnock knows he’s disliked by thousands of fans for his Warnock esc antics down the years, despite this you have to admire the job he’s done and looks set to do one last time. His career spans back decades but his motto still stands to this day, he wants players and fans to enjoy football. But do it by being f***ing disciplined.

What do you think?