“ WHY NEIL WARNOCK IS THE MANAGER OF 2018 “

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Tuesday 1st January 2019

By Chris Bascombe for the Daily Telegraph

This needs a few deep breaths and a pause before typing. In fact, my fingertips feel they are actively repelling an attempt to justify the most extreme footballing opinion since Manchester United decided Fred was worth £52 million.

Nevertheless, here we go. The idea cannot be suppressed any longer. Ladies and gentleman, the undoubted manager of 2018 is … Neil Warnock, of Cardiff City.

Forget Pep Guardiola with his billion-pound squad, Zinedine Zidane adding to his collection of Champions League wins, or even Didier Deschamps with a World Cup triumph, proving it is possible to blend some of the greatest players ever into a victorious but unutterably boring team.

What Warnock has achieved in South Wales over the past 12 months is a triumph of man management, defying every modern coaching trend and keeping the home fires burning for old-school Englishmen muttering under their breath about foreign coaches.

Many thought Warnock would have been sacked by the second international break, wrongly anticipating his side to be well adrift at the bottom. We all had visions of the Cardiff board thanking Warnock for his services in defying the odds to gain promotion as they reprinted the same press statement as Queens Park Rangers in 2012. “Thanks Neil, but you’ve taken us as far as you can.”

Instead, Cardiff sit three points above the relegation zone after victory over Leicester City. Television production crews should be tentatively researching the “The Miracle of the Bluebirds” documentary in 2019, Warnock dusting down a career’s worth of passive-aggressive interviews where he comes across as the friendly uncle delivering withering asides with a trademark snigger.

Warnock is not everyone’s cup of tea – unless you like your brew with a hint of acid. He divides opinion. Some find his interviews unbearable, while others have mastered the art of switching the TV channel before he speaks.

He has succeeded in giving the broader impression that he has mellowed because he no longer directly indulges in random post-match insults, instead camouflaging his digs with suspicious anecdotes about conversations he had “with the wife” or players before or after the game.

“I was just saying to the lads, ‘That hopeless referee gave you nothing today and we’ve come against a right bunch of cheaters and divers who didn’t cause us much trouble other than those 10 shots on target in the first half’, so I’m delighted for them to have snatched this win. They deserved it, really [chuckle, chuckle].”

Privately, I sense Warnock is how he has always been, but results speak for themselves and those connoisseurs of a more purist form of football must see 2019 as an opportunity to remove their head from their backside and acknowledge the Cardiff manager is no Mike Bassett.

If he keeps Cardiff up, it does not matter who wins the Premier League. Warnock will be manager of the year.

If the definition of “old school” is publicly talking up the qualities of players, defending them against all accusations that they have limited quality, and creating a siege mentality where rivals, rather than your own club, are the enemy, there are plenty of high-profile modern managers who can take lessons from ancient habits.

Cardiff have the smallest wage bill in the Premier League and invested just £28.5 million on their squad last summer. There is no logic to the idea there are three worse teams in the division.

The Premier League – world football, in fact – needs Cardiff to succeed. Not because of their style. Not because we love an underdog. Not because it shows complicated tactical systems can be overcome by the primitive idea of getting the ball into the final third as quickly as possible and fighting like bloodhounds for every point. Not even because it will be further evidence that those managers consistently moaning about transfers should spend more time making the most of what they have.

But because it may finally stop Warnock going on that Goals on Sunday sofa and bitterly moaning about the circumstances of his relegation with Sheffield United in 2007.

For his sake and ours, let Neil put a chirpier record on when revisiting his Premier League experiences. If Cardiff survive, it will earn him the recognition and reward his management career deserves.

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Couldn't have put it better myself, hail king Warnock.

The guy (Neil Warnock) is a legend and a perfect 'fit' Cardiff City FC and its support

We appreciate hard work, endeavour and honesty!

It's still early days yet but should we see this great escape through, he will deserve every plaudit that comes his way; and you never know, w may even see the real Neil Warnock, MBE

The only reason I would like us to stay up is because of Warnock.

He has been the only manager before joining us to give us any sort of priase. He is the only manager to be interviewed by the official Cardiff City website. This was after the game against QPR when we secured our first play off spot with a 1-0 win at their place. You could see in that interview that he wanted us to win the play off that season. Then I thought he would be the perfect marriage for us when the time was right.

We got this right by miles.

62DC8655-C700-4EBA-9F68-13E95889EC0A.jpeg

Tuesday 1st January 2019

By Chris Bascombe for the Daily Telegraph

This needs a few deep breaths and a pause before typing. In fact, my fingertips feel they are actively repelling an attempt to justify the most extreme footballing opinion since Manchester United decided Fred was worth £52 million.

Nevertheless, here we go. The idea cannot be suppressed any longer. Ladies and gentleman, the undoubted manager of 2018 is … Neil Warnock, of Cardiff City.

Forget Pep Guardiola with his billion-pound squad, Zinedine Zidane adding to his collection of Champions League wins, or even Didier Deschamps with a World Cup triumph, proving it is possible to blend some of the greatest players ever into a victorious but unutterably boring team.

What Warnock has achieved in South Wales over the past 12 months is a triumph of man management, defying every modern coaching trend and keeping the home fires burning for old-school Englishmen muttering under their breath about foreign coaches.

Many thought Warnock would have been sacked by the second international break, wrongly anticipating his side to be well adrift at the bottom. We all had visions of the Cardiff board thanking Warnock for his services in defying the odds to gain promotion as they reprinted the same press statement as Queens Park Rangers in 2012. “Thanks Neil, but you’ve taken us as far as you can.”

Instead, Cardiff sit three points above the relegation zone after victory over Leicester City. Television production crews should be tentatively researching the “The Miracle of the Bluebirds” documentary in 2019, Warnock dusting down a career’s worth of passive-aggressive interviews where he comes across as the friendly uncle delivering withering asides with a trademark snigger.

Warnock is not everyone’s cup of tea – unless you like your brew with a hint of acid. He divides opinion. Some find his interviews unbearable, while others have mastered the art of switching the TV channel before he speaks.

He has succeeded in giving the broader impression that he has mellowed because he no longer directly indulges in random post-match insults, instead camouflaging his digs with suspicious anecdotes about conversations he had “with the wife” or players before or after the game.

“I was just saying to the lads, ‘That hopeless referee gave you nothing today and we’ve come against a right bunch of cheaters and divers who didn’t cause us much trouble other than those 10 shots on target in the first half’, so I’m delighted for them to have snatched this win. They deserved it, really [chuckle, chuckle].”

Privately, I sense Warnock is how he has always been, but results speak for themselves and those connoisseurs of a more purist form of football must see 2019 as an opportunity to remove their head from their backside and acknowledge the Cardiff manager is no Mike Bassett.

If he keeps Cardiff up, it does not matter who wins the Premier League. Warnock will be manager of the year.

If the definition of “old school” is publicly talking up the qualities of players, defending them against all accusations that they have limited quality, and creating a siege mentality where rivals, rather than your own club, are the enemy, there are plenty of high-profile modern managers who can take lessons from ancient habits.

Cardiff have the smallest wage bill in the Premier League and invested just £28.5 million on their squad last summer. There is no logic to the idea there are three worse teams in the division.

The Premier League – world football, in fact – needs Cardiff to succeed. Not because of their style. Not because we love an underdog. Not because it shows complicated tactical systems can be overcome by the primitive idea of getting the ball into the final third as quickly as possible and fighting like bloodhounds for every point. Not even because it will be further evidence that those managers consistently moaning about transfers should spend more time making the most of what they have.

But because it may finally stop Warnock going on that Goals on Sunday sofa and bitterly moaning about the circumstances of his relegation with Sheffield United in 2007.

For his sake and ours, let Neil put a chirpier record on when revisiting his Premier League experiences. If Cardiff survive, it will earn him the recognition and reward his management career deserves.

I rang in to Talksport and argued the case for NW being the best manager of the championship.
Adrian Durham tried saying that Wolves must have the better manager as they were higher in the league....what?!?!
I said that a good manager is someone who gets the best out of what he has and compared budgets etc. He soon cut me off!!

I used to class Warnock has a winging git ,got to be honest, but he really earnt my respect going out of his way to praise us when walking the league with Qpr. Hes done an unbelievable job and is a fantastic man aswell . In Neil We Trust

When Warnock came in we were a car crash of a club, he used all his extensive managerial skills to get the club, heirachy, fans, players together and this even surpassed the great Eddie May era, the signings of Hoilett, Bamba, Etheridge, Mendez Lang, Patterson all on peanuts, and bringing the best out of the others make him manager of the season when we survive.Hope he stays a good few years yet.

When Warnock came in we were a car crash of a club, he used all his extensive managerial skills to get the club, heirachy, fans, players together and this even surpassed the great Eddie May era, the signings of Hoilett, Bamba, Etheridge, Mendez Lang, Patterson all on peanuts, and bringing the best out of the others make him manager of the season when we survive.Hope he stays a good few years yet.

Agree with all these positive comments!

He is the best Manager we have ever had, and ever will have, what he has done in such a short space of time is unbelievable, I would definitely name a stand after him when he hangs up his boots.

Happy New Year Neil and Sharon, thanks for all you've done, keep up the good work we can do this

When Warnock came in we were a car crash of a club, he used all his extensive managerial skills to get the club, heirachy, fans, players together and this even surpassed the great Eddie May era, the signings of Hoilett, Bamba, Etheridge, Mendez Lang, Patterson all on peanuts, and bringing the best out of the others make him manager of the season when we survive.Hope he stays a good few years yet.

Agree with all these positive comments!

He is the best Manager we have ever had, and ever will have, what he has done in such a short space of time is unbelievable, I would definitely name a stand after him when he hangs up his boots.

Happy New Year Neil and Sharon, thanks for all you've done, keep up the good work we can do this

I second that wholly