Neil Warnock reveals his huge Cardiff City v Swansea City mistake as he tells Bluebirds fans it's too early to panic
The Middlesbrough manager has spoken about his former club Cardiff City ahead of his own Boro clash against Swansea City on Wednesday night
By Glen Williams
Tuesday 2nd December 2020
Neil Warnock has revealed one of the biggest mistakes he made as Cardiff City manager was the way he set the team up for the South Wales derby defeat at Swansea City last season – a result which contributed to his Bluebirds exit.
Cardiff had started the season sluggishly last term, when the first derby of the season reared its head, and they needed a big result down at the Liberty Stadium.
But a first-half goal from Ben Wilmot was enough to consign the Bluebirds to defeat that day when they were completely outplayed.
Just two weeks later, the manager announced his departure following a loss to Bristol City after three largely successful years at the helm.
Having played the season up until that point with just one striker, Warnock made the bold call to start Robert Glatzel and Danny Ward against Swansea and it backfired as the Bluebirds were heavily over-run in midfield.
And the Middlesbrough boss, who is preparing to face the Swans once again on Wednesday night with his new club, admitted that trying to force an attacking line up, after 11th-hour injuries to Lee Tomlin and Junior Hoilett before the game, was a costly error.
"They've got a good nucleus, they know what they are doing. They play a certain way which is very easy on the eye," Warnock said of Swansea ahead of Wednesday's encounter.
"It probably contributed to me leaving Cardiff, when they beat us down at Swansea.
"My biggest mistake that day. I think we lost Tomlin and Junior the day before and we went with the wrong system, which you look back on."
Warnock rightly says he is "proud" of what he achieved at Cardiff City Stadium, taking the Bluebirds from the bottom half of the Championship to the Premier League in a little more than 18 months.
And that is exactly what Neil Harris is currently trying to do.
The Bluebirds have once again started slowly, though, but two convincing victories — a 4-0 win over Luton Town and a 3-0 thrashing of Huddersfield Town — in as many games sees Cardiff looking up the ladder rather than scrapping near the relegation zone.
There is a long way to go this season, of course, but given the size of the club, Warnock said there was always going to be pressure to perform. However he told City fans there is no cause for panic just yet.
"It's a big club, Cardiff, you would expect them to be in that top group, the top six, that's the pressure," Warnock said.
"But there is a long way to go. I don't think there is any panic."
Harris' men have a tricky run of games over the next week and a half, with away trips to Watford and Stoke City preceding the big one – the South Wales derby.
It will take place at Cardiff City Stadium on December 12 most likely without fans and Warnock — who famously made a dig at the lack of atmosphere Swansea created during the clash over a year ago — says the Swans' supporters will be delighted that is the case.
"I don't think the Swansea fans will mind there being no fans in Cardiff's stadium!," Warnock said.
"Same the other way, if it was in Swansea the Cardiff fans wouldn't mind.
"It's just one of those things, the sooner we get back the better."
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