Warnock: Neil
2012-Current
(Manager Details)
Born in Frecheville near Sheffield on 1st December 1948 and a qualified
referee, although he never officiated, started as a player with Chesterfield,
turning professional on 31st July 1967. A flying winger, who could play on either
flank, he made his debut on 6th April 1968 in a 0-2 home loss to Rochdale and had
scored twice in eight starts by the end of the first season. The goals came at
Halifax Town on 15th April 1968 in his third game and at Hartlepool United in a
1-2 defeat, eleven days and four games later. In his time at Saltergate he scored
twice in twenty-four League games, including four as a substitute, before joining
Rotherham United in June 1969. He made four substitute appearances before making
his starting debut with the Millers on 4th October 1969 in a 2-1 win at Scunthorpe
United in the Fourth Division and became a regular for the rest of the season and
scored his first goal in March 1970. He made thirty-eight League appearances, of
which five were from the bench, in his first season of 1969-70 and scored three
goals. He also made three starts in the Cup and another game from the bench. In
his second season of 1970-71 he had a run of thirteen games before losing his
first team place and finished scoring twice in thirteen starts and three games
from the bench in the League and playing four Cup games of which two were from
the bench. He had scored five League goals in forty-six starts and eight games
from the bench in the League and five starts and three games as a substitute in
the Cup, while at Millmoor. He joined Hartlepool United in July 1971 and made his
debut on 14th August 1971 in a 3-1 home win over Reading in the Fourth Division.
He had a good season making forty-five starts in the League and scoring four
goals and scoring once in four starts in other games. He won the club's "Player
of the Year" in a season when Hartlepools finished eighteenth. In 1972-73 he had
scored twice in thirteen starts and two games from the bench and one goal in two
starts in the F.A. Cup before he left for Third Division Scunthorpe United for
£3,250 in February 1972, after playing his final game for Hartlepools on 4th
November 1972 in a 1-1 home draw with Aldershot. He scored five League goals in
fifty-eight starts and two games from the bench in the League and one goal in six
starts in the F.A. Cup while with the Monkey-hangers. He scored seven goals in
seventy-two League appearances for the Irons, of which nine were as a substitute,
before leaving in March 1975. He joined his only Southern club, when he next
played for Aldershot, who were then in the Third Division. He scored six goals in
thirty-five starts and two games from the bench in the League. He returned to
more local surroundings when he joined Barnsley in October 1976. He scored ten
goals in fifty-three starts and four games from the bench in the League while at
Oakwell, leaving in May 1978 to join York City. His stay with the Minstermen was
brief, according to one book 'Neil Warnock’s brief City career saw him training
in his suit on a Friday and sacked as club captain four days later after just one
game for City.' He started one game for York and three other games from the bench,
but was soon on has travels and joined Crewe Alexandra in December 1978, where he
finished his playing career. He scored once in twenty League starts and one game
from the bench. He retired in May 1979 as a player in the Football League. He
joined Burton Albion in August 1979 before moving to Northern Premier side
Gainsborough Trinity as Manager in 1980. He was Manager at Gainsborough Trinity
for the 1981-82 season before returning to his previous club, Burton Albion, in
July 1982. He stayed for three seasons and in 1983 they won the the Northern
Premier League Challenge Cup. He moved to Scarborough in August 1986 and in his
first season with them he guided them to winning the GM Vauxhall Conference and
promotion to the Football League Division Four, where they took the place of
Lincoln City. They finished twelfth in 1987-88 and fifth in 1988-89, but by then
Warnock had already departed for Notts County on 5th January 1989. The Magpies
finished ninth in that season but it was a sign of things to come as in his three
seasons at Meadow Lane he piloted them to Third place behind the two Bristol
clubs in 1989-90 and fourth in the Second Division in 1990-91. In both seasons
promotion was assured in the play-offs. In 1989-90 there was a 1-1 draw with
Bolton Wanderers at Burnden Park and a 2-0 win at Meadow Lane to send them to a
Wembley Final with Tranmere Rovers, which they won 2-0 on 27th May 1990 to ensure
promotion to Division Two. In the 1990-91 play-offs there was a 1-1 draw with
Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park before a 1-0 win at Meadow Lane saw County through
to a Wembley play-off Final with Brighton & Hove Albion on 2nd June 1991, which
they won convincingly by 3-1 to ensure promotion to Division One. There was only
one season in the top flight for County but in a tight relegation struggle they
finished nineteenth, just four points behind nineteenth placed Coventry City and
five behind eighteenth placed Norwich City. With the establishment of the Premier
League the following year they dropped to the second tier which had been renamed
Division One. In his time at Meadow Lane he had put together his backroom team of
Assistant Mick Jones and his former Assistant and Physio at Scarborough, Paul
Evans and Dave Wilson. Despite having rejected the chance to Manage Chelsea and
Sunderland, Warnock was dismissed by Notts County on 14th January 1993 and spent
time as a consultant to Torquay United from 15th February to 2nd June 1993 saving
them from relegation from the Football League, before rejoining his backroom
staff as Manager of Huddersfield Town on 15th July 1993. Town were in Division
Two when Warnock took over and at the end of his first season they finished
eleventh as he put his team together. The following season of 1994-95 saw them
finish fifth, which got them into the play offs to accompany the automatically
promoted top team, Birmingham City. In the play-offs Town drew 1-1 with Brentford
at the McAlpine Stadium and there was again a 1-1 draw at Griffin Park and in the
penalty shoot-out which ensued Town prevailed by 4-3. This got them into the
Play-off Final at Wembley on 28th May 1995 which Town won 2-1. Surprisingly in
his hour of triumph Warnock resigned a few days later on 5th June 1995 and on
22nd June 1995 he took on the Plymouth Argyle Manager's job, with the club having
just been relegated from Division Two.He took the club to fourth place just one
point off automatic promotion and so once more Warnock was in charge of a team
that had reached the play-off stage. They lost the first Semi Final 0-1 to
Colchester United at Layer Road but won the second leg by 3-1 at Home Park to go
once more to Wembley this time by a 3-2 margin. In the final Plymouth won 1-0
with a goal in the sixty-fifth minute to beat Darlington and claim promotion to
Division Two. On 3rd February 1997 with Plymouth in nineteenth position, the club
sacked him despite his acheivements and popularity with the fans. He took over as
Manager of Oldham Athletic on 21st February 1997 with the Latics in last place in
Division One. He was unable to prevent them from being relegated and could only
get them to twenty-third on the ladder but only five points away from safety. He
set about the task of getting promotion back to Division One but was never on the
pace and finished thirteenth.He had never been given any financial backing and he
left by mutual consent at the end of the season. He was looking for a fresh
challenge and a club to steer to promotion. He was linked with Bradford City, a
return to Plymouth Argyle and also Stoke City but in the end on 2nd June 1998 he
became Manager of Division One side Bury, who had finished seventeenth and just
four points from relegation in 1997-98. Once more he was with a club with no
money and had to sell players to exist. At the end of the 1998-99 season Bury
were relegated in twenty second place, with the same number of points as the
nineteenth club and ultimately were relegated because Port Vale in twenty-first
position had scored one goal more than them. On 2nd December 1999, with Bury in
thirteenth place and well off the promotion pace Warnock left Gigg Lane to go
back to his roots and his boyhood team, Sheffield United. The Blades were
struggling in twenty-first place, only two points above bottom club Swindon Town,
and by the end of the season had got them to sixteenth. This was followed by
tenth in 2000-01, thirteenth in 2001-02 and in 2002-03 he took them to third
place and a chance of promotion, via the play-offs. Having already acheived
promotion via the play-offs on four previous occasions he would have been
disapointed when, after sneaking through the semi-final on penalties against
Nottingham Forest, the Blades were easily beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers in
the Wembley Final on 26th May 2003 0-3. It was a season of achievement but also
disappiontment when, after knocking out Leeds United in both competitions, they
fell to Liverpool and Arsenal in the Semi-Finals of the F.A. and League Cups.
2003-04 saw them in eighth place just two points outside the play-offs. A feat
that was repeated the following season, albeit six points outside the play-offs,
as the Division changed its name to the Championship.Mick Jones joined the club
as Warnock's Assistant at the start of 2005-06 and together they took the Blades
into the EPL as runners-up to Reading. The Bramall Lane club performed well in
the EPL in what was always going to be a struggle and for a long time it seemed
that they would avoid the drop. However, they went into the final day of the
season in sixteenth spot, above both West Ham United and Wigan Athletic, knowing
that a point would see them safe and relegate the Lancashire team. West Ham were
playing at Old Trafford and were expected to lose, while Wigan had to play at
Bramall Lane and had to win to save themselves from relegation. Both away teams
won, West Ham by 1-0 and Wigan by 2-1 and that consigned the Blades to relegation
as Wigan escaped by having scored one goal more than Sheffield in the final
calculations. Warnock resigned and took a vacation from football It seemed like
he would join Leicester City but ultimately, on 11th October 2007 he took over
the reins at Crystal Palace. Palace were nineteenth in the Championship when
Warnock arrived and in financial troubles. By the end of the 2007-08 season he
had taken them to the play-offs as they finished fifth. They lost the home leg of
the semi-final 1-2 to Bristol City at Selhurst Park but by the end of ninety
minutes at Ashton Gate they were winning 1-0 and extra-time had to be played.
Sadly they conceded two goals to lose 4-2 on aggregate, after extra-time. They
finished fifteenth in 2008-09 as their financial problems increased. A ten point
deduction for going into administration in late January 2010 which saw them drop
from a promotion contending seventh to a relegation threatened twentieth was
enough to make Warnock decide he had had enough and he left the club on 1st March
2010, with Palace just goal difference away from the drop zone, to take over as
Manager of Queens Park Rangers, who were one place above Palace on the ladder. He
signed a three and a half year contract and set about saving them from relegation,
which he did quite easily as they finished thirteenth in 2009-10. With financial
backing he was able to build a team that topped the Championship for virtually
the whole of the 2010-11 season and had clinched the championship an automatic
promotion before celebrating it against Leeds United, who spoiled the party by
winning 2-1, in the final game of the season at Loftus Road. They settled easily
into the EPL and after establishing themselves in mid-table a run of poor form
saw them drop to seventeenth, one point above the drop zone after twenty games
and Warnock was sacked on 8th January 2012. He became Manager of Leeds United on
18th February 2012 on a one and a half year contract. He oversaw Neil Redfearn's
final game as caretaker-Manager on 18th February 2012 as Leeds beat Doncaster
Rovers 3-2 at Elland Road, speaking to the players before the game and at
half-time. His first game in charge was at Portsmouth on 25th February 2012 and
it finished 0-0. It took him four games before Leeds scored and registered their
first win in a 2-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium on 11th March 2012. Leeds
had been inconsistent under former Manager Simon Grayson and in the current
season had shown a weakness in defence that saw them leak goals. Nothing changed
under Warnock, as they were beaten 3-7 by lowly Nottingham Forest at Elland Road
to record their worst-ever home defeat. In early May at the end of the season
Warnock drew up his list of retained players and it omitted many players as he
looked to use the broom to sweep the former Grayson team and establish his own.