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Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...
and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
to
non-league Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is s ...
. He holds the record for the most promotions in English football, with eight. Warnock played as a winger for Chesterfield,
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around ...
, Hartlepool United,
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alde ...
, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, scoring 36 goals in 327 career league appearances. He retired from league football in 1979, aged 30. His playing career continued in the 1979-1980 season with non-league Burton Albion making 9 appearances and scoring 6 goals until an injury cut his season short. He finally hung up his boots when returning to Burton Albion as player manager in the 1981-1982 season, playing in 29 games and scoring 3 goals, before concentrating on management for the rest of his time at Burton. Warnock's first managerial job was with non-League Gainsborough Trinity (1980–1981), he would subsequently manage Burton Albion (1981–1986) and Scarborough (1986–1989), winning promotion to the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
with the latter in 1987. He then managed
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
(1989–1993), leading them from the
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
to the First Division in successive seasons, though he was sacked after the club were relegated the season before the First Division became the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. After a brief spell at
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
(1993), he moved to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
(1993–1995), with whom he won promotion to the new First Division. He then resigned and joined
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
(1995–1997), leading them to the Second Division. After being sacked, he spent spells with
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
(1997–1998) and Bury (1998–1999). In 1999, Warnock joined boyhood club Sheffield United, leading them to the semi-finals of the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
and
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
in 2003 and promotion to the Premier League in 2006. However, he resigned in 2007 after the club were relegated. He then took over at Crystal Palace (2007–2010), saving the club from relegation to League One. When the club went into administration, he left to join
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...
(2010–2012), winning promotion to the Premier League with the club in 2011. He was sacked with the club in a precarious position and joined
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
(2012–2013). After being sacked by Leeds following a poor run of form, he was without a club for almost fifteen months until returning to Crystal Palace, then in the Premier League, in August 2014. In December 2014, he was sacked by Crystal Palace after a poor start to the season, which saw the club in the relegation zone. After a month as caretaker at Queens Park Rangers, Warnock returned to Rotherham United as manager in February 2016. He was appointed manager of Cardiff City in October 2016, and led them to Premier League promotion during the 2017–18 season. Warnock became manager of
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in June 2020, a role he held until his departure in November 2021. Warnock announced his retirement from football management in April 2022 after 42 years as a manager.


Playing career

After a brief stint working in a local undertakers Warnock started his professional playing career with Chesterfield in 1967, before moving on to
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around ...
, Hartlepool United,
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alde ...
, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, making a total of 327 league appearances in an 11-year playing career. At Hartlepool, he won the club's Player of the Season award in 1972. He finished his football league career at Crewe Alexandra in 1979, aged only 30. His playing career continued at Burton Albion in 1979 which was cut short with an injury and continued when he re-joined Burton as player-manager in 1981-1982, before concentrating on management for the rest of his time at Burton.


Managerial career


Early spells

After being involved in Sunday League coaching, his first full managerial job was with
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division ...
side Gainsborough Trinity in 1981. Following this he managed Burton Albion and Scarborough. At Scarborough he and Paul Evans, his assistant, won the
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called th ...
title in 1987, making them the first team to win automatic promotion to the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
following the abolition of the re-election system. Warnock had earlier spent time as a coach at Peterborough United, where he met Posh assistant boss Mick Jones. In late 1988, Warnock became manager of
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
– then in the
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
– with Jones as his assistant. Also joining the backroom staff were Warnock's assistant at Scarborough, Paul Evans, and ex-Scarborough physio Dave Wilson. The four helped County achieve successive promotions to reach the First Division for the 1991–92 season, with Warnock turning down lucrative offers to manage Chelsea and
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
during this time. Warnock, however, was dismissed in January 1993 after County's relegation had cost them a place in the new
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. In March 1993, Warnock took over as "consultant" at
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
, saving the club from relegation from the Football League. Warnock resumed his partnership with Jones, Evans and Wilson at
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
, his appointment coming in July 1993. Warnock was quick to inject new blood into the Terriers' side, snapping up goalkeeper Steve Francis,
Darren Bullock Darren John Bullock (born 12 February 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played for several clubs including Huddersfield Town, Swindon Town, and Bury. Bullock started his playing career at non-league Malvern Town, before ...
, Ronnie Jepson,
Tom Cowan Thomas Cowan (born 28 August 1969) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a defender. During his career he played for Clyde, Rangers, Sheffield United, Stoke City, Huddersfield Town, Burnley, Cambridge United, Peterborough United, York ...
and
Pat Scully Patrick Joseph "Pat" Scully (born 23 June 1970) is an Irish football manager and former player. An accomplished central defender during his playing days, Scully started his career in England, gaining one international cap, two B caps, one U23 c ...
during his first season, all of whom would go on to become mainstays in the 1994–95 promotion season. He also showed faith in Centre of Excellence products such as
Chris Billy Christopher Anthony Billy is a retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Notts County, Bury and Carlisle United. He also played for Halifax Town, Farsley Celtic ...
,
Simon Baldry Simon Jonathon Baldry (born 12 February 1976) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Bury and Notts County. Career Huddersfield Town Simon Baldry was a youth player who came t ...
and
Andy Booth Andrew David Booth (born 6 December 1973) is a retired professional footballer. Whilst at Huddersfield he announced his retirement on 22 April 2009, but remains at the club as an ambassador, he also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham ...
– a player then struggling to make the breakthrough who would go on to become a club legend in modern times. Despite these acquisitions, Town struggled for most of the 1993–94 season, their last at Leeds Road, and Warnock was quick to offload fan favourites Iwan Roberts,
Iffy Onoura Ifem "Iffy" Onuora (born 28 July 1967) is a Scottish former professional association football, footballer, manager (association football), manager, and coach for the England national under-21 football team, England U21 national team. He is also ...
and Chris Marsden while introducing a more direct style of play. The run to the
1994 Football League Trophy Final The 1994 Autoglass Trophy Final was the 11th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Second Division and Third Division for the Football League Trophy. The Final was played at Wembley Stadium, London on 24 April 1994. The ...
(lost on penalties to
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
) coincided with an upturn in league form and a mass optimism further bolstered by the move to the new
Alfred McAlpine Stadium Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby lea ...
for the 1994–95 season. Warnock's side won the Yorkshire Electricity Cup in late 1994. Warnock's side were genuine contenders for automatic promotion until falling away in the final few games to finish 5th (the final play-off spot that season owing to league re-structuring). They triumphed on penalties over second-placed
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings w ...
after two thrilling ties and went on to beat
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. He quit Huddersfield just days after their promotion, but made a swift and surprising return to management at
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
, who had just been relegated to Division Three. In his first season as manager of Plymouth Argyle, Warnock took the club to Division Three play-off glory after finishing fourth in the league. The play-off semi-final was a memorable affair – Argyle played Colchester United and were 1–0 down from the first leg, but won 3–1 at Home Park in the second leg. During this game, Warnock was sent off from the dug-out. Warnock responded to this by jumping into the crowd to watch the remainder of the match with the Argyle supporters. The final was the first match that the club had played at Wembley. A header from Ronnie Mauge on 65 minutes gave Argyle a 1–0 win over Darlington and promotion to Division Two. In February 1997, Warnock was surprisingly sacked as Argyle manager despite his popularity with the supporters. Following this successful spell, Warnock rounded out the 1990s with two relegations, first at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
in the 1996–97 season, and then in 1998–99 at Bury.


Sheffield United

Warnock was appointed as manager of his boyhood club Sheffield United on 2 December 1999. In 2002–03, Warnock led Sheffield United to the semi-finals of the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
and
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
, only to lose to
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
respectively, as well as the First Division play-off final, with the Blades beaten 3–0 by
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
. This was the first time in his management career that he had lost a play-off contest, as he had achieved four promotions via the playoffs in the 1990s. In 2005, Jones resumed the partnership by taking up the assistant's post at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...
, and at the end of the 2005–06 season, the club were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up in The Championship. The Blades performed well in their expected relegation battle, and for a long time looked to be heading for survival. However, a turning point in the season occurred with victories for both
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium ...
against
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
and
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 193 ...
on the final day of the season, condemning Warnock's side to relegation. Warnock wrote in his autobiography that minutes after the final game of the season, actor and ''Blades'' fan
Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of '' Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ...
burst into his office, blaming Warnock for the team's relegation in a "foul-mouthed tirade" while Warnock's wife and daughter were present. Bean denied this, calling Warnock "bitter" and "hypocritical", and arguing that he would never use such language in front of another man's wife and children. Warnock resigned from the club following relegation to take some time out of football. A major factor that caused Sheffield United's relegation was that West Ham beat Manchester United on the final day of the season 1–0, with the goal scored by
Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a wing ...
, whose contract was in question over third party ownership and who then signed for the champions the very next season. While all of this was happening, the Blades played Wigan at Bramall Lane and needed only one point to stay up; however, with the score at 1–1, a penalty was awarded to Wigan in injury time at the end of the first half – David Unsworth converted. The scoreline remained the same till the final whistle, sending the Blades back to the Championship after only one season.


Crystal Palace

Warnock spoke to Milan Mandarić about the vacant managerial role at
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the Nation ...
in the summer, but was never handed the job. Simon Jordan spoke to Warnock about taking over at Crystal Palace following the sacking of Peter Taylor and, after initially not being keen over the job, he returned to football management with Palace on 11 October 2007. Having his personal friend Simon Jordan as owner and chairman was certainly a help in him getting the job. Jones returned from his own sabbatical to join Warnock's team as assistant. Under Warnock and Jones, Palace made a massive turn-around, moving from relegation battlers to promotion contenders in the space of six months, with Warnock's use of youngsters a major factor in the improved performances and results. Palace made the play-offs in the end, but were beaten at the semi-final stage by Bristol City, who went on to lose to
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...
in the final. Warnock stayed on for the 2008–09 season, but on taking the job a year earlier he had made it clear that the Crystal Palace job would be his last managerial role in football, with the club's finances beginning to take a turn for the worse. The 2009–10 season saw Palace perform well despite being heavily restricted by the club's poor financial position, which resulted in the club being placed in administration late in January. A ten-point deduction was imposed by the Football League for this. Crystal Palace's administrator commented that Warnock was "let go" after telling the administrator he did not have the stomach for the fight to save the club.


Queens Park Rangers

On 1 March 2010, Warnock joined
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...
as manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal after agreeing compensation with Crystal Palace. His first match in charge was an emphatic 3–1 home win against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
. He helped QPR comfortably avoid relegation in 2009–10 – including a 2–0 win against former club Crystal Palace at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international ...
. Warnock was awarded Manager of the Month for August 2010. Using a new 4–2–3–1 formation built around playmaker
Adel Taarabt Adel Taarabt ( ar, عادل تاعرابت; born 24 May 1989) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Emirati club Al-Nasr and the Morocco national team. Taarabt began his playing career in Fran ...
(who went on to win the Football League Championship Player of the Year 2011), QPR topped the table for the majority of the 2010–11 season and on 30 April 2011 were promoted as Championship champions after a 2–0 win over
Watford Watford () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal en ...
. Despite leading the club to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years, he was sacked on 8 January 2012 after the 1–2 home defeat to Norwich City on 2 January 2012. The owner of QPR, Tony Fernandes, said that the club slipped down to a dangerous league position (17th) after recent results. Warnock said, "Obviously I'm very disappointed but, having achieved so much, I leave the club with a great sense of pride. I have enjoyed my time here more than anywhere else and the QPR fans have been brilliant with me – they deserve success. My biggest regret is that the takeover didn't happen earlier, because that would have given me the opportunity to bring in the targets I'd pinpointed all last summer and probably given us a better chance to succeed in the Premier League. The board at QPR are hugely ambitious and I wish them every success for the future. I've been involved in the game a long time and I will be spending the immediate future with my family and friends before deciding my next career move."


Leeds United

On 18 February 2012, Warnock joined Leeds as manager on a one-and-a-half-year deal taking him up to the end of the 2012–13 season. Before officially taking charge from caretaker manager Neil Redfearn he oversaw Leeds win 3–2 against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at T ...
from the stands on 18 February with Warnock revealing he spoke to the players before the game and at half-time. On 28 February 2012, Warnock made his first signing as Leeds manager by bringing in Danny Webber, whom he managed while at Sheffield United. Leeds would go on to finish 14th in the Championship and during the summer of 2012 Warnock revamped the entire Leeds team with several new signings. Warnock started the 2012–13 season with a home win in the League Cup beating Shrewsbury Town 4–0. Leeds would then go on to beat Wolves 1–0 at Elland Road on the opening day of the Championship. After a string of defeats and Leeds sitting five points off the relegation zone, Warnock parted company with the club on 1 April 2013.


Return to Crystal Palace

On 27 August 2014, it was announced that Warnock would be appointed for a second spell in charge at Crystal Palace following the departure of Tony Pulis. However, after a poor run of form, and Crystal Palace ending up in the bottom three, Warnock was sacked by the club on 27 December 2014. He was succeeded by Alan Pardew on 2 January 2015. In 2015, Warnock returned to Queens Park Rangers as first team advisor. On 4 November, he was placed in temporary charge of QPR following the departure of Chris Ramsey from the club.


Rotherham United

On 11 February 2016, Neil Warnock was confirmed as the new Rotherham United manager for the remainder of the 2015–16 season, replacing Neil Redfearn. Warnock drew his first game in charge with a 0–0 draw against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in a match which saw both Richard Wood and
Joe Mattock Joseph William Mattock (born 15 May 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL League Two club Harrogate Town. Mattock is a graduate of the Leicester City youth academy and has also represented England youth ...
sent off. He then lost his next two games, against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
, 2–0. Rotherham then went on an unbeaten run of 11 matches, including wins against Brentford (2–1), Sheffield Wednesday (1–0),
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
(1–0), drawing against
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
3–3 after being 3–0 down with eight minutes to go, and winning 1–0 at
Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internation ...
against Ipswich Town. Warnock was awarded the Championship Manager of the Month for March. The final win of the run was at Milton Keynes Dons, where a 4–0 thrashing all but sealed Rotherham's survival in the Championship at the expense of their opponents. The season closed with Warnock stating he wanted one last season managing in the Championship and Rotherham hoping to secure his services for 2016–17. Despite not staying on as Rotherham manager beyond the end of the season, Warnock would later call keeping Rotherham in the division as his biggest achievement in his managerial career.


Cardiff City

On 5 October 2016, Warnock was appointed first team manager of
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
. They finished in 12th place in the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
in Warnock's first season in charge. On 6 May 2018, Warnock guided Cardiff to promotion to the Premier League after a 0–0 draw against Reading. With this promotion Warnock became the first manager to win eight promotions in the professional leagues. In January 2019, Warnock said that he considered retirement following the disappearance and eventual death of Emiliano Sala, who he had signed for a club record £15m from
FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as ...
that month. However, he was unable to keep the team up and Cardiff were relegated back to the Championship at the end of the season. Warnock left Cardiff on 11 November after just over three years as manager; his final match was a home loss to Bristol City. He described his time at Cardiff as some of the best days in his career.


Middlesbrough and retirement

On 23 June 2020, Warnock was appointed manager of Championship club
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, with the club only outside the Championship relegation zone on goal difference after 38 games. He replaced Jonathan Woodgate who was sacked from his first job in management after less than a year in charge. In his first game in charge, on 27 June, Middlesbrough beat
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...
2–0 to climb to 19th in the league. Having been 21st in the table when Warnock took over, they finished 17th in the league. Although initially on a short-term contract, Warnock confirmed that he would continue as manager for the 2020–21 season. On 17 September 2020, Middlesbrough confirmed he had tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
. On 30 October 2021, he equalled the record for the most games managed in English professional football at 1,601 with a 2–0 loss to
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. Three days later he broke the record in the next match, a 3–1 loss away to
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
. On 6 November Warnock left Middlesbrough by mutual consent with the club having already identified his replacement. His assistants Kevin Blackwell and Ronnie Jepson also left the club. On 9 April 2022, Warnock announced his retirement from management after 42 years in the dugout.


Personal life

Warnock was born in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, West Riding of Yorkshire. He has been a lifelong supporter of Sheffield United. He is married to Sharon and has four children, James, Natalie, Amy and William. , he lived in Richmond, London, and as of April 2020 he had a home near Stoke Climsland,
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
. Warnock was in favour of
Britain leaving the European Union Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EA ...
. In a press conference after a Cardiff City game in January 2019, he remarked that: "I can't wait to get out of it, if I'm honest. I think we'll be far better out of the bloody thing. In every aspect. Football-wise as well, absolutely. To hell with the rest of the world." Warnock is portrayed by Antony Byrne in the 2022 television film ''
Floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
'', centred on Bury defender
Andy Woodward Andrew Woodward (born 23 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played in the English Football League for Crewe Alexandra, Bury, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United (two loan spells) and Halifax Town. Later a serv ...
.


Honours

; Burton Albion * NPL Challenge Cup: 1984–85 ;Scarborough *
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called th ...
: 1986–87 ;Notts County *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...
play-off winners: 1990–91 *
Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
play-off winners: 1989–90 ;Huddersfield Town *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...
play-off winners: 1994–95 ;Plymouth Argyle *
Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
play-off winners: 1995–96 ;Sheffield United *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
runners-up: 2005–06 ;Queens Park Rangers *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
;Cardiff City *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
runners-up: 2017–18 Individual * Hartlepool United Player of the Year, 1971–72 season *
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called th ...
Manager of the Month: November 1986, December 1986 *Football Conference Manager of the Year: 1986–87 *
EFL Championship Manager of the Month The EFL Championship Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a pan ...
: December 2004, August 2005, September 2005, December 2008, August 2010, September 2010, March 2016, August 2017, February 2018, March 2018, October 2020 *BBC London Sports Personality of the Year: 2011 * LMA Special Achievement Award: 2017-18


Managerial statistics

''Statistics do not include Middlesbrough's draw with AFC Bournemouth on 19 September 2020 as Warnock was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.''


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Warnock, Neil 1948 births Living people Footballers from Sheffield English footballers Association football wingers Chesterfield F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Scunthorpe United F.C. players Aldershot F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players York City F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players English Football League players English football managers Gainsborough Trinity F.C. managers Burton Albion F.C. managers Scarborough F.C. managers Notts County F.C. managers Torquay United F.C. managers Huddersfield Town A.F.C. managers Plymouth Argyle F.C. managers Oldham Athletic A.F.C. managers Bury F.C. managers Sheffield United F.C. managers Crystal Palace F.C. managers Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers Leeds United F.C. managers Rotherham United F.C. managers Cardiff City F.C. managers Premier League managers English Football League managers National League (English football) managers Queens Park Rangers F.C. non-playing staff Middlesbrough F.C. managers