Neil Warnock on Cardiff City

Neil Warnock has waded into the Cardiff City rebrand controversy by stating that for £10m backing he’d play in any colour he was told to.

Warnock brings his Leeds side to face Cardiff City on Saturday as Championship action resumes after the international break.

The vastly-experienced 63-year-old has started his first full season in charge at Elland Road in reasonably robust form.

Like Malky Mackay’s Bluebirds, Leeds have won two, drawn one and lost one of their opening four Championship games.


In the Welsh capital on Saturday, Cardiff will once more don their new red home kit.

Football purists have reacted angrily to the change, but Warnock takes a much more pragmatic view of the situation.

“If an owner said to me, here’s a £10m transfer kitty, I’ve got to be honest, I’d play in whatever they asked me to,” said Warnock.

“For that money I would send the players out in a yellow shirt with pink stripes and polka dots on it. No problem whatsoever.”

Down the years, Warnock has proved a master at getting teams promoted and will be looking to do the same now at Leeds.

He has gone up seven times with different teams, including twice to the Premier League with hometown club Sheffield United, and, most recently, QPR.

Despite his achievements at Loftus Road, however, he was shown the door by Rangers back in January before joining Leeds a month later.

Warnock is now trying to build another successful Championship side, but with the Yorkshire club’s future unclear, he maintains he is having to do it on a budget.

He admits he is jealous of the spending Mackay has indulged in during the summer.

The Bluebirds’ boss has spent close to £10m, money supplied by Vincent Tan off the back of the change in shirt colour.

And the Leeds boss insists the true indication that Mackay has spent wisely is the fact that he has brought in a lot of the players Warnock himself has signed down the years.

“Malky’s my favourite manager, he’s got a massive future ahead of him,” said Warnock.

“Do you know how I know he’s doing well? He signed half the same players I have down the years.

“Tommy Smith, Heidar Helguson, Matt Connolly, I even had Mark Hudson with me at Palace.

“I’ll tell you what if I’m not careful I’ll walk into the wrong dressing room on Saturday!”

And it is not just his own former players that Warnock is impressed by, there are a couple of other new Cardiff players he also covets.

Warnock added: “I would have loved to have signed Craig Noone and Nicky Maynard, but I just didn’t have the money.

“We’re skint really. There’s talk about a takeover here, but I don’t know right now what’s going on with it.

“So I think Malky has spent very wisely and good luck to him.

“For me, Cardiff are the favourites to go up. I look at Blackburn too. Look what they spent on one player and their wage bill is huge.

“There’s a little group of three or four going for the title and Cardiff are in that.

“It would be great for them as well with the fans they have. They’ve been so close in recent years too.”

Looking at Saturday’s clash, Warnock is expecting a difficult, but entertaining, game at the Cardiff City Stadium.

And, in true Warnock fashion, he insists the Bluebirds are favourites for the three points.

“We know it’s going to be tough in Cardiff, even more so than usual, and it’s always a real battle,” added Warnock.

“But I do think as well it could be a super game. Cardiff are favourites, certainly. If you look at the two teams on paper Cardiff should win it.

“But when you look at the “It’s all about 11 against 11 and we know anything can happen. I’m looking forward to it.”

Always really liked warnock and I wanted him to become city manager a few years back when Sheffield united got rid of him. I think he would join us in a heart beat given the chance

He's a proven motivator. But the fact he has always managed filthy rugby teams, and his role in the infamous battle of Bramall Lane, makes him a t**t

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bramall_Lane

I quite like Warnock but I get the impression that all this love he gives for the opposition sides he is about to play isn't just the obvious mind game s**t, but that he actually deeply despises everyone else and he is just good at keeping it inside. I feel that deep down he is a seething mass of resentment and anger, a volcano of rage that could explode at any time, but with a wry smile on his face. You've heard of the tears of a clown, well this is the smile of a madman. I'm on to you Colin!

It's hard to overstate how much of a c**t Warnock is. He's a horrible little man, a cheating whiney little stain. If for some reason he came to City as manager, I'd give serious thought to either not going to games, or going purely to punch him square in the face, then stamp on his head, several times.

SteWells wrote:It's hard to overstate how much of a c**t Warnock is. He's a horrible little man, a cheating whiney little stain. If for some reason he came to City as manager, I'd give serious thought to either not going to games, or going purely to punch him square in the face, then stamp on his head, several times.

Don't hold back there SteWells, say what you really think of him!

SteWells wrote:It's hard to overstate how much of a c**t Warnock is. He's a horrible little man, a cheating whiney little stain. If for some reason he came to City as manager, I'd give serious thought to either not going to games, or going purely to punch him square in the face, then stamp on his head, several times.

Loved this.

Arkay v2.0 wrote:

SteWells wrote:It's hard to overstate how much of a c**t Warnock is. He's a horrible little man, a cheating whiney little stain. If for some reason he came to City as manager, I'd give serious thought to either not going to games, or going purely to punch him square in the face, then stamp on his head, several times.

Don't hold back there SteWells, say what you really think of him!

Welcome to the Board SteWells