He’s managed teams playing at Wembley and the Millennium Stadium. He’s gone toe to toe with Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. Many times he has faced down opposition supporters.
Neil Warnock is a outspoken figure who has once said that “Nah, nothing can faze Neil Warnock.” Bristol City fans — a club where he had several run-ins — should mark his death by chanting “Warnock’s a wanker” rather than a minute’s silence.
However, tonight he seems nervous. Tonight is a leap into the unknown. Tonight marks the beginning of a theatre tour that will take 73-year old around the country.
“I’m out of my comfort zone,” Warnock tells The Athletic a few hours before he is due to take to the stage in front of an audience of about 1,450 at St David’s Hall in the Welsh capital.
“There I’ll be, coming out on stage, and everyone looking up at me. I honestly don’t know what to expect.”
The stage, ready to welcome Warnock (Photo by Richard Sutcliffe).
One of football’s most outspoken figures is quiet for a moment. But it’s only for a moment.
“I imagine it’ll be like going to an FA hearing.
“Though this time, I hope people are prepared to listen to me. While I was always allowed speak before the FA, it never worked. You knew before going in you were going to get done.”
Warnock’s days of almost having his own parking space at Lancaster Gate, Soho Square or Wembley during a career spanning more than four decades and 1,603 competitive fixtures are in the rear-view mirror.
Confirmation that he is retiring from managementThey came after the departure Middlesbrough last November. Since then, there has been media work to keep him busy, including regular spots on Talksport’s breakfast show with Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist, which he thoroughly enjoys.
Family time has been plentiful, with Sharon riding 30-miles on a bike near their Cornwall home. Sharon also made an unexpected foray into social networking via a Twitter account which has amassed a following of over 200,000 in four months. You’ll see more of this later.
For now, a tour that will visit many of his managerial career stop-offs — including Sheffield, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Scarborough — is occupying his mind.
“I’ve always wanted to talk about stories that previously I’ve not been able to,” says Warnock, whose eight promotions as a manager are a record for English football. “About Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough when I was at Notts County. It will be nice for them to be shared. It’s a chance to share some things.
Warnock as manager of Notts County. He was promoted twice with him (Photo by Claire Mackintosh/PA Images via Getty Images).
“It also means people can now ask the quiz question, ‘What have Neil Warnock and The Beatles got in common?’. We’ve both sold out City Hall in Sheffield! It was my favorite place as a teenager and early twenties. I attended all of the Saturday dances.
“The timing is right, too. COVID was hard for everyone. I am aware of how hard I worked behind the scenes at Middlesbrough. Keep fans informed.
“Now it’s over, people want to have fun. They want to see the theatre. And I want to give them a proper night out.”
Even those fans at Bristol City and a few other clubs who still love to hate one of football’s great pantomime villains?
“Of course,” he chuckles. “Even those who I’ve said in the past should boo me when I’m gone. However, I regret that comment. I don’t want everyone, up and down the country, chanting that I’m a wanker. Just Ashton Gate.”
Monday afternoon, Cardiff. Warnock is strolling around the city where he ran a football club for just over 3 years.
His time in south Wales was a memorable one. It saw City rise from the depths. ChampionshipTo the Premier LeagueHe was unable to continue the team for the second full season. Cardiff could point to a number of debatable refereeing decision to argue that their relegation in the days prior to VAR.
Warnock celebrates Cardiff’s promotion in 2018. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images).
Sharon and Warnock continue to be a popular pair in these parts. This is evident by the number of selfies they have taken. Similar stories were told elsewhere on a whistlestop tour of the country that Warnock organized loosely to announce his upcoming theater dates.
These walks down memory lane left him feeling reflective, as well as the loss of a friend and colleague.
“My old assistant Mick Jones passing away recently brought home how precious life is and how you have to enjoy every day,” says Warnock. “We had some incredible times together. He was the sensible one.
“I’ve managed to get to most of my old clubs. Middlesbrough is not yet. I thought I’d built a really good team So I was disappointed that it ended as it did.. However, the reception has been fantastic elsewhere in these past weeks.
“To be on the pitch at Huddersfield, Sheffield UnitedScarborough, and how many fans still remember the promotions. It was an amazing feeling. You don’t get a chance to look back when in management, there’s just too much to do. That’s why it has been great. I’ve been lucky to manage the clubs that I have.”
Warnock with Sheffield United’s players after being promoted in 2006 (Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images).
The journey through the country allowed him to revisit the past and bring into focus his retirement. He admitted that it was difficult after four previous attempts to pack it all failed.
“My original thought years and years ago was to call it a day after Sheffield United,” he says. “But the circumstances of me leaving (in 2007 after relegation and the controversial Carlos Tevez affair) didn’t sit right. I couldn’t finish like that.
“I’m pleased I did carry on. Without doing so, I’d never have gone to live in London. I really loved my time at Crystal Palace and QPR.”
Asked what he misses most from those years in management, Warnock replies: “The training ground and the banter with the players, in particular. The dressing room can be an amazing place.
“I was lucky enough to be invited into the Scarborough dressing room after their 2-2 draw with Bradford Park Avenue last month. The lads had come back from 2-0 down with two late goals to earn a point and I said, ‘You lot will do for me — just what I’d expect from one of my teams, never giving up’.”
Listening to Warnock’s enthusiasm about being back among things does beg the question of whether we might see yet another comeback to rival Frank Sinatra.
“The thing is you can never say never,” he replies with a smile. “And I do always get itchy feet about January.”
You should watch this space. Warnock is occupied with more than enough, even one of his most surprising moves as a manager who didn’t see much benefit from his players being on social networks.
Since joining Twitter in May, videos on all sorts of subjects have quickly become viral. This includes a reenactment of the moment he looked down at the camera of Sky Sports before a Premier League match at Cardiff. It was so confrontational that Liam Gallagher would be proud.
Walking in to social media… #sociallife #retirement #twitter pic.twitter.com/mpP7rhWf3o
— Neil Warnock (@warnockofficial) April 24, 2022
“I did a cycling one up in Scotland that Sharon filmed during the heatwave about not getting dehydrated and it had something like 1.5 million clicks or whatever you call it,” he says, sounding both proud and a tad non-plussed.
“Then there was the one where I am doing keepy-uppies. It was a good time. Richarlisonthing (when the Brazilian was showingboating for Spurs recent against Nottingham Forest). All people seemed to talk about was the size of the shorts I had on.”
Keep entertaining the fans @richarlison97And taking the retribution🤣 #football pic.twitter.com/H3u8IQwPR6
— Neil Warnock (@warnockofficial) August 30, 2022
Not that this surprise move into Twitter hasn’t been without its pitfalls, such as the video where Warnock can be seen steering his boat near Looe Beach, Cornwall, alongside the caption, “Have they announced the new Bond yet?”
“I got into trouble for that,” he says with a grimace. “I didn’t have a life jacket on. I also didn’t have a pullcord. Some people have called me stupid via Twitter. I can’t blame them.
“To be honest, I never thought about it. I will, however, next time we go out. That video was spontaneous. There was no planning. The boat had been in for repairs and we were just trying it out for a bit of fun.”
Are they yet to announce the new Bond? 😎 #FridayFeeling #heatwave #retirement pic.twitter.com/80rKE2t2Ad
— Neil Warnock (@warnockofficial) August 12, 2022
Fear of getting into trouble is not what concerns Warnock as he and Sharon arrive at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall shortly before 6pm last Tuesday. His mind is focused on the showbiz.
The couple know the venue from watching veteran songwriter Paul Carrack perform there during Warnock’s stint as Cardiff manager. However, this event is very different. This was evident when Warnock and Carrack walked into the empty auditorium before going to meet VIP ticket-holders.
He needn’t have worried. From the moment host Paul Walker, lead commentator on ITV’s Football League Show, introduces Warnock, the audience is firmly onside.
They are awash in them The stories of a career unlike any other, including the dozen years as a player that saw Warnock, by his own admission, “make a success out of failure” by chalking up eight clubs, mainly on free moves.
Sol Bamba Joe Ralls, both members of Warnock’s 2018 promotion-winning Cardiff side, have been lined up as special guests for the second half of the show. Bamba said that he was fascinated to hear his former boss talk about how to get players to their best.
“Look at how differently he handled me and you,” Bamba says as he turns to Ralls, Cardiff’s current captain. “He’d tear into me every day, knowing I’d be determined to show him. But I can’t remember him telling you off even once.
“Great man-management, when you look back.”
Ralls nods in agreement, though he will later reveal (to much amusement from the audience), how “the gaffer never spoke a word to me for a month after getting sent off at Spurs, not even a ‘hello’.”
Warnock on stage (Photo courtesy Richard Sutcliffe).
Warnock continues his entertaining ways, even reading a poem that he wrote about the 16 clubs that he managed. A standing ovation follows, plus a massive cheer as he performs the “Ayatollah” celebration that is unique to Cardiff supporters. And then it’s over.
“What a great night,” he says after the theatre has emptied. “I got a bit emotional there, at the end. It was amazing. As I mentioned to you before, I had no idea what I was in for.
“But they were brilliant. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the tour now. It is possible that there will be additional dates in the future. I’d like to travel to the places they used to boo me after I got out of the tunnel. First up, Ipswich and Bristol. Can you imagine?”
Click here for tickets to ‘Neil Warnock – Are You With Me?’
(Top photo: Warnock backstage, with Sol Bamba & Joe Ralls).
