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Neil Warnock appointed at Cardiff: Why he’s still in demand

Neil Warnock has been appointed as the new manager of Cardiff

As Neil Warnock takes over at Cardiff, we look at why the veteran boss is still in demand.

At the age of 67, Neil Warnock is back in work. Championship strugglers Cardiff have turned to the veteran manager in the hope of arresting a slide under previous incumbent Paul Trollope that has left them just one place off the bottom of the table.

Neil Warnock has replaced Paul Trollope as Cardiff manager
Image: Warnock has replaced Paul Trollope as Cardiff manager

Chris Ramsey worked with Warnock at Queens Park Rangers and sees the sense in the decision to turn to him. "Neil brings a wealth of experience and a presence to any football club and his track record speaks for itself," Ramsey told Sky Sports News.

Warnock certainly has form for turning situations around, most recently lifting Rotherham out of the Championship drop zone last season. With seven promotions also on the CV, he's capable of much more than that too. Here's a quick rundown of his greatest hits…

Warnock appointed Cardiff boss
Warnock appointed Cardiff boss

Neil Warnock has been appointed as the new Cardiff manager.

Scarborough

Non-league outfit Scarborough were competing in the Alliance Premier League when Warnock was appointed in 1986. The competition was renamed as the Conference with the promise of promotion to the Football League for the winners of the 1986/87 season.

Scarborough's hopes couldn't have been too high having finished 15th in the previous campaign, but Warnock made a swift impact by winning the title and thus ensuring the club became one of the 92 league clubs for the first time in their history.

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Notts County

Warnock enjoyed perhaps his most spectacular success in his next job at Notts County. Having taken over a team languishing in the third tier in late 1988, he went on to achieve promotion through the play-offs in his first full season in charge.

Remarkably, Warnock followed it up with another promotion - again through the play-offs - with the goals of young forward Tommy Johnson propelling the team to the top flight. That proved too much, however, with the team relegated in the following 1991/92 season.

Neil Warnock celebrates after a play-off final victory with Notts County in 1991
Image: Warnock celebrating promotion with Notts County in 1991

Torquay United

Sacked by Notts County in January 1993, Warnock was left feeling disillusioned by the game but was reinvigorated by an unlikely spell as a "consultant" at the Football League's bottom club. What's worse, Torquay had endured a run of eight defeats in nine games.

Warnock has since admitted it was a gamble to risk having a relegation to the Conference on his CV but masterminded a dramatic turnaround and safety was secured on the penultimate weekend. He recently described it as one of the "happiest times" of his life.

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Huddersfield Town

His next job was at Huddersfield in the third tier, and after finishing as runners-up to Swansea in the Football League Trophy in his first season in charge, there was a happier trip to Wembley the following year. In 1994/95, the Terriers were promoted via the play-offs.

It was a memorable season given that it was the club's first at the new Alfred McAlpine Stadium and the goals of young Andy Booth were critical in their promotion. Booth hit 30 goals including the team's first in the 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers at Wembley.

Plymouth Argyle

Warnock made the surprise move to quit Huddersfield following promotion to the second tier and soon resumed his managerial career two divisions lower down with Plymouth. Despite being fresh from relegation, he quickly turned things around.

After finishing fourth, Plymouth won promotion via the play-offs by beating Darlington 1-0 in their first match at Wembley. For Warnock, it was the fourth time he'd won a league promotion through the play-offs.

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Sheffield United

After spells at Oldham and Bury, Warnock was appointed by his boyhood club Sheffield United in 1999. The early years of his reign were marked by impressive cup runs but his sequence of play-off successes came to an end against Wolves in 2003.

However, once reunited with long-time assistant Mick Jones in 2005, Warnock took the Blades up to the Premier League as Championship runners-up. They would have stayed there but for a defeat to Wigan coupled with a victory for West Ham on the final day of that 2006/07 campaign.

Crystal Palace

Palace were 19th in the Championship when Warnock was appointed as Peter Taylor's replacement in October 2007. He soon managed to turn things around with some bold decisions - including the introduction of 16-year-old Victor Moses within weeks.

New Cardiff boss Neil Warnock's list of promotions in his managerial career
Image: Warnock's list of promotions throughout his managerial career

The changes had the desired effect with Palace climbing their way up to fifth in the table by the end of the season, earning their place in the play-offs. However, there was the disappointment of extra-time defeat to Bristol City at the semi-final stage.

Queens Park Rangers

Warnock's next fire-fighting mission was at QPR. Despite describing it himself as "the perfect time to come in", he arrived to find the team just three points above the Championship's relegation zone in March 2010. That fate was avoided with ease.

Indeed, QPR stormed to the title the following season with Warnock harnessing the talents of Adel Taarabt as well as boasting by far the best defensive record in the division. He was sacked in January 2012 despite QPR being outside of the Premier League relegation zone.

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Warnock in May on why he chose not to extend his contract with Rotherham

Rotherham United

After an unsuccessful spell with Leeds, as well as a brief returns to Palace and QPR, Warnock was back to his very best during an extraordinary period at Rotherham. The Millers were in the bottom three when he arrived in February having lost eight of their last 12 games.

Warnock's impact was dramatic and Rotherham soon embarked on an improbable 11-game unbeaten run in which they beat top-six sides such as Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough. They eventually finished one place above the drop zone.

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