Neil Warnock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Neil Warnock

Warnock during the pre-season training of Queens Park Rangers in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Neil Warnock
Date of birth	(1948-12-01) 1 December 1948 (age 76)
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Torquay United (football advisor)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1967–1969	Chesterfield	24	(2)
1969–1971	Rotherham United	52	(5)
1971–1973	Hartlepool	60	(5)
1973–1975	Scunthorpe United	72	(7)
1975–1976	Aldershot	37	(6)
1976–1978	Barnsley	57	(10)
1978	York City	4	(0)
1978–1979	Crewe Alexandra	21	(1)
1979	Burton Albion	9	(6)
1980–1981	Gainsborough Trinity
1981–1982	Burton Albion	29	(3)
Total		327	(36)
Teams managed
1980–1981	Gainsborough Trinity
1981–1986	Burton Albion
1986–1989	Scarborough
1989–1993	Notts County
1993	Torquay United
1993–1995	Huddersfield Town
1995–1997	Plymouth Argyle
1997–1998	Oldham Athletic
1998–1999	Bury
1999–2007	Sheffield United
2007–2010	Crystal Palace
2010–2012	Queens Park Rangers
2012–2013	Leeds United
2014	Crystal Palace
2015	Queens Park Rangers (caretaker)
2016	Rotherham United
2016–2019	Cardiff City
2020–2021	Middlesbrough
2023	Huddersfield Town
2024	Aberdeen
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is a famous English football manager and former player. He is currently a football advisor for Torquay United. You might also see him on TV or hear him on the radio talking about football.

Warnock has been a manager for over 40 years! He has led sixteen different football clubs, from the top Premier League to smaller, non-league teams. He holds an amazing record in English football: he has won the most promotions (eight times!) and managed the most professional games (1,626 games!), beating the previous record holder, Dario Gradi.

As a player, Warnock was a winger. He played for clubs like Chesterfield, Rotherham United, and Hartlepool. He scored 36 goals in 327 league games. He stopped playing league football when he was 30. Later, he became a player-manager for Burton Albion before focusing only on managing.

Warnock's first managing job was with Gainsborough Trinity in 1980. He then managed Burton Albion and Scarborough. With Scarborough, he helped them get promoted to the Football League in 1987. He then managed Notts County, helping them climb up two divisions. After a short time at Torquay United, he went to Huddersfield Town and won another promotion. He also led Plymouth Argyle to promotion.

In 1999, Warnock joined his childhood favourite club, Sheffield United. He led them to the semi-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup in 2003. In 2006, he helped them get promoted to the Premier League. After they were relegated, he left the club. He then managed Crystal Palace, helping them avoid relegation. Later, he joined Queens Park Rangers and led them to the Premier League in 2011.

He also managed Leeds United, had a second time managing Crystal Palace, and helped Rotherham United stay in their division. In 2016, he became manager of Cardiff City and led them to the Premier League in 2018. This was his eighth promotion! He later managed Middlesbrough and then came out of retirement in 2023 to help Huddersfield Town stay in the Championship. In 2024, he had a short spell managing Aberdeen in Scotland.

Playing Career Highlights

Warnock started his professional football journey with Chesterfield in 1967. He played as a winger for several clubs over 11 years. He made 327 league appearances in total.

At Hartlepool, he was named the club's Player of the Season in 1972. A moment with his manager, Len Ashurst, after a tough game, made him think about becoming a manager himself. He finished his main playing career at Crewe Alexandra in 1979. He later played a bit more as a player-manager for Burton Albion before focusing fully on managing.

Managerial Career Journey

Early Managing Days

After coaching in local Sunday League football, Warnock got his first full managing job at Northern Premier League club Gainsborough Trinity in 1981. He even played for the team while managing them! Under his leadership, Gainsborough Trinity had a great home record, staying unbeaten for 13 games.

Next, he managed Burton Albion and then Scarborough. At Scarborough, he and his assistant Paul Evans helped the team win the Football Conference title in 1987. This was a big deal because they were the first team to automatically get promoted to the Football League.

In 1988, Warnock became manager of Notts County. He brought his assistant Paul Evans and physio Dave Wilson with him. They helped Notts County get promoted two seasons in a row, reaching the top division in 1991. Warnock even turned down offers from bigger clubs like Chelsea and Sunderland during this time. However, he was let go in 1993 after the club was relegated.

After Notts County, Warnock briefly helped out at Torquay United in 1993. He officially became their manager in March 1993. He helped the club avoid being relegated from the Football League. He then left Torquay in May 1993.

Time at Huddersfield Town

In July 1993, Warnock joined Huddersfield Town. He brought in new players like Steve Francis and Ronnie Jepson. He also helped young players like Andy Booth become important for the team.

His team struggled at first, and some fans were not happy with his style of play. But things changed when Huddersfield reached the final of the Football League Trophy in 1994. They lost on penalties, but this run improved their league form. The team also moved to a new stadium, the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, which brought new hope.

In the 1994–95 season, Warnock's team won the Yorkshire Electricity Cup. They also had a great chance for automatic promotion. They finished 5th and won their play-off semi-final against Brentford. Then, they beat Bristol Rovers at Wembley Stadium to win promotion! Warnock left Huddersfield soon after this success.

Leading Plymouth Argyle

Warnock quickly became manager of Plymouth Argyle, who had just been relegated. In his first season, he led them to win the Division Three play-offs. In the semi-final against Colchester United, Warnock was even sent off from the dugout! He famously jumped into the crowd to watch the rest of the game with the fans.

The final was Plymouth Argyle's first game at Wembley. A goal from Ronnie Mauge gave them a 1–0 win over Darlington. This meant promotion to Division Two! Despite being popular, Warnock was surprisingly sacked as Argyle manager in February 1997. After this, he had short spells at Oldham Athletic and Bury.

Managing Sheffield United

Warnock coaching Sheffield United in 2003

On 2 December 1999, Warnock became manager of Sheffield United, the club he supported since he was a boy. In the 2002–03 season, he led Sheffield United to the semi-finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup. They lost to Liverpool and Arsenal. They also reached the First Division play-off final, but lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was the first time he lost a play-off final, after winning four promotions through play-offs in the 1990s.

In the 2005–06 season, Sheffield United were promoted to the Premier League. They finished as runners-up in The Championship. The team played well in the Premier League and looked like they would stay up. However, on the last day of the season, other results meant Sheffield United were relegated. Warnock left the club after this.

Time at Crystal Palace

Warnock with Palace

Warnock became manager of Crystal Palace on 11 October 2007. He helped the team turn things around. They went from fighting against relegation to being contenders for promotion in just six months. Warnock was good at using young players, which helped the team improve. Crystal Palace reached the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals.

Warnock stayed for the 2008–09 season. In the 2009–10 season, Crystal Palace faced financial problems. The club went into administration, which meant they lost ten points. Warnock left the club after this.

Leading Queens Park Rangers

On 1 March 2010, Warnock joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) as manager. His first game was a big 3–1 win against West Bromwich Albion. He helped QPR avoid relegation in the 2009–10 season.

In the 2010–11 season, QPR played very well. They were at the top of the league for most of the season. On 30 April 2011, they won promotion to the Premier League after beating Watford 2–0. They were the Championship champions!

Even though he led them to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years, Warnock was sacked on 8 January 2012. QPR's owner said the club was in a dangerous league position. Warnock said he was disappointed but proud of what they achieved.

Managing Leeds United

On 18 February 2012, Warnock became manager of Leeds United. He watched his first game from the stands, where Leeds won 3–2. He then started to make changes to the team.

Leeds finished 14th in the Championship that season. In the summer of 2012, Warnock brought in many new players. They started the 2012–13 season with a 4–0 win in the League Cup. However, after a series of losses, Warnock left Leeds United on 1 April 2013.

Second Time at Crystal Palace

On 27 August 2014, Warnock returned to Crystal Palace for a second time. However, after a poor start to the season, he was sacked on 27 December 2014.

In 2015, Warnock went back to Queens Park Rangers as an advisor. He was then put in temporary charge of QPR for a short time.

Rotherham United Challenge

On 11 February 2016, Neil Warnock became the new manager of Rotherham United for the rest of the 2015–16 season. After losing his first two games, Rotherham went on an amazing 11-match unbeaten run! This included wins against Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough. They also had a thrilling 3–3 draw against Derby County, coming back from 3–0 down.

Warnock won the Championship Manager of the Month award for March. Their big 4–0 win against Milton Keynes Dons helped Rotherham stay in the Championship. Warnock later said that keeping Rotherham in the division was his biggest achievement as a manager.

Cardiff City Success

Warnock (holding trophy right) lifts the 2017–18 EFL Championship runner-up trophy with Sean Morrison

On 5 October 2016, Warnock was appointed manager of Cardiff City. In his first season, they finished 12th in the Championship. On 6 May 2018, Warnock led Cardiff to promotion to the Premier League after a 0–0 draw against Reading. This promotion made Warnock the first manager to win eight promotions in professional football!

In January 2019, Warnock thought about retiring after the sad disappearance of player Emiliano Sala, who he had just signed. Cardiff were relegated back to the Championship at the end of the season. Warnock left Cardiff on 11 November 2019. He said his time at Cardiff was some of the best days in his career.

Middlesbrough and Retirement

On 23 June 2020, Warnock became manager of Championship club Middlesbrough. The club was close to the relegation zone when he took over. In his first game, Middlesbrough won 2–0. They finished 17th in the league. Warnock stayed on for the 2020–21 season.

On 30 October 2021, he managed his 1,601st game, equalling Dario Gradi's record for the most games managed in English professional football. Three days later, he broke the record with his 1,602nd game. On 6 November 2021, Warnock left Middlesbrough.

On 9 April 2022, Warnock announced he was retiring from management after 42 years.

Return to Huddersfield Town (Again!)

Just ten months later, 74-year-old Warnock came out of retirement! On 13 February 2023, he was appointed manager of Huddersfield Town until the end of the season. This was almost 30 years after his first time managing the club.

He cut short a holiday to return to management. His first game back was a 2–1 win. In May, Warnock successfully guided Huddersfield to stay in the Championship. They had been seven points from safety in March!

On 14 June 2023, Warnock signed a new one-year contract. However, on 18 September 2023, the club announced that his game against Stoke City would be his last. He left after only eight matches of the new season.

Short Spell at Aberdeen

On 5 February 2024, Warnock took charge of Scottish club Aberdeen until the end of the season. His first game was a 2–1 loss to Rangers. His first home game was a 2–0 win in the Scottish Cup. Warnock left Aberdeen on 9 March, after only eight matches. He had two wins during his time there, both in the Scottish Cup.

Back to Torquay United

On 14 May 2024, Warnock was appointed as a football advisor for National League South club Torquay United. He is helping the new board after the club was taken over.

Personal Life

Warnock was born in Sheffield, England. He has always been a big fan of Sheffield United. He is married to Sharon and has four children: James, Natalie, Amy, and William. He has homes in Cornwall and Scotland.

Honours and Awards

Neil Warnock has won many awards and honours throughout his career:

• Burton Albion
  • NPL Challenge Cup: 1984–85

• Scarborough
  • Football Conference: 1986–87

• Notts County
  • Football League Second Division play-offs: 1991
  • Football League Third Division play-offs: 1990

• Huddersfield Town
  • Yorkshire Electricity Cup winners: 1994
  • Football League Second Division play-offs: 1995

• Plymouth Argyle
  • Football League Third Division play-offs: 1996

• Sheffield United
  • Football League Championship runner-up: 2005–06

• Queens Park Rangers
  • Football League Championship: 2010–11

• Cardiff City
  • EFL Championship runner-up: 2017–18

• Individual Awards
  • Hartlepool Player of the Year: 1971–72
  • Football Conference Manager of the Month: November 1986, December 1986
  • Football Conference Manager of the Year: 1986–87
  • EFL Championship Manager of the Month: Many times, including August 2010, March 2016, and March 2018.
  • BBC London Sports Personality of the Year: 2011
  • LMA Special Achievement Award: 2017-18

Managerial Statistics

Here's a look at Neil Warnock's managing record for different teams:

Images for kids

• 

  Warnock coaching Sheffield United in 2003

• 

  Warnock with Crystal Palace

• 

  Warnock (holding trophy right) lifts the 2017–18 EFL Championship runner-up trophy with Sean Morrison

See also

In Spanish: Neil Warnock para niños