South Yorkshire's Neil Warnock reflects on his career in football management

The 73-year-old announced his retirement earlier this month

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 20th Apr 2022

Former Sheffield United & Rotherham boss Neil Warnock admits he doesn't think his record for managing the most professional games in English football will ever be broken.

The 73-year-old, who was born in Sheffield, managed over 1,600 games before confirming his retirement earlier this month.

He reckons there's a lot less patience in the sport now compared to when he started out in football management:

"I can't ever see 1,603 games being beaten. I used to aim to build a club in about 3-4 years, whereas now you get about 3-4 weeks to turn things around.

"There's a lot more pressure on managers now, but I've enjoyed my time; I've made a few people laugh, I've made a few people happy and a few people vitriol.

"To get a good Chairman is worth its weight in gold really. If you look at the success I've had over the years, most of it has been when there's a really good Chairman in place.

"I just hope now being 73-years-old that I can have good health and happiness, that's all you can wish for really.

"I've been blessed with good people around me, my family's very good. I'm looking forward to relaxing and doing some of my hobbies like fishing and riding my electric bike."

Warnock-who now lives with his family in Cornwall-began his managerial career back in 1980 and has been at the helm for sixteen clubs overall from Premier League to Non-League level.

Most recently he was employed by Middlesbrough, but Warnock's also enjoyed spells with the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Leeds United, Cardiff City, Plymouth Argyle, Crystal Palace, and Huddersfield Town over the years.

He also holds the record for the most promotions in English football as a manager, with eight in total.

Prior to that, Warnock played as a professional footballer for several clubs, such as Chesterfield FC, Barnsley FC and Scunthorpe United.

We went on to ask him why he finally made the decision to retire from football management:

"I think it's a good time for me to call it a day really. I think I've seen the best of it.

"I don't see football being as enjoyable now as it was.

"I think fans have been forgotten about now and that's having an impact on their enjoyment of the game."

He'll be putting on a show at the Sheffield City Hall to discuss his career in more detail in September this year.

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