Neil Warnock’s funniest moments, from foul-mouthed teamtalk to eyeballing a camera, after iconic boss quits Huddersfield
SOME 42 years in the dugout, Neil Warnock has continued to provide plenty of laughs.
Often controversial, the Sheffield-born gaffer’s most recent act was to save Huddersfield Town from relegation last season.
Before the game against Stoke City this week, Huddersfield’s chief executive Jake Edwards revealed a time for a change.
“I can confirm Wednesday will be Neil and Ronnie’s last game at the football club,” Edwards said, who has replaced the 74-year-old veteran with Darren Moore.
“I’d like to express our huge gratitude for everything they’ve accomplished over the past seven months. Few management duos could have kept us in the Championship and they’ve solidified their legendary status.”
Warnick is also fondly remembered by Sheffield United, Cardiff City and QPR fans for guiding them to the Premier League.
He began his career all the way back in 1980 with Gainsborough Trinity.
But, he is also known for outspoken personality and eccentric behaviour on the touchline,
SunSport takes a look at Warnock’s funniest moments.
The epic rant
When it comes to team talks, Warnock is a chief motivator.
And at Sheffield United he delivered his most powerful sermon ever, although thankfully he wasn’t at church with the amount of F bombs dropped.
Questioning his players’ attitudes and ambition, he launched into his powerful tirade, insisting his players won’t care when they go off on their holidays to “Majorca” during pre-season.
Outrageously, he encourages his players to “s***” their partners in the front seat of their cars.
He screams: “You’re picking up a wage… that’s a load of b*******! You’ve got to f***ing die to get three points!”
It was all captured, eloquently and beautifully, by a fly-on-the-wall documentary called Warnock.
She had a dream
What the wife says goes in Warnock’s book, and that includes playing a defender upfront.
Ex-Crystal Palace star Darren Ambrose revealed the coach’s missus Sharon dreamed that right-back Danny Butterfield scored the winner before an FA Cup replay against Wolves.
So, in real life, Warnock decided to play him as a forward.
Ambrose told talkSPORT: “We were playing Wolves.
“He said, ‘My wife Sharon, she had a dream last night. She dreamt that my right back scores the winning goal today. So Danny Butterfield – you’re playing up front’. We all started laughing then and he was like, ‘no, I’m serious’.”
Unbelievably, Palace won 3-1 – with Butterfield scoring the perfect hat-trick, left foot, right foot, and a header.
Eyeballing the camera
Channelling his inner Liam Gallagher, Warnock played up to the camera for his next trick.
As manager of Cardiff City, who he was desperate to keep up during the 2018/19 season, he had some run-ins.
Famously, he stared out manager Craig Pawson following a late defeat to Chelsea.
However, the funniest moment came before a match with Crystal Palace as he was filmed in the dugout before kick-off.
Walking towards the camera, with his hands behind his back, he pushed his face in the direction of the cameraman.
Part bird pecking, part ex-Oasis lead-singer – it had a more comical effect then threatening.
Bristol City request
As manager of Cardiff City, Warnock was somewhat of a hate-figure for their rivals Bristol City.
During one memorable appearance on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, he let it be known how he wants them to remember him when he passes away.
“I joke with their fans that, when I do pass away, I hope they all have a minute’s applause for me at Ashton Gate and remember the good times I’ve given them,” Warnock explained.
“I don’t want silence. I want them all to be chanting ‘Warnock’s a w*****’ over and over again. For a whole minute. That would be my ideal.”
Telling Lineker to f*** off
When Match of the Day requested to interview Warnock after he oversaw a 2-0 win for his Cardiff team over Bournemouth, the manager was less than enamoured.
Unaware the camera was rolling, he was caught telling MOTD host Gary Lineker to “f*** off”.
It all began with Warnock annoyed by Lineker calling him an anagram of his first name, ‘Colin W*****”, as was coined by Wolves fans.
“Match of the Day? Tell Gary Lineker to f*ck off,” Warnock was heard saying on BBC television in Canada when he was unaware the camera was rolling.
“He calls me Colin. Can I say, ‘Colin here’?”
Needless to say, the segment where Lineker spoke directly to managers was shelved for Warnock.
Even Thommo wasn’t safe
On the touchline, Warnock would come alive with the passion of the game.
Worse was at Anfield, when temperatures were already heated on the touchline.
In the 2002-2003 season, he guided Sheffield United to the semi-final of the league cup.
The Blades lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate, and in his autobiography Warnock revealed a spat he had with Reds assistant Phil Thompson.
During the fracas, he said: “You can f*** off Pinocchio, get back in your f***ing cupboard.”
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Spot of bowling
The art of the con was well mustered by Warnock.
He used to be a bowling coach as a teenager, which is how he got his break in football when he coached a Sheffield United player’s wife, leading to a trial at Chesterfield.
Amusingly, he used bowling as a team bonding exercise for his players, but took all their cash.
Paul Peschisolido told the story of Warnock taking Sheffield United players bowling to SunSport.
“He convinced us all to put £10 in the pot, winner take all,” he said.
“We agreed for some fun, then he pulled out his own bowling shoes and custom ball, shot 250 and took all our money.”