TAKING A POUNDING
Warnock warns Boro: Money can’t guarantee you success
NEIL WARNOCK has warned Middlesbrough that money won’t buy them success. Boro boss Gary Monk splashed £50million, with Britt Assombalonga (below) costing £14m from Forest, to improve his Riverside squad in the summer compared to the £3m kitty Warnock was given at Cardiff. Yet Cardiff lie in second place with Boro languishing in 11th. “When you have sides like Middlesbrough who have spent £50m, you realise how difficult this league is,” Warnock said. “I think we are down near the bottom in terms of money spent. But it doesn’t matter how much you spend, the Championship is a league like no other. “Money can get you some quality but it’s about building that team ethic, that spirit. “Their chairman said they were going to bash this league but it is a difficult league to smash, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend.” Warnock will lock horns with former Swansea boss Monk today, with Cardiff looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at Birmingham. “Garry has been a manager for a few years now,” said Warnock. “I used to have battles with him as a player and you always knew what you were going to get from him, 100 per cent. I’ve watched his career and spoke a lot with him when he was at Leeds. I thought it was a fabulous move for him to go to Boro. “I remember him asking when he first started if I had any advice for him, and I told him ‘make sure you get a good chairman.’ He’s had a mixture so far, it’s fair to say.” Cardiff ’s Icelandic midfielder Aron Gunnarsson faces a late fitness test.