CHRIS: IT MAY ALL END IN THIRD TIERS
still a young manager and I wanted to pick his brains,” he said. “Two hours later, I came out and I hadn’t said a word – Bobby talked about all sorts and we had salt pots going round the table to illustrate one tactic or another.
“This was Bobby Robson, a manager who had won just about everything, giving his time to a young guy and the enthusiasm of the man was unbelievable. I’ll never forget it.”
Manager of the month Warnock says restoring Cardiff to the Premier League would be his “best promotion of the lot, by a mile” – although this wasn’t the golden sunset he had envisaged.
“I had a plan at Sheffield United to get them up, keep them up, call it a day and go ‘upstairs’. But the way I left the club left a bitter taste and I didn’t want to finish on that note. I just love trying to prove the chairmen who sacked me or got rid of me wrong.”
But you won’t hear dear old ‘Colin’ – his nickname among rival fans who form an unflattering anagram with his name – joining the chorus of whingeing about Championship leaders Wolves and their owners’ links with superagent Jorge Mendes. Warnock said: “My first game in the Football League as a manager was with Scarborough against Wolves and I remember a guy falling through the roof of the stand.
“Wolves have had to put up with so much – never mind all this talk of advantages, let them sign who they want. It wouldn’t bother me if they went out and signed Neymar. I wish we all had contacts like they have now.
“When I first went down there, I remember being in my chiropodist surgery cutting toe-nails at half-past three and having to leave at four to get down to Molineux in time for kick-off. And we drew 1-1, which wasn’t bad for a team with part-timers.
“Good luck to them because they have been in the doldrums for so long. Why moan about it? Let’s not start bitching about them. Let them enjoy it, life’s too short.
“I started watching their game at Leeds the other night and it was never in doubt. I turned off after 10 minutes – there was only going to be one winner.
“I don’t see anything illegal in an agent helping a club. You do get jealousies, but I’m sure most of the people bitching about it wish they were in the same situation.
“It’s all right having money, but you’ve still got to spend it right. We’ve had to shop at the other end of the market, but who’s to say Aldi is not as good as Waitrose?”
Flattered by the accolade – his ninth in the Championship alone – Warnock is less impressed with his Skybet manager of the month trophy. “I’ll probably donate it to the fans at the end of the season because you wouldn’t have it on your sideboard,” he scowled.
“At home I’ve got lovely Wedgwood plates and big bottles of champagne with the date on them – we don’t even get the date on these awards now, so I haven’t got a clue which one’s which.” STEVE BRUCE is “envious” of cash-splashing Wolves, but still insists Aston Villa can overhaul them.
Villa have led a number of clubs complaining to the EFL about Wolves’ links with super-agent Jorge Mendes.
It follows Chinese-owned Wanderers making a raft of superb summer signings to fire them top of the Championship.
These include 12-goal Leo Bonatini, who Villa couldn’t afford last summer despite the hitman being a loan.
Others such as £15million Ruben Neves from Porto, and Atletico Madrid loanee Diogo Jota, have also helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to top spot.
The duo, plus Santo and Ivan Cavaleiro, are all represented by Mendes, who sold a stake in his agency to a subsidiary of Fosun, Wolves’ owners.
It has left rivals suggesting that rules on third-party ownership of players could be in breach.
Villa boss Bruce (above) is watching developments as his own transfer efforts have been badly affected by adhering to FFP.
Ahead of Wolves’ visit tonight, he said: “They’ve invested well and bought well. How they’ve done it CHRIS COLEMAN accepts that Sunderland could sack him in the summer if they get relegated.
The ex-wales boss (below) is struggling to revive the Mackems, who are rock bottom of the Championship.
He has four wins from 20 games in charge since taking over in November, losing 11 of them.
Sacked boss Simon Grayson was also in charge for 20 games, winning three and losing nine. Sunderland have been in the third tier only once in their history and Coleman admits his future is uncertain. He said: “It’s a hard question to answer because I really do not know what is going to happen at the end of the season.
“If the worst happens, would Sunderland want to keep me? I don’t know. I’m not sure.
“It is very hard to think that far forward but I have not managed a win in eight games and now we’ve really got to get one.”