EMOTION AND ON AND ON
Warnock: We’re tired but my players amazingly keep finding another gear
EXHAUSTED Neil Warnock is hoping his Cardiff City team can keep going over the next 12 games to complete their ‘Mission: Impossible’ and stay in the Premier League.
Warnock flew 14,000 miles last weekend to attend the funeral of record-signing Emiliano Sala, who died in an air crash on his way to the Welsh capital to link up with his new team-mates.
If that was not testing enough for 70-year-old Warnock, his side kicks off a run of three games in nine days at home against Watford tonight.
“It is a bit exhausting at this stage, if I’m totally honest. I will look back at the end of the season to see if I’ve enjoyed it or not,” admitted Warnock.
“It all depends on what the outcome is. It is hard work when you are competing with what we are competing with. But the lads keep helping me out by surprising me and stepping up another gear. It is tiring, though.
“We’ve had challenges all season. When we hadn’t won a game in the first... I don’t know how many games, we got people saying it was the worst team they’d seen and we wouldn’t get past 11 points.
“So, the first challenge was to get past 11 points. Then it was the 20-point mark, then it goes on like that. There are some very big teams with massive squads that have been in the Premier League for a very long time around us.
“Everybody appreciates that our budget is as low as it’s ever been in the Premier League. But stories like this can have happy endings.
“It won’t be for the lack of trying because we’ve got such a great group of players and the fans have been fantastic.
‘‘I don’t see anything other than everybody giving everything in the last six home and away games.” The financial fallout from the £15million Sala transfer from Nantes to Cardiff continues. warnock confirmed the French club have agreed an extension to the date for the first instalment of £5m from the Bluebirds.
“Certain things were done, on reflection, that shouldn’t have been done,” Warnock said. “But I have every confidence in Mehmet (Dalman, Cardiff City chairman) that it will come to a conclusion in the near future.
‘‘I don’t want to go into detail, but it should have been kept between the two clubs.” Warnock also reacted to the fact his son, James, who works for Unique Sports Management, has been dragged into the Sala saga.
He is believed to have been involved in Cardiff business involving at least three players – Sean Morrison, Rhys Healey and Craig Noone.
“I feel sorry for James. We turned down £5m from Sheffield Wednesday for Morrison, and I think it was a sensible thing to put him on a longer contract,” added Warnock.
“Rhys Healey was mentioned. He is an up-and-coming lad, who has a big future in the game. All the other players were at the club before I arrived.”