LOVE AND EIGHT
Warnock enjoying record chase more than ever
NEIL WARNOCK is determined to cement his football legacy by taking Cardiff City to the Premier League.
The 69-year-old will earn a record-breaking eighth promotion if his Bluebirds can finish the job by matching or bettering Fulham’s result tomorrow. And old-stager Warnock reckons his promotion know-how will earn him special place in the history books. “When you pass away, it’s nice to leave something people will remember you by,” said Warnock. “That’s what I’ve strived for for many years – to get to the top. “I was never good enough as a player so I wanted to be a manager and I’ve done it right from the bottom as a Sunday league manager, through every division.
“I want to be remembered in the right way, but this will be my biggest achievement by an absolute mile, given the state of the club 18 months ago. To be challenging at this stage is a miracle, but miracles do happen and I’m hoping this can be another.”
Only Championship strugglers Reading stand in Warnock’s way of moving clear of the record held by Dave Bassett, Graham Taylor and Jim Smith.
The first promotion of his 38year managerial career came when he took Scarborough into the Football League, before backto-back successes with Notts County.
He found the formula again with Huddersfield and Plymouth Argyle and then took his beloved Sheffield United to the promised land. He made it seven with QPR seven years ago before getting the sack, and he is determined to show his long list of former chairmen what he can do.
“Proving ex-chairmen wrong is probably my biggest drive to be honest,” he said. “It still burns with me, I still like to show people who I have not had a great relationship with exactly what they have missed.
“We know we’re not everyone’s cup of tea but that mental thing has made us stronger. We keep getting kicked in the teeth but we keep bouncing back up and surprising people.”
Cardiff have a clean bill of health for the crunch promotion clash, apart from talismanic midfielder Aron Gunnarsson, who faces a race against time to be fit for Iceland’s World Cup campaign.