WAR IS OVER
Neil forgives Rafa for his part in Blades drop
IT will all be bile under the bridge when Neil Warnock faces bitter rival Rafa Benitez today.
Warnock said he would never forgive Benitez (above) for playing a reserve team against Fulham in 2007 when he was Liverpool manager. Fulham won 1-0 and Warnock’s Sheffield United side were eventually relegated.
It led to a feud between the two managers that raged even up to 2011, when Warnock was in charge of QPR.
At the time he said: “I don’t hold a grudge against Liverpool, Liverpool are a fabulous club, but I was disappointed in Benitez – I’ll never forgive him.”
The Spaniard, who contemplated taking legal action against Warnock, once said he knew the gritty Yorkshireman “was bad as a manager and prehistoric, but we didn’t know he was a person like this.”
But Warnock, preparing for Cardiff’s first home game back in the top flight, said: “It’s all water under the bridge now, life’s too short. I’ve got to enjoy this now.
“Everything has been said about that and we’ve met a few times since then.
“I was talking this morning to Craig Bellam, who played for Liverpool in that game, and he was telling me how they had three days off before it!
“But you’ve only got to look at what the fans are saying about Newcastle – the one person they can’t afford to lose is Rafa.
“They can get away with losing any player but not him – his commitment to Newcastle has been fantastic. He’s in his last year so it’ll be interesting to see how that develops because I’m sure worldwide he will be targeted.”
With both teams having lost their opening games – Newcastle to Spurs and Cardiff at Bournemouth – there will be pressure on both managers to pick up points. For Cardiff, playing in front of a packed stadium, home form will be vital in their battle to survive.