OPPORTUNITY WARNOCKS
Pulis returns to one of his old clubs.. to face one of his old rivals saying: Neil’s one of the best in this league
WIL WILY Neil Warnock is still the best manager in th the Championship in Tony Pulis’ eyes – as the two old heads prepare to lock hor horns tomorrow. Pulis’ Sh Sheffield Wednesday squandered squandere a first- half lead against Bla Blackburn and having gone two games ga unbeaten, he is hoping they can c impress again to turn over one of o his former clubs. Middlesbrough Middlesbrou head to Yorkshire after a resurge resurgence under Warnock (right) and Pulis Puli said: “Neil has done a great job and at this level there is not a better m manager.
“I ’ ve fond memories of Middlesbrough, Middlesbroug there are some fabulous staff there and they have one of the be best chairmen in the league in Steve Gibson, so it’s nice to see them doing well.
“When I was there, there were financial issues where an enormous amount of money had been wasted.
“Woody ( Jonathan Woodgate) took the brunt of it coming in after me and then Neil has done well on the back of that. He’s gelled it together so you have to give him credit.”
The Owls’ draw at Rovers was their fourth under Pulis, with just one win since he took over in early November. But he insists Football League teams are being “pummelled” by a gruelling festive fixture schedule.
He said: “The lads have given everything in all the games but we have suffered injuries again. Most clubs at this level are being pummelled with match after match after match. Since I’ve been here we’ve had a game every Tuesday apart from one.
“Everyone has the same issues though and we have to get on with it.” Adam Reach put Wednesday ahead with a stunning goal, but Rovers - who welcomed back their talisman Bradley Dack - levelled with Joe Rothwell’s solo effort in the second half.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray was happy to have salvaged a point and that playmaker Dack, returning from a cruciate ligament injury, came unscathed through 28 minutes as a second-half substitute.
“There was no danger in playing him, he needs to get his sharpness back up,” said Mowbray. “If teams come and sit deep we will need creative minds on the pitch and he has got that.” BLACKBURN: Kaminski 6, Nyambe 6, Johnson 6 (Downing 62, 5), Ayala 6, Armstrong 7, Rothwell 7, Gallagher 6 (Brereton 62, 6), Holtby 7 (Dack 62, 5), Douglas 6, Elliott 7, Lenihan 5
SHEFF WEDNESDAY: Westwood 6, Palmer 6, Van Aken 6 (Shaw 68, 4), Paterson 6, Lees 6, Pelupessy 6, Bannan 7, Reach 7 (Harris 80), Windass 7 (Brown 86), Odubajo 6, Dunkley 6