WARNOCK ON CITY’S CRUNCH OPENER
TWO OR THREE WINS FOR CARDIFF AND I DON’T THINK ANYBODY WILL WANT TO PLAY THEM, SAYS FORMER BOSS
NEIL Warnock believes this Sunday’s showdown with Cardiff City will be Leeds United’s toughest of their nine-game run-in.
Warnock, who has taken the hot seat at both Cardiff City Stadium and Elland Road within the last decade, has been out of a job since leaving his post with the Bluebirds back in November after three hugely successful years in charge.
While City were left treading water in 14th place at the time, they are now within touching distance of the play-off spots, just two points separating them and Preston in sixth place.
Their campaign resumes this Sunday with a huge encounter with table-topping Leeds United, but Warnock insists form has now gone out the window and it all comes down to the sprint finish in the final nine rounds of fixtures.
Leeds, who Warnock managed in 2012/13, sit one point ahead of West Brom at the top of the table, but both clubs enjoy a sizeable buffer from Fulham in third place and look almost shoo-ins for automatic promotion.
Warnock told The Athletic that Cardiff would be Leeds’ “most difficult game” over the course of the next few weeks, but when it came to their promotion hopes, he said: “Bloody hell, what they’ve been through the last 10 years-plus, there’s nobody that deserves to get promotion more than them.”
“If Leeds are at a disadvantage at all, though, it’s that they, more than most, will suffer from the void left by the empty stadiums.”
Elland Road has average crowds of more than 35,000 for Championship games this season and the former City boss believes that not having that sizeable influence behind them might have some effect moving forward.
“I think Elland Road is an amazing place, I’ve managed there and it is an extra man,” Warnock added.
“When there’s no crowd, there’s no influence on the officials at all. Whereas you officiate in front of 35,000 at Elland Road and you are under pressure – make no mistake about that. But it won’t affect referees or linesmen now.”
Warnock, 71, certainly knows a thing or two about promotion, of course, having won a record eight in his career, the most recent of which came with the Bluebirds in the 2017/18 campaign.
The manager understands the passion which courses through Wales’ capital city club and how quickly things can snowball in this part of the world.
The play-off spots are well and truly in Neil Harris’ crosshairs and his predecessor believes a couple of early wins would make the Bluebirds’ charge towards the top six very difficult to stop.
“I think this year has been the best opportunity that anybody has ever had of going up,” Warnock said.
“That’s why I look at that sixth position – nobody has ever wanted to get in there. I think it’s waiting for somebody to grasp it.
“Two or three wins for Cardiff and I don’t think anybody will want to play them.”