‘Trouble with Tomlin was I couldn’t get him on pitch’

EX-BLUEBIRDS BOSS WARNOCK BLAMES FITNESS ISSUES FOR NOT MAKING MORE OF TALISMAN

Lee Tomlin thumps in a shot against Derby and inset, right, signs on the dotted line with former Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo in attendance in July, 2017

NEIL Warnock has hit back at claims he did not get the most out of Lee Tomlin while manager at Cardiff City, insisting he could “never get him on the field” owing to fitness issues.

Tomlin has been perhaps City’s best player this season – certainly the most threatening attacking outlet since Neil Harris took over in November – but scarcely featured while Warnock was in charge.

When Harris took over, he made Tomlin the main man, allowing him to play the full 90 minutes and the Bluebirds reaped the rewards.

Tomlin said back in December that Warnock “always had an excuse” for his reasons for not selecting him, or hauling him off around the hour-mark during games.

But Warnock, the Middlesbrough manager who will come up against Tomlin this weekend, has said he had little option over selecting his £3m capture due to the player’s persistent fitness struggles.

“If I didn’t play a player... I read a while ago about Lee Tomlin saying he has got more [game time], but I couldn’t get Tomlin on the field when I was manager,” Warnock said.

Tomlin has certainly enjoyed a strong run of fitness and form this season, although since football restarted his injury concerns have become something of a prominent narrative.

The 31-year-old started his first game since February this week in the 2-1 win over Derby County, in which he scored the winner to move level with Robert Glatzel as the club’s jointtop scorer.

But Harris has said in recent weeks he has had to delay team selections on occasion and the player has had to skip some training sessions in order for his hip problem to recover properly.

Whether he plays up at the Riverside this weekend, of course, is as yet unknown, but what Warnock does know about is the talent coursing through this Bluebirds side.

When asked if he was looking forward to going toe to toe against his former club, he replied: “Not really, no, not when I know how good they are and we haven’t won at home since last year.

“They are strong, solid players and good lads, as well.”

Warnock’s number one priority is, of course, to get that one point to ensure Boro’s Championship status and he will be desperate to achieve that on Saturday, even if it is against his former side.

But if he were to consolidate Boro’s position in the Championship and see Cardiff achieve promotion, that would appear his perfect scenario.

“When I left, I did say the second half of the season the fixtures were a lot better and I thought they could get in the play-offs,” he added.

“If they get in the play-offs, I only see Brentford beating them. I don’t see any of the other teams, not Forest and Fulham... I think Cardiff will be the team.

I imagine everyone at Cardiff is hoping Brentford will just clinch that second place, because I think they would rather play West Brom.”

Cardiff could mathematically seal their play-off spot this weekend, should other results go their way, too. It would be a commendable feat by

Harris, should it happen, given they were off the pace when he took over in November.

The current Bluebirds boss this week said City had been “written off” as promotion candidates when he took over, but that is not a view to which Warnock subscribes.

“He might have said that but I never wrote them off,” Warnock said.

“From day one, when I walked out, I said whoever took over was a lucky person to have a squad like that, because it didn’t need a lot of work.

“Whatever signings he made in January, if he made any, I don’t know, but it’s the same team, isn’t it, that’s turning out now to when I was there?

“Apparently they are playing a lot better football, a different style and I am looking forward to seeing that [on Saturday].

“But the players are the same players and they are a great bunch.”

■ All the pre-match build-up as Cardiff take on Warnock’s Boro: Pages 42&43