Warnock faces real challenge

NEIL Warnock says the job on his hands at Middlesbrough is as difficult as any challenge he’s faced in his managerial career.

The 71-year-old admits that he wasn’t aware just how tough things would be at Boro until he arrived at Rockliffe and realised the “frailties” of the squad.

He has been impressed with the attitude and application of his players but says the squad is unbalanced, stacked with midfielders but lacking defenders.

Even at Rotherham, when Warnock took charge of an unfancied side stuck in the relegation zone, the Yorkshireman says he had the foundations of a solid defence to build on.

But despite his concerns about the squad, Warnock is rolling his sleeves up and relishing the relegation scrap, starting against QPR on Sunday as Boro look to bounce back from what the manager described as a “heartbreaking” defeat at Hull.

“This is as difficult a job as I’ve had,” said Warnock in his press conference on Saturday morning.

“Even at Rotherham when I went in there, we had fix or six defenders and we could build from that. We have quite a lot of good midfielders here, a shortage of strikers, good wide players, we have no back up regarding full-backs and we’re limited at centre-half. It’s difficult.”

Asked when it was he realised how difficult a job he’s facing on Teesside, Warnock replied: “Probably only when I arrived really. I wasn’t aware of the frailties of the squad if I’m honest.

“But you can’t dwell on that, you have to do as well as you can with what you’ve got.

“If we had four points out of six we’d have been happy. I’d have been disappointed with a point at Hull.

“We gave another team down there in the mire an opportunity to get confidence back. The disappointment is two-fold.”

He added: “We have to fight for our lives and scrap to get over the line.

“I didn’t realise the numbers situation. The squad has got different numbers, the number of fit defenders in relation to midfielders... It’s on the training ground where we need to work really.

“We’re trying to introduce the little defensive elements. You have to do that, they’re a good group, it’s a little bit of educating them really.”