NEIL IS THE OLD MASTER IN THE RUN-IN
CARDIFF’S gritty 1-0 victory at Ipswich in midweek was the archetypal Neil Warnock performance – and a reminder of why the 69-year-old remains a master of his craft.
These days, a coach is nothing without a philosophy. Warnock, though, shows pragmatism still has its place.
Square pegs in square holes. Leaders all over the park.
Facing the division’s set-piece specialists on a windy Wednesday at Portman Road, Warnock deployed a squadron of muscular giants, marked man to man and bashed it back to front.
Pretty it wasn’t, but this isn’t the Winter Olympics. Nobody is handing out marks for style or artistic impression.
Points are the only currency that matters and, at a stage when tiring legs can cause concentration to waver, Warnock’s ability to strip football back to basics is once again paying dividends.
With a squad significantly weaker than any of their promotion rivals, Cardiff remain just a few key injuries away from disaster.
Even with a four-point cushion to third place, it is difficult to see them fending off the likes of Aston Villa and Fulham.
But ask supporters of those sides if they’d rather have Warnock in their dugout for the next three months,and I bet plenty would make the trade.
When it comes to scrapping and slogging your way to the finish line, there is still nobody better.