The Scotsman

Short-term jobs like the one at Aberdeen are enough for Warnock now

- Anthony Brown

Aberdeen interim boss Neil Warnock has insisted his days of immersing himself in a job for the long haul are firmly behind him.

The 75-year-old has become a specialist in short-term fixes in recent seasons and has no desire to overstay his welcome at a club.

Warnock has seen Roy Hodgson - one year his senior - come under fire from Crystal Palace fans after deciding to stay on for the current campaign following his impressive fire-fighting spell in charge of the Eagles at the end of last season.

Warnock is content to continue in end-of-season interim roles like the one he has taken on with the Dons, even though such a scenario means he is generally unable to recruit players in his mould.

"I don't put myself in Roy's situation," he said when asked why someone in their mid-70s would take on such a pressurise­d position.

"I'm quite happy when I'm not involved in football, I've got a lovely family and everything. But I just get challenges that crop up and I look at my last few years when I've retired about eight times, the challenges have always been there.

"The Huddersfie­ld challenge was impossible but we came through it, then Cardiff, to get promotion with a group like that, and even Rotherham, those challenges were something I had to roll my sleeves up for.

"And I've always wanted to manage up here [in Scotland]. Yes, I wish it was a few years ago because I'd have loved to have had the opportunit­y to build a Scottish club up and bring my type of players in.

"Even though I've only had a couple of games, I can see what's missing in certain areas. But that's not going to be possible. I have to make the job as good as I can with what I have. It's that buzz that I get but my wife does think I'm flipping my lid at times."

Warnock’s first home league game in charge of the Dons comes against Motherwell tonight as he continues the process of “weaning” himself off football management.

The visitors head north looking to bounce back from their Scottish Cup defeat at Morton. "I don't think Motherwell will have any hangovers from Friday," added Warnock. "I think they might think they're catching us at a good time...”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom