50 not out... and Cardiff boss Neil admits he still loves every minute of it

As Cardiff City get set to kick-off their Championship campaign at Burton, Neil Warnock prepares for his 50th season in the game and explains to Chief Football Writer Chris Wathan why after all these years he’s still got goosebumps about the opportunity f

It’s here then, a new season and your 38th campaign as a manager. How are you feeling about it? YES, I mentioned to someone the other day it’s my 50th year in football...deary me that sound ancient doesn’t it, but I’m looking forward to it.

I’m not really a pre-season manager; I enjoy getting the lads together and all that, but I need that little bit of an edge to games so I’m glad we’re up and running now. And you still have that same motivation for things? YES. I’ve talked about it before but my wife’s illness means I live for today, I don’t worry about things.

My only challenge is to please myself if you like.

I don’t worry about the sack like other managers, I look to do the best I can with what I’ve got, that’s how I manage.

The Championship is probably the most competitive league in the world and the bookies have got us down the bottom half, which you can understand with what we’ve spent.

But I’m happy and we have to give it our best shot really.

My head says we should be in the bottom half and midtable would be a reasonable season, but my heart wants more than that.

An eighth promotion would mean the world, and especially for the fans down here because they’ve been fantastic for me.

There’ll me one or two putting a bet on with the odds we are, but I want to make people smile, to give them something to talk about at the weekend, to feel part of the club.

That’s my responsibility. It’s obvious they’re behind you going into this campaign, more so than under some of your predecessors? I can’t speak about what’s happened before, but I have a way of managing and it’s fair to say the club was quite fragmented when I came in.

The way I manage isn’t just on the field of play; if I can I manage the office staff, groundsman, cleaners, you name it, because they’re all important.

When I look back at my successes, we all had that rapport in the office. I still speak to the office girls at Sheffield United, or in the ticket office at Huddersfield, a cleaner at one of the others, and you need that – and we have that, all in it together, pulling in the same direction.

I’d like to think it’s happier place to come to work for everyone and when you’re happy it’s amazing what you can do in life – and I think we’ve got an opportunity here ..... you can tell when I feel good when I get goosepimples when I talk .... I think we have an opportunity here to have a go.

So let’s enjoy it. Yes, there’ll be downsides, we’ll have times when fans are disappointed in my team selection and this that and the other, but what I would say to them is have a look to where we are now and where we were and relish it, enjoy it and let’s give it a go, let’s go to top clubs and have a go.

We still need some luck, some KADEEM Harris has been ruled out for “two or three months” with an ankle injury, Neil Warnock has confirmed.

The Cardiff City boss, speaking to the media ahead of the Bluebirds opening encounter with Burton Albion, revealed the young winger had been struck down by injury on the eve of the season after hobbling off in the pre-season friendly against Livingston.

Harris (pictured) will now require surgery on the ankle and isn’t expected to return until October or November.

It’s a blow to the Bluebirds after the talented 24-year-old signed a twoyear contract extension in the summer.

“We’ve lost Kadeem for a while, he has to have an operation on Monday,” said Warnock, who also revealed Matthew Connolly and Lee Camp will also miss decisions, but I’m optimistic. What do you need for it to happen for the side and for you to get that eighth promotion? What makes a promotion side? I don’t know, but there is a just a gut feeling you have about players.

Right now, I don’t think there’s been many more times I’ve been as positive about the side that I’m picking for Burton, and if you’re happy as a manager you’re half-way there.

When I look back at my promotions, squad-wise, they have been very similar to this one in respect of team spirit.

Yes, we’ve lacked big names, we’ve lacked spending a lot of money, but we’ve had something else, an ingredient other teams haven’t had – and it’s that which helps you get where the Pirelli Stadium clash with knocks. “So we could be without him (Harris) for two or three months I’d imagine which is a blow to us. “And we are without Connolly and Camp, so we have two or three out.” The Cardiff boss then revealed the extent of the young winger’s injury after admitting Harris had been “flying” in pre-season training. Warnock now has Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Junior Hoilett, Anthony Pilkington and Craig Noone as wide players, with Danny Ward also an option on the left. Warnock added: “His ankle, he did it a few weeks ago so he’ll have an operation because the surgeon thinks it could go again even after rehab, so it has to be tightened up a bit. It’s disappointing because he was flying but that’s life, you have to get on with it.” you want to be.

Look, I’m not a magician. I’m not going to say we won’t end up in 15th and have an average season – but it’s not what I’m looking for, not at my age anyhow. I want to be challenging.

You do get a feeling before a season whether you can; I’d been at Sheffield United a couple of years and moulded things, and at QPR I’d been there less time than I’ve been here but we’d finished the season well when we avoided relegation.

I have similar feelings here about this group of lads.

Like I say, you don’t know what can happen – if Adel Taarabt had been injured a week into the season at QPR we would have missed 20 goals.

You need that bit of luck, and we