IT’S FAREWELL, MR MARMITE
Warnock’s future in doubt after taking Cardiff down
CARDIFF could not avoid the drop but one consolation for Neil Warnock is that the last manager who was relegated with the Welsh side later walked into the Manchester United job.
He might soon be searching for a new club himself. Warnock cast doubt on his future after saturday’s game, admitting he didn’t know if he would be staying with cardiff.
Unless chelsea owner roman Abramovich is a fan of Warnock’s no-nonsense yorkshire bravado, it is unlikely we will see the 70-year-old in the Premier League next season.
What a shame that will be. Warnock may be your ultimate Marmite manager but even those who cannot stand the cardiff boss should admit they will miss his eccentricities in 2019-20.
From his clashes with officials, which recently cost him a £20,000 fine from the FA, to his rather direct views on Brexit, when he said: ‘to hell with the rest of the world.’
We witnessed another quirky moment ahead of this match. Warnock was standing in his technical area where a cameraman was tracking his every move. Live on Bt sport, he turned and stared straight into the lens, like ex- Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
cardiff lost 3-2 with Wilfried Zaha, Michy Batshuayi and Andros townsend scoring the goals that sealed their fate and secured Brighton’s safety.
they have had a lot to overcome off the pitch. the death of £15million striker emiliano sala in a plane crash before he had even kicked a ball tested the club severely. supporters sang for sala in the final 10 minutes as their relegation to the championship was confirmed. they then sang for Warnock.
Goalkeeper Neil etheridge said: ‘ His stats speak for themselves. i don’t need to stand here and say he’s the man for the job — eight promotions.’
the last train from cardiff back to London was at 8.26pm. Among the hundreds of Palace supporters on board was club chairman steve Parish. One well- oiled fan, who had spotted him, shouted: ‘We want salomon rondon and possibly Olivier Giroud.’
Palace manager roy Hodgson will sit down with Parish this week to discuss ambitions for next season.
cardiff will begin preparing for the championship too, though it remains to be seen whether Warnock will be part of those plans.