Neil’s not a quitter but his honest words were surely spoken in haste
YEP 21/2/13
By Peter Lorimer
It is Neil Warnock prerogative to take decisions about his career, his future and his job at Leeds United.
I read his comments after Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City and he was very honest in his views.
But I think it might have been better to have waited until the club were completely out of the running for the play-offs before speaking like that. It felt a bit like giving in too early.
I often wonder how sensible it is for managers to speak to the press so soon after the end of a game because emotions run high and you are forced to speak in haste about subjects which need serious consideration.
It might be that Neil said what he wanted to say at the Etihad but I do wonder if, by the time he got home, his mood had changed.
I’m not blind to what’s going on and all of us can see the criticism he’s taking but talking as he did on Sunday made it sound like the season is over.
It’s not in great shape, that much is true, but nor are the play-offs an impossible ask either.
To throw the towel in early would do a massive favour to a few sides who are making hard work of claiming sixth place themselves.
Look at Middlesbrough. They beat us last week but that match aside, they’ve struggled to pick up a point. What a shot in the arm it must be to them to hear that Leeds United are admitting defeat. One less team and one less rival to worry about.
Put it this way, as of last weekend we had 15 league matches left. That’s a total of 45 points to play for.
Yes, it’s asking a lot to get up to 70 or 75 but I’d like to think that the players will have a go for it as long as they have a chance.
And I suspect that despite what Neil said in Manchester, he’ll have gone back into Thorp Arch and fired the squad up. I really don’t think he’ll let promotion go until it’s gone.
The abuse of him at the Etihad must have been hard to take. Let’s be honest, it’s been building up over a number of weeks and it wasn’t really a reaction to the FA Cup tie itself but it’s galling for a manager to have to listen to that when his side are being outclassed by a team as good as City.
I came away from the tie with no doubt about the gulf between the position we’re in now and the level that a club like City are playing at.
It’s a phenomenal difference. They’ve got world-class quality in every position and the ability of their front two, Tevez and Aguero, is superb.
Leeds were given no chance and, realistically, they were never likely to have much chance. What they’ve done in the cup this season – upsetting quite a few Premier League sides – has been really impressive. It’s easy to forget that when so much attention is paid to the league.
Sunday was one of those days when criticism was uncalled for.
But I do understand the frustration of the fans. They’re seeing another season getting away from the club and, understandably, they’re not very happy about that.
I’ve said before that I don’t think this is purely about Neil. The frustration has built up for so many reasons over such a long period of time and he’s the guy in the firing line.
It’s one of the many reasons why I never fancied management. The difficult times must be tough to cope with.
He seemed a bit resigned to his fate on Sunday but I’ll say this – Neil Warnock is not a quitter and I don’t expect him to walk out on this job, not while there’s a slim chance of turning the season on its head.
We’ve got a pretty big squad and a fully-fit squad and underneath it all I still believe Neil would love to create a situation when his team are making everyone else in the Championship think.
Those teams immediately above Leeds can’t aim for anything higher than sixth place now but when I look at Boro I see a very vulnerable side.
We’re at Blackburn on Saturday and that’s another six-pointer which could change things significantly in our favour. It’s a lot of ifs and buts and I’m hoping for a fightback rather than expecting one. But in spite of all that’s happened, I’d hate to see us give up too soon.
By Peter Lorimer
It is Neil Warnock prerogative to take decisions about his career, his future and his job at Leeds United.
I read his comments after Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City and he was very honest in his views.
But I think it might have been better to have waited until the club were completely out of the running for the play-offs before speaking like that. It felt a bit like giving in too early.
I often wonder how sensible it is for managers to speak to the press so soon after the end of a game because emotions run high and you are forced to speak in haste about subjects which need serious consideration.
It might be that Neil said what he wanted to say at the Etihad but I do wonder if, by the time he got home, his mood had changed.
I’m not blind to what’s going on and all of us can see the criticism he’s taking but talking as he did on Sunday made it sound like the season is over.
It’s not in great shape, that much is true, but nor are the play-offs an impossible ask either.
To throw the towel in early would do a massive favour to a few sides who are making hard work of claiming sixth place themselves.
Look at Middlesbrough. They beat us last week but that match aside, they’ve struggled to pick up a point. What a shot in the arm it must be to them to hear that Leeds United are admitting defeat. One less team and one less rival to worry about.
Put it this way, as of last weekend we had 15 league matches left. That’s a total of 45 points to play for.
Yes, it’s asking a lot to get up to 70 or 75 but I’d like to think that the players will have a go for it as long as they have a chance.
And I suspect that despite what Neil said in Manchester, he’ll have gone back into Thorp Arch and fired the squad up. I really don’t think he’ll let promotion go until it’s gone.
The abuse of him at the Etihad must have been hard to take. Let’s be honest, it’s been building up over a number of weeks and it wasn’t really a reaction to the FA Cup tie itself but it’s galling for a manager to have to listen to that when his side are being outclassed by a team as good as City.
I came away from the tie with no doubt about the gulf between the position we’re in now and the level that a club like City are playing at.
It’s a phenomenal difference. They’ve got world-class quality in every position and the ability of their front two, Tevez and Aguero, is superb.
Leeds were given no chance and, realistically, they were never likely to have much chance. What they’ve done in the cup this season – upsetting quite a few Premier League sides – has been really impressive. It’s easy to forget that when so much attention is paid to the league.
Sunday was one of those days when criticism was uncalled for.
But I do understand the frustration of the fans. They’re seeing another season getting away from the club and, understandably, they’re not very happy about that.
I’ve said before that I don’t think this is purely about Neil. The frustration has built up for so many reasons over such a long period of time and he’s the guy in the firing line.
It’s one of the many reasons why I never fancied management. The difficult times must be tough to cope with.
He seemed a bit resigned to his fate on Sunday but I’ll say this – Neil Warnock is not a quitter and I don’t expect him to walk out on this job, not while there’s a slim chance of turning the season on its head.
We’ve got a pretty big squad and a fully-fit squad and underneath it all I still believe Neil would love to create a situation when his team are making everyone else in the Championship think.
Those teams immediately above Leeds can’t aim for anything higher than sixth place now but when I look at Boro I see a very vulnerable side.
We’re at Blackburn on Saturday and that’s another six-pointer which could change things significantly in our favour. It’s a lot of ifs and buts and I’m hoping for a fightback rather than expecting one. But in spite of all that’s happened, I’d hate to see us give up too soon.
