Leeds’s academy feels the force of Warnock’s anger
Yorkshire Post 7/6/13
by Leon Wobschall
FORMER Leeds United manager Neil Warnock has taken a swipe at the attitude of the Whites’ academy staff during his spell there – describing it as being ‘like a cancer in the club’.
The controversial comments are included in Warnock’s recently released book entitled The Gaffer: The Trials and Tribulations of a Football Manager, with the 64-year-old scathing of what he perceived as a prevailing mood of negativity at United’s training ground.
Warnock, who left United in early April, was also severely critical of the attitude of former striker Luciano Becchio in his book and described his time at the club as a ‘lonely job’.
Also included are details of his deep-seated frustrations at a lack of transfer cash from owners GFH Capital to enable him to do more last-minute business, particularly at the end of January.
On what he saw as a downbeat training-ground atmosphere in comparison to previous club QPR, Warnock stated: “There’s no humour at the training ground, no happiness at all, no joy in coming into work which was strange, and not what I am used to.
“(Then) I went to Leeds and found that the attitude of the academy towards the first team is them-and-us, as if we are two different entities. There’s very little integration.
“It was like a cancer in the club. If we won a game, when we went upstairs on a Monday and past their offices, they’d keep their heads down and ignore us. Yet if we lost, they’d be waving at us through the windows.
“It made me think they didn’t want us to succeed because the club might then bring in better people to take their jobs.
“There had been cuts and cuts for years and it has sapped morale. Maybe if the new owners stabilise the club, they will feel more stable and the mood will lift, but it’s a lonely job being a manager there.”
A section in the chapter devoted to Warnock’s ill-fated 13-and-a-half month spell at Leeds also centred on the acrimonious build-up to top-scorer Becchio’s exit to Norwich City early in the new year, with the veteran boss slamming the commitment of the Argentine after he made it plain he wanted to leave in December.
Warnock said: “I know (knew) he’s as good as telling me if I don’t let him go, I might not get the best out of him in the rest of the season.
“The issue came to a head when we lost at Barnsley in January and to my eyes, Becchio never broke sweat.
“I knew after that I had to do something about Becchio, so I spoke to his agent on the Monday and told him how disappointed I was at Becchio’s attitude.
“In reply, the agent let slip Becchio had rung him an hour before the game. I was gobsmacked, but I didn’t let on, just asked him a question that ensured he confirmed it.
“I then asked Becchio if his mind was on the (Barnsley) game, he said it was, but when I pointed out he’d been on the phone to his agent an hour before kick-off, he had suddenly nothing to say. He couldn’t deny it.”
After Becchio’s beat-the-deadline move to Norwich, Warnock also claimed that his requests for an extra £300,000 to fund a move for Birmingham City’s Chris Burke were dashed after being told by GFH C that they had a shortfall of funds which ‘ran into several millions’.
An excerpt said: “The deal with Norwich gave us £200,000 as well as (Steve) Morison and I asked for a further £300,000, so we could sign Birmingham’s Chris Burke and add some much-needed pace and width, but I was told they had a shortfall which ran into several millions.v “Whether the new owners knew about that when they came in, or it had taken them by surprise, I don’t know. But it meant I was unable to bring in the players I knew we needed.
“I came out of the meeting really disappointed as the new owners wanted to look at everything before they invested in the team.
“That was understandable, but no good to me as my opportunity would have gone and it would be a new manager in the summer who would benefit.”
by Leon Wobschall
FORMER Leeds United manager Neil Warnock has taken a swipe at the attitude of the Whites’ academy staff during his spell there – describing it as being ‘like a cancer in the club’.
The controversial comments are included in Warnock’s recently released book entitled The Gaffer: The Trials and Tribulations of a Football Manager, with the 64-year-old scathing of what he perceived as a prevailing mood of negativity at United’s training ground.
Warnock, who left United in early April, was also severely critical of the attitude of former striker Luciano Becchio in his book and described his time at the club as a ‘lonely job’.
Also included are details of his deep-seated frustrations at a lack of transfer cash from owners GFH Capital to enable him to do more last-minute business, particularly at the end of January.
On what he saw as a downbeat training-ground atmosphere in comparison to previous club QPR, Warnock stated: “There’s no humour at the training ground, no happiness at all, no joy in coming into work which was strange, and not what I am used to.
“(Then) I went to Leeds and found that the attitude of the academy towards the first team is them-and-us, as if we are two different entities. There’s very little integration.
“It was like a cancer in the club. If we won a game, when we went upstairs on a Monday and past their offices, they’d keep their heads down and ignore us. Yet if we lost, they’d be waving at us through the windows.
“It made me think they didn’t want us to succeed because the club might then bring in better people to take their jobs.
“There had been cuts and cuts for years and it has sapped morale. Maybe if the new owners stabilise the club, they will feel more stable and the mood will lift, but it’s a lonely job being a manager there.”
A section in the chapter devoted to Warnock’s ill-fated 13-and-a-half month spell at Leeds also centred on the acrimonious build-up to top-scorer Becchio’s exit to Norwich City early in the new year, with the veteran boss slamming the commitment of the Argentine after he made it plain he wanted to leave in December.
Warnock said: “I know (knew) he’s as good as telling me if I don’t let him go, I might not get the best out of him in the rest of the season.
“The issue came to a head when we lost at Barnsley in January and to my eyes, Becchio never broke sweat.
“I knew after that I had to do something about Becchio, so I spoke to his agent on the Monday and told him how disappointed I was at Becchio’s attitude.
“In reply, the agent let slip Becchio had rung him an hour before the game. I was gobsmacked, but I didn’t let on, just asked him a question that ensured he confirmed it.
“I then asked Becchio if his mind was on the (Barnsley) game, he said it was, but when I pointed out he’d been on the phone to his agent an hour before kick-off, he had suddenly nothing to say. He couldn’t deny it.”
After Becchio’s beat-the-deadline move to Norwich, Warnock also claimed that his requests for an extra £300,000 to fund a move for Birmingham City’s Chris Burke were dashed after being told by GFH C that they had a shortfall of funds which ‘ran into several millions’.
An excerpt said: “The deal with Norwich gave us £200,000 as well as (Steve) Morison and I asked for a further £300,000, so we could sign Birmingham’s Chris Burke and add some much-needed pace and width, but I was told they had a shortfall which ran into several millions.v “Whether the new owners knew about that when they came in, or it had taken them by surprise, I don’t know. But it meant I was unable to bring in the players I knew we needed.
“I came out of the meeting really disappointed as the new owners wanted to look at everything before they invested in the team.
“That was understandable, but no good to me as my opportunity would have gone and it would be a new manager in the summer who would benefit.”