Neil Warnock: What next for veteran boss after he leaves Huddersfield Town?
By ITV News sport reporter Chris Dawkes
At his final press conference as Huddersfield Town manager, Neil Warnock invoked the spirit of I'm a Celebrity when he joked, 'Get me out of here'. Here ITV News sports reporter Chris Dawkes reflects on what could come next for the veteran boss.
"There's about 20 or 25 clubs I haven't been to that I might fancy."
Neil Warnock says he has "the buzz back" for football management after his seven month spell at Huddersfield Town came to an end.
The 74-year-old has been there, seen it, done it and got various replica t-shirts from his 43 years in the dugout. He's managed so many different clubs, Warnock's already started doing some again.
I'm guessing many assumed Warnock's time had been and gone when he answered an "SOS" from then Huddersfield owner Dean Hoyle back in February.
Those doubters were taught a lesson: never write off Neil Warnock. Just as he's morphed from a promotion specialist to relegation escapologist, Town were transformed in the last three months of last season, securing their Championship status with a game to spare.
That was that then. So we assumed. So he said. But following Town's takeover by American owner Kevin Nagle, Warnock was tempted back to sign a one year contract. Maybe he had one more promotion left in him?
Concerns were raised after Town went four games without a win at the start of this season. Nagle took to social media to air his feelings about an "unacceptable" 4-0 defeat at home to Norwich.
Warnock responded in a radio interview, citing a misunderstanding about playing budgets. Cracks were starting to appear despite the foundations only just being laid.
So it was unsurprising when speculation about a parting of the ways surfaced late last week. After Saturday's win over Rotherham, Warnock teased everyone when saying all would be revealed at a press conference on Monday.
We all knew what to expect, yet confirmation of Warnock's departure came as a blow. To the fans, the players, no doubt and us journalists too who, often starved of quotable content at 21st century football press conferences, always knew Warnock would provide a golden nugget without much mining.
So to Wednesday night and a chance for the fans to show their thanks. It might only have been seven months, but for those who remembered his first spell in the 1990's and those who weren't even around then, Warnock has left a lasting mark.
The 2-2 draw against Stoke last night was fitting of the man himself - loud, occasionally controversial, and thoroughly entertaining.
In an age where interaction between the people on the pitch and those in the stands is virtually non-existent, like an accomplished stand-up comedian Warnock plays to his audience. Taunts from the Stoke fans last night were treated with a wave and fist pump. By the end of the game, even they were applauding.
After a lap of appreciation from the fans and a guard of honour from the players Warnock gave his last press conference as manager of Huddersfield Town.
As ever it was a plethora of quips and one liners delivered in the style of an after dinner performance. But in response to one question about his legacy Warnock told a story of how he was at the supermarket earlier in the day. A man had approached him to say his dad had always wanted to see Town play at Wembley. Warnock had been the manager who had delivered that in 1994. This man's father died six months later. Warnock says he almost cried.
But as any good comedian will tell you, always leave them laughing. Warnock's final words before leaving the press conference were "Remember, it's only football. Now get me out of here!"
From that are we to think Warnock's next assignment might be all about winning dingo dollars rather than three points? He's already proved a match winner in football, send him in the jungle and he's a guaranteed ratings winner.
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