Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to non-league. Within English football, he holds the record for the most promotions, with eight, and the most games as a professional manager, with 1626, beating the previous record of 1601.

Warnock played as a winger for Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, scoring 36 goals in 327 career league appearances. He retired from league football in 1979, aged 30. His playing career continued in the 1979–1980 season with non-league Burton Albion making nine appearances and scoring six goals until an injury cut his season short. He finished his playing career when returning to Burton Albion as player manager in the 1981–1982 season, playing in 29 games and scoring three goals, before concentrating on management for the rest of his time at Burton.

Warnock's first managerial job was with non-League Gainsborough Trinity (1980–1981), he would subsequently manage Burton Albion (1981–1986) and Scarborough (1986–1989), winning promotion to the Football League with the latter in 1987. He then managed Notts County (1989–1993), leading them from the Third Division to the First Division in successive seasons, though he was sacked after the club were relegated the season before the First Division became known as the Premiership. After a brief spell at Torquay United (1993), he moved to Huddersfield Town (1993–1995), with whom he won promotion to the new First Division. He then resigned and joined Plymouth Argyle (1995–1997), leading them to the Second Division. After being dismissed, he spent spells with Oldham Athletic (1997–1998) and Bury (1998–1999).

In 1999, Warnock joined boyhood club Sheffield United, leading them to the semi-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup in 2003 and promotion to the Premier League in 2006. However, he resigned in 2007 after the club were relegated. He then took over at Crystal Palace (2007–2010), saving the club from relegation to League One. When the club went into administration, he left to join Queens Park Rangers (2010–2012), winning promotion to the Premier League with the club in 2011. He was sacked with the club in a precarious position and joined Leeds United (2012–2013). After being dismissed by Leeds following a poor run of form, he was without a club for almost fifteen months until returning to Crystal Palace, then in the Premier League, in August 2014. In December 2014, he was sacked by Crystal Palace after a poor start to the season, which saw the club in the relegation zone. After a month as caretaker at Queens Park Rangers, Warnock returned to Rotherham United as manager in February 2016. He was appointed manager of Cardiff City in October 2016, and led them to Premier League promotion during the 2017–18 season. Warnock became manager of Middlesbrough in June 2020, a role he held until his departure in November 2021. Warnock announced his retirement from football management in April 2022 after 42 years as a manager. He later came out of retirement in February 2023 to return to Huddersfield Town on a short-term contract, successfully guiding the club to Championship safety.