OLD GOLD | Neil Warnock: he'd fookin' die for you lot

25:29It goes to a replay and a penalty shootout and it's also the setting for an amazing pre-match talk that he gives his squad for the Arsenal game. I think we've just got to go out, by all means enjoy it, but enjoy it by being fucking disciplined here. The quick free kicks, what they're on about, you know, it'll be down in the fucking seat. The ref won't make him retake it, will they? So that's like the setting for one of the most iconic Warnock Lions. Enjoy it by being fucking disciplined. But it works. He just gets the team to rise to it, doesn't he? Those players, by the way, they are, and I hate saying this about professional sportsmen, because they're better sports people than any of us in this room, but they were awful footballers, particularly when you think they got a draw against Arsenal at Highbury.

26:13And that was an Arsenal team where they had, you know, Bergkamp and Vieira and all these names, like I mentioned before, and Martin Keown and these types of players in those squads. And he was getting these quite closely fought results. And this was not long after the Invincibles and that kind of thing. So you go, wow, how has he managed that? He also says in there, he also makes reference to what I was just on about in that same team talk where he says, chairman will be happy because all fucking big guns will be out for that. And sure enough, they were. Well, Henry and... Henry, and I think perhaps Bergkamp, maybe who came off the bench for that one, started at Bramall Lane and that kind of thing.

26:50And for him, that was a victory. And I love that. I love that. He knows his level and there's, yeah. He's a fan. Yeah, of course he is. Yeah, brilliant. He wanted to see him. He was probably excited to see Henry starting against Chris Morgan at centre-half. You know, that's the kind of level that we're on. Fair play. A replay and a shootout as close as it comes. Around this time, Warnock gives up his habit of giving team talks naked, which is fortunate because the cameras roll up to film a documentary tracking Sheffield United's 2004-05 season. Yeah, it's this kind of fly-on-the-wall style. it couldn't be more mid 2000s.

27:32Like even right, right from the start, the, um, it begins with this black and white montage of Warnock giving out his, his bollockings to players. I think the overwhelming impression that you get of him is a incredibly intense and very angry person, which, uh, is really shown in a, another clip. So there's a part of the documentary where Sheffield United play away at Millwall and it's a really tempestuous game that it all kicks off in the tunnel at halftime and Kevin Muscat, a Millwall player, headbutts Paddy Kenny and they both end up getting sent off. So, and Sheffield United don't have another keeper on the bench.

28:10So, Phil Jagielka ends up going in goal and Sheffield got a goal down but turn it around and win 2-1. And as the players are walking off at the end, this is what Warnock says to the Millwall players. Jodie that serves you right for fucking Muscat serves you right for Muscat hey serves you right for fucking Muscat fucking serves you right with him so he doesn't doesn't pick a keeper on the bench no and then I think this happens this happens again the following season and Jagielka has to go and goal again yeah it's in they have like a memorable they finally beat Arsenal when they go up to the Premier League the following season and in that game Paddy Kenny the goalkeeper gets injured and there's again Warnock hasn't got a subkeeper because he says, I like to have an extra forward, which is mental.

28:57How much do twice in two seasons, mate? And Phil Jagielka goes in sticks again and they win 1-0 against Arsenal, which must be like famous. Yeah, it was famous. It was a guy called Christian Nardé, a French player who rounds Colo Torre and then just slips it past Jens Lehmann and obviously Bramall Lane erupts. But yeah, I remember Paddy Kenny and he was quite an injury-prone goalkeeper, always kind of hobbling off. I think perhaps something to do with his conditioning, Paddy Kenney. But he, so Jagielka comes on, and we were used to seeing that. It sounds crazy to say that, doesn't it? That actually as a supporter, you were going, oh, yeah, yeah, Jags is on again.

29:37You know, for most other teams, this would be a once in a lifetime thing that they're seeing. But actually for us, it was, yeah, well, yeah, he's going in again. And he actually makes a really good save from Robin Van Persie, yeah. Tips one over the bar diving backwards. Yeah, to keep it at 1-0. incredible. So Warnock there, that kind of ridiculous decision making was actually justified there. Yeah, quite funny. Was part of the reason he never picked a sub-keeper because he knew he had Jack Elka, who was handy. I think so. I think he's obviously started doing it, messing around, going in goal in training, and then obviously thought, oh, he's actually all right.

30:08And Warnock's, the cogs have started to turn, haven't they? Who needs a sub-goalkeeper when we can have Neil Shipley on the bench? Does a job. Did they have a back-up keeper in the squad? Because surely this backup keeper isn't too happy when he's just like, so what am I even doing coming to training? Like it's bad enough being a reserve keeper. I mean, you're not even, you're putting Jackie Elker in goal ahead of me. Yeah. And even Paddy Kenny's a bit like in the doc, you see after, after the Millwall win, Warnock's like, right, we don't, Jags are going in next week. Can't change a winning team.

30:40Paddy Kenny's just sitting there looking slightly affronted. But he has this amazing ability, Neil Warnock to make you feel like 10 men. All the players say that, who've played under him. And again, another endearing thing is that, you know, he would walk up to players and just be their best friend if he knew that he needed something from them on a Saturday. So there's a really good one when he was at Rotherham later on in his career. And you might remember that Rotherham were pretty much at the bottom of the championship table, two or three months left of the season to go. Warnock turns up. He was only turning up twice a week to training.

31:15He'd turn up on a Thursday and a Friday, basically rally the troops. and then they ended up finishing about mid-table Rotherham. Incredible, like an incredible run of games from a team that looked completely destined for the drop. And he walked up to Greg Halford, who hadn't played the entire season for Rotherham at that point, probably 35, 36 years old, getting on a little bit, a bit of a utility player. And he'd had him at Sheffield United 15 years previously. And he walked up to Greg Halford on his first day and said, I need you Saturday, you're starting. And that was it. You know, from then on in, this guy played every game.

31:48He was like a machine. And that's the ability. I've got one where he actually came up to me doing a bit of media work where I was doing a TV show in Sheffield locally. And he arrived. This was when he was the Rotherham manager, actually. Similar kind of period. And I had my ex-girlfriend with me at the time. She was sat on the sofa. And I don't know why she'd come to kind of see that particular night. She was obviously a secret Neil Warnock fan. And she thought, you know what? I'm going to sit here and I'll just keep out of the way and whatever. So Warnock comes in. Hiya, son. How are you? Oh, you're looking fantastic tonight and all that.

32:22And he's touching my shirt. Oh, you're looking wonderful. Go and get us a cup of tea. Is that your missus over there? I'll go and talk to her. She's much better to look at than you are, son, and all that. So we went over and started having a chat to her. And then afterwards, we went to the pub. We always went to the pub across the road, just for a quick pint, a little thank you to the guest. And Warnock came and we were chatting away. There was three or four of us in there. And he just pulled me to one side and he went, hey, I thought you were fantastic, you son. Hey, in a few years time, when I'm sitting at home on the sofa and I'm dying, I can just point at you on telly and I can go, hey, Sharon, I fucking know him.

32:59But I walked out of that pub feeling like 10 men. I thought I'd run through brick walls for him. And that's just what Neil Warnock's like. Unfortunately, I'm yet to get the TV breakthrough. He hasn't retired either. He's still going. We've still got a few years until that scenario comes to fruition. It's so good. Oh my God, the charisma and action. Some people don't like Neil Wardock, though. We should acknowledge right now. So, for example, he finally takes Sheffield United up to the Premier League in 2006. And you go straight down. We'll come back to the circumstances of that in a second. But when it happens, relegation day, Sean Bean, who's obviously local celeb, and I think he was a director at the time of the club, honoree maybe.

33:40Yeah, something like that on the board, yeah. Game of Thrones star Sean Bean, a major Hollywood actor. He bursts into Warnock's office straight after the game and launches a foul-mouthed tirade. And in front of Warnock's wife and kids, he says. And Bean later says to the press, a lot of fans refer to him as Colin Wanker, and I can see why. So what's going on? Obviously, you're a relegator, but he took you up in the first place. Where's the negativity coming from? I don't know. I think there's obviously a few stories about him being a little bit of a wheeler dealer. Warnock used to always invite the managers in for a drink after the game, as is quite customary for that old school type of manager.

34:18The difference being is that a lot of the managers didn't come in for a drink because they'd invariably fallen out on the touchline or just think he's a bit of a knob anyway. So he used to ask for a rider, like a rockstar style rider. So he'd sort of write down a sheet of things the week before the game. some lackey would go and fill up his little fridge in his manager's office with a few beers or whatever. And again, this comes from a very good source, somebody who used to sit in his manager's office week in, week out, and he would fill out this rider, and he would say to the lad who was collecting the order, he'd say, well, Big Sam's coming, actually.

34:56We're playing Bolton on Saturday. So I'll tell you what, Big Sam, he likes a beer. So get six beers in. Bear in mind, they only stay for 15 minutes, these managers. So his missus will be there, and his missus, oh, she likes his Sauvignon Blanc. So get a couple of bottles of that. My Sharon will be there, so get that red. And actually, oh, his coaching staff, oh, they're good lads. Oh, they're good lads. I tell you what, let's get a bit of bubbly, a bit of bubbly in for them, right? So this fridge, every Saturday would be stocked up with a load of beers, a load of wine, whatever it was, champagne, all the rest of it.

35:28The managers, the coaching staff, they would never come in. If they did, it would be one beer and off. Warnock then used to get this source of mine's son, who was about 10 at the time, he'd say, can you just take this carrier bag here, son? And there's my car keys. And what I want you to do is, whilst we're sitting having a glass of wine, just fill this plastic bag up. Just put all them beers and all that in. Make sure, in fact, I tell you what, make sure that fridge is completely empty. And then my car's that orange Peugeot over there. So if you just go and stick it in the boot, there's a good lad, son.

35:59There's a tenner in it for you. And you go, oh, brilliant. There's a tenner in it for me. Would he ever pay him the tenner? No, he wouldn't. Would Warnock's car be filled up with booze every week? Yes, it would. Would he probably sell it down the pub? Maybe. Lots of little stories like that. Did it end badly with the fans when he left then? I don't think so. I think people were really disappointed the fact that he obviously had this incredible amount of success taking us to the Premier League. We got relegated on the last day of the season, which we're about to come on to. But so it ended in quite like, you know, it was fine margins.

36:30we were close to staying up and actually it was like really? So that last day of the season was make or break in terms of Warnock's future. Does he quit? Or does he push? It's all a little bit, I think there was a feeling that they wanted to push him so perhaps he then just kind of took his ball home. I don't really know the ins and outs of how he left. I think there's about a million and one different versions of Warnock's perhaps is definitely not the correct version to believe. So they get relegated via Carlos Tevez goal for West Ham on the last day of the season, which is controversial because Tevez, possibly the way West Ham bought him was not legal, right?

37:10There was some joint ownership. So yeah, so the FA ended up going back and basically saying, no, that was not right. And they got fined retrospectively for it. Not as much as they perhaps should have been. There was talk of obviously them being docked points and us being reinstated. It was really contentious, but there was no doubt that it was Javier Mascherano as well and Carlos Tevez. Tevez scores the goal at Old Trafford. They beat Manchester United on the last day of the season. And David Unsworth, who used to play for Sheffield United, in fact, earlier on in that season, we sold him to Wigan in January.

37:41He then scores a penalty at Bramall Lane on the last day of the season against us to send us down. So yeah, there was like, you know, really fine margins. Actually quite sickening, just thinking about it, actually. I'm still not over it, lads. Thanks for bringing it up. Sorry to reopen that one. It must be quite painful for Neil. Like he's obviously, it's been his dream. It's his first season in the Premier League, denied by really fine margins. And then you've got fucking local legend Sean Bean storming in a bollocking. Is he in Game of Thrones at this point? Either way, he's like a global star.

38:11Yeah, he is. Yeah, Hollywood superstar. He'd been in Lord of the Rings and all that kind of stuff at that point. But we always have a joke in Sheffield because Sean Bean dies in everything that he's in. So, yeah, at that point, he'd already been killed off in about five or six different film franchises. we didn't know how many more there were to come, but he's not let us down, has he? Do you ever go to his brother's kebabie? Is it a kebabie or is it a chippy? Kebabish. Is that Dan Bean? Yeah, yeah. He's Sean Bean's brother, right? Yeah, that's right. Unless I've been had. When I was told that in there, I was like, am I just being had?

38:44Now you're saying that, it's making me think maybe I've been had as well, but we'll stick with it. I think he's like a local celeb, isn't he? Is he? Yeah. Much like his brother Sean, less prolific in Hollywood. Anyway, that's the end of the Sheffield United era, and then he goes to Palace, right? which is, again, a slightly difficult two years. It ends with the club and administration getting docked points, which is when he leaves. But it does play host to an amazing Neil Warnock moment, which very much belongs in the mythology, which is the night before a big FA Cup replay against Wolves, Neil's wife Sharon has a dream that a fullback scores the winning goal.

39:19For most of us, waking up to your other half telling you about their dream is just a sort of slightly tedious encounter that you're hoping to get through. but for Neil it's inspiration for a major selection decision walks into the dressing room and he tells the players Sharon's had a dream and therefore Danny Butterfield who's the second choice right back he's not even like a starting player Danny you're on up front which is pretty shocking for everyone anyway they think he's joking he's like no no Danny you're on up front so Danny Butterfield starts up front and scores a perfect hat trick in six minutes no way for Palace yeah I didn't know that you don't know that story no that's amazing so what was this in the championship it's an FA Cup replay but I mean Wolves will be a championship team I think around then and it's a perfect hat trick left foot right foot head six minutes I think it's the fastest FA Cup hat trick ever or maybe the fastest hat trick for Palace ever this guy played most of his career at right back no way I did not know that apparently this is a thing there's another player I forget who who comes forward and says I want to say David Iliff something like that who says yeah I got dropped because I won a Sharon's dreams and I was coming in I found out I'd been dropped the day before and I was coming in for the game and I was about to have a massive go at Warnock didn't get a chance to speak to him and the guy who I got dropped for scored so yeah Sharon's dreams are powerful things that's amazing just think he'd probably still be managing Gainsborough Trinity if it wasn't for Sharon yeah how much of these decisions are her dreams is what I'm wondering and also how many dreams did she have that turned out to be complete boy but I said this before When my wife tells me her dreams, it's normally that I was horrible to her or something.

40:56You get kind of blanked all day. And I kind of just think, it's a fucking dream. Shut up. So I'm impressed that he set so much store in them. That is so good. There's another really good preseason story as well, where he, I think it's either Sheffield United or QPR. Paddy Kenny tells the story. And he takes the squad to Cornwall near his village. And they're playing against Bodmin, just like a small team. and just before the game, he brings in this 14-year-old boy and the boy's dad and he says, all right, lads, this is whatever his name is. He's going to be playing the last 20 minutes for us and everyone's like, well, he's a 14-year-old boy.

41:31What are you talking about? Anyway, the kid does play the last 20 minutes of the friendly, does okay and afterwards, it transpires that the kid's dad is a painter decorator who had done Warnock's house and instead of paying his invoice, he said, I'll give your lad 20 minutes against Bobbin. Wow. It's a currency, minutes. minutes in a top football team. I think it's very valid. So the Palace time doesn't really, yeah, it doesn't really work out. Through no fault of his own, I would argue. It's financial difficulties. And he winds up at QPR, which is another quite enjoyable Warnock era because he takes them to the Premier League, gets sacked within about four months of getting back into the Premier League.

42:09But he's doing pretty well. One of my favourite stories around this time is they play Blackburn and El Hadjouf is like really up to no good for Blackburn. He's like playing really dirty. and afterwards, Warnock says, he's really livid at El Hadjiv's filthy antics. He says, you could see what a nasty piece of fish he is. I called him a little sewer rat, but that might be a little harsh on sewer rats. He's like really letting into him. And then the next season, he signs El Hadjiv for Leeds, where he's now managing. Yeah. Also, if you're El Hadjiv, you're not like, fuck off, mate. You call me a sewer rat.

42:42Well, this happens quite a lot. So there, you know, the clip where he's shaking it serves you right for fucking Muscat, that one. He's, he does that to Paul Eiffel. The following season, Paul Eiffel signs for Sheffield United from Millwall, right? Unbelievable. Jason Punchen slagging Warnock off on a talk sport interview. Warnock then gets a job at Crystal Palace, obviously works with him, coming out, singing his praises. This is obviously quite a theme, isn't it? Like where he just slags off players or really gets into them, but hey, come here, son, you'll do a great job for me. And then that's it.

43:17all of a sudden it's back on and i love that i love the fact that he's he's able to turn um these people around you know from being probably hating him and fucking neil warner what a tosser and actually then they end up going off what a brilliant and running through brick walls for him every week i think it's just because he he wears his heart on a sleeve on his sleeve to such an extent that even if he goes in on you like that you just know that what you see is what you get and If he then turns around and really charms you, then it's just impossible not to like him. But he is a grudge holder as well.

43:51We've talked about Gary Megson and others, where sometimes he won't let something, in the documentary, he falls out with his assistant, Kevin Blackwell, leaves to take another job. And most people would just wish you well. And Warnock just blanks him entirely. He's livid. So what determines whether he holds a grudge against you or whether he signs you the next season? The Blackwell one was jealousy. So he got the Leeds job and Leeds was obviously, I mean, still arguably is a bigger job than Sheffield United, depending on, you know, regardless of division, you know, in terms of stature. And I think for also managers of that age and that era, Leeds obviously were a huge force when they were sort of playing and that kind of thing.

44:30So I think when Blackwell leaves to get the Leeds job, although Leeds were struggling at the time and Blades were pushing for promotion, it was like a real bone of contention. And it really stays with him throughout his whole career, this sort of quite strange, I don't know, an odd way of being with people. Abrasive, but funny at the same time. In kind of this late, what we're calling late, late career Warnock. So he goes through this string of clubs. He goes to Crystal Palace, Leeds, QPR, Rotherham. I think he only spends a season or less at each. and then finally settles up at Cardiff around 2018, 2019.

45:10And yeah, by this point, he's really settled into this pantomime villain role that he's had for such a long time. But I think at Cardiff, he's in some ways at his best, really, in this snarling, barking character. There's a few incidents. So a game against Wolves, where I think it was quite a fiery game. And at the end, Nuno, his Wolves manager at the time, was following Warnock around, trying to shake his hand. And Warnock's just walking away from him. And it's quite a funny scene. It's sort of Benny Hill, like Nuno following him across the pitch. And at some point, Warnock just turns around and barks, fuck off.

45:50And Nuno's just like, all right, all right, okay. And also the other one, the game against Chelsea, where I think Chelsea scored a goal, Chelsea won 1-0 by a goal that was quite clearly offside. And at the end of the game, the referee and the linesman are standing in the centre circle like they do. And Warnock goes onto the pitch and just stands there with his hands on his hips, just staring them down, shaking his head until they walk off. And yeah, just giving them this death stare. I've seen that. It's a bit creepy, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Brilliant. And the other one from the Cardiff period was the, have you seen this clip of a camera being shoved in Warnock's face, which they often do before matches.

46:36And Warnock is obviously a little bit affronted by this and just decides to respond by walking into the camera. It's just such a funny clip. He looks like a bird, like pecking the camera. He's got like his hands behind his back, like Liam Gallagher style, but yeah, he's just pecking at the camera. People were putting all the Liam Gallagher music over it, weren't they? Which was quite a sight. It's like the iconic Warnock little gif video. You've probably seen it around if you're trying to imagine it. Is he just like, at this point, just fucking around for a laugh? Because it gets quite creative, the like pecking at the camera, staring down the officials, or is he genuinely angry?

47:11I think he knows now, he knows now that he's got this reputation, right? So he's got this, he knows the legend is there. He knows that people are talking about him and loving this kind of stuff. And he's not daft. Like he's always cultivated the media quite well. He's always said stuff to protect the players. He's always said something really outrageous so that actually, you know, take a bit of a spotlight off. I know he's really good like that. But I think because of that, he's savvy enough to know. I remember when he was at Middlesbrough and he was wearing the bicycle helmet with the big bifocal glasses and he was cycling along.

47:46And these Middlesbrough fans driving past him as he's pedaling along on this little sort of fold up bike. And they go, I love you, Neil. And he goes, all right, son, you know, and that kind of thing. and that is I've spent a little bit of time with Warnock and I know that he's playing up to things doing things like that he's got to be hasn't he he's got to be there's no way he's actually like that maybe he's just shithousing yeah I quite rate that that's what I love about him and I guess over time it's like at the time when he was bollocking people and stuff it was probably less appreciated but with you know with the distance of time now people just lap it up yeah correct yeah like us there was such a nice story from his Middlesbrough time as well where it was during the Covid lockdown So obviously he couldn't do his signing autographs for fans before games.

48:29So he filled up his little bum bag with photographs of himself, which he'd already signed at home and was then going around the training ground, giving them out. The arrogance. Takes a bit of confidence to walk around with that bum bag full of signed photos. Takes confidence to wear a bum bag.

48:52Imagine leaving that bum bag on the train. Oh, fuck.

49:00Actually, another clip I wanted to play from his time at Middlesbrough, where he does a Forrest Gump impression describing his team. I was watching Forrest Gump last night, Mark. You know, did you see that one of two of his films? And he said, I thought, just like myself, it's like, my team is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. you've got an empty box of chocolates yeah it's so I thought well instead of instead of life is like a box of chocolates it's my team always good when you need to explain the gag yeah also he just pauses waiting for the laughter and it's just silence some bloke nervously laughing on the zoom call yeah I actually don't think that was a bad impression because the way he says what you're going to get that's quite most people don't factor that bit into their Forrest Gump impersonation yeah Yeah.

49:54Brilliant. How old is he? He's 74, I think. Yeah, something like that. Yeah. So getting towards the territory of being one of the oldest. How old's Roy Hodgson? I think he's 76. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. Which is great, isn't it? I want to know from your side, why do you two at Upshot Towers love Neil Warnock so much? Because he's not like the previous episodes. He's not like the wrong ones. He's not got the sordid weirdness about him, has he? So like, what is it from your side? Well, he's got weirdness. He's got plenty of that. But you're right. There's no like shagging. There's no darkness about the man either, really.

50:33I mean, he just delivers endless funny moments, is the truth. And he's got that flavour of how football used to be that you really feel is slipping through our fingers. And you wonder like, are they going to be these kind of managers ever again? So I think both that sense of they don't make him like him anymore the kind of nostalgic element and just him constantly leaning towards comedy, even when he's angry and being a bastard. For me, that's just such an amazing cocktail. Yeah. I mean, he's, he's just pure entertainment and gold in terms of soundbites as well. Like the things that he comes out with are just, just hilarious.

51:10And yeah, like you said, he's just, he's different from most of the characters that exist in football today. It's just great to have him have him there also james this is more than a tits and bums podcast you know we don't just do shagging scandals i'm a bit disappointed to be on the first one that isn't we're back to shagging when you don't come back yeah if you want to pick a really sordid one from oh 100 yeah golf or another it doesn't have to be yorkshire either mate we're not looking to push you know could do more than golf and Yorkshire oh dear I think there's a good Warnock quote to end this on so Warnock I mean he's 74 now he's getting on and he's talk he jokes quite often about not being around for much longer and there's a great quote from him that he's talking about his death I suppose I don't want silence I want them all to be chanting Warnox a wanker over and over again for a whole minute that would be my ideal it's kind of beautiful isn't it it is poetic yeah poetic I'm sure that he would get his wish as well oh yeah from a lot of people a few grounds yeah well it seems like a lovely place to finish so James Gregg thank you so much thank you I've enjoyed it and I've enjoyed it by being fucking disciplined

52:42and Zach thanks very much Thank you. And thank you all for listening. Cheers.

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