December 25, 2024

Neil Warnock OUT of retirement aged 74 for second stint at Huddersfield Town 10 months after calling time on career

Neil Warnock #NeilWarnock

NEIL WARNOCK has come OUT of retirement to manage Huddersfield Town for a second time.

The 74-year-old decided to step away from football management last year after being sacked by Middlesbrough in November 2021.

Warnock will manage Huddersfield for a second time

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Warnock will manage Huddersfield for a second timeCredit: Getty Warnock with the 1995 play-off trophy after beating Rovers

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Warnock with the 1995 play-off trophy after beating RoversCredit: Getty

Warnock won a record eight promotions during his career, taking on 16 clubs as manager.

But this time he’ll be tasked with surviving relegation, with Warnock stepping OUT of retirement to take over the reigns at Huddersfield following Mark Fotheringham’s sacking.

An official announcement is expected later today.

The once Premier League outfit are sat 23rd in the Championship.

Fotheringham was dismissed after just five months in the job following a 2-2 draw with Blackpool earlier this month – a game in which they conceded a 90th-minute equaliser.

And the managerless Terriers were then beaten 1-0 by fellow relegation candidates Wigan on Saturday as their troubles worsened at the foot of the table.

Warnock is a familiar face among Terriers fans.

The iconic British manager was boss for two years between 1993 and 1995, helping the team gain promotion from the Second Division via the play-offs.

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Warnock’s team beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 at Wembley in front of 59,175 – the biggest for a match involving Town since November 1947.

The former Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, QPR and Cardiff chief is now the oldest manager in the Championship, surpassing the returning Mick McCarthy, who’s a decade his junior.

Warnock said when retiring last year on Sky Sports: “I just thought it was the right time, really, coming towards the end of the season, there’s not really a job you’re going to get before then.

“I’ve had a good run really. I’m enjoying things I’ve not done for years, I’m having a lot of time with the family, my dogs and I’ve taken up cycling too.

“I’m not saying the enthusiasm’s gone, I’ve not lost that, but when I see some of my friends who are struggling health wise, there comes a time where you have to let your family enjoy a little bit more of your time, in particular my wife Sharon.

“When you’re a manager you’re very selfish, you take your job home with you whether you’re on a high or a low and it’s very difficult for your wife and kids.

“It’s hard to replicate the final whistle when you’ve won a game, there’s nothing quite like that in normal life, and you have to realise you’re not going to get that buzz again in that situation.

“But I’m doing a couple of evenings in the theatre, and I imagine I’ll still be nervous before them!”

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