By Ben Abel-Lockyer –
‘In a time of crisis, a saviour shall come’. Huddersfield Town desperately needed one, and a familiar face answered their prayers.
Legendary Huddersfield Town Boss Neil Warnock has returned to West Yorkshire.
While there’s still a lot of work to be done to bail out the good ship ‘HTAFC’, and progress hasn’t been great so far, I looked at one of the greatest British managers in the English game and whether or not he will be enough to save the terriers from the drop.
It’s fair to say Warnock has had quite the career over the last five decades in football management, managing over 16 different football clubs and holds the most promotions in the English game with eight.
Now back at one of his much-loved clubs (well, as long as his Mrs Sharon agrees anyway), Huddersfield Town, until the end of the season. Warnock will be fighting at the opposite end of the table in a bid for the terriers to retain their Championship status.
Between his commitments to a wide spread of football clubs, he is also a television and radio pundit, which adds even more value to his already monumental skillset.
As a player, he played for the likes of Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandre as a winger, scoring 36 goals in 327 career league appearances. He announced his retirement from playing league football when he was aged 30.
He managed for over 35 years following retirement as a player. He is well known for his contentious personality and is even a qualified referee. His pleasant, humorous and outgoing character has got him into the odd altercation with the media over the years.
He is well known for his outburst and disputes, which has led to him having many varied roles within the game and many ups and downs throughout. You can’t help but love and respect the passion for a man with such history and stature within the sport.
He has also specified an interest in leadership and managerial presentations and has appeared at events and functions nationwide. Past successes of promotions and moulding title-winning sides perfectly places him to talk about past experiences and progression as a football speaker. All of this, in abundance, has aided what he has learnt from his playing career and outlines what it takes to succeed in football.
Two that are clear are having that determination and drive as well as work ethic and attitude, which all lead to, most importantly, a strong team spirit which is imperative.