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Warnock reveals how Cardiff City squad learned of Leicester

Fri Nov 02, 2018 11:12 am

Neil Warnock reveals how Cardiff City squad learned of Leicester City tragedy and why he didn't originally want to play game



By Dominic Booth

Friday 2nd November 2018



Warnock also revealed how he and his players learned of the horrific crash that took place outside Leicester's King Power Stadium on Saturday night.

After a difficult week which has been 'strange' and 'difficult' to deal with, the veteran boss now says he's glad the game has been given the green light as players look to return to 'normality.


The Cardiff squad were disembarking from the plane that had taken them to Anfield last week when the shocking news came through.



NEIL WARNOCK:



"It was surreal last weekend, we were just landing from Liverpool - we flew to Liverpool - and the news came round and it was just an eerie situation for everyone," said Warnock.

"I’ve not really felt like that before. Our players were visibly shocked.

"It was a hell of a day for me what with Glenn Hoddle (who suffered a heart attack) earlier in the day."

Warnock admitted it has put things into perspective after a difficult week of preparation for his Cardiff squad.

He initially wondered whether the fixture could go ahead given the emotions involved, but revealed he's now happy to be playing. His opposite number Claude Puel said on Thursday "the game wasn't important".

Neil Warnock on the sideline at Liverpool (Image: 2018 Getty Images)
"Originally I didn’t think the game would go ahead and if I’m totally honest I was hoping it wasn’t going to go ahead," Warnock added.

"Monday and Tuesday this week, it was too emotional.

"But I understand now where they are and I think it’s a good decision to go ahead with it now because you’ve got to move on and you’ve got to get people back to normality as soon as possible.

"Their players and our players will appreciate they can give 90 minutes and get it out of their system.

"Life is on such a slender edge and you sometimes take things for granted. I know it’s just a football match and it puts things into perspective, promotion and relegation and all that.

"I think if I’d been the manager of Leicester, I’d have wanted the lads to play to get their mind on other things because it’s such a turmoil. The whole football community have felt the shock and everything that’s gone with it.

“We just made sure they were aware whatever they wanted to do, we would support 100 per cent.

"We’re all behind the players, staff, management, owners - whatever they decided to do tribute-wise and everything else, we wanted to agree to that. It doesn’t surprise me because that’s what our club’s about as well.”

Leicester City players look at tributes outside their ground (Image: AP)
Tributes at Leicester City Football Club this week (Image: PA)
On how the tragedy has impacted the Cardiff squad, Warnock added: “It’s been difficult. It’s like anything else in life, some lads can cope with tragedies and some find it very difficult. Things trigger memories in their lives, what’s happened in the past, and it does rake over old stories.

"It has not been straightforward this week, I haven’t had a week like it before.

"It’s strange as we haven’t been directly involved with everything but the feeling is that we are directly involved.

"Sean Morrison had a couple of meetings with me about the players making sure everything is appropriate with the Leicester players.

"There will be tributes, our chairman wanted to do a tribute from Vincent and everyone at the club, we’ll be having the minute’s silence together, the chairman is going to lay a wreath and there will be moments to reflect for everyone.

"And then somehow the two teams have got to get on with a game of football. It’s an important game for us and Leicester but it is a game of football.

"It seems irrelevant talking about the game compared to the bigger things that have happened this week."
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