AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW ON WHY NEIL WARNOCK SHOULD LEAVE

A personal Cardiff City fan's view on why Neil Warnock should leave after Manchester United game
By Laura McAllister

Bluebirds season ticket holder Prof. Laura McAllister admits her viewpoint will not be popular, but argues the case for the manager's departure


Almost a year to the day, I wrote this column celebrating Cardiff City’s glorious blue shirt-clad promotion to the Premier League that beautiful, boiling bank holiday.

With City’s fate decided in last Saturday’s “must win” game against Crystal Palace (which, as was the case for most “must win” games this season, we didn’t win), it’s only right and proper that I write this column on our relegation back to the Championship after a short, and not so sweet, one-season stay in the Premier League.


It’s been an odd old season. Many City fans will say it’s been mostly enjoyable, there have been some big wins – Leicester, Brighton and Southampton away, West Ham, Wolves and Bournemouth at home.

And it was certainly better than the last time we were there in 2013-14 when, in that despicable red kit – the most flamboyantly humiliating symbol of how insignificant and disposable we fans were regarded – we shuffled towards the trap door before the advent calendar chocolates were all eaten.

This time, City were still in it right up until the penultimate match of the season. Except the truth is, we weren’t.

We gave the Premier League a good go and, yes, we probably exceeded expectations given our players and transfer spend.

But the reality is we weren’t good enough from day one. We battled throughout, though at times like a flabby heavyweight returning to the ring for a final pay day.


Yet, at the Cardiff City Stadium last weekend, the fans chanted Neil Warnock’s name and plenty stayed to applaud the players on their rather sheepish lap of honour once the inevitable was confirmed.

No one should question the loyalty of the Bluebirds faithful, or their realism and expectations.

The team laboured in the mold of our 70-something manager – honest, energetic, willing, resilient, playing percentages, working hard. No one could argue we weren’t a Warnock team and, for a while, that suited us fine. He’d declared that we were “his kind of club”. We even took Sharon, his wife, to heart.

Emotion was the leitmotif of this season, its most extreme manifestation coming in the incomprehensible and tragic death of our record signing, Emiliano Sala, in a plane crash last January.

No one could fail to see and feel the pain etched on Warnock’s face at that time. After all, he was one of the few to know Sala personally, having courted the Nantes striker for weeks before the deal was sealed.

It’s hard to imagine how devastating this was for the manager and, for a while, it felt as if the emotion of the tragedy could either destroy or unite us – and even galvanise our bid to stay up. But it was not to be.

Warnock’s persona (at times, deliberately cultivated it seems) is of a kindly but belligerent grandpa, fiercely protective of his “family”, real and sporting.

From his haranguing of the fourth officials and his open intimidation of match officials, to deflecting attention from poor performances on the pitch with an embarrassing outbursts on Brexit.


Warnock’s transfer signings mostly reflected this persona – hungry, committed players with something to prove – and many were very successful like Sol Bamba, Neil Etheridge and Callum Paterson. But he also signed some expensive players that he then didn’t play for whatever reason, such as Bobby Decordova-Reid, Josh Murphy, Gary Madine. And there were times when his team selections and tactics were found wanting, most recently in that crucial game away to Fulham.

My own association with City goes back a long way. I went to my first game aged three and my own two kids watched the City before they reached their first birthdays. I care about the club, but nothing like I used to. But I doubt I’ll ever stop supporting.

We renewed our family season tickets in the early bird window so I’ll be there again in the Championship. But the truth is I’d like to be watching a different club, with a different style and a different manager next season.

That’s why Warnock has to go, not upstairs, but elsewhere or out. I know it’s not the majority view among City fans and I’ve no doubt it won’t be popular.

But, while we’ll forever be grateful for his contribution and he will go down as one of our most successful (and popular) modern managers, up there with Eddie May and Frankie Burrows, I think his time is up.

Warnock’s angry core was concealed by his gentle Yorkshire accent. Balled fists, scowls on the sidelines, nobody else likes Neil, but that’s OK because no-one likes Cardiff City either. He was our Little Englander, a managerial throwback to another era when players played, not for eye-watering wages, but for each other and the manager, players who probably even smoked a Woodbine at half time.

But the game – and life – has moved on, which is why I’d like to see the start of a new era at Cardiff City. I definitely don’t want to see more football of the type we’ve seen this season, even if it does get us promoted. Because what then? Get rid of Warnock with just the remnants of the parachute payments remaining?


Counter to football norms, we need to be braver, more radical and think longer-term. Chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League isn’t sustainable and, anyway, that won’t be easy with the likes of Villa, Leeds, Derby, Middlesborough, West Brom and Fulham still in the division.

I’d like us to follow the model of Norwich City or Sheffield United. Appoint a young manager (ideally Welsh), one with confidence and identity and a way of playing, someone schooled within the FAW’s excellent coach education programme, a manager who can get all the players playing to a system, one committed to youth development through a much stronger academy set-up (where Bellamy had started to make some real progress, it seems).

And give them time (at least three seasons, I’d say) – trust them with some money (but no need to go mad), ask them to deliver a more attractive, offensive style of football and expect them to give chances to younger Welsh players on loan or developed within the club.

Bring in some ball players – I’d love to see another Danny Gabbidon, Aaron Ramsey or Graham Kavanagh in a Bluebirds shirt, someone who can put his foot on the ball, see the pass and find the player.

I’m not sure who that manager is, but Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche were shown proper patience, Mike Flynn has been a revelation at Newport, as has Graham Potter at Swansea and Frank Lampard hasn’t done too badly in his first job at Derby. Plus, not many had heard of Chris Wilder before he got Sheffield United promoted.

Ultimately, a football club is about so much more than first team success. We saw it with those gloriously emotional, against-the-odds triumphs for Liverpool and Spurs this week.

Now that the relationship between City fans and the club has largely been restored, I’d like us to become a likeable club. So here’s a few suggestions to strengthen and improve the club as an asset to the city and to Wales.


Fund the foundation properly, it does great work in connecting the football club with local young people. Yet, it finds itself in the ridiculous situation of having to spend energy on raising cash, even charging kids to be mascots to help raise some income. For goodness sake!

Appoint two (one female, one male) supporter directors to the board to build on the much healthier relationship between fans and club, alongside more openly transparent governance. A bit of gender diversity in the upper echelons of the club’s hierarchy wouldn’t go amiss either.

City should build slowly for more sustainable success. Yo-yo-ing between the Championship and the Premier League will eventually lose its appeal.


Championship football is usually end-to-end and mostly more entertaining. I won’t particularly miss the queues to get in, or at the bar at half time, or the fans of big clubs buying up home tickets, or those who leave 20 minutes before the end of the match even if the scoreline is in the balance (however long it takes you to get out of the car park, a game is 90-plus minutes long!).

For now, I’ll continue to feed my sporting passion by watching Giggs’ Wales, but I wouldn’t mind rekindling my love for the Bluebirds, rather than carry on carrying on, as much out of habit as desire.


The journey has started to transform the club into one we can be truly proud of in every respect, a club with the right values, one that other fans like and admire, one where women feel equal as fans, where it’s normal for families to go together.

But reaching the next staging post requires a different attitude and more patience from the chairman and us fans.

We will forever be grateful to Warnock and his place in the club’s history is assured, but he’s not the manager for a different and better future for the Bluebirds.

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An intriguing read and one that (for me) in parts at least has some merit, although the overall conclusion that Neil Warnock "should go now" are not shared by myself

Like Laura, I have ambition for this club to get back to the Premier League and to be there playing a better brand of football in comparison to this season

However, we first need to get there and at this moment in time, I cannot see a better manager to get us there; albeit I don't think even he (Neil Warnock) would want another season of the stresses and strains of a league clearly bias towards a few select clubs

Let's see him work his magic again, let's see how the club continues to develop from the inside out and let's see where it takes us over the next 12 months

After that, we can look to the future with a clear idea of where we are at and where we want to be

An intriguing read and one that (for me) in parts at least has some merit, although the overall conclusion that Neil Warnock "should go now" are not shared by myself

Like Laura, I have ambition for this club to get back to the Premier League and to be there playing a better brand of football in comparison to this season

However, we first need to get there and at this moment in time, I cannot see a better manager to get us there; albeit I don't think even he (Neil Warnock) would want another season of the stresses and strains of a league clearly bias towards a few select clubs

Let's see him work his magic again, let's see how the club continues to develop from the inside out and let's see where it takes us over the next 12 months

After that, we can look to the future with a clear idea of where we are at and where we want to be

Got shot down for putting out same thoughts yes nw is the one most likely to get us promoted but then what? Certainly we'll more likely to see same as we have this season with undoubtedly same result? Do we chamge manager who got us promoted or do we get someone new in with new ideas? The question is do we do it now or at end season or just go with flow until it goes tits up which undoubtedly it will? Like her I'm not keen on the football played regardless of how successful it is in championship..

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

My take is given the transfer budget, the quality of the squad and the unforeseen circumstances over Sala's death who could have done a better job?

We could find managers who would take the Cardiff City job but would we really find one better than Neil Warnock?

That man saved this club both on and off the field. Financially we are light years away from where we were when we arrived.

If there is a criticism it is over his signings when he spends money! His free transfer record is glorious but Tomlin and Madine have been total failures whilst Murphy and Reid have yet to fully justify their £10m price tags.

That said with £130m flooding in from this season he has more than made up for his whoppers.

Finally NW is a Championship guru and we would be mad to let the finest manager ever in this division go if we are really want to return to the PL

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

Laura Jean McAllister CBE FLSW is a Welsh academic, former international footballer and sports administrator. As a Wales women's national football team player, McAllister won 24 caps and served as team captain.

She is currently Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University. She was formerly Professor of Governance at Liverpool University.

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to sport.

She was a Board member of Stonewall from 2012 to 2015, and is currently a Board member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

She is Chair of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame and a Non-executive Director of Goodson Thomas boutique executive search agency.


From that (and your own comments) it's clear Laura is an underachiever with no valid opinion on such things in comparison to some on here...

Was a good read and some decent points. But then I read "ideally Welsh" for the next manager. Why does it matter? It's opinions like that that hold us back not move us forward. It should be the best man for the job and at this minute it is Neil Warnock.

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

I shake my head at posts like yours.

Just how very dare she have a different view to you.

One simple problem with this new future idendity and that is fanbase would not be patient.

Just a reminder of a different style a certain Paul Trollope

As much as want neil to stay and get us promoted i just have a funny feeling he has given his all for us this season and before, hopefully i am wrong and am reading to much into his delay in coming out and laying his cards on the table, as to what has been said about our style of play it would be nice to see a wolves type of team with style, camarassa stood out from the rest of our team this season but unfortunatly thats not how a warnock team play the only way its going to happen is if neil leaves and we are forced into it, this would be the time to switch our style of play, taking wolves and Norwich as examples the difference when we played norwich at the end of last season to watching how they have played this season has been amazing so it can be done in a season, so at the moment its all up in the air until neil sits down on monday with memhet and choo .

Laura, I found your post interesting and thought provoking.

I think that one of the factors that have done us a great disservice in the past is that if you are not from, or have little knowledge in depth of Cardiff and the South Wales area, the attraction for a professional footballer to uproot his family and to move to another country is limited. I have met so many people who after visiting my home city for the first time have told me what a fantastic place it must have been to grow up in!

We have found that you can attract the' past their sell date' journeymen players if the cash is there, but you don't get loyalty or commitment.
You can also attract some players if the manager a good reputation and a track record of delivering good man management.

I don't have an answer as to how we can sell the attraction of Cardiff as great place to live and bring up your kids as well as having a progressive football club with ambition and a solid base of loyal fans.

As I pointed out a few weeks back and reiterating points NW has recently highlighted.

The next move must be by VT and what he wants. It’s up to him to either take us to the next level or just tread water?

These next talks will tell us which way it goes. Its all about the money unfortunately! Hopefully NW will get it and the players he needs.

I'm in the Warnock camp.
There are still managers about like him.i.e Sean Dyche.
He's had to rebuild the club from the top downwards.
The acedamy and training ground.
We were heading for Division 2 propably in the same situation as Bolton.
If Neil leaves it will tell us loud and clear there is not a decent budget for a promotion push.
I don't know many football managers who have degrees.
The ball is literally in the owners court

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

I shake my head at posts like yours.

Just how very dare she have a different view to you.

at least its realistic which is more than I can say for the prof...a utopian club where we have a welsh manager that come through the FAW excellent coaching system committed to youth with a much stronger academy playing nice football which is built up slowly all while not spending much money.....
find it absolutely terrifying that someone who has been around football for any length of time can both think all this very immature stuff and become a prof of anything tbh…
its not a different view its the if Carlsburg did football view..

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

If she said josè or pep would that make a difference? Do you know who you would have if he went? It's a bit like players you may want him but will he come?

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

I shake my head at posts like yours.

Just how very dare she have a different view to you.

at least its realistic which is more than I can say for the prof...a utopian club where we have a welsh manager that come through the FAW excellent coaching system committed to youth with a much stronger academy playing nice football which is built up slowly all while not spending much money.....
find it absolutely terrifying that someone who has been around football for any length of time can both think all this very immature stuff and become a prof of anything tbh…
its not a different view its the if Carlsburg did football view..

Hardly, but I guess the sentiment of the OP being 'her personal opinuon' will be lost on many

But I do agree that sometimes it's a case of style versus end product and we should all recall Neil Warnock's response when asked about the 'Warnock Way'

"What? Winning?", He responded; and so long as that remains (in the Championship) he's the right man in the right place

The problem is, people like the OP fail to understand that the club is not in the position to spend the sort of money required to get us playing a totally different style.

Whatever that "style" is, is usually a complete fantasy as per when Ole and Trollope were appointed.

As for the mentioning of "embarrassing Brexit comments" - what the hell does that matter? More fool the idiot that asked him a totally irrelevant question in the first place of which he gave the courtesy of answering unlike the "no comment brigade"

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

I shake my head at posts like yours.

Just how very dare she have a different view to you.

at least its realistic which is more than I can say for the prof...a utopian club where we have a welsh manager that come through the FAW excellent coaching system committed to youth with a much stronger academy playing nice football which is built up slowly all while not spending much money.....
find it absolutely terrifying that someone who has been around football for any length of time can both think all this very immature stuff and become a prof of anything tbh…
its not a different view its the if Carlsburg did football view..

Great post

It's the first time we've had a manager with such a proven track record and at the first sign of there being a bit of uncertainty after constant success, the knives are out from the know-it-alls.

The OP literally would have appointed Trollope by her own description

What's she a professor of ?
She should stick to it, whatever it is.
Entirely impractical and at best superficial understanding of the game of football and one which she might enjoy more watching a top six club where form is more important than practicality.
If there's a place in the long distant future when we can envisage pretty football and intricate ball skills as a priority, that's not for a very very long time.
It's about results ,even more so in the championship , and until we've got €100,000,0000 to spend on players like Manchester United and the money to pay their ridiculous salaries , we get them with agricultural football. That's the plain truth.

Football isn't fine art, and you don't get promoted by envisioning dreams which can't happen because they're based on nothing but what what you might like to be the case but never will be.

I can understand young kids who don't understand life yet coming up with this kind of stuff, but presumably this woman is grown up and so I can't help being rude enough to say that I've never heard such bloody nonsense in my life.

I shake my head at posts like yours.

Just how very dare she have a different view to you.

at least its realistic which is more than I can say for the prof...a utopian club where we have a welsh manager that come through the FAW excellent coaching system committed to youth with a much stronger academy playing nice football which is built up slowly all while not spending much money.....
find it absolutely terrifying that someone who has been around football for any length of time can both think all this very immature stuff and become a prof of anything tbh…
its not a different view its the if Carlsburg did football view..

Hardly, but I guess the sentiment of the OP s being 'her personal opinuon' Willbe lost on many

But I do agree that sometimes it's a case of style versus end product and we should all recall Neil Warnock's response when asked about the 'Warnock Way'

"What? Winning?", He responded; and so long as that remains (in the Championship) he's the right man in the right place

hardly what ?
its how 8 year olds think, in fact my grandchildren wouldnt even think some of that stuff. this utopian club is the stuff is what dreams are made of ,its an i wish article devoid of any sort of reality..
did OGS get 3 years ?...Trollope ?...most other managers that lost their jobs this year ?
and as for style it goes hand in hand with quality which inturn costs money..i want a ferrari too...

I think it's a very well written article, apart from the bit about having a you Welsh manager etc. If you want the best you have to go for the best, whether they are Welsh, English (more likely) or from Overseas (even more likely).

Having said that I have enjoyed this season, and we've had the best average home attendances since I started watching City in 1968. But we were poor. Let's not forget that people are saying we challenged all the way this season, unlike 5 years ago- well as of today we have one more point than in 2013/14,

And our transfer policy has been shocking, paying £7.5 on Smithies and Cunningham as back ups. Smithies hasn't played a League game and Cunningham has played seven. And c£20m on Reid and Murphy, who have shown flashes of flair but not consistent enough. Don't forget the £6m (yes £6m) wasted on Madine. And £3m on Bacuna, who I doubt will get a regular start. After and Camarasa were OK as loan signings, although After missed a third of the season> And Niasee? God know what the wages on those three were? And we still went down.

In the article I do like the comment that fit is time for a change of style and that an only be achieved with a different manager. Santos got Wolves up as Champions playing good football, and even Fulham played well and got up but then got it all wrong too. SO you can get promoted from the Championship playing good football and not Warnock's style. We'd just need to find the right manager.

It'll be a long summer so don't be surprised if Tan shows his ruthless streak again.

I think it's a very well written article, apart from the bit about having a you Welsh manager etc. If you want the best you have to go for the best, whether they are Welsh, English (more likely) or from Overseas (even more likely).

Having said that I have enjoyed this season, and we've had the best average home attendances since I started watching City in 1968. But we were poor. Let's not forget that people are saying we challenged all the way this season, unlike 5 years ago- well as of today we have one more point than in 2013/14,

And our transfer policy has been shocking, paying £7.5 on Smithies and Cunningham as back ups. Smithies hasn't played a League game and Cunningham has played seven. And c£20m on Reid and Murphy, who have shown flashes of flair but not consistent enough. Don't forget the £6m (yes £6m) wasted on Madine. And £3m on Bacuna, who I doubt will get a regular start. After and Camarasa were OK as loan signings, although After missed a third of the season> And Niasee? God know what the wages on those three were? And we still went down.

In the article I do like the comment that fit is time for a change of style and that an only be achieved with a different manager. Santos got Wolves up as Champions playing good football, and even Fulham played well and got up but then got it all wrong too. SO you can get promoted from the Championship playing good football and not Warnock's style. We'd just need to find the right manager.

It'll be a long summer so don't be surprised if Tan shows his ruthless streak again.

really?
you can not seriously be comparing ourselves with Fulham and Wolves...?
yes they played nicer football...AT A COST....by all means knock NW had he had the sort of backing those managers had, or any of the other 10 or so who had superior budgets...
as for this season....people saying fed up of watching this...? what exactly should you do against vastly superior teams..try and out pass them ?
so much totally wrong in th article. and lots of dubious assumptions..

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

If she said josè or pep would that make a difference? Do you know who you would have if he went? It's a bit like players you may want him but will he come?

on one hand people like yourself and the prof want a long term plan, but on the other it sounds like you have no idea who or what you want, just change for change sake because an under funded manager found a way to get us promoted and to an extent kept us alive in the prem..
the reality is if you want to play football like the top clubs you have to pay 10 times what we do..
I think she means pep just a magical cheap imaginary version who signs cheapies who all turn out to be aguero and debruyne.

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

If she said josè or pep would that make a difference? Do you know who you would have if he went? It's a bit like players you may want him but will he come?

on one hand people like yourself and the prof want a long term plan, but on the other it sounds like you have no idea who or what you want, just change for change sake because an under funded manager found a way to get us promoted and to an extent kept us alive in the prem..
the reality is if you want to play football like the top clubs you have to pay 10 times what we do..
I think she means pep just a magical cheap imaginary version who signs cheapies who all turn out to be aguero and debruyne.

The funny thing is we quite CLEARLY already have a long-term plan in place; to replicate what Burnley have done so successfully.

In my opinion we already play "prettier football" than Burnley (and even Brighton) but we lacked that nose for a goal.

Once we can stay in the Premier for 2-3 seasons then start thinking about subtle changes to playing style. But to rip it all up now and say "ah but I'm thinking of the long-term" smacks of a type of fan that doesn't understand the off-field and financial mess we have only just emerged from!

If Warnock hadn't have got us promoted you can bet a hefty amount that there would be more serious cost-cutting. All this youth the professor would want coming through the academy would have NO Chance as bye-bye funding!

A personal Cardiff City fan's view on why Neil Warnock should leave after Manchester United game
By Laura McAllister

Bluebirds season ticket holder Prof. Laura McAllister admits her viewpoint will not be popular, but argues the case for the manager's departure


Almost a year to the day, I wrote this column celebrating Cardiff City’s glorious blue shirt-clad promotion to the Premier League that beautiful, boiling bank holiday.

With City’s fate decided in last Saturday’s “must win” game against Crystal Palace (which, as was the case for most “must win” games this season, we didn’t win), it’s only right and proper that I write this column on our relegation back to the Championship after a short, and not so sweet, one-season stay in the Premier League.


It’s been an odd old season. Many City fans will say it’s been mostly enjoyable, there have been some big wins – Leicester, Brighton and Southampton away, West Ham, Wolves and Bournemouth at home.

And it was certainly better than the last time we were there in 2013-14 when, in that despicable red kit – the most flamboyantly humiliating symbol of how insignificant and disposable we fans were regarded – we shuffled towards the trap door before the advent calendar chocolates were all eaten.

This time, City were still in it right up until the penultimate match of the season. Except the truth is, we weren’t.

We gave the Premier League a good go and, yes, we probably exceeded expectations given our players and transfer spend.

But the reality is we weren’t good enough from day one. We battled throughout, though at times like a flabby heavyweight returning to the ring for a final pay day.


Yet, at the Cardiff City Stadium last weekend, the fans chanted Neil Warnock’s name and plenty stayed to applaud the players on their rather sheepish lap of honour once the inevitable was confirmed.

No one should question the loyalty of the Bluebirds faithful, or their realism and expectations.

The team laboured in the mold of our 70-something manager – honest, energetic, willing, resilient, playing percentages, working hard. No one could argue we weren’t a Warnock team and, for a while, that suited us fine. He’d declared that we were “his kind of club”. We even took Sharon, his wife, to heart.

Emotion was the leitmotif of this season, its most extreme manifestation coming in the incomprehensible and tragic death of our record signing, Emiliano Sala, in a plane crash last January.

No one could fail to see and feel the pain etched on Warnock’s face at that time. After all, he was one of the few to know Sala personally, having courted the Nantes striker for weeks before the deal was sealed.

It’s hard to imagine how devastating this was for the manager and, for a while, it felt as if the emotion of the tragedy could either destroy or unite us – and even galvanise our bid to stay up. But it was not to be.

Warnock’s persona (at times, deliberately cultivated it seems) is of a kindly but belligerent grandpa, fiercely protective of his “family”, real and sporting.

From his haranguing of the fourth officials and his open intimidation of match officials, to deflecting attention from poor performances on the pitch with an embarrassing outbursts on Brexit.


Warnock’s transfer signings mostly reflected this persona – hungry, committed players with something to prove – and many were very successful like Sol Bamba, Neil Etheridge and Callum Paterson. But he also signed some expensive players that he then didn’t play for whatever reason, such as Bobby Decordova-Reid, Josh Murphy, Gary Madine. And there were times when his team selections and tactics were found wanting, most recently in that crucial game away to Fulham.

My own association with City goes back a long way. I went to my first game aged three and my own two kids watched the City before they reached their first birthdays. I care about the club, but nothing like I used to. But I doubt I’ll ever stop supporting.

We renewed our family season tickets in the early bird window so I’ll be there again in the Championship. But the truth is I’d like to be watching a different club, with a different style and a different manager next season.

That’s why Warnock has to go, not upstairs, but elsewhere or out. I know it’s not the majority view among City fans and I’ve no doubt it won’t be popular.

But, while we’ll forever be grateful for his contribution and he will go down as one of our most successful (and popular) modern managers, up there with Eddie May and Frankie Burrows, I think his time is up.

Warnock’s angry core was concealed by his gentle Yorkshire accent. Balled fists, scowls on the sidelines, nobody else likes Neil, but that’s OK because no-one likes Cardiff City either. He was our Little Englander, a managerial throwback to another era when players played, not for eye-watering wages, but for each other and the manager, players who probably even smoked a Woodbine at half time.

But the game – and life – has moved on, which is why I’d like to see the start of a new era at Cardiff City. I definitely don’t want to see more football of the type we’ve seen this season, even if it does get us promoted. Because what then? Get rid of Warnock with just the remnants of the parachute payments remaining?


Counter to football norms, we need to be braver, more radical and think longer-term. Chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League isn’t sustainable and, anyway, that won’t be easy with the likes of Villa, Leeds, Derby, Middlesborough, West Brom and Fulham still in the division.

I’d like us to follow the model of Norwich City or Sheffield United. Appoint a young manager (ideally Welsh), one with confidence and identity and a way of playing, someone schooled within the FAW’s excellent coach education programme, a manager who can get all the players playing to a system, one committed to youth development through a much stronger academy set-up (where Bellamy had started to make some real progress, it seems).

And give them time (at least three seasons, I’d say) – trust them with some money (but no need to go mad), ask them to deliver a more attractive, offensive style of football and expect them to give chances to younger Welsh players on loan or developed within the club.

Bring in some ball players – I’d love to see another Danny Gabbidon, Aaron Ramsey or Graham Kavanagh in a Bluebirds shirt, someone who can put his foot on the ball, see the pass and find the player.

I’m not sure who that manager is, but Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche were shown proper patience, Mike Flynn has been a revelation at Newport, as has Graham Potter at Swansea and Frank Lampard hasn’t done too badly in his first job at Derby. Plus, not many had heard of Chris Wilder before he got Sheffield United promoted.

Ultimately, a football club is about so much more than first team success. We saw it with those gloriously emotional, against-the-odds triumphs for Liverpool and Spurs this week.

Now that the relationship between City fans and the club has largely been restored, I’d like us to become a likeable club. So here’s a few suggestions to strengthen and improve the club as an asset to the city and to Wales.


Fund the foundation properly, it does great work in connecting the football club with local young people. Yet, it finds itself in the ridiculous situation of having to spend energy on raising cash, even charging kids to be mascots to help raise some income. For goodness sake!

Appoint two (one female, one male) supporter directors to the board to build on the much healthier relationship between fans and club, alongside more openly transparent governance. A bit of gender diversity in the upper echelons of the club’s hierarchy wouldn’t go amiss either.

City should build slowly for more sustainable success. Yo-yo-ing between the Championship and the Premier League will eventually lose its appeal.


Championship football is usually end-to-end and mostly more entertaining. I won’t particularly miss the queues to get in, or at the bar at half time, or the fans of big clubs buying up home tickets, or those who leave 20 minutes before the end of the match even if the scoreline is in the balance (however long it takes you to get out of the car park, a game is 90-plus minutes long!).

For now, I’ll continue to feed my sporting passion by watching Giggs’ Wales, but I wouldn’t mind rekindling my love for the Bluebirds, rather than carry on carrying on, as much out of habit as desire.


The journey has started to transform the club into one we can be truly proud of in every respect, a club with the right values, one that other fans like and admire, one where women feel equal as fans, where it’s normal for families to go together.

But reaching the next staging post requires a different attitude and more patience from the chairman and us fans.

We will forever be grateful to Warnock and his place in the club’s history is assured, but he’s not the manager for a different and better future for the Bluebirds.

What pretentious nonsense, filled with strange conflicting assertions and a whiff of daydreaming fantasy of a white knight riding in from a Chinese consortium with untold riches. I did especially love the Idea of the free flowing Ajax style of Sheffield United with their youthful 51 year old manager

Professional football is a game of finance. Read soccernomics and there is a direct correlation between salary and league position. For this to be a correct formula you need to pay the correct market rate salary, not what Vinny did 6 years ago or the Fulham owner did this.

A few teams break the trend Cardiff City in 18, Huddersfield, The jacks, Blackpool and Daniel Farkes Norwich this year, but loads of mis MANAGED bigger clubs than us end up in league one or worse. That is precisely where we were heading with a really good Welsh coach but a piss poor manager (leader whatever you want to call it) in Trollope. The assertion that a recently FAW qualified coach could jump into a Championship promotion chase is pure "on the FAW books" fantasy.

"Chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League isn’t sustainable" What !!!! Why do the 24 teams line up in August then !!! The whole premise of her argument is based upon a strange virtue signalling higher meaning to life than winning, its bloody professional sport, its about winning !!!

I am all for deeper meaning but "Ultimately, a football club is about so much more than first team success. We saw it with those gloriously emotional, against-the-odds triumphs for Liverpool and Spurs this week." killed me, its all about the first team, winning !

We all know we need to find players who can hold onto the ball and i would love a academy kid or a Welsh lad it will be great if he can speak the lingo, keeps S4C happy. But, in truth i don't discriminate where they are from.

Warnock has a championship model that negates the money game
Warnock earned an unexpected promotion that secured our financial future
Warnock had the lowest premier league salary and we finished two places higher than he should
If Warnock wants to stay......Then stay

So the summary of the article is she doesn't like Warnocks little Englander (Brexit) politics and would rather have a string of young unproven Welsh or associated to CCFC coaches hoping that one will be good enough to deliver....But to deliver what, because its not about promotion or the first team. By then we'll be in the league of Wales, playing semi pro in front of 900 fans and two dogs.
Please don't talk misty eyed about the DJ era, we ended in debtors court more than the playoffs, because at the end of the day, its all about the money !!!

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

If she said josè or pep would that make a difference? Do you know who you would have if he went? It's a bit like players you may want him but will he come?

on one hand people like yourself and the prof want a long term plan, but on the other it sounds like you have no idea who or what you want, just change for change sake because an under funded manager found a way to get us promoted and to an extent kept us alive in the prem..
the reality is if you want to play football like the top clubs you have to pay 10 times what we do..
I think she means pep just a magical cheap imaginary version who signs cheapies who all turn out to be aguero and debruyne.

I know what I want and that is a better style of football than we are getting now so I do know what I want football wise anyway! As for a manager guess large majority if you ask who they would like 90% wouldn't know who is even available! but garauntee you being perfect would have someone who is available and ready to take over if needed

Oncecshe said i dont know who should replace warnock
All credability in the thread dissappeared imo

If she said josè or pep would that make a difference? Do you know who you would have if he went? It's a bit like players you may want him but will he come?

on one hand people like yourself and the prof want a long term plan, but on the other it sounds like you have no idea who or what you want, just change for change sake because an under funded manager found a way to get us promoted and to an extent kept us alive in the prem..
the reality is if you want to play football like the top clubs you have to pay 10 times what we do..
I think she means pep just a magical cheap imaginary version who signs cheapies who all turn out to be aguero and debruyne.

I know what I want and that is a better style of football than we are getting now so I do know what I want football wise anyway! As for a manager guess large majority if you ask who they would like 90% wouldn't know who is even available! but garauntee you being perfect would have someone who is available and ready to take over if needed

yes this imaginary manager who has a fab rep for being a top young coach ..OGS ?, TROLLOPE..?
my point being its ALWAYS a gamble ,both were highly thought of and both disappointed..
better style..that comes with money, or a league position that does not involve promotion..
i do not get how you or anyone else can not grasp the top teams are the top teams because of quality..and lower teams fail to give the man citys of the world the run around and outclass them even if they do manage to beat them...

id love to be watching fast flowing, one touch atractive football too as would every single poster that is not agreeing with you and prof beaut..common sense says that if you try to outplay a superior team your likely to be outclassed..
btw..we attempted to play more open football last week and it was actually his biggest mistake this season..torn apart and lucky to even be grasping at straws in the second half..we do not have the players to concede fast forwards all that space..it was screaming out at you ?

A personal Cardiff City fan's view on why Neil Warnock should leave after Manchester United game
By Laura McAllister

Bluebirds season ticket holder Prof. Laura McAllister admits her viewpoint will not be popular, but argues the case for the manager's departure


Almost a year to the day, I wrote this column celebrating Cardiff City’s glorious blue shirt-clad promotion to the Premier League that beautiful, boiling bank holiday.

With City’s fate decided in last Saturday’s “must win” game against Crystal Palace (which, as was the case for most “must win” games this season, we didn’t win), it’s only right and proper that I write this column on our relegation back to the Championship after a short, and not so sweet, one-season stay in the Premier League.


It’s been an odd old season. Many City fans will say it’s been mostly enjoyable, there have been some big wins – Leicester, Brighton and Southampton away, West Ham, Wolves and Bournemouth at home.

And it was certainly better than the last time we were there in 2013-14 when, in that despicable red kit – the most flamboyantly humiliating symbol of how insignificant and disposable we fans were regarded – we shuffled towards the trap door before the advent calendar chocolates were all eaten.

This time, City were still in it right up until the penultimate match of the season. Except the truth is, we weren’t.

We gave the Premier League a good go and, yes, we probably exceeded expectations given our players and transfer spend.

But the reality is we weren’t good enough from day one. We battled throughout, though at times like a flabby heavyweight returning to the ring for a final pay day.


Yet, at the Cardiff City Stadium last weekend, the fans chanted Neil Warnock’s name and plenty stayed to applaud the players on their rather sheepish lap of honour once the inevitable was confirmed.

No one should question the loyalty of the Bluebirds faithful, or their realism and expectations.

The team laboured in the mold of our 70-something manager – honest, energetic, willing, resilient, playing percentages, working hard. No one could argue we weren’t a Warnock team and, for a while, that suited us fine. He’d declared that we were “his kind of club”. We even took Sharon, his wife, to heart.

Emotion was the leitmotif of this season, its most extreme manifestation coming in the incomprehensible and tragic death of our record signing, Emiliano Sala, in a plane crash last January.

No one could fail to see and feel the pain etched on Warnock’s face at that time. After all, he was one of the few to know Sala personally, having courted the Nantes striker for weeks before the deal was sealed.

It’s hard to imagine how devastating this was for the manager and, for a while, it felt as if the emotion of the tragedy could either destroy or unite us – and even galvanise our bid to stay up. But it was not to be.

Warnock’s persona (at times, deliberately cultivated it seems) is of a kindly but belligerent grandpa, fiercely protective of his “family”, real and sporting.

From his haranguing of the fourth officials and his open intimidation of match officials, to deflecting attention from poor performances on the pitch with an embarrassing outbursts on Brexit.


Warnock’s transfer signings mostly reflected this persona – hungry, committed players with something to prove – and many were very successful like Sol Bamba, Neil Etheridge and Callum Paterson. But he also signed some expensive players that he then didn’t play for whatever reason, such as Bobby Decordova-Reid, Josh Murphy, Gary Madine. And there were times when his team selections and tactics were found wanting, most recently in that crucial game away to Fulham.

My own association with City goes back a long way. I went to my first game aged three and my own two kids watched the City before they reached their first birthdays. I care about the club, but nothing like I used to. But I doubt I’ll ever stop supporting.

We renewed our family season tickets in the early bird window so I’ll be there again in the Championship. But the truth is I’d like to be watching a different club, with a different style and a different manager next season.

That’s why Warnock has to go, not upstairs, but elsewhere or out. I know it’s not the majority view among City fans and I’ve no doubt it won’t be popular.

But, while we’ll forever be grateful for his contribution and he will go down as one of our most successful (and popular) modern managers, up there with Eddie May and Frankie Burrows, I think his time is up.

Warnock’s angry core was concealed by his gentle Yorkshire accent. Balled fists, scowls on the sidelines, nobody else likes Neil, but that’s OK because no-one likes Cardiff City either. He was our Little Englander, a managerial throwback to another era when players played, not for eye-watering wages, but for each other and the manager, players who probably even smoked a Woodbine at half time.

But the game – and life – has moved on, which is why I’d like to see the start of a new era at Cardiff City. I definitely don’t want to see more football of the type we’ve seen this season, even if it does get us promoted. Because what then? Get rid of Warnock with just the remnants of the parachute payments remaining?


Counter to football norms, we need to be braver, more radical and think longer-term. Chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League isn’t sustainable and, anyway, that won’t be easy with the likes of Villa, Leeds, Derby, Middlesborough, West Brom and Fulham still in the division.

I’d like us to follow the model of Norwich City or Sheffield United. Appoint a young manager (ideally Welsh), one with confidence and identity and a way of playing, someone schooled within the FAW’s excellent coach education programme, a manager who can get all the players playing to a system, one committed to youth development through a much stronger academy set-up (where Bellamy had started to make some real progress, it seems).

And give them time (at least three seasons, I’d say) – trust them with some money (but no need to go mad), ask them to deliver a more attractive, offensive style of football and expect them to give chances to younger Welsh players on loan or developed within the club.

Bring in some ball players – I’d love to see another Danny Gabbidon, Aaron Ramsey or Graham Kavanagh in a Bluebirds shirt, someone who can put his foot on the ball, see the pass and find the player.

I’m not sure who that manager is, but Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche were shown proper patience, Mike Flynn has been a revelation at Newport, as has Graham Potter at Swansea and Frank Lampard hasn’t done too badly in his first job at Derby. Plus, not many had heard of Chris Wilder before he got Sheffield United promoted.

Ultimately, a football club is about so much more than first team success. We saw it with those gloriously emotional, against-the-odds triumphs for Liverpool and Spurs this week.

Now that the relationship between City fans and the club has largely been restored, I’d like us to become a likeable club. So here’s a few suggestions to strengthen and improve the club as an asset to the city and to Wales.


Fund the foundation properly, it does great work in connecting the football club with local young people. Yet, it finds itself in the ridiculous situation of having to spend energy on raising cash, even charging kids to be mascots to help raise some income. For goodness sake!

Appoint two (one female, one male) supporter directors to the board to build on the much healthier relationship between fans and club, alongside more openly transparent governance. A bit of gender diversity in the upper echelons of the club’s hierarchy wouldn’t go amiss either.

City should build slowly for more sustainable success. Yo-yo-ing between the Championship and the Premier League will eventually lose its appeal.


Championship football is usually end-to-end and mostly more entertaining. I won’t particularly miss the queues to get in, or at the bar at half time, or the fans of big clubs buying up home tickets, or those who leave 20 minutes before the end of the match even if the scoreline is in the balance (however long it takes you to get out of the car park, a game is 90-plus minutes long!).

For now, I’ll continue to feed my sporting passion by watching Giggs’ Wales, but I wouldn’t mind rekindling my love for the Bluebirds, rather than carry on carrying on, as much out of habit as desire.


The journey has started to transform the club into one we can be truly proud of in every respect, a club with the right values, one that other fans like and admire, one where women feel equal as fans, where it’s normal for families to go together.

But reaching the next staging post requires a different attitude and more patience from the chairman and us fans.

We will forever be grateful to Warnock and his place in the club’s history is assured, but he’s not the manager for a different and better future for the Bluebirds.

What pretentious nonsense, filled with strange conflicting assertions and a whiff of daydreaming fantasy of a white knight riding in from a Chinese consortium with untold riches. I did especially love the Idea of the free flowing Ajax style of Sheffield United with their youthful 51 year old manager

Professional football is a game of finance. Read soccernomics and there is a direct correlation between salary and league position. For this to be a correct formula you need to pay the correct market rate salary, not what Vinny did 6 years ago or the Fulham owner did this.

A few teams break the trend Cardiff City in 18, Huddersfield, The jacks, Blackpool and Daniel Farkes Norwich this year, but loads of mis MANAGED bigger clubs than us end up in league one or worse. That is precisely where we were heading with a really good Welsh coach but a piss poor manager (leader whatever you want to call it) in Trollope. The assertion that a recently FAW qualified coach could jump into a Championship promotion chase is pure "on the FAW books" fantasy.

"Chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League isn’t sustainable" What !!!! Why do the 24 teams line up in August then !!! The whole premise of her argument is based upon a strange virtue signalling higher meaning to life than winning, its bloody professional sport, its about winning !!!

I am all for deeper meaning but "Ultimately, a football club is about so much more than first team success. We saw it with those gloriously emotional, against-the-odds triumphs for Liverpool and Spurs this week." killed me, its all about the first team, winning !

We all know we need to find players who can hold onto the ball and i would love a academy kid or a Welsh lad it will be great if he can speak the lingo, keeps S4C happy. But, in truth i don't discriminate where they are from.

Warnock has a championship model that negates the money game
Warnock earned an unexpected promotion that secured our financial future
Warnock had the lowest premier league salary and we finished two places higher than he should
If Warnock wants to stay......Then stay

So the summary of the article is she doesn't like Warnocks little Englander (Brexit) politics and would rather have a string of young unproven Welsh or associated to CCFC coaches hoping that one will be good enough to deliver....But to deliver what, because its not about promotion or the first team. By then we'll be in the league of Wales, playing semi pro in front of 900 fans and two dogs.
Please don't talk misty eyed about the DJ era, we ended in debtors court more than the playoffs, because at the end of the day, its all about the money !!!

agree
the line about it not being all about the 1st team winning being linked to the champions league finalists stood out for me in a forest of naïve childish stupidity

Brilliant post and echoes my feelings to perfection