" Neil Warnock talks about Neil Harris & Mick McCarthy "

Neil Warnock felt disrespected by Neil Harris comments after Cardiff City appointment

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock saw his Cardiff City replacement Neil Harris sacked this week



By Craig Johns


Neil Warnock admits he felt disrespected by Neil Harris when he first replaced the now-Middlesbrough manager at Cardiff City.

Harris was sacked by the Bluebirds this week, with the side Warnock took to the Premier League now 15th in the Championship, while Boro are seventh and pushing for a play-off spot.

Warnock enjoyed a record eighth career promotion in Wales and admits he felt disrespected by the former Millwall manager when he arrived at Cardiff talking about changing the style and mindset of the players the now-Boro boss had assembled.

But Harris never did change Cardiff's style much and with no improved results either, he was sacked this week after 14 months in charge.

Asked his thoughts, Warnock said: "I didn’t say too much while Neil Harris was there, but I thought one or two of the comments he made when he first got the job were a little bit detrimental to me.

“‘I’ve got to change the mindset of the players who have been used to playing one particular way’. What’s that, winning?

“I just thought it was a bit disrespectful, if I’m honest.

“I’ve been a manager for so long now, if I could tell you every person throughout my career who has made mistakes about me or quoted wrong things about me, I could probably do my own book just on that alone.

“All this ‘I’ll show them’, it drives me on if I’m honest."

Cardiff look set to appoint Mick McCarthy as Harris' replacement.

McCarthy was most recently post was in Cyprus with APOEL, but he sacked after just two months and eight games in charge.

A friend of Warnock's, he reacted positively to news McCarthy is set to land his former post.

“I hear Mick McCarthy has got the job," he said. "I hope he has. A big mate of mine is Mick and he’ll enjoy it.

“To come back from Cyprus after a six-week holiday there, got the sack and now he’s in a good place in Wales.”

As for his own time at the Welsh club, despite what Harris might think, he remains proud of the job he did.

“Cardiff was very good for me," he said. "They were in a mess when I went there and we ended up going to the Premier League with a team that nobody thought we could do.

“I’ve got great, great memories there with Mehmet Dalman [Cardiff chairman], who was a super guy.

“I seem to only get the clubs who are in trouble, but I don’t mind that. I think that’s probably the way I am and the type of manager that I am.

“And I do enjoy it. When I stand on the touchline and I watch my team play like they did the other night, wow, I’m purring inside. I might not look it, but wow am I proud when I see them lads playing like that.”

Neil Warnock hits out at 'disrespectful' Neil Harris and backs Mick McCarthy for Cardiff City success
By Tom Coleman

The former Cardiff City boss believes some of the comments made by his successor in the Bluebirds hot-seat were disrespectful


Neil Warnock has accused Bluebirds successor Neil Harris of making "disrespectful" and "detrimental" comments about his own successful Cardiff City tenure.

Harris replaced Warnock in the job back in November 2019 and at the time was keen to stress that he wasn't going to be 'Warnock Mark II' as he looked to make his mark in South Wales.

However, Warnock, who's now taken the top job at Championship rivals Middlesbrough admits he was disappointed at some of Harris' comments.

Warnock said: “I didn’t say too much while Neil Harris was there, but I thought one or two of the comments he made when he first got the job were a little bit detrimental to me.

“‘I’ve got to change the mindset of the players who have been used to playing one particular way’. What’s that, winning?

“I just thought it was a bit disrespectful, if I’m honest."


Harris was dismissed from his post on Thursday afternoon after a 1-0 defeat at home to QPR - a result that condemned Cardiff to a run of six consecutive defeats.

It's understood that Mick McCarthy is the man Cardiff will turn to in a bid to rescue their season, with City currently sitting in 15th place in the table, 13 points from the top six.

And Warnock has backed the former Sunderland and Wolves boss to succeed in the capital, despite his difficult recent spell at Cypriot side APOEL, where he lasted just eight games.

“I hear Mick McCarthy has got the job," he continued. "I hope he has. A big mate of mine is Mick and he’ll enjoy it.

“To come back from Cyprus after a six-week holiday there, got the sack and now he’s in a good place in Wales.

“Cardiff was very good for me. They were in a mess when I went there and we ended up going to the Premier League with a team that nobody thought we could do.

“I’ve got great, great memories there with Mehmet Dalman [Cardiff chairman] who was a super guy.

“I seem to only get the clubs who are in trouble, but I don’t mind that. I think that’s probably the way I am and the type of manager that I am.

“And I do enjoy it. When I stand on the touchline and I watch my team play like they did the other night, wow, I’m purring inside. I might not look it, but wow am I proud when I see them lads playing like that.”

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Still a Bluebird at heart...!

I knew he would support Mick McCarthy's appointment. Good friends and cut from the same cloth

I wouldn't be surprised if Warnock recommended McCarthy to Dalman and Tan , they both respect Warnocks opinion , and would take his advice.

Left us with crap squad determined to stick us with a worse manager if that’s the case. No more than an attempt to prove he left us in a good place.

He hasn’t, our new manager; who ever it may be, has a huge task of rebuilding. At least some of Harris signings can give us something to build on assuming we can get more players and shift out the crap Warnock left us with. He (Warnock) worked wonders to get us up, but since that he’s been shocking. Cut ties don’t take his advice and sort ourselves out. He has a job with Boro, let him get on with it.

Can't say I blame Harris for being a bit annoyed about Warnock. In his later days he spent comparatively big money on a series of flops. The permanent crock Vassel the vastly overpriced Flint the moving statue Pack etc all will be on big money even though they can't get in the team. Have people forgotten the football was poor and boring when he left. Harris's signings have been much better it's just he can't seem to get the best out of them. Maybe the more experienced McCarthy will.

Every time MM has been commentating on us I thought he has been very one eyed and biased...


I reckon he fcuking loves us for whatever reason.... Even when we have been shocking he always talked positively.

I hope this is an end of season job though. We need to get away from the big manager, it always end badly.

NEIL WARNOCK DID NOT RECOMMEND NEIL HARRIS TO TAN LIKE A COUPLE ON HERE SAID

Just goes to show what a bellend Harris actually was. He thinks he's a lot better than he actually is. I think that is called dunning kruger effect - "The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias hypothesis that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability"

In other words he was just a gob in a tracksuit

NEIL WARNOCK DID NOT RECOMMEND NEIL HARRIS TO TAN LIKE A COUPLE ON HERE SAID

I may have been guilty of reading it on here,and thought if true was a poor decision,by both warnock and the committee. Have since retracted it,as it's become apparently not to be true but I certainly didn't start the rumour.