Hardcore fans remain totally behind us, insists Warnock

NEIL WARNOCK is confident he has the backing of the vast majority of Leeds United supporters as he tackles one of his “hardest jobs” in football.

Warnock faced calls for his sacking from a section of fans during last week’s 2-0 defeat at bottom club Barnsley.

The result left United five points outside the Championship play-offs and Warnock conceded yesterday that hopes of automatic promotion have gone up in smoke.

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But the 64-year-old – fast approaching one year in charge at Elland Road – insisted most supporters are firmly behind him.

“I still think the majority of supporters are totally behind me,” said Warnock, who held what he termed “supportive” conversations with new owners GFH Capital in the wake of the Barnsley defeat.

“You always get a few (who are against you), but that’s natural.

“They’ve had so many promises over the years, and they’re frustrated.

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“But I think the real hardcore fans are totally behind us, and it was great to get a result for them in the FA Cup at Birmingham in midweek.”

That 2-1 win at St Andrews, which booked a lucrative fourth-round tie with Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on January 27, eased some of the pressure on Warnock, who is leading his 13th club after starting his managerial career at non-League Gainsborough in 1980.

Despite high-profile stints at clubs such as Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and QPR, where he enhanced his reputation as one of the game’s most colourful and controversial characters, Warnock admitted that managing Leeds has been one of his toughest tests.

“I can honestly say that it hasn’t been one of the easiest jobs in my career, but it’s one I wouldn’t have resisted,” he said.

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“Over the years I’ve had one or two interesting jobs that haven’t been easy, and I’d put this in that category.

“I’ve probably had more takeovers than any other manager – three out of the last three clubs I’ve had – and to keep the ship sailing as it is isn’t easy.

“There’s a lot more involved than people realise, and I think it needed someone of my experience to steady the waters; I don’t know how a younger manager would have coped with everything.”

Rarely have Warnock’s skills been more tested, with Leeds urgently needing to reignite their play-off hopes at Elland Road tomorrow against Bristol City, who swapped places with Barnsley at the foot of the table following their 4-0 home defeat to Leicester on Saturday.

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The fixture could be more challenging after Bristol’s appointment of a new manager in Sean O’Driscoll, the former Doncaster Rovers boss, but of equal significance in the short term could be Leeds’s ability to wheel and deal before the transfer window shuts.

Warnock yesterday admitted it was a case of “as you were” in respect of potential comings and goings, with uncertainty continuing to surround the future of 19-goal striker Luciano Becchio, who trained yesterday after missing the Birmingham match through illness.

The Argentine has been linked with various clubs including Wigan Athletic, who have distanced themselves publicly, while Warnock said discussions with the player were ongoing.

“I’ve spoken to him, and no doubt I’ll be speaking again over the next 10 days to him or his agent,” said Warnock. “But we very much want Luciano to stay.

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“We’re not the ones turning his head, so we’ll have to wait and see what his head’s like.

“It’s just that heads get turned (by agents) and you can’t stop that; it’s a nightmare scenario.”

Of potential incomings, Warnock added: “I don’t want to give any speculation. We’re trying to get the targets we’ve identified, and we’ll have to see.

“The January window’s a nightmare, so you just don’t know what’s around the corner. I don’t think any manager relishes the transfer window; it’s something you wish wasn’t there because you could just get on with the season.” Warnock confessed his mobile telephone was “busy” as agents attempt to push players his way.

He said most of those players were not up to scratch.

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“You get so many agents phoning you and, quite frankly, some of the recommendations are farcical,” he lamented. “The number of times I think, ‘Why have you rung me about that player?’ It’s ridiculous.

“They either think that you haven’t got a clue about football or you haven’t got a clue about players; it never ceases to amaze me.”

Warnock has enough of a clue to know that Leeds’s hopes of automatic promotion are surely beyond them, with United 11th in the table and as many points behind Hull City, who occupy the second and final automatic place.

“We’re not good enough for automatic,” conceded Warnock. “Let’s not kid ourselves.

“We’ve just got to persevere, improve the squad, and give ourselves the best chance we can to get in the play-offs.

“I still think anybody’s capable of doing that in the top half of the division.”