HAVE YOUR SAY: Warnock shown to exit door as Leeds fail again (Leeds United 1 Derby County 2)

The 64-year-old’s near 14-month reign at Elland Road ended in the wake of this defeat to Derby County that prompted the board to act and pull the plug.

A shortlist has already been prepared with Brian McDermott, Gus Poyet and Owen Coyle believed to be among those interesting the club’s owners, GFH Capital.

No timescale has been put on the search and Academy manager Neil Redfearn, who had an unhappy stint in temporary charge last season, has been handed the reins ahead of Saturday’s trip to Charlton Athletic.

Warnock said: “I told the club they should go with Neil Redfearn and (technical director) Gwyn Williams as his assistant. Let them take it on board until the end of the season.

“That will allow the owners to take their time because this is a big decision. They have to come up with the right answer.

“I don’t think the club know who they want to come in. Nigel Adkins would have been a decent shout a few weeks ago, but there will be more available in three or four weeks’ time than there is now.

“That is why I don’t think they should rush into getting a manager now and panic. The club has got to make the right decision.”

Chief executive Shaun Harvey added: “The search for Neil’s replacement is underway. There is no fixed timescale, as securing the services of the right person is the primary objective.”

Last night’s managerial upheaval followed an already disappointing season for the Elland Road club taking another turn for the worse courtesy of a ninth straight defeat to Derby.

Ross McCormack’s 67th-minute strike had put the home side ahead in the tea-time kick-off only for goals from Paul Coutts and Jake Buxton to cap a stirring fightback by the Rams that leaves Leeds sitting 12th in the table with 52 points.

United should not, of course, get dragged into trouble from such a seemingly secure position at this stage of the season.

However, with the bottom clubs recently having shown form more akin to title challengers, there is every chance that at least one unfortunate team could go down with more than the 52 points which failed to save Leicester City from the drop to League One in 2008 or Millwall 12 years earlier.

Certainly, it would take a brave man to bet against Peterborough, Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley claiming at least two wins from the final month of the season – meaning Leeds could still need another win to guarantee safety.

Warnock, who has been followed through the exit door by assistant Mick Jones and first team coach Ronnie Jepson, said: “The fans have possibly influenced the owners. I think fans do.

“It is quite easy to get carried away but only time will tell. I have been a manager for 33 years and this is the hardest 12 months I have had anywhere.

“It is easy to criticise. But this is not an easy job. Just look where Blackburn are (in the table). They have a caretaker, or interim, manager. And they have a £35m wage bill.

“It is not a piece of cake, especially as it is going to be a record number of points to stay up this year.”

Pressed on whether he felt bringing a temporary manager in was the right move for United at this stage of the season, Warnock replied: “I don’t think it is the right move, no.

“You have to be careful what you wish for, haven’t you. It is quite easy to get carried away but only time will tell.

“For me to have stayed would have had to be down to the fans. If the fans had said, ‘Stay on Neil, and do this, that and the other’ then it is a different ball game.

“I would say the majority of fans at Elland Road appreciate the job I have done. But, unfortunately, there is also a minority.”

Buxton’s late headed winner sparked chants of ‘Warnock, time to go’ and calls for the 64-year-old to go back to his Cornwall home.

With the manager’s future understood to have been under review by the club’s board since last month’s defeat to Huddersfield Town, it was no surprise when the axe fell following the club’s third straight Championship defeat.

Warnock, whose 62 league and cup games in charge yielded 23 wins, added: “I have given it my best shot. We have been unlucky in a lot of situations and we could have been far higher up.

“But, if I am honest, we have not been good enough in the final third. That is the only area the new manager has to work on. I do wish the new owners had come in earlier (than December), but that is because I am selfish.

“I wanted the money to spend and I wanted success yesterday. The club should have a right go next season because I don’t see anyone coming down from the Premier League who should be better than Leeds with two or three signings.”

Leeds United: Kenny; Byram, Peltier, Pearce, Warnock; Diouf (White 65), Green, Austin, Dawson (McCormack 57); Varney, Morison. Unused substitutes: Ashdown, Brown, Tonge, Norris, Habibou.

Derby County: Fielding; Freeman, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth; Coutts, Hendrick, Bryson (Jacobs 34), Davies (Gjokaj 90); Martin, Sammon. Unused substitutes: Jacobs, Legzdins, Doyle, O’Connor, Bennett, Hoganson.

Referee: R East (Wiltshire).