Middlesbrough sack Jonathan Woodgate and appoint Neil Warnock

Middlesbrough have sacked Jonathan Woodgate as head coach four days into the resumption of the season and replaced him with Neil Warnock.
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Middlesbrough's season only restarted on Saturday after 105 days away because of the coronavirus pandemic but they performed terribly in a 3-0 defeat at Swansea City and worryingly afterwards Woodgate said: “We need to go back to the drawing board.”

Chairman Steve Gibson has had a rethink, and the result is he has called in old friend Warnock to steady the ship.

SACKED: Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan WoodgateSACKED: Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan Woodgate
SACKED: Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan Woodgate
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“Jonathan was relieved of his role on Tuesday morning and will be replaced by the experienced Neil Warnock,” revealed a club statement.

“Warnock will assume responsibility immediately.”

The 71-year-old is now set to take charge of his 1,500th match in his hometown of Sheffield when Boro travel to Sheffield Wednesday for the final game of the season. It has been suggested that Woodgate, who was on the coaching staff under predecessor Tony Pulis, may stay at the club in an as-yet undefined role.

With Charlton Athletic later beating Hull City, Middlesbrough dropped one place in the Championship table on Saturday. With eight matches to play, they are only outside of the bottom three by two goals' difference.

They play Hull, the team directly below them, in East Yorkshire on July 2. Before that they have a trip to another relegation rival, Stoke City, on Saturday. That will be Warnock's first game in charge.

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Woodgate and Warnock are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their experience, and their playing styles are very different too.

This was Woodgate's first season in management, as Boro adjusted to life without the financial support of parachute payments following their relegation from the Premier League in 2016-17.

Boro's changed circumstances were reflected in the transfer business he was able to do.

He was able to sign the highly-rated Patrick Roberts on loan from Manchester City, but the No 10 picked up a hamstring injury after four matches. He returned as a substitute against Swansea.

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Woodgate won just nine of his 38 Championship games, but Gibson stuck with him during two terrible runs of 10 league matches without a win. The first was between September and November, but Boro recovered, starting 2020 with a fourth straight victory. They ended the second downturn by beating Charlton in the final match before the covid-19 suspension.

Warnock, who is in the League Managers' Association's Hall of Fame, is eight matches short of taking charge of 1,500 league games in a managerial career which started in 1981. Earlier this month the 71-year-old seemed resigned to not reaching the landmark, although reading back now there was a hint of what was to come.

“It would be a great achievement to get to 1,500 but I can't see it happening unless it is the end of the season somewhere and someone asks me to help them out,” he said.

"Apparently I have 12 league games to go to get 1,500 and that is really tempting to me.

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"I would like to do the 12 games if I am honest, I would like to be able to contribute to a club, either saving it or getting it up."

According to The Sack Race website, Warnock has taken charge of 1,492 matches, winning 586.

In the same interview, Warnock spoke fondly about rescuing Rotherham United from a Championship relegation that looked increasingly likely. He had twice as many games – 16 – to rescue the Millers but their position was more precarious.

Warnock will be unable to sign new players, so he must work with what he has. Although he favours a more direct style to Woodgate, the latter had the problem of working with a squad largely shaped for Pulis. That could be an advantage for the new man.

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Boro will be Sheffield-born Warnock's 16th club, and his sixth in Yorkshire. As well as Rotherham, he has taken charge of Scarborough, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United and Leeds United.

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