Neil Warnock says Huddersfield Town lack leaders as he calls on youngsters to step up

Warnock takes charge of Town for the first time since 1995 at home to Birmingham City on Saturday doing what the 74-year-old always does, downplaying expectations.

His presence in the dugout instantly raises them with a track record spread across 15 different clubs – some, like Huddersfield, more than once – and some remarkable feats, perhaps none more so than saving Rotherham United from Championship relegation in a 16-game spell in 2016.

"It's a slightly different group of lads, they need a little bit more help here," cautioned Warnock, who has 15 matches to rescue a Terriers squad four points from safety with a game in hand. "There were a few leaders at Rotherham whereas there's not so many leaders here.

"There's some good players who've been underperforming at times but I think it will probably be myself and Hoggy that has to lead.

"I'll know more on Saturday at five o'clock because I've got an idea what I want to do, which will probably surprise a few people, but I've nothing to lose.

"I won't know really in respect of who can be with me in the trenches until next week because we can't really have a proper training session (until then). I'll get to know more about it then."

Warnock's assessment is harsh on the likes of Tom Lees, Danny Ward, Jordan Rhodes, Matty Pearson and Duanne Holmes, influential in reaching last season's play-off final, and Michal Helik, Matt Lowton and Martyn Waghorn who have joined since.

With no transfer window during his short-term contract, Warnock would not have taken the job if he did not think the tools were there.

Town have also tried to sign young talent, often from the lower leagues.

"We've got a lot of the younger element but what they have is energy and enthusiasm," argued Warnock, who has a reputation for leaning on more experienced figures. “If you can get it channeled in the right ways, they can do things the old men can't.

"I've got to try and find a system and probably involve one or two lads that might not have not been involved as much.

"There's a couple of lads I quite like and I've not really seen much of them so I need to have a look at one or two of the lads before I do decide on my team.

"I don't think there's been enough forward play in the games I've watched. I feel sorry a little bit for the strikers.

"They can all knock on my door when they want, they might not be playing but if they want to know anything I'll be straight up with them.

"I said to the lads you're lucky I've come out of retirement.

"Sometimes you need a bit of guidance, a bit of help and I'm sure some of the older lads will too."

One player who has disappointed him was Will Boyle, sent off in Wednesday's defeat at Stoke City.

Warnock said: "When I saw Boyle coming off clapping the crowd I'm thinking, 'Clapping the crowd? You've just let us down.'

"I suppose it's one of those things, you live and learn."

It does give him a big problem with fellow defenders Helik and Ollie Turton injured, and Pearson coming off in the Potteries.

"We are short of height with the injuries so it's trying to work out what's best to do," said Warnock. "A lot of teams, like Birmingham when they played West Brom, score from a set pieces, some of these teams are very good at it."

He likes Lees, who played for him a decade ago at Leeds United.

"When I've watched him play he's been pretty reliable this season and I want him to try and do what he's done, he's come forward with the ball and looked comfortable, but then he's got to do the nasty bits of stopping his man scoring at free-kicks," said Warnock. "It's getting the happy medium."

Warnock’s first task is taking on a Birmingham side who enjoyed back-to-back victories before losing at home to Cardiff City in midweek.

"They're very solid, good strikers, (Scott) Hogan and (Lukas) Jutkiewicz, solid at the back, a big team," was his assessment. "We've got to compete with them.

"I think we can give them problems, it's just certain parts of the game I demand they've got to come up on. It's no good doing certain bits and letting themselves down.

"It is going to be difficult because they have done well. I know they lost the other night but they've been solid and we've got to be ready.

"First of all we've got to try and win a game, we haven't won a game this year.

"Six wins will do us but I think where's the next win coming from? It was the same at Middlesbrough (in his last job), we couldn't see many wins there and we ended up beating a couple of teams away from home.

"You don't know in the Championship, there's some strange results, you haven't got to worry about who you're playing, you've just got to worry about your own team."