Sheffield Wednesday’s Garry Monk full of praise for rival boss Neil Warnock

The former Sheffield United boss - and lifelong Blades fan - is now in charge at Cardiff City, who the Owls visit on Friday night, knowing victory will send Wednesday top of the Championship.

Over the years Warnock has certainly ruffled Owls fans’feathers, but Monk has only good words for the veteran manager.

When rookie Monk first made the tough transition from player to manager at Swansea City, it was Warnock who gave him valuable encouragement - “and a few truths” - on life in the dug-out.

“I have met Neil on quite a few occasions now,” said Monk. “He is one of a few managers when I first went into management who didn’t know me who rang me, texted me and encouraged me in terms of my first steps into management.

“I will always be thankful for that because it is important to have people of his experience who take their time out to help me out in management and welcome me into that management world.

“He did tell me a few truths that were going to happen with all of his experience! He is a great guy.

“Eight promotions speaks for itself. You don’t get eight promotions if you don’t know what you are doing and he has done it in different styles.

“What I find with Neil’s teams and what he gets spot on is all his teams get the fundamentals correct. They get the basics done right and do it consistently and that is the basis of any team. You have to get that right before you do anything else.

“His record speaks for itself and you don’t need to say much more about him. Eight promotions is phenomenal.

“It does your confidence and belief a world of good when someone like that takes the time out to help you out. I have got the utmost respect for Neil. He has been fantastic towards me in my five and a bit years in management.

“We are both competitors and I am sure in the game it will be full commitment and we will have a good chat afterwards.”
Owls captain Tom Lees misses the Cardiff trip as he recovers from a hamstring problem, but forward Fernando Forestieri is available after serving a six-game suspension.