Switch to QPR leaves Warnock concentrating on the short-term

NEIL WARNOCK has revealed he had to leave Crystal Palace after his relationship with administrator Brendan Guilfoyle broke down.

Warnock was yesterday officially unveiled as the new manager of Palace's London rivals QPR after walking out of Selhurst Park on Monday with Guilfoyle claiming he "did not have the stomach for the fight."

But the 61-year-old former Sheffield United manager feels he has a case for constructive dismissal – although he will not be following it up – and was unhappy with how Guilfoyle handled the January sale of teenage star Victor Moses to Wigan.

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"It's been very difficult working with him, he's got a high opinion of himself. But they've got a very good compensation fee for me, he didn't turn his nose up at that," said Warnock.

"But the biggest thing for me of late, when we'd been scratching around, was when I found out the agent that the administrator brought in received 100,000 within seven days for selling Victor Moses for 2m. I could have sold him in my sleep, so that was the real bugbear for me, I can't get my head around that."

Administration cost Palace 10 points and Warnock the chance of guiding them to promotion, a move that still rankled him.

"I still don't think we should have had points deducted," he said.

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"The administrators who came in were the only ones who would take it on board. Five or six others refused because it wasn't right.

"Just before they came in was the best we had played for a long time and we were a point off the play-offs. I thought we had a great opportunity.

"If I was 40 years of age I'd have coped better but I felt it was an opportunity of promotion and if I had managed it against all the odds it would have been my finest achievement."

Warnock has left one relegation battle for another, with Rangers just three points ahead of Palace, who are above the drop zone on goal difference alone. The new boss feels he has a great chance of leading the Hoops to promotion next term, but the short-term directive is survival.

"Everyone's talking about the future but the main priority is the next two months," he said.