Neil Warnock

Within English football, he holds the record for the most promotions, with eight, and the most games as a professional manager, with 1626, beating the previous record of 1601.

Warnock played as a winger for Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, scoring 36 goals in 327 career league appearances.

Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who was most recently interim manager of Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.

He is also a television and radio pundit.

In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to non-league.

After a brief stint working in a local undertakers, Warnock started his professional playing career with Chesterfield in 1967, before moving on to Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, making a total of 327 league appearances in an 11-year playing career.

At Hartlepool, he won the club's Player of the Season award in 1972.

Whilst at Hartlepool, at the age of 24, Warnock was inspired to enter football management following his playing days, after a dressing down from manager Len Ashurst after an FA Cup defeat to Boston United.

He retired from league football in 1979, aged 30.

His playing career continued in the 1979–1980 season with non-league Burton Albion making nine appearances and scoring six goals until an injury cut his season short.

He finished his Football League career at Crewe Alexandra in 1979, aged only 30.

His playing career continued at Burton Albion in 1979 which was cut short with an injury and continued when he re-joined Burton as player-manager in 1981–1982, before concentrating on management for the rest of his time at Burton.

Warnock's first managerial job was with non-League Gainsborough Trinity (1980–1981), he would subsequently manage Burton Albion (1981–1986) and Scarborough (1986–1989), winning promotion to the Football League with the latter in 1987.

Warnock's Gainsborough side went unbeaten for the first home 13 games of the 1980–81 Northern Premier League season, a streak that was not equalled by the club until 2022.

Under Warnock's management, Gainsborough finished fifth in the Northern Premier League.

Following this he managed Burton Albion and Scarborough.

He finished his playing career when returning to Burton Albion as player manager in the 1981–1982 season, playing in 29 games and scoring three goals, before concentrating on management for the rest of his time at Burton.

After being involved in Sunday League coaching, his first full managerial job was with Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity in 1981.

During his time at Gainsborough, Warnock also played for the club.

At Scarborough he and Paul Evans, his assistant, won the Football Conference title in 1987, making them the first team to win automatic promotion to the Football League following the abolition of the re-election system.

Warnock had earlier spent time as a coach at Peterborough United, where he met Posh assistant boss Mick Jones.

In late 1988, Warnock became manager of Notts County – then in the Third Division – with Jones as his assistant.

Also joining the backroom staff were Warnock's assistant at Scarborough, Paul Evans, and ex-Scarborough physio Dave Wilson.

He then managed Notts County (1989–1993), leading them from the Third Division to the First Division in successive seasons, though he was sacked after the club were relegated the season before the First Division became known as the Premiership.

The four helped County achieve successive promotions to reach the First Division for the 1991–92 season, with Warnock turning down lucrative offers to manage Chelsea and Sunderland during this time.

After a brief spell at Torquay United (1993), he moved to Huddersfield Town (1993–1995), with whom he won promotion to the new First Division.

He then resigned and joined Plymouth Argyle (1995–1997), leading them to the Second Division.

After being dismissed, he spent spells with Oldham Athletic (1997–1998) and Bury (1998–1999).

In 1999, Warnock joined boyhood club Sheffield United, leading them to the semi-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup in 2003 and promotion to the Premier League in 2006.

However, he resigned in 2007 after the club were relegated.

He then took over at Crystal Palace (2007–2010), saving the club from relegation to League One.

When the club went into administration, he left to join Queens Park Rangers (2010–2012), winning promotion to the Premier League with the club in 2011.

He was sacked with the club in a precarious position and joined Leeds United (2012–2013).

After being dismissed by Leeds following a poor run of form, he was without a club for almost fifteen months until returning to Crystal Palace, then in the Premier League, in August 2014.

In December 2014, he was sacked by Crystal Palace after a poor start to the season, which saw the club in the relegation zone.

After a month as caretaker at Queens Park Rangers, Warnock returned to Rotherham United as manager in February 2016.

He was appointed manager of Cardiff City in October 2016, and led them to Premier League promotion during the 2017–18 season.

Warnock became manager of Middlesbrough in June 2020, a role he held until his departure in November 2021.

Warnock announced his retirement from football management in April 2022 after 42 years as a manager.

He later came out of retirement in February 2023 to return to Huddersfield Town on a short-term contract, successfully guiding the club to Championship safety.