The ONLY man to replace Dougie Freedman is Sheffield's finest football manager
Yes, you read that right.
I believe that Bolton Wanderers, should they sack current manager Dougie Freedman, can look no further for a replacement than former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock, who has been out of work since leaving Leeds United in April 2013, having previously led unfancied Queen's Park Rangers to the Premiership in 2011.
Spending the majority of career in and around the Second Division (known today as The Championship), Warnock has a virtually unmatched CV in terms of getting the most out of average teams.
Beginning with his time at Scarborough, Warnock won the Football Conference title in 1987, before moving to Notts County in 1989. There he really began to make his name, earning successive promotions to reach the First Division (now Premier League) for the 1991-92 season. Impressive given that Notts County had done nowt for ages before Warnock arrived at the club.
Along the way, Warnock turned down lucrative offers to manage Chelsea and Sunderland in order to stay at County. He left the club after they suffered relegation from the Premier League after their debut season in the competition. Clearly, he's a man who knows how to mould a side, and to get the most from what he finds at a club.
Before joining Huddersfield in 1993, he had a short spell at Torquay United where he inspired them from a seemingly impossible situation to reach eventual survival in the Fourth Division, adding more success to his already impressive CV.
Warnock again won promotion with his new side, and again this was via the Play Offs as Huddersfield defeated Brentford in the Final at Wembley. Experience of this knockout games, where what matters is tactics and performances in a pressurised situation, would go a long way towards helping out a struggling Bolton side where every single game counts.
Despite this success, he soon moved on again, this time to Plymouth Argyle, where he again showed his ability by taking the club to fourth place and again eventual Play Off success.
Following disappointing spells in charge of Oldham Athletic and Bury, Warnock was appointed as manager of Sheffield United in 1999. There, operating on a shoe-string budget - similar to that experienced by Dougie Freedman at Bolton - he soon tasted success, taking the club to the semi-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup, only to lose to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, as well as the First Division play-off final, with his side beaten 3-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
This was the first time in his management career that he had lost a Play-Off final. I know that I'd rather have a lucky manager than a good one.
In 2005 Warnock and Sheffield United were promoted back to the Premier League, though their stay only lasted a single season thanks to the cheating of West Ham United with the Carlos Tevez affair. Despite their struggles, his Sheffield United side had performed well across the season thanks to some astute signings from Warnock.
However, he would leave the club following relegation and was soon invited to take over at Crystal Palace, who at the time suffered from years of financial mismanagement.
Under Warnock, Palace made a massive turn-around, moving from relegation battlers to promotion contenders in the space of six months, with Warnock's use of youngsters a major factor in the improved performances and results. Palace made the play-offs in the end, but were beaten at the semi-final stage by Bristol City.
Bolton Wanderers currently have a crop of promising youngsters, who would benefit from Warnock's no-nonsense style of management. He has shown throughout his career that he is not afraid of blooding young players, unlike the current manager who despite talking a good game, regarding the kids, is afraid of standing by his own words.
Warnock moved to QPR in March 2010, and helped the club comfortably avoid relegation before romping to the league title the following season, topping the table for the majority of the year. He was, in the eyes of many, unfairly sacked by new owner Tony Fernandes the following season with QPR still outside the relegation zone. Such was the catastrophic effect on the club's fortunes that they suffered a relegation from which they are arguably still suffering today.
His time at Leeds was again hampered by financial troubles, but such was his standing in the game that the Bahrain takeover of the club was dependent on Warnock staying at the club.
All this shows to me that Neil Warnock is a man who knows how to win, how to succeed, and most importantly has experience of the sort of situation that Bolton Wanderers find themselves in.
Granted, he's had his battles with players, officials and the media in the past - but this shows that he's a man who is prepared to win at all costs. I believe we have a manager who can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk. We need someone tough and someone who has both the ability and experience to come in, take the admittedly-talented Bolton Wanderers squad by the scruff of the neck, and save our season.
He might well be a shit, but he's a winner. Oh, and he hates Gary Megson.
Phil, it's over to you.
Honours
Promotions
1986-87:Conference winners (promotion to Division 4) -Scarborough
1989-90:Division 3 Playoff winners (promotion to Division 2) - Notts County
1990-91:Division 2 Playoff winners (promotion to Division 1) - Notts County
1994-95:Division 2 Playoff winners (promotion to Division 1) - Huddersfield Town
1995-96:Division 3 Playoff winners (promotion to Division 2) - Plymouth Argyle
2005-06:Championship runners-up (promotion to Premier League) - Sheffield United
2010-11:Championship winners (promotion to Premier League) - Queens Park Rangers
Career Statistics
Team
From
To
Record
P
W
D
L
Win %
Gainsborough Trinity
July 1980
January 1981
-
Burton Albion
January 1981
February 1986
-
Scarborough
1 August 1986
1 January 1989
78
30
25
23
38.46
Notts County
5 January 1989
14 January 1993
209
90
49
70
43.06
Torquay United
15 February 1993
2 June 1993
15
5
5
5
33.33
Huddersfield Town
15 July 1993
5 June 1995
108
44
34
30
40.74
Plymouth Argyle
22 June 1995
3 February 1997
88
35
24
29
39.77
Oldham Athletic
21 February 1997
7 May 1998
69
27
22
20
39.13
Bury
2 June 1998
2 December 1999
77
29
29
19
37.66
Sheffield United
2 December 1999
15 May 2007
388
165
100
123
42.53
Crystal Palace
11 October 2007
2 March 2010
129
47
39
43
36.43
Queens Park Rangers
2 March 2010
8 January 2012
84
33
27
24
39.29
Leeds United
18 February 2012
1 April 2013
63
23
15
25
36.51
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Should Dougie Freedman be sacked?
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