Neil Warnock might have thought he had the world at his feet when he took his beloved Sheffield United into the Premiership. Now it might be that feet could be his world once again as he throws his toys out of the cot after being offered a "take it or leave" cut in promised salary after the Blades' exit from the top flight.

Not many people know this, but Warnock is a qualified chiropodist, so, if needs must, he can always resort to a bit of toenail trimming and soul-soothing now that the wolf has come to his door. The poor man was told he would only get a £450,000 contract now that United are back in the Championship, as opposed to the £750,000 that would have found its way into Warnock's account if the Blades had stayed in the Premiership.

Wigan's Paul Jewell has already gone after admitting managing a Premiership club was making him ill. The chubby Scouser simply couldn't take any more, despite the Latics' last-gasp survival with that victory at Bramall Lane that condemned Sheffield United, while giving Wigan another crack at dodging the big drop.

'There were a couple of incidents during Warnock's tenure at Gigg Lane that left you wondering whether those other managers might have had a point and whether Neil was actually playing with a full pack'


Working for Dave Whelan can be bad for your health, it would appear. Well, Warnock didn't have any complaints about his board - not any that appeared in print that often, anyway! But I, for one, feel he will be a big loss not just to the Premiership, but to football in general if he leaves football.

There won't be many inside the game that agree with that. Indeed, the chirpy Yorkshireman would probably emerge as the man most hated - way ahead of Jose Mourinho - if a poll of his fellow soccer bosses was to be conducted. The reason being that he was different. He didn't toe the tired, old managerial line of defending not just his own team, but everyone and anyone in the game against attack from outsiders and, in particular, the media. Warnock, you see, is a friend of the media. He is the only manager to have actually phoned ME up and told me to come down and get the full story on the latest player he had lost his rag with and was shipping out.

That was when he was manager at Bury - his last stop before arriving in the Promised Land at the Lane. Mind you, there were a couple of incidents during his tenure at Gigg Lane that left you wondering whether those other managers might have had a point and whether Neil was actually playing with a full pack.

When Bury entertained Sheffield United in the League Cup, Warnock turned up that evening in blazer, smart pressed pants, crisp white shirt - and a Sheffield United tie! Yes, the manager of Bury sporting the opposition colours for all to see in a manner that suggested he was more than just an ordinary fan, but one of the powers that be. Must have been a sign of things to come. And just how his team talk went down in the Bury dressing room that night, one can only hazard a hilarious guess.

On another occasion, I walked into his office for a chat about the following day's game and as we talked I was alerted to a rather strange rumbling noise coming from somewhere not too far from us. I scoured the room feverishly and was absolutley gobsmacked to discover Warnock's collie sheepdog growling at me from under his master's desk. Handy for rounding up the stragglers on the team's cross-country runs, but a slightly unusual addition to a football manager's office, don't you think?

Talking of dogs, Mourinho apparently lost the plot the other day when his mutt was under threat of being seized under quarantine regulations. The poor little beast, a Yorkshire terrier by all accounts, did a runner. Wise move if he had to put up with Mourinho's bark all the time. The Yorkie will probably turn up seeking asylum with Ken Bates at Leeds United. Now, that WOULD be a lunatic move!

Finally, Stuart Pearce was ranting on that he felt like he was treated as a caretaker. Balancing the books, keeping Manchester City in the Premiership, while hinting that he could have done a lot more if he had been given as much brass as his predecessor, and what he reckons his successor will get if the big-money takeover said to be on the horizon at Eastlands materialises.

Whatever the circumstances in all four instances, my advice to any manager in a similar situation would be to take whatever severance money is on offer and run lad, run!

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