Warnock Throws In the Towel at Leeds

Oh dear. I don't think I've ever heard a football manager sound so depressed in public. Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Old Big Gob bares his soul and effectively gives up on all hope of promotion this season.

It is a sad and telling cry of despair. Love him or hate him, Warnock is a passionate man and it is this passion that enabled him to achieve success with mediocre players motivated to run through brick walls for their Drill Sergeant.  But take away that passion, or convert that passion to negative energy, and what have you got. Manic depression.

Leeds are not yet out of the promotion race, no matter what Warnock thinks. A top two berth remains possible - just - but a finish in the top 6 is far from out of the question. A good run of results, especially against teams currently in the play off places, could see Leeds charge up the table. But are they going to do that with Warnock saying things like, “We’ve got top teams to play so we could be a lot nearer the bottom in four weeks’ time" or "“I don’t think I’m thick and if you look at the league table, I don’t think we should be talking about promotion at the moment – which is what I came for” or "When you’re like this as a club, as we were at QPR, you’re very much stagnated" or  "I get frustrated because if I was 10 years younger then there’s always tomorrow. But I want to do it today. It’s looking very much like that’s not going to be possible and it’s a disappointment."

We can all understand Neil's frustration, but are his words wise? How are they going to help motivate his players?

Warnock goes on to predict that even the loan window will be closed by the time the GFH Capital takeover happens - if it happens at all! Warnock certainly isn't convinced because he says, "“Until it happens, no matter what anyone tells me, I won’t really believe anything. I don’t think I can.”

Now this extension to the exclusivity period is very strange. As Warnock moans, "“The window for the loan market ends next Thursday and I’ll be very surprised if it (the takeover) happens before then. So it doesn’t really help me. By all means I can look for players in January. But where will be in January?" Tell me, if you are a serious buyer, why would you drag out the deal so long, knowing that as every week passes, the chances of the team securing promotion recede? It now appears that Bates and GFH have yet to agree the deal! Six months down the line and they are still bloody negotiating!

The Guardian suggested this week that GFH Capital need to sell assets before they can buy and questioned the viability of the whole company, never mind the deal. No wonder Warnock is sounding depressed!

Of course, the mood could all change with a victory at Millwall. This is a huge game for Leeds. Lose it and the die is cast; win it and suddenly Leeds could be back on the up. Given the importance of the game, it is doubly surprising that Warnock has vented in this way. Maybe, just maybe, he is personally at the point of no return. Maybe he really has thrown in the towel.