Neil Warnock: Former Middlesbrough, QPR and Sheffield United manager retires
Last updated on .From the section Football
Former Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and QPR boss Neil Warnock has announced his retirement from management.
The 73-year-old left his most recent job at Championship side Boro in November and has had a career spanning 41 years across 16 different clubs.
Warnock holds the record for promotions in English football with eight, notably taking his boyhood club Sheffield United into the Premier League in 2006.
In announcing the decision, he told Sky Sports: "I decided to have a rest."
Warnock managed 1,603 games across his career, with his longest spell being at Sheffield United between 1999 and 2007 in which he won 165 of his 388 matches in charge.
"I just thought it was the right time. Coming towards the end of the season, there's not really a job you're going to get before then," Warnock said.
"I've had a good run. I'm enjoying things I've not done for years, I'm having a lot of time with the family, my dogs and I've taken up cycling too.
"I'm not saying the enthusiasm's gone - I've not lost that - but when I see some of my friends who are struggling health wise, there comes a time where you have to let your family enjoy a little bit more of your time."
Warnock also took QPR into the top flight in 2011, before repeating the feat with Cardiff in 2018.
His time in the Welsh capital featured the tragic disappearance and death of Emiliano Sala, which Warnock described as his "worst week in football".
Prior to management, an 11-year playing career as a winger saw Warnock turn out for Rotherham United, Barnsley and Crewe Alexandra, before retiring from on-pitch duties at the age of 30.
He landed his first full-time managerial role with Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity in 1981.
His first promotion took Scarborough into the Football League in 1987, before Notts County went up two seasons in a row to land a First Division spot in 1991.
Whether in charge of Leeds United, Crystal Palace or Plymouth Argyle, he was known as a tenacious leader who could bring a dressing room together and never shied away from criticising referees.
Michael Brown, who played for Warnock at Sheffield United and at Leeds, paid tribute to the "incredible career" of his former boss.
He said: "When I first met Neil Warnock, he was probably still fighting to prove himself.
"At Sheffield United, in the early days, we were down to 12,000 in crowds. Quickly we were up to 25-30,000, getting the club back to where it belonged.
"Great passion for the game. Yes, he didn't always do things that didn't upset people, but that was part of the make-up."
