Former Leeds United manager wins 'most prestigious' EFL award after 1,602-game career
Leeds United are one of more than a dozen EFL clubs Neil Warnock has taken charge of.
Former Leeds United manager Neil Warnock was rewarded for a record-breaking managerial career on Sunday evening after being handed the EFL’s Contribution to League Football award.
Warnock holds the record for taking charge of the most EFL games, with 1,602 appearances in the dugout coming across more than a dozen clubs and spread across over 40 years. The 76-year-old’s thirteen-and-a-half month spell at Leeds won’t go down as his favourite job by any means but success was enjoyed elsewhere.
Eight EFL promotions are more than any other manager and were won at the likes of Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City and Notts County, the latter of whom he won back-to-back promotions with in 1990 and 1991. And those efforts were rewarded on Sunday evening.
The EFL’s website describes their Contribution to League Football award as the ‘most prestigious’ accolade handed out at their yearly awards, with winners recognised for a ‘lifetime of service’ while making a ‘significant impact’ on the Football League. And Warnock joined previous winners Chris Kamara MBE and John Motson OBE in claiming it.
"I've worked hard for this award,” Warnock said. “It's been a long career - 45 years - and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd last that long. Yeah, I've had my ups and downs, but overall, I've really enjoyed football. I try to make people enjoy it. I try to put smiles on the fan's faces, and I think I've done that.
"I am very much like a fan, and I think they appreciate that I say it how it is - cost me a few quid over the years, that. [The EFL] is just the best league in the world. How they do it year and year out, and the crowds they get... We're very lucky in England to have Clubs like this, and I've enjoyed every minute of it."
How did Neil Warnock get on as Leeds United manager?
While Warnock has undoubtedly enjoyed success across the EFL, his short Leeds spell wasn’t so fruitful. The experienced manager took charge at Elland Road in February 2012, replacing Simon Grayson as permanent boss following Neil Redfearn’s brief interim period.
Leeds finished 14th that season and Warnock attempted to revamp his squad the following summer, bringing in the likes of Lee Peltier, Luke Varney, Paddy Kenny and El-Hadji Diouf. But few of his signings worked out in LS11 and Warnock was sacked in April 2013, with a six-game winless run leaving them in danger of relegation to League One.
Warnock is now a regular on Sky Sports and talkSPORT as an EFL pundit where he has regularly been quizzed on Leeds’ promotion push. And the 76-year-old congratulated current Whites boss Daniel Farke on getting the job done last week.
“All credit to Daniel Farke,” Warnock told talkSPORT. “He had some stick earlier in the season, they weren’t getting wins, they had four or five games without a win and the crowd were getting a bit irritated. But I think he’s done a fabulous job, he’s brought the best out of them.
“My favourite player is Dan James – I’ve been watching him for a couple of years. He just excites me. I’m looking forward to seeing him go at defenders in the Premier League.”
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