Will the fighter fighter transform into the magician?
Can Warnock pull off another great escape or will this be beyond his powers?
Big Move
When Middlesbrough appointed the 71-year-old, they were a sinking ship. The beautiful experiment with Jonathan Woodgate had gone wrong as rookie lurched from one crisis to the other.
There isn’t a Boro fan out there who didn’t want things to work out with one of their favourite sons at the helm, but in the end action was required an a familiar face was turned to.
Hit The Ground Running
Neil Warnock oversaw their latest win, a 2-0 victory over Millwall, and moved the Smoggies up to 18th place and theoretical safety. However, the bottom half of the league is so congested that they’re only three points away from Hull City.
In terms of challenges, this is a tough one. But Warnock is a canny operator and he’s worked his magic before. His stint at keeping Rotherham in the Championship was nothing short of miraculous as he was appointed in February and won manager of the month for March.
Warnock hit the ground running in a similar way with Middlesbrough as he beat fellow relegation strugglers Stoke City but then lost Hull City and Queens Park Rangers. However, that Millwall victory has set them back on the path of survival.
Tough Run
With games against Bristol City, who recently fired their own gaffer, Reading, Cardiff City (an ex-Warnock club) and Sheffield Wednesday, he has a tough run of fixtures to come.
The veteran has been cast as the magic man, the warlock and the escape artist. He’s going to need all his best skills to pull off the feat with Boro.
His start has been inconclusive, but if the players can buy into the manager’s methods he’ll be able to show the whole world that he’s still got a trick up his sleeve.