Neil Warnock was pictured enjoying lunch with Ken Bates in Monaco yesterday fuelling rumours he will take over the Leeds Managers job following today's clash with Doncaster Rovers.

The pictures in the Sun newspaper taken outside Bates' favourite Monte Carlo cafe shows Warnick, somewhat bizarrely carrying a brown man bag and dressed in a schoolteacher style blazer with elbow patches sitting down at an outside table next to Bates with Chief Exec Shaun Harvey looming in the background around 12:30 yesterday.

Odds on Warnock taking over subsequently tumbled and the man who was the original favourite to succeed Simon Grayson is now once again the bookies favourite on a list that has had a new favourite almost on a daily basis.

Leeds fans will inevitably greet the news with mixed-views because of Warnocks past links with Sheffield United where he made it very clear he did not particularly like us very much. However his record is outstanding at getting clubs promotion on limited budgets and the post-Valentines day date in Monaco could be an ideal match if the two men with massive egos manage to find some common ground and agree to try and work together.

Warnocks no-nonsense, abrasive attitude would be a welcome kick-up-the-backside to a team that have performed so pitifully at times this season and his persona would give the press and the outside world a good reason to despise us again.

Whilst his dress sense was anything but French chic yesterday, Warnock's CV suits us down to the ground, that is of course if he can be persuaded to join us and work within what many observers perceive as a tight budget -although Bates argues we are £2.5m over budget in salaries this season. If he does come on board and let's face it, he is the best available and realistic candidate for the job, it will be an interesting ride!

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