Leeds United boss Neil Warnock has urged GFH not to panic as they begin their search for a new manager, and says they need to take their time and make sure they can find the right man to take the club forward. 

On Saturday Warnock confirmed that he is ready to step down in the aftermath of yet another disappointing result as we lost at home to Huddersfield, though he says that he should hang around for the time being to help the club’s new owners choose his successor. Realistically, this latest defeat has left us with no chance of making the play-offs, as we’re seven points behind with a far inferior goal difference, and Warnock had previously said he wouldn’t continue if we weren’t in the Premier League next season.

Our current playing record is strictly mid-table, with 14 wins and 14 defeats during the season, yet Warnock is still insisting that he will be leaving the club in a heathly state, with only a couple more signings needed to build a side that could challenge for promotion next season.  He told the Yorkshire Post "They're in a situation now where the club is geared for the Premier League.” And he thinks that with better backing off the field things could have been very different this time.

"The new owners have come in, it was the longest takeover I've ever known, I expected that to be finalised last August, so it has been a difficult eight or nine months for me. I wanted to give it a go to get in the Premier League because it's a fabulous club and I still think with a little bit more fortune and a bit more investment at the right time we could have been there. "To lose Snodgrass was a major blow. He was the only player I didn't want to lose. We've never quite replaced that quality. It's frustrating for me.”

And despite the frustrations of the current season, he thinks the board need his advice to choose his successor. "I don't want them to panic and get anybody. I've seen some of the people putting their hat in the ring and quite honestly I think the club should be patient. I've got a couple of ideas of who they should be going for if that's the case, but let's see what happens. I want them to get the best manager they can get to replace me and some of them might not be available until the summer."

That might be an indication that the man he has in mind is Nigel Adkins, who can’t take the job right now as he is still trying to sort out his compensation after his harsh sacking by Southampton. Hopefully that will be resolved by the time Warnock’s contract expires at the end of June, in which case the timing might suit all parties. Warnock can keep going as the season runs down until he can pick up his pension, and we can get a manager with a proven record at this level without having to poach him off another club.

What can possibly go wrong?

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