Source WalesOnline

NEIL WARNOCK:*

"This is the pinnacle for me"


" Cardiff's such a big club and I don't think even Cardiff realise how big a club they could be."


"I think it's my 38th (pre-season)," recalls Warnock, who admits being revitalised during nine months in South Wales. "That sounds a lot but that's just as a manager, so I think it's about 49 seasons as player and manager.

"I do still get the buzz and I owe that to Sharon, my wife. With the medical problems that she had that brought a lot of things into perspective, but the Cardiff fans have been fantastic, I got my zest back and my passion and I didn't think I could get that really.

"This is the pinnacle for me. Cardiff's such a big club and I don't think even Cardiff realise how big a club they could be."

Warnock's bond with the Bluebirds' fans is such that he hopes to construct a long-running relationship with the club. It's a relationship built on community involvement and taking the club back to its roots.

And at Taff's Well on Friday night, Wellmen fans and Bluebirds supporters alike will come together for a brilliant occasion.

It's the kind of event Warnock wants to be part of for years to come.

"I think it's great for me to be involved and I hope I'm involved for many years," he added. "Because I still think there'll be a role for me when management's finished. My experience is vital and this club is so special."

However, despite Warnock's promotion ambitions for the coming year, the Bluebirds have been written off by bookmakers.

Yet the manager is ignoring the odds, knowing there's an extra factor that bookies have not considered. The fans dub it 'The Warnock Factor', though the manager himself observes a much stronger squad and a formidable fanbase that will be key to realising those ambitions.

Anything is possible with a winning mentality, and Warnock's job now is to build that team ethos over the coming weeks. Pre-season is all about fitness and feeling. Both will come in time.

"The bookies aren't silly and we're supposed to be eighth from the bottom," Warnock added. "But we've got a great bunch of supporters here that can make a big difference at home, and away from home they've been really vocal.

"What we want is a side that can go anywhere and win that game. Yes you're going to have hiccups and disappointments but in the Championship you've got so many games you've just got to get over those disappointments, look forward and look how we can improve.

Referring to the club's summer signings, which now total seven including newest recruit Lee Tomlin , Warnock added: "Tactically we've got so many options now. I think we only had six subs at times last season, whereas now we've got people who can come off the bench and change a game."