Neil Warnock wishes ex-player Montgomery well as he admits to being close to Hearts job
The great EFL manager Neil Warnock recently acknowledged that he applied for the Pittodrie job many years ago and that he once came dangerously close to managing Heart of Midlothian.
In order to maintain Huddersfield Town in the Championship the previous season, the 74-year-old, who now holds the record for the most matches managed in English professional football, recently came out of retirement for a fifth time.
However, in a recent podcast, the ex-Leeds United manager revealed that he has in fact always wanted to manage north of the border.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sacked in the Morning podcast, Warnock said: “I love Scotland – I’ve always wanted to manage in Scotland. I have never had any offers, although I think I was close to Hearts once.”
The Yorkshireman, who managed Nick Montgomery during his eight year stint at Sheffield United, has wished the 42-year-old well, stating he would have relished the opportunity to take charge of an SPFL side.
“I’ve always wanted to have a go at Celtic and Rangers”, the former manager said. “I love Rangers. I’m a Rangers fan, only because Ally McCoist is Rangers. It’s me and him against Alan Brazil, who’s mad Celtic.
“It was a wonderful day when I went to Celtic and Gordon Strachan brought me into the office. The fervor of Rangers and Celtics supporters! Edinburgh has always struck me in the same way. Hibernian: My former teammate Nick Montgomery is in charge of the Hibs team. I’m hoping they succeed greatly.
“I seem to recall that when I applied for the Aberdeen job, I received no response at all. My former player Laurent D’Jaffo was at Aberdeen when I asked him, ‘What’s it like up there, Laurent?’ “Gaffer, that’s the only place the seagulls never land,” he said. The planet’s coldest location!
“You really never know what’s around the bend, but I never received a response from Aberdeen. These days, I find challenges fascinating, therefore that’s what I want to do. I would take it on if there was another one after Christmas.”
The 74-year-old, who signed a one-year contract in the summer and kept the Terriers from relegation, was fired by the team in mid-September. He now enjoys his new schedule of working from February until the end of the season, but he acknowledged he hopes to get back in the saddle after a “nice Christmas.”
Warnock also joked that September was the best time to be relieved of his duties: “It was a great time to get the sack. The Ryder Cup was coming up, the Rugby World Cup was starting and it was the Cricket World Cup.”
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