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Report: Middlesbrough preparing to appoint Neil Warnock with Jonathan Woodgate on the brink

Lee Clarke

Mon 2 December 2019 11:15, UK

Neil Warnock is being lined up for a surprise return to management with Championship outfit Middlesbrough,

The 71-year-old is a proven second-tier boss and is out of work having left Cardiff City last month.

Jonathan Woodgate is on the brink at the Riverside Stadium. His team were thumped 4-0 at Leeds on Saturday and are just a point outside the relegation zone.

Warnock spent three years at the Cardiff City Stadium, leading the club into the Premier League where they spent last season.

His 33 years as a manager have seen him win promotion eight times, including three from the Championship into the top-flight.

Woodgate only signed a three-year deal with Boro in June but would appear to be on borrowed time after just 19 games of the season.

Owner Steve Gibson chose the former defender as the man to replace Tony Pulis after failing to reach the play-offs last season.

TBR Verdict – Warnock would be shrewd but potentially short-term

Given his age, it would perhaps represent a surprise for Warnock to take a job so soon after his last.

That said, there must be a desire to keep working for him to consider taking another job.

Middlesbrough isn’t a lost cause either. The club still boasts a decent squad and Warnock will fancy his chances of reviving the fortunes.

It is fair to say that Woodgate has found his first foray into management a tough baptism of fire.

Gibson changed the approach by appointing a young, up and coming coach to replace the old-fashioned Pulis. The strategy change hasn’t paid dividends and the club would appear to be thinking of a change once again.

Warnock would certainly help stop the rot. Indeed, if he was only given a deal until the end of the season, it would allow Gibson ample time to identify a long-term successor.