Neil Warnock delivers verdict on Garry Monk, Leeds fans will love this
By Alex Stevens
Neil Warnock has hailed Garry Monk as the manager of the season.
The Cardiff boss paid the huge compliment to one of his successors in the Elland Road hotseat as he ran the rule over Leeds ahead of his return to the club this weekend.
Warnock takes 17th-placed Cardiff to Leeds aiming to deliver another blow to the promotion challenge mounted so successfully by Monk’s side this season.
The Yorkshire giants slipped one place in the Championship table following their 2-1 defeat at rivals Huddersfield last weekend.
But they are still well established in the play-off positions after Monk transformed the fortunes of the side who finished 13th last season and had been in mid-table for many years before his arrival.
Leeds are fifth in the division ahead of the weekend fixtures after accumulating 54 points from 30 matches and are just eight points adrift of leaders Newcastle.
“Monk’s done a great job,” said Warnock, as quoted by the Twitter account on Friday of Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent Lee Sobot. “Probably my manager of the season so far.”
Leeds fans will be delighted by the recognition of their manager from a proven expert in the Championship.
Veteran manager Warnock, 68, had a 14-month spell at Leeds that ended when he was sacked in April 2013 with the club five points off the relegation zone.
The famously combustible Yorkshireman was amused that Monk had an altercation with his opposite number David Wagner at Huddersfield last weekend that sparked a brawl involving both sets of players and coaching staffs.
“I don’t condone action like that on the touchline,” laughed Warnock. “I say that with tongue firmly in cheek”.
In other Leeds news, the club came within a whisker of signing this forward on deadline day.
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