Neil Warnock has been confirmed as the new first team manager at Cardiff City, succeeding Paul Trollope who departed the club earlier this week.
And the journeyman manager is eager to get to work and help the 23rd-placed Bluebirds climb up the Sky Bet Championship table.In his first interview with Cardiff City Player, Warnock was visibly excited about the task ahead.
“I've always liked it here. Everywhere I go I get stick, but I get on quite well with the Cardiff lads.
“They're my type of crowd, blood and guts and all that, which I like. If I can get it right for them, I know how much they'll get behind me.
“I do enjoy challenges, and the challenge at the moment is to get the team higher up the league and we'll see where we go.”
Warnock is hoping to get that crowd onside quickly and get the Cardiff City Stadium rocking again – the Welsh faithful have witnessed just one home win so far, and that came courtesy of two own goals against Blackburn Rovers.
Current Championship clubs Burton Albion, Huddersfield Town, QPR and Leeds United are among Warnock's former employers as a manager, along with Rotherham United with whom he masterminded a great escape last term.
The 67-year-old is looking forward to a facing those clubs and others in the upcoming months, including his dugout debut against Bristol City – a match which will be screened live on Sky Sports on Friday 14th October, once the Championship returns from the international break.4 - Neil Warnock lost just four of his 16 league games in charge of Rotherham last season (W6 D6). Escapology. pic.twitter.com/HvkfALqs6W
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 5, 2016
“It's a hostile environment here and that's what managers like. I love our fans to be as hostile as they can within the Laws of the Game, and that's what I'll be asking of our fans over the next few weeks. I want to put a smile on their faces.
“There's some mouth-watering games coming up. When I looked at the fixture list, it wasn't a feeling of trepidation, it was one of looking forward to it.
“[Bristol City] is a fantastic game to start with, a cracking local derby. It's one to whet the appetite.”
Neil Warnock - stats
First managerial role: Gainsborough Trinity - 1980
Different clubs managed prior to appointment: 14
Promotions earned: 7
Here's the updated EFL managers table, ordered by date of appointment:
| Rank | Manager | Club | Appointed | Division |
| 1 | Paul Tisdale | Exeter City | 06/06 | League Two |
| 2 | Karl Robinson | Milton Keynes Dons | 05/10 | League One
|
| 3 | Paul Hurst
| Grimsby Town
| 03/11 | League Two
|
| 4 | Jim Bentley
| Morecambe
| 05/11 | League Two
|
| 5 | Steve Davis | Crewe Alexandra | 11/11 | League Two
|
| 6 | Gareth Ainsworth
| Wycombe Wanderers
| 09/12 | League Two
|
| 7 | Neal Ardley
| AFC Wimbledon
| 10/12 | League One
|
| 8 | Mick McCarthy
| Ipswich Town
| 11/12 | Championship
|
| 9 | Keith Hill
| Rochdale
| 01/13 | League One
|
| 10 | Simon Grayson
| Preston North End
| 02/13 | Championship |
| 11 | Phil Brown
| Southend United
| 03/13 | League One
|
| 12 | David Flitcroft
| Bury
| 12/13 | League One
|
| 13 | Martin Allen
| Barnet
| 03/14 | League Two
|
| 14 | Darrell Clarke
| Bristol Rovers
| 03/14 | League One
|
| 15 | Micky Mellon
| Shrewsbury Town
| 05/14 | League One
|
| 16 | Michael Appleton
| Oxford United
| 07/14 | League One
|
| 17 | John Coleman
| Accrington Stanley
| 09/14 | League Two
|
| 18 | Keith Curle
| Carlisle United
| 09/14 | League Two
|
| 19
| Gary Rowett
| Birmingham City
| 10/14 | Championship
|
| 20 | Adam Murray
| Mansfield Town
| 11/14 | League Two
|
| 21 | Chris Hughton
| Brighton & Hove Albion
| 12/14 | Championship
|
| 22 | Alex Neil
| Norwich City
| 01/15 | Championship
|
| 23 | Justin Edinburgh
| Gillingham
| 02/15
| League One
|
| 24 | Neil Harris
| Millwall
| 03/15 | League One
|
| 25 | Gary Johnson
| Cheltenham Town
| 03/15
| League Two
|
| 26 | Gary Caldwell
| Wigan Athletic
| 04/15 | Championship
|
| 27 | Paul Cook
| Portsmouth
| 05/15 | League Two
|
| 28
| Derek Adams
| Plymouth Argyle
| 06/15
| League Two
|
| 29
| Carlos Carvalhal
| Sheffield Wednesday
| 06/15 | Championship
|
| 30 | Darren Ferguson
| Doncaster Rovers
| 10/15 | League Two
|
| 31 | David Wagner
| Huddersfield Town
| 11/15 | Championship
|
| 32 | Shaun Derry
| Cambridge United
| 11/15 | League Two
|
| 33 | Dean Smith
| Brentford
| 11/15 | Championship |
| 34 | Darren Way
| Yeovil Town
| 12/15 | League Two
|
| 35 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
| Queens Park Rangers
| 12/15 | Championship |
| 36 | Nigel Clough
| Burton Albion
| 12/15 | Championship |
| 37 | Danny Wilson
| Chesterfield
| 12/15 | League One
|
| 38
| Slavisa Jokanovic
| Fulham
| 12/15 | Championship
|
| 39
| Luke Williams
| Swindon Town
| 12/15 | League One
|
| 40
| Nathan Jones
| Luton Town
| 01/16 | League Two
|
| 41 | Darren Sarll
| Stevenage
| 02/16 | League Two
|
| 42 | Lee Johnson
| Bristol City
| 02/16 | Championship
|
| 43 | Paul Heckingbottom
| Barnsley
| 02/16 | Championship
|
| 44 | Craig Hignett
| Hartlepool United
| 02/16 | League Two
|
| 45 | Jon Whitney
| Walsall
| 03/16
| League One
|
| 46 | Rafael Benitez
| Newcastle United
| 03/16
| Championship
|
| 47
| Graham Alexander
| Scunthorpe United
| 03/16
| League One
|
| 48
| Grant McCann
| Peterborough United
| 04/16
| League One
|
| 49
| Dermot Drummy
| Crawley Town
| 04/16
| League Two
|
| 50 | John McGreal
| Colchester United
| 05/16
| League Two
|
| 51 | Chris Wilder
| Sheffield United
| 05/16
| League One
|
| 52 | Rob Page
| Northampton Town
| 05/16
| League One
|
| 53 | John Sheridan
| Notts County
| 05/16
| League Two
|
| 54 | Nigel Pearson*
| Derby County
| 05/16
| Championship
|
| 55
| Alan Stubbs
| Rotherham United
| 06/16 | Championship |
| 56
| Gary Bowyer
| Blackpool
| 06/16 | League Two
|
| 57
| Garry Monk
| Leeds United
| 06/16
| Championship
|
| 58
| Owen Coyle
| Blackburn Rovers
| 06/16
| Championship |
| 59 | Russell Slade
| Charlton Athletic
| 06/16
| League One
|
| 60 | Phil Parkinson
| Bolton Wanderers
| 06/16
| League One
|
| 61 | Jaap Stam
| Reading
| 06/16
| Championship |
| 62 | Stuart McCall
| Bradford City
| 06/16
| League One
|
| 63 | Bruno Ribeiro
| Port Vale
| 06/16
| League One
|
| 64
| Philippe Montanier
| Nottingham Forest
| 06/16
| Championship |
| 65
| Steve Robinson
| Oldham Athletic
| 07/16
| League One
|
| 66
| Walter Zenga
| Wolverhampton Wanderers
| 07/16 | Championship |
| 67
| Uwe Rosler
| Fleetwood Town
| 07/16
| League One
|
| 68
| Alberto Cavasin
| Leyton Orient
| 10/16
| League Two
|
| 69
| Neil Warnock
| Cardiff City
| 10/16
| Championship
|
| 70
| Vacant
| Newport County | TBC
| League Two
|
| 71
| Vacant
| Coventry City
| TBC
| League One
|
| 72
| Vacant
| Aston Villa
| TBC
| Championship
|
*currently suspended