Sheffield United, QPR… Cardiff? Warnock’s promotion golden touch

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Cardiff are top of the Championship and after success with QPR and Sheffield United, among others, can Neil Warnock get promoted again?

Cardiff player Kenneth Zohore (r) celebrates his first goal with an assist from Junior Hoilett during the Sky Bet Championship match against Leeds United.

Cardiff City are back at the top of the Championship after a convincing 3-1 win over Leeds United – a result which saw them leapfrog the Whites to the summit.

The Welsh team have now opened up a three-point gap over second-placed Leeds and against the odds are leading the way after ten matches.

Danny Ward of Cardiff City celebrates scoring with teammates during the Sky Bet Championship match against Fulham.

Yet should it be such a surprise when they have Neil Warnock as manager? After all, the 68-year-old has made earning promotion something of a specialism during his long and varied career.

If Warnock were to take Cardiff to the Premier League it would be the fourth time he has achieved the feat and with four different teams, having guided Notts County to the top flight as playoff winners in 1991, Sheffield United as runners-up in 2006 and then QPR as champions in 2011.

In total the Yorkshireman has secured seven promotions with six teams, with his success with Notts seeing him take them up two years running from the old Division Three (now League One) to Division One.

Carlos Carvalhal, manager of Sheffield Wednesday (L) and Neil Warnock, manager of Cardiff City (R) chat prior to kickoff.

There is still plenty of time to go in the season of course and the Bluebirds should not get carried away just yet – and neither is Warnock, telling Wales Online before Tuesday’s victory; “we’re not supposed to be up there” – but they do have a boss who has been there and done it.

His secret? In his own words: “I look at previous promotions – look at Huddersfield, Notts County, Sheffield United, QPR – they were great dressing rooms, team spirit was fabulous and that’s what I do, I get a good spirit into the club. Not just in dressing room, around the whole place.

“The fans are with us again now and there’s no different sections, we’re together as a unit. The club is loving it and the side are benefitting from it because everyone wants us to do well.”