Neil Warnock has claimed Newcastle United fans are “absolutely bonkers” as he praised their incredible staying power.
The Cardiff City manager delivered his verdict on the north-east giants’ followers ahead of his side’s trip to St James’ Park for Saturday’s clash of the relegation-threatened clubs.
As quoted by Sky Sports correspondent Keith Downie, Warnock revealed how much he has always enjoyed playing at Newcastle and the “pretty special” dedication of their fans.
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock praises – I think – Newcastle fans:
“I always enjoy St James’ Park – and the fans are absolutely bonkers. They’vs stuck with them no matter what, the north east is pretty special with the fans. But we’ll have a good following up in the loft.”— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) January 18, 2019
OPINION
In his own inimitable way, Warnock appears to be expressing his admiration for Newcastle fans, who will probably appreciate the sentiment, if not the exact phrasing used by the veteran manager. Being dubbed ‘absolutely bonkers’ is not usually praise, but in this case, it appears that is the case from the wonderfully straight-talking Warnock. The manager has hit the headlines recently for his controversial claims about Brexit, but he is on safer territory when gushing over the devotion and dedication of the long-suffering Newcastle support. Warnock went on to claim his side are underdogs for Saturday’s clash, although he might struggle to say that with a straight face as his club push through two January striker signings, one of whom is set to cost £18million. Given that Newcastle’s transfer record has not been broken for well over a decade, there will be more than a little envy from the Toon brigade, for whom the penny-pinching ways of owner Mike Ashley are a sad fact of life.