Neil Warnock is one of the most competitive managers around in world football, after coaching at the top level of the sport for nearly four decades.
The Middlesbrough head coach is one of the most celebrated and experienced managers that England can boast of, and he adds an indomitable fighting spirit to his team by leading from the front: the 72-year-old Englishman is never one to shy away from altercations and letting his feelings be known.
The latest instance of Warnock being at his effervescent best cropped up when he was caught on camera abusing the referee at a U23 game.
Warnock turned up for the action at Rockcliffe Park as the Boro U23s went head to head against the U23s of Leeds United on Sunday.
It was Leeds United who won the match 4-2, as a frustrated Warnock caught attention on social media as he was filmed throwing abuse at the match official.
Fans could hardly not recognize Warnock’s thick Yorkshire accent addressing the referee in the middle of the game, as he moaned about the decisions not going his team’s way.
Even U23’s referees aren’t safe when Neil Warnock is around…
— Boropolis (@Boropolis) February 7, 2021
Listen out for some choice words from the gaffer during today’s youth fixture with Leeds. #Boro #UTB pic.twitter.com/LXm5dOmaUx
“Consistent ref, eh!? You’ll give them all day man!” – Warnock barked at the referee officiating the fixture after Leeds United took their sweet time while taking a free-kick. The Boro senior team manager was also heard dropping a couple of f-bombs later in the game.
Cardiff City fans would remember Warnock famously putting on a silent protest against the referees in the 2018/2019 season in which they last played in the Premier League.
A couple of years on, the former Cardiff City manager still carries his streak of dogged charisma everywhere he goes, regardless of the setting of the game or the age group of the players involved: be it a U23 game or a full-fledged Premier League encounter.