Ex-Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock staying on as Huddersfield manager

EX-Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock says he’s “quietly confident” ahead of next season after agreeing to stay on as Huddersfield Town boss.

Warnock, who will turn 75 in December, has agreed to continue in the dugout after inspiring an unlikely Championship escape act with the Terriers last season.

Huddersfield bosses say this listened to the fans who were “loud and clear” in making it known they wanted Warnock to continue.

Warnock was adamant he’d retired after leaving Boro and insisted he wouldn’t be staying on at the John Smith’s Stadium at the end of the season, but after talks with the club over the summer said it would have been “difficult to walk away”.

It’s been a summer of upheaval at Huddersfield, with Kevin Nagle set to complete his takeover of the club. Jake Edwards was this week appointed as new chief executive and sporting director Leigh Bromby left. Amid the change, the Terriers wanted stability in the dugout, with Warnock agreeing to stay on for one more year.

Huddersfield were second bottom when Warnock took charge in February but he guided them to safety with a run of unlikely victories, including a 4-2 win over former side Boro.

Former Boro coach Ronnie Jepson will stay on with Warnock at Huddersfield.

“After having conversations with Jake Edwards, it became obvious that this was going to be a difficult job for me to leave and for anybody new to come into after what we’d built at the end of last season,” said Warnock.

“I’ve agreed to stay on alongside Ronnie and just as we did when we came back last February, we’re going to try and do the best we can with our squad that we can hopefully make one or two additions to.

“We’re quietly confident – I know what the club is all about and I have to say, the response I got after those last two games is something I’ve never experienced in my whole life. This is now a chance for me to put something back into the club and give us some stability during this transitional period.

“Once I knew that Sharon was okay with me continuing, I’ve been fully concentrating on knuckling down to do the best we can in trying to get this great club up the league.”