Mark Clattenburg reveals why Neil Warnock once gave him 0/10 rating that almost cost him Premier League status

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In an EFL Analysis exclusive, Mark Clattenburg has explained why Neil Warnock once gave him a brutal rating in a match report while he was at Sheffield United.

It’s been a while since we saw Neil Warnock in the dugout, but the legendary Championship manager could be back in the game very soon.

With Cardiff City in dire straits, there has been talk of Warnock being primed to replace Omer Riza before the end of the season in a desperate attempt to save the club from relegation.

If he does return, there’ll likely be a few referees in the EFL holding their head in their hands. Warnock is known to wear his heart on his sleeve and say what’s on his mind, something that Mark Clattenburg learned the hard way back in the day.

• READ MORE: Cardiff City handed ‘disaster’ verdict ahead of Sheffield United clash, but there’s one silver lining

Neil Warnock’s brutal Mark Clattenburg rating explained

In an EFL Analysis exclusive, we spoke to esteemed former referee Clattenburg about his experiences of officiating games when Warnock was in the dugout, and it’s safe to say the veteran manager could be a bit of a handful.

He told us: “I had a few run-ins with Neil when he was a manager at Sheffield United for example, a play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest. After the match he came in and said he was marking me zero out of ten for my refereeing performance.

“Normally, for referees to be promoted [to the Premier League], usually quite a lot would be weighted on assessors’ reports but also club reports, too. I asked him why he was giving me a zero and he said it was because he wanted me to stay in the Football League.

“He felt that if I went to the Premier League it would spoil my style of refereeing. So it was a complimentary mark by Neil, even though I didn’t want the zero. But he was excited because they’d won the first leg and he was trying to be nice to me.”

Given Sheffield United’s play-off record, Warnock should probably not have gotten too excited. They crashed out in the second leg on penalties, leaving the United gaffer to probably wish he had Clattenburg in charge of that game, too, despite the harsh rating.

Thankfully, Warnock’s spiteful score didn’t hold back Clattenburg’s career, and he clearly saw the funny side of Warnock’s match report.

• READ MORE: ‘A bit of sense’ – Neil Warnock praised Chris Wilder decision, now Sheffield United need him to prove his worth vs Cardiff

Neil Warnock knows how to get things done

Whether it be getting clubs promoted or helping them stay up, Neil Warnock is a legend in the EFL, and a manager who definitely knows how to achieve success wherever he goes.

He built the foundations for Sheffield United’s long-term success all those years ago, when he sacrificed expensive transfers for a new training ground.

Warnock also transformed Cardiff and managed to get them to the Premier League against all the odds, largely due to his man-management style.

If anyone can save the Bluebirds from the Championship relegation battle this season, it’s Warnock. But, he won’t have much time left if he does come in, and this could well be his toughest task to date.