On the eve of his final day as manager of Leeds United, Neil Warnock lamented live on the BBC how all “the right men” to replace him were already in jobs. He couldn’t possibly leave. The poor club, the poor fans. If only the perfect successor were available, then he could sleep at night knowing that stepping aside hadn’t condemned United to unimaginable suffering.

With his contract scheduled to end with the season, his willingness to accept not being the future of Leeds United gave him licence to shirk the here and now, it seemed, while his generous assessment of others’ failings was the best screen for his own.

⬢

To read the rest of this article, you need to join TSB+ — members get access to this plus extra podcast and video episodes, all podcasts advert-free, can read every issue of our magazine online and much more. You can join or log in below.