A legendary former manager has made a shocking revelation by admitting his wife played a part in the team he selected for a few fixtures.
Former QPR boss and recently retired manager Neil Warnock made a shock admission that his wife was involved in his team selections during his coaching days.
The 73-year-old Englishman was heard speaking on talkSPORT about Antonio Conte and Spurs following their disappointing goalless draw away at Enitracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League.
Warnock suggested that Conte should build a system around the players available to him at Spurs and shouldn’t try to implement a system on players that aren’t suited to it.
“I think you build a system around the players you’ve got and not the other way [around],” said Warnock on the talkSPORT Breakfast Show.
“I did it with QPR, when I had [Adel] Taarabt,” continued Warnock. “I’ve never known anybody like him. I just had a feeling about him. I thought I’ve never seen so much ability.
“We got a system around that player, and that got us success. You have to change things at times. I think Conte is still looking at it and I don’t think he trusts his fullbacks defensive-wise.”
When asked by presenter Laura Woods to confirm a story going around about Warnock playing a right-back in the striker’s position because it was his wife’s dream, the ex-Middlesbrough boss made a shock admission.
“Absolutely,” said Warnock in response to the question regarding the rumoured story. “I signed quite a few players on what Sharon [his wife] said. Really. Of course I did, you know what women are like, they’ve got that intuition.
“When I’ve had them [potential players] in my house or what have you, and I’m talking to them and they’ve left, she’d turn to me and say ‘I don’t quite fancy that one.’ And then I wouldn’t sign them.
“That’s how I’ve been so successful.”
Little did the players know they weren’t being interviewed by Warnock himself, but actually his wife. Simultaneously, players rejected by Warnock during his managerial career, can take some heart from the fact that it was probably his wife that wasn’t too keen on them signing for the club, not Neil himself.