As Cardiff City get set to kick-off their Championship campaign at Burton, Neil Warnock prepares for his 50th season in the game and explains to Chief Football Writer Chris Wathan why after all these years he’s still got goosebumps about the opportunity facing the Bluebirds.

It’s here then, a new season and your 38th campaign as a manager. How are you feeling about it?

NW: Yes, I mentioned to someone the other day it’s my 50th year in football...deary me that sound ancient doesn’t it, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m not really a pre-season manager; I enjoy getting the lads together and all that, but I need that little bit of an edge to games so I’m glad we’re up and running now.

And you still have that same motivation for things?

NW: Yes. I’ve talked about it before but my wife’s illness means I live for today, I don’t worry about things. My only challenge is to please myself if you like. I don’t worry about the sack like other managers, I look to do the best I can with what I’ve got, that’s how I manage. The Championship is probably the most competitive league in the world and the bookies have got us down the bottom half, which you can understand with what we’ve spent. But I’m happy and we have to give it our best shot really. My head says we should be in the bottom half and mid-table would be a reasonable season, but my heart wants more than that. An eighth promotion would mean the world, and especially for the fans down here because they’ve been fantastic for me. There’ll me one or two putting a bet on with the odds we are, but I want to make people smile, to give them something to talk about at the weekend, to feel part of the club. That’s my responsibility.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

It’s obvious they’re behind you going into this campaign, more so than under some of your predecessors?

NW: I can’t speak about what’s happened before, but I have a way of managing and it’s fair to say the club was quite fragmented when I came in. The way I manage isn’t just on the field of play; if I can I manage the office staff, groundsman, cleaners, you name it, because they’re all important. When I look back at my successes, we all had that rapport in the office. I still speak to the office girls at Sheffield United, or in the ticket office at Huddersfield, a cleaner at one of the others, and you need that – and we have that, all in it together, pulling in the same direction.

I’d like to think it’s happier place to come to work for everyone and when you’re happy it’s amazing what you can do in life – and I think we’ve got an opportunity here..... you can tell when I feel good when I get goosepimples when I talk....I think we have an opportunity here to have a go.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

So let’s enjoy it. Yes, there’ll be downsides, we’ll have times when fans are disappointed in my team selection and this that and the other, but what I would say to them is have a look to where we are now and where we were and relish it, enjoy it and let’s give it a go, let’s go to top clubs and have a go. We still need some luck, some decisions, but I’m optimistic.

What do you need for it to happen for the side and for you to get that eighth promotion? What makes a promotion side?

NW: I don’t know, but there is a just a gut feeling you have about players. Right now, I don’t think there’s been many more times I’ve been as positive about the side that I’m picking for Burton, and if you’re happy as a manager you’re half-way there.

When I look back at my promotions, squad-wise, they have been very similar to this one in respect of team spirit. Yes, we’ve lacked big names, we’ve lacked spending a lot of money, but we’ve had something else, an ingredient other teams haven’t had – and it’s that which helps you get where you want to be.

Look, I’m not a magician. I’m not going to say we won’t end up in 15th and have an average season – but it’s not what I’m looking for, not at my age anyhow. I want to be challenging.

You do get a feeling before a season whether you can; I’d been at Sheffield United a couple of years and moulded things, and at QPR I’d been there less time than I’ve been here but we’d finished the season well when we avoided relegation. I have similar feelings here about this group of lads.

Like I say, you don’t know what can happen – if Adel Taarabt had been injured a week into the season at QPR we would have missed 20 goals. You need that bit of luck, and we need our fans to really get behind us, make it a fortress at home and get points we really shouldn’t get. But you also need to be organised, to be up for a wet and windy night in Wales or anywhere else. And you need to know the division – and I love it.

I absolutely love the Championship: the blood and thunder, the week-in, week-out, the fans. I might need a few more afternoon naps as I get older, but this is my cup of tea.

And it all starts again at Burton, a former club of yours?

NW: It gave me a great grounding and the club haven’t had as many accolades as they should have for the job they’ve done to get to this level. It’s the miracle of the last decade. It’s a tough place to go and a good start for us – not glamorous, but that’s what we need. Games like Villa next week take care of themselves, but your Burton Albions will tell us whether we can compete with the other half. They’ll be looking to pull off another miracle to stay up – and getting promotion here will be as just as good, but these things can happen in football when you’ve got something special in the dressing room. We have that.

And you have the trust of the fans to give it a go, it seems. What does that mean to you?

NW: It means a lot. I don’t think the fans are daft.

They know where the bookies have got us, but – and I’m not blowing my own trumpet – I don’t think they could get anyone better to look after their club at the minute. They know that and they tell me that, they show me it, wherever I go....I was in the garden centre this morning for bird seed and I did three photos with different people asking me about the game. I was in Tescos last night and around every corner I had a selfie and a chat about the game, but you never say no because they care – and that’s the difference we have now: everyone cares, from Vincent at the top right down, we all care and we will give it a shot.

If you ask me in three months, I might be saying survival is the best we can hope for, I honestly don’t know what’s around the corner at my age – but at 68 I do know something, I’m going to enjoy it.