Neil Warnock: West Brom treatment table could take Baggies to Premier League

Carlos Corberan's Baggies got one over on the 74-year-old veteran's Huddersfield on Saturday as Hawthorns pantomime villain Warnock, out of retirement to try to steer the Terriers to safety, enjoyed one final battle with Albion.

It is a weary and threadbare Baggies cohort who, in recent games, have been missing as many as 10 senior players from their squad.

Numbers are easing now, somewhat, and with an international break imminent from next weekend Corberan is hopeful of better numbers for the run-in.

Warnock, though, argued eighth-placed Albion should be a shoo-in for the play-offs. He told the Express & Star: "I think the squad that's missing, that's injured, could get in the top six!

“It just shows you what we’re up against. It’s a great squad and they should be in the play-offs and it’s no good saying they shouldn’t."

Warnock – who tried to rile Albion and Corberan with a jibe before the clash – also reserved praise for a fellow experienced boss Steve Bruce, the Spaniard's Baggies predecessor, who the former felt was unfortunate this term.

“I thought they would be up and I was disappointed for Steve Bruce if I’m honest because I saw five or six of their games early on and they could have won every game," Warnock added.

“They’d either give something away and draw or lose games and I knew time was short for him, but dear me, the squad they’ve got.

“It will be interesting now because there are so many good teams and we play them all, so we can help them get into the play-offs and hopefully decide who goes up.

“My last time here, eh? If I’m here next year, it will be – or I’ll be divorced!”

Saturday saw typical Warnock toing and froing with Baggies fans and the Yorkshireman, manager of Sheffield United in the infamous Battle of Bramall Lane, enjoyed the contest.

“I nearly took over here when Jeremy Peace was here," he added. "It’s a football place isn’t it? I’ve always liked it here, apart from getting out of the car park!

“They’re good fans as well and I’m sure they would have enjoyed me managing them as well at that time.

“So it’s nice to come back. I said thank you to their fans for their chants – I don’t know what they were singing!

“That’s what I miss when I’m gardening and fishing – I love the fans giving me a bit of stick.

“That’s what it’s all about. The managers these days are pretty bland.

“You’ve only got to look around and there aren’t enough characters around.

“Everybody’s a statistician and they can give you figures about everything."