BURY fans wished him a not-so-fond farewell and Sheffield United's supporters won't exactly be rolling out the red carpet for Neil Warnock.

Cheering Shakers supporters phoned the Bury Times once the news that Warnock had gone broke yesterday morning.

"You've made my day." said one. "Is it true?" asked another in a voice that was close to screaming. "It is! That's brilliant news," he cried.

And although Warnock is a dyed-in-the-wool United supporter himself and has shares in the club, the Blades' fans fear he will take the Bramall Lane club even further down market than they already are.

United fanatic Wayne Vaughan wasn't exactly elated. "Oh, great," was his immediate reaction.

"We've lost three quality managers over the last four years in Howard Kendall, Nigel Spackman and Steve Bruce. They could have re-directed us into the Premiership, as long as the board didn't interfere.

"Now I think they are clutching at straws. There aren't many managers who would touch United now because of the actions of the directors in the past. It's public knowledge that we are a selling club.

"Every 18 months they have a clear-out. Even if they have promising youngsters that they have brought on they canvass other clubs and sell them at knockdown prices."

Sports psychologist Richard O'Neill gave an insight into the mind games going on at Gigg when he said: "Following my work at Shrewsbury Town, I have since been involved with other players and a situation at another club not unlike the one currently going on at Bury.

"The psychological effect this can have on the players cannot be underestimated.

"My advice to the supporters is that the majority, or large minority, seem to have got what they have wanted for a long time.

"Now is the time for everyone who is even remotely interested in having a League football club in Bury to show support for the chairman and the players. Because they are really going to need it."

Farnworth-based Shakers season-ticket holder Neil Taylor was pleased by Warnock's exit, claiming that he had been the chief cause of a split between the club and the fans. He said: "A change will be good for the club. Hopefully, the new man will reunite the club and the fans and take the team up the table.

"I didn't like Neil Warnock's style of football. I don't like to see Bury playing the long ball game. I would like to see the team employing more style on the ball, every Shakers fan would.

"He also had a habit of building opponents up in his programme notes, which made Bury fans believe we were the underdogs in almost every match."

Nick Johnson, a true Blade, says: "What concerns Sheffield United supporters is that Neil Warnock has the reputation of being a long ball merchant. He carries that tag.

"United see him as a guy who is prepared to take the job when there is no money available.

"Warnock is desperate to do the job. He's hungry for it and has made no secret of the fact that he wants the job. Let's see what he can do."

Another United-ite, Jamie Hamilton, was ready to give Warnock a chance.

"I've got to admire him for taking it on. It's a hell of a challenge at the moment.

"I really wanted Nigel Spackman to come back, but that's not going to happen, so I'm quite happy with Neil Warnock.

"There's a question mark about his long ball tactics, but his appointment will appease the fans. To be honest, I'll be happy if he just keeps us up this season.

"There's a big fear that you can't go up into the Premiership playing long ball football now and if you tried to you would get absolutely slaughtered.

"We are not going up this year anyway. I just hope he doesn't get messed about by the board all the time."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.