please log in to view this image Neil Warnock: Sorry about the topless photo but fitness test has me feeling 10 feet tall What I Learnt This Week David Ashdown Neil Warnock during his fitness test More pictures My apologies if you are still eating your breakfast, you probably did not expect to open your Independent to find pictures of a topless, sweaty, 62-year-old football manager, but I'm actually quite proud of the photograph on the front of the sports section, and those accompanying this column. Let me explain. Through the League Managers' Association every football manager has the option of a regular check-up with Wellness International. It is a great idea. This is a stressful job, as some of my colleagues have found to their cost in recent years, and we should look after ourselves. We don't though, at least, not all of us. I last had a check-up in July 2008 and since then I have to admit I'd let things slide a bit. What with Crystal Palace going into administration, then changing jobs, keeping QPR up, rebuilding the team, and winning promotion, I've been busy and I kept finding reasons to put it off. That was a bit foolish as a few years ago, when I was at Sheffield United, a scan picked up some problems around my heart in one of the valves. It was spotted early enough that I didn't need an op, just to take preventative measures like changing my diet. At the time I ate a lot of motorway service station food. I also used to eat a lot of cheese and biscuits at night at home, and prawns which are high in cholesterol. I realised I'd let myself go and for a while I improved my diet. But as time goes on you slip back into bad habits. Towards the end of last season Amy mentioned she didn't like my second chin. I realised I was always finding a reason to avoid stepping on the scales. And I felt bloated. So when, in May, Ellie rang me from the programme and suggested it was time I had another check-up I knew deep down she was right, and I thought maybe setting a date would give me an incentive to get fitter. It did. As you know I embarked on a diet, the Dukan diet, and I also got on my bike and started pedalling round Richmond Park. It worked. As of this week I have lost 10kg, that's 22lb in old money, and my waist has gone from 41 inches to 37. All of which meant I actually looked forward to my fitness test. I actually took it in the middle of the transfer window. As I said in this column last week, I've never been so busy and it would have been so easy to say I'd not got time, but I really wanted to do it. I thought it would be a reward for all my hard work over the summer. Besides, if I was going to sign Joey Barton I needed to check my heart was OK. I was on my phone for a good hour on the way in so when young Ellie starting taking my blood pressure I said, "It'll be sky-high this morning after all the transfer talk I'm involved in," but to our surprise it was the best I've ever had. Then, after urine and blood tests to measure my cholesterol and glucose, I had my chest shaved, 10 electrodes wired up to an ECG machine stuck on, and a gruelling 20 minutes on the bike. Last time I did the jogging machine, but I'm a not big fan of that, it's tough on the joints and having had a hip resurface I didn't think it was a great idea. The bike's not an easy option though. They keep upping the resistance and you have to keep up. The last two minutes were soul-destroying, I was hanging on and as you can see from the picture I was absolutely cream-crackered. The most difficult part was trying to breathe while keeping the tube which measured my lung capacity in my mouth. My mouth got so dry. That was the bad part. The good bit was getting the results. All my tests were so much better than previously. It was an amazing day for me. I came out feeling 10 foot high. I had to thank Ellie for booking me in. To celebrate I went straight to Dunkin' Donuts. I'm joking. I can still have treats, but I know the hard part is keeping this up and I'm aiming to make my diet change permanent. Some of the changes are simple. I could never imagine using skimmed milk in a million years, I thought it was the absolute pits, but switching has been quite easy. My favourite relaxing drink now is a skinny cappuccino. We've even got a little frother at home and I love doing it. Most mornings I eat fat-free yoghurt and bran for breakfast, with some berries. That does me till lunchtime. Lunch I normally eat at the training ground where the food is healthy â or at least it is since Carl Serrant, our fitness guy, had a word with the chef about how rich his sauces were. As a manager you actually put the medical off to another day as you are frightened of finding out what might be wrong with you, yet prevention is so much better than the cure. That applies to everyone, not just football managers. 2. We defied the omens on special night against Magpies I feared the worst on Monday when we played Newcastle. When I dropped Will at school I got a parking ticket. Then I saw a funeral, then a single magpie flew past me. With all those bad omens it was remarkable we got a result. The match was billed as Joey Barton v Newcastle, but he went about the match without any fuss which pleased me. It really was one of the most enjoyable games I've had here, after doing so much work in the transfer window it was great to see those players on the pitch. The crowd were buzzing, even in the build-up it felt a bit special and once the game started it seemed like there were twice as many there. The only disappointment was that we missed a few chances. That is always a problem for promoted sides. I notice between us, ourselves, Norwich and Swansea have scored four goals in 12 matches. That's obviously got to change but it is hardly surprising as we all have Championship strikers, including the guys we've bought in, and they are bound to take time to adjust. The one exception is D J Campbell, but he's been knocked sideways by a virus for a month. It's great to have him looking sharp again. The good thing is we're all creating chances and once lads like Jay Bothroyd at our place, Danny Graham at Swansea and Norwich's Steve Morison see that first one go in I'm sure the goals will flow. I was pleased with the way Adel Taarabt played on Monday, for an hour anyway. He still needs to get fitter and he knows that but he's well on the way because when we looked at his stats he covered more ground than he's ever done for us. He even ran more than Shaun Wright-Phillips did. I think he enjoyed just being able to play without the responsibility of being captain. We forget he's only 22 and when I told him I wanted Joey to take over as skipper Adel seemed almost relieved. 3. Backing has helped Mick to do marvellous job at Wolves We're at Molineux today which means a reunion with Mick McCarthy. I've a lot of time for Mick. As I've mentioned before, he used to clean my boots when he was an apprentice at Barnsley. He was about 16 but even then he had a voice like a 60-year-old and looked about 6ft 11in. He's done a fantastic job. On and off the field Wolves are so well run. Jez Moxey (chief executive) and Steve Morgan (chairman) have given Mick backing and stability. That's enabled him to take them to the stage where they are looking to join clubs like Stoke and Fulham in that group of clubs just below the top half-dozen. Looking at the players they've added to the squad you have to say they are far better than a couple of years ago. I feel the same about us, though we are 18 months behind the likes of Wolves. 4. Will's team-mate scores at both ends in 3-3 thriller I saw a magnificent goal this week, a superb header by one of Will's team-mates in a school match. Shame it was in his own goal. To give the lad credit he went up to the other end and scored in the right net. The match ended 3-3. 5. Get off Johnson's back â the players need a release Martin Johnson has been taking some flak for allowing his rugby players to go to a bar where they enjoyed dwarf racing. I don't know why. If the footballers had been allowed a similar release we might have gone further in the World Cup. Players need a break. I can't say I've taken mine dwarf racing, but in my earlier days as a manager, in the hotel on a Friday night before a big cup match, I used to relax the players by having them drink glasses of sherry and raw egg. I'd start with asking one player to nominate someone, and work from there. You soon found out who was friends with who.
please log in to view this image Neil Warnock pictured answering questions at the FA inquiry into payments made to agents. Was he telling the truth? Computer say YES!
