Neil Warnock criticised for telling his players to ‘rough up’ Aaron Ramsey

He's an old-fashioned manager, is Neil.

Aaron Ramsey left Cardiff as a teenager, when Arsenal won the battle with Manchester United for his signature. The Bluebirds had to allow their wonderkid to spread his wings and fly in the Premier League, but most Cardiff fans still adore him. His heroics in a Wales shirt will help further endear him to the fans, in fairness. But Cardiff manager and route one extraordinaire Neil Warnock doesn't care for that sort of sentiment. In his mind, every game is a battle, and should be played as if the pitch is a literal trench, with the ball in the air for as much time as possible. Warnock has said that he hopes his players can "rough up" Ramsey during Sunday's match between Cardiff and Arsenal. He has identified the Welshman as a threat that can be nullified if he is targeted physically, and believes that is the best tactic to give his Cardiff team a chance of winning the game. The tactic has been widely criticised and Warnock has been labelled a "dinosaur" by Cardiff and Arsenal fans alike. Cardiff fans have pointed out that the manager seems to be forgetting the hero status that Ramsey has in Cardiff while neutrals see the tactics as outdated and unsophisticated. https://twitter.com/JonDBells/status/1036165877278945281 https://twitter.com/davegore2005/status/1036163057079275520 https://twitter.com/dylansocial/status/1036175841955401728 https://twitter.com/wendywarden1/status/1036163553240248320