In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to non-league.

[5] Warnock's first managerial job was with non-League Gainsborough Trinity (1980–1981), he would subsequently manage Burton Albion (1981–1986) and Scarborough (1986–1989), winning promotion to the Football League with the latter in 1987.

After being dismissed by Leeds following a poor run of form, he was without a club for almost fifteen months until returning to Crystal Palace, then in the Premier League, in August 2014.

[14] Warnock's Gainsborough side went unbeaten for the first home 13 games of the 1980–81 Northern Premier League season, a streak that was not equalled by the club until 2022.

Warnock had earlier spent time as a coach at Peterborough United, where he met Posh assistant boss Mick Jones.

Also joining the backroom staff were Warnock's assistant at Scarborough, Paul Evans, and ex-Scarborough physio Dave Wilson.

The four helped County achieve successive promotions to reach the First Division for the 1991–92 season, with Warnock turning down lucrative offers to manage Chelsea and Sunderland during this time.

[18] On 1 February 1993, Warnock arrived at Torquay United as "consultant", where he was brought in to assist the team manager, Paul Compton.

Warnock resumed his partnership with Jones, Evans and Wilson at Huddersfield Town, his appointment coming in July 1993 where he replaced Ian Ross, who had departed Leeds Road one day previously.

He also showed faith in Centre of Excellence products such as Chris Billy, Simon Baldry and Andy Booth – a player then struggling to make the breakthrough who would go on to become a club legend in modern times.

Despite these acquisitions, Town struggled for most of the 1993–94 season and Warnock was quick to offload fan favourites Iwan Roberts, Iffy Onoura and Chris Marsden while introducing a more direct style of play.

He was deeply unpopular during those early months of his reign and it wasn't until the run to the 1994 Football League Trophy Final (lost on penalties to Swansea City) that opinions began to change.

This run coincided with an upturn in league form and a mass optimism further bolstered by the move to the new Alfred McAlpine Stadium for the 1994–95 season.

He quit Huddersfield just days after their promotion, but made a swift and surprising return to management at Plymouth Argyle, who had just been relegated to Division Three.

In his first season as manager of Plymouth Argyle, Warnock took the club to Division Three play-off glory after finishing fourth in the league.

In 2005, Jones resumed the partnership by taking up the assistant's post at Bramall Lane, and at the end of the 2005–06 season, the club were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up in The Championship.

Bean denied this, calling Warnock "bitter" and "hypocritical", and arguing that he would never use such language in front of another man's wife and children.

[28] Warnock spoke to Milan Mandarić about the vacant managerial role at Leicester City in the summer, but was never handed the job.

[34] On 1 March 2010, Warnock joined Queens Park Rangers as manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal after agreeing compensation with Crystal Palace.

My biggest regret is that the takeover didn't happen earlier, because that would have given me the opportunity to bring in the targets I'd pinpointed all last summer and probably given us a better chance to succeed in the Premier League.

[40] Before officially taking charge from caretaker manager Neil Redfearn he oversaw Leeds win 3–2 against Doncaster Rovers from the stands on 18 February with Warnock revealing he spoke to the players before the game and at half-time.

[8] Warnock drew his first game in charge with a 0–0 draw against Birmingham City in a match which saw both Richard Wood and Joe Mattock sent off.

The final win of the run was at Milton Keynes Dons, where a 4–0 thrashing all but sealed Rotherham's survival in the Championship at the expense of their opponents.

[50] In January 2019, Warnock said that he considered retirement following the disappearance and eventual death of Emiliano Sala,[51][52] who he had signed for a club record £15m from FC Nantes that month.

[54] Warnock left Cardiff on 11 November after just over three years as manager; his final match was a home loss to Bristol City.

[60] On 30 October 2021, he equalled Dario Gradi's record for the most games managed in English professional football at 1,601 with a 2–0 loss to Birmingham City.

He officially took charge of the club three days later, cutting short a holiday in the USA to return to management, when he replaced the previous head coach Mark Fotheringham.

Huddersfield played out a 2–2 draw with Stoke City on 20 September with fans staying behind to applaud Warnock on his final game as manager.

[69] [70] On 5 February 2024, it was announced that Warnock would take charge of Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen until the end of the 2023–24 season, replacing manager Barry Robson.

[74] On 14 May 2024, Warnock was appointed football advisor of National League South club Torquay United, assisting the new board following the takeover by the Bryn Consortium.