Age: 52 Nationality: English Clubs Managed: Brentford (2013-15) Managerial Honours: None Unbelievably Brentford have decided to part company with Mark Warburton despite the fact he guided them to promotion from League One during his first season in charge, and then to the Championship play-off semi-finals during his second campaign at the helm. The 52-year-old Englishman worked as a part-time coach at a school in London in the late-1990s while keeping up his day job as a trader. However, he left that role to go travelling - and observed coaching sessions at Sporting Lisbon, Valencia, Barcelona, Ajax and Willem II before being appointed Watford academy manager in 2006. Briefly taking up a role as first-team coach of Brentford in February 2011, he then became sporting director that summer - before making the step up to management in December 2013. A wonderful first campaign saw Brentford promoted from League One in second place behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his side then took the Championship by storm - finishing fifth, only to knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage, 5-1 on aggregate, by Middlesbrough. Warburton oversaw 78 games at Brentford, winning 40 of them - a victory percentage of 51.28% Yes he again would represent a risk, but Warburton has dedicated his own money and time so that he could learn to become a top-quality coach - and he worked wonders at Brentford. Whose to say he couldn't do the same at St James' Park?
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
