Warnock will fire Wolves up

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy insists the mere presence of Neil Warnock has cranked up the stakes for Saturday's FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace.

Controversial Palace boss Warnock has the reputation of growing horns and a forked tongue on the touchline, for example ordering his Notts County players to "break Bully's leg" in the early 1990s.

But McCarthy insists there won't be a problem his fellow Yorkshireman - as they are best of pals.

He said: "Getting Crystal Palace with 'Warnie' in charge means it's a proper cup tie, because he'll have them fired up. 'Warnie' does what he does but he gets the best out of his team.

"What I do know is he's got a bloody good record as a manager. He's managed a lot of games and whatever teams turns up here will be right bang at it on Saturday."

The pair go back more than three decades to Barnsley, where McCarthy was an apprentice and Warnock a senior player.

"He won't try to upset me because we're mates," said the Wolves chief.

"I played with 'Warnie' as a young apprentice at Barnsley and I get on great with him, he's a friend of mine.

"So I have no worries about him shouting the odds – I'm hardly 'Mr Calm personified' myself on the touchline!

"I caused a stir myself by changing 10 players at one time! He polarises opinion. Some managers have more to say than others and maybe their opinions are more extreme than others.

"If people want to see the other side of him where he rubs people up the wrong way then I can't do anything about that.

"But I don't see him that way – I've known him a long time and I get on very well with him."

McCarthy says Warnock won't have a problem with the hot reception he will receive at Molineux.

"He gets a warm reception everywhere he goes," he said.

McCarthy can count sworn enemies Warnock and Gary Megson among his close footballing buddies but unlike those two, insists he bears no grudges to anyone.

"There'll be fall outs, but life's too short not to talk to anybody," he said.

"I just get on with it. If they don't want to talk to me then so be it, but I can't think of anyone like that with me."