NEIL WARNOCK is fully supportive of the EFL’s crackdown on clubs that have breached financial rules – and is relieved that Steve Gibson’s stewardship of Middlesbrough means his own side will not be hit with a points penalty this season.

Boro head to Reading’s Madejski Stadium tomorrow lunchtime, with the Royals still reeling from this week’s revelations about their financial situation.

The Berkshire club are operating under a transfer embargo for breaching the EFL’s profit and sustainability regulations and are understood to be in talks over agreeing a sanction that is likely to see them docked between six and nine points, a penalty that would plunge them into the relegation zone.

Derby dropped to the foot of the Championship table this week when they were fined 12 points for entering administration, and the Rams are set to lose at least another nine points in the next few weeks after their penalty for breaching the same profit and sustainability rules.

Some have claimed that the punishments are too harsh, but while he sympathises with the players and supporters of the clubs who find themselves subjected to points penalties, Warnock feels the EFL have to act strongly and decisively when their rules are broken.

“The rules have been in place for quite a long time, so you’ve got to ask the owners if they’ve adhered to them as they should have done,” said the Boro boss. “In certain cases, it’s been obvious that they haven’t, so you’ve got to punish them. You don’t know all the ins and outs from all these clubs, but that’s what the fair play rules are supposed to be about, and any breaches should be investigated.

“I think every club, not just ours, has had to run a tight ship with the pandemic. The rules are there. We all wish we could have unlimited money, but the rules are there in black and white. We’re all hoping we can get back to some sort of normality, with the crowds back in, but there still has to be rules and regulations that are adhered to. I don’t get involved in that, but I do see what’s going on, and that’s what rules are for.

“It’s straightforward really. If it’s fair play, then it should be like that. The EFL will only take action against people and clubs that don’t adhere to the rules. I don’t know whether Reading have or not, I’m into the football side so I don’t see a lot of that, but obviously Derby haven’t adhered to it, hence their demise.”

Middlesbrough spent extensively when they were relegated from the Premier League, but since the club’s parachute payments dried up, Gibson and chief executive Neil Bausor have worked diligently to ensure expenditure has reduced.

That has meant Boro have fallen within the parameters of the EFL’s regulations, but it has undoubtedly had an impact on the amount of money available for transfer fees and wages in the last few seasons.

Since Garry Monk’s post-relegation spending spree, Tony Pulis, Jonathan Woodgate and now Warnock have all had to live within their means, hence the frustration when other clubs have continued to spend over and beyond their permitted levels.

“The game is in such a precarious financial situation now, with sponsorships and things like that,” said Warnock. “But Steve’s kept this club going in a fabulous way. You just have to look at the staff that’s behind the scenes that nobody talks about. I don’t think anybody could say a bad word about him. They do mind, but I don’t know why.”

Reading, who were taken over by Chinese investor Dai Yongge in 2017, have publicly confirmed they are in discussions with the EFL over a possible points penalty.

Derby are in a much more parlous position, with administrators having been formally appointed earlier this week, and Warnock has sympathy for Wayne Rooney, whose first managerial position has turned extremely sour.

The Boro boss was in charge of Crystal Palace when they went into administration in 2010, and found the situation extremely hard to deal with.

“It was just a very difficult time for me as a manager,” he said. “It was put on me. I think I was on a flight going up to Newcastle with the team, and I actually think it was the captain of the aircraft that made me aware of what had happened.

“It was a very unusual situation for me, and I think the manager has to take a lead with the players and staff off the pitch. You can take these people at the club who have worked there for years for granted, but they become the ones that are worried.

“While the players suffer, their wages are always guaranteed whatever. It’s less of a worry for them. It’s the staff that have been at the club for so long that worry about what’s going to happen to them in these situations. They have to make ends meet.”