Neil Warnock has always been a Marmite manager.

People either love him or hate him.

Albion marksman Glenn Murray loves him - even though Warnock could not wait to get rid of him at Crystal Palace.

The Cardiff boss was "brutally honest" when their paths crossed at Selhurst Park - and that, Murray says, is rare.

Two years ago, after becoming Palace boss, Warnock packed Murray off to Reading on loan, preferring to depend on Kevin Doyle and Andrew Johnson.

Murray, back from a serious knee injury, scored eight goals in 18 games for the Royals in the Championship, including two against Albion.

By the time he returned to Palace they were in the Premier League relegation zone and Warnock had been axed.

Murray kept scoring under Alan Pardew to keep Palace up and the goals have continued to flow ever since.

The Argus: Veteran Warnock later admitted letting Murray go was one of his biggest mistakes. In August, after Murray scored against Manchester United at the Amex (above left), Warnock described his display as "fantastic".

The regard is mutual as Murray attempts to plunge Warnock's Cardiff deeper into trouble in Wales (12.30) by adding to his century of goals for the Seagulls.

Murray said: "I'm full of respect for Neil, because at the time I needed him to be he was honest with me.

"He told me I wasn't very high up in his plans at Crystal Palace and that gave me the opportunity to go out to Reading on loan and rediscover my goalscoring form after suffering an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

"I've got nothing but thanks to him for that and being honest, because a lot of managers keep you hanging around and see if you get a chance when maybe they know that you won't.

"Sometimes that (honesty) is difficult to find in football. Managers can sometimes hold players back for their own benefit.

"He was brutally honest with me. At that point it's not nice to hear that you are not in your current club's plans, it's tough to take, but it can propel you to play somewhere else and give you that opportunity just from that one sentence of honesty from the manager.

"It's difficult to sugar coat something like that anyway but I think it's what I wanted to hear. I could see my chances were going to be limited and I'm not usually one to hang around.

"I want to play, especially after being out for nine months, so it was a positive conversation.

"It is always disappointing when you are not wanted by the club you are employed by but it also gave me a platform to go on and prove a lot to myself as well.

"I'd been out with the ACL, came back into the Tony Pulis regime and hadn't really featured much, only scored one goal at Swansea.

"So it was important for me to go and play regular football, which I knew I wasn't going to get at the club at the time, to prove to myself I could still do it both physically and mentally. That was a big thing for me."

Murray has worked under Warnock, Pulis, Chris Hughton at Albion and another British manager whose track record has not yet been matched by bigger job offers.

The Argus: Murray was at Bournemouth with Eddie Howe (above), who pipped Hughton to the Premier League Manager of the Month for October.

Murray told The Argus: "I think they do get stereotyped and get their niche, especially Tony Pulis and Neil Warnock.

"I think our gaffer is still doing very well and I think he will be on clubs' radars if jobs were to come up after being so successful here.

"And Eddie Howe would be the one I would say is a little bit different to the other three. He coaches his players a lot.

"He's a very young, forward-thinking manager and I really do think he will get a good job. Anytime there is a job out there I think Eddie gets linked with it.

"They've all been very successful and recently successful."

Cardiff's hopes of only a second win since promotion have been hit by a ban for five bookings for on-loan midfielder Harry Arter, who Murray also knows well from his Bournemouth days.

"He will be a major loss to Cardiff and it's a big boost for us," Murray said. "He is a very determined character and I am sure he will be a big part of their dressing room already.

"He likes to high press. He has done it ever since he has been at Bournemouth and he does it very well, sometimes sets the tempo for the team, so without him they may not have the same tempo."

Murray does not just admire Warnock's man-management, he has no problem either with the more direct style which won Cardiff promotion.

"They deserve to be here and that's the way they got here," Murray said. "There are different ways to skin a cat.

"If everyone played the same brand of football it would be boring. It's good to see different types and that's what makes the Premier League so competitive and so rewarding.

"You play Man City one week and Cardiff the next week, it's two completely different brands of football, two completely different challenges you need to adapt to. It makes exciting viewing for fans."