Ahead of this Sunday's end of season clash at Selhurst Park, Neil Warnock spoke to the press about his thoughts on playing his old side.

The Blades have, should they beat Palace, the chance to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League and Warnock believes that they will prove a strong challenge to overcome:

"They play slightly different to how I played and they have got the results. I think the last two seasons since I left I have always been convinced that they have had the best squad in the league, last year and this year.

"Last year they had a difficult start under Brian and they almost got to the Play Offs. I was quite pleased they didn't get to the Play Offs because I thought they would have won then. This year, since Christmas they have probably been the form team. They are physically strong. I don't think Kevin minds how they play. It is like Tony Pulis. You can have a go at him but he doesn't mind. He got Stoke promoted and they are going to stay in the Premier League playing like that and I see Sheffield United playing very, very direct.

"We know on Sunday, when the ball goes out of play on the half way line we know it is going to go in our box from the a long throw. Free kicks are going to come down with snow on some of them, corner kicks are going to be whipped in and we are going to have to defend like we haven't defended for many, many weeks to keep our goal intact because that is what we are going to get; we are going to get an onslaught.

"But we feel like we have the players who can cope with that and it will be a big challenge to cope with that. You have got to be able to cope with the physical aspect of the Championship because it is within the rules and Stoke proved last year that it can be successful and Sheffield United are the closest to Stoke and they are proving successful."

With this Sunday being the last game of the season Neil revealed that there has been some people who have suggested he put out just his youngsters for some extra experience. But the Palace boss believes that there must be respect shown to the teams who still have something to play in these vital last games around the country:

"We wont be doing that...I have got too much respect for everybody else, unlike other people.

"Everybody wants me to say that I am going to play the kids but in reality it never works like that. Neil Warnock always wants to win every game even though of late we haven't been good enough to do that.

"I think there is only myself who will find the circumstances difficult, but that wont stop the players knowing, like it won't the Sheffield United players who know me [that I will be going out to win].

"I saw Nick Montgomery's quotes this week, he knows that come kick off I want to win. If they beat us and Reading and Birmingham, for whatever reason don't get the results they are looking for then United deserve to go up.

His press conference was fresh on the back of the news that he has signed a one year extension to his current contract, which now runs until 2011: 

"We are enjoying it here. Obviously when you come from up north, I though beyond Watford was like getting the plague but having lived down here at Beckenham, it is an amazing place really.

"London has just accepted us and it has been fabulous, for me the kids and Sharon, I don't think we have ever enjoyed ourselves as much and that is why at the moment in time, in the current circumstances it would give everybody a lift to know that I see myself here for another couple of years, which will help sign players this summer who probably would have thought twice if thinking I may be leaving as soon as I sign them."

The rest of Neil's press conference will be on Palace World later today.

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