Last week Adel Taarabt won the Championship Player of the Year at The Football League Awards underlining the remarkable change in fortunes for the player, who left Tottenham in the summer.
The young striker arrived at Loftus Road with a damaged reputation as a talented yet temperamental character with buckets of unfulfilled potential.
This lead many to question is Neil Warnock could tame the wild striker, but having already had two spells on loan at Queens Park Rangers the London club was the most likely to be able to tame the striker. It seems that the former Sheffield United manager has the managerial x factor to turn Taarabt from sulk to world beater.
This is something that Warnock has done, with the Morrocan scoring 15 goals in a season that is likely to see both manager and player returning to the Premier League after a turbulent exit the last time around.
Taarabt himself recognises the impact of Warnock on his career and his difficult nature that has caused fans and managers alike to tear their hair out, the quotes from his recent interview from The Times highlight just how important this relationship has been to the young footballer.
Taarabt on Relationship with Warnock
“I cannot describe our relationship. Sometimes I think God has brought this guy to me, I am a very difficult guy to control but Neil does it.
“It is special between me and him, he changed my life. He tells me to just go out onto the pitch and enjoy it.”
“After all that he has given me I try and repay him.”
After having had a tough time at Tottenham there was a danger that the Moroccan could drift into oblivion but an unlikely bond seems to have saved his career and given Queens Park Rangers fans an exciting player to watch.
His uneven temperament has not disappeared and there have been games this season where he has seemed anonymous but their has never been any doubt that Taarabt has spectacular ability.
This season Taarabt has fired more than he has flopped this season and on his day he is beyond compare, a worthy winner in my humble opinion.
