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Neil Warnock Recalls Brilliant Story About Adel Taarabt At QPR, It's A Must Listen
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Featured Image Credit: PA/talkSPORT
Neil Warnock has recalled a brilliant and hilarious story about maverick player Adel Taarabt during his time at Queens Park Rangers.
Former Premier League gaffer Warnock announced his retirement from football after 42 years in management last weekend.
He enjoyed managerial spells at Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City.
Not to mention QPR where he had a none other than Taarabt on the books.
And the 73-year-old has revealed the Moroccan playmaker's first day in training, recalling an epic story about him that involves Harry Redknapp and gloves on a red-hot day.
🇲🇦 “I’m asking ‘who’s that?’ (Looking at Taarabt) & they said ‘He’ll get you sacked!’”
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 11, 2022
😳 “I went up to Taarabt and said ‘Everyone says you’re going to get me the sack!’”
🤣 “He said ‘No, no, no, no!’”
Neil Warnock tells us how he gave Adel Taarabt his chance at #QPR 👏😂 pic.twitter.com/z8kjmgiSp8
Speaking on talkSPORT via The 72, he said: "Harry [Redknapp] said, 'You’ll never do anything with him...' I’ll never forget the first day in training - it was a red-hot day and Adel was playing in black gloves. And I’m asking him, this coach, 'Who’s that?’ ‘Who’s that?'
"We got to Adel and he [the coach] said, 'You don’t want to know him, gaffer… He’ll get you the sack, him. He’s [already] got two managers the sack.'
"I went up to him and said, 'Here, Adel, everybody’s telling me that you’ll get me the sack.' He said, 'No, no, no, no.'
"You know on Saturday, I said, ‘I’m going to play you against West Brom. And if you’re poor on Saturday, I’m going to play you the next game, Adel. And if you’re poor the next game, I’m going to play you the next game. Do you understand?’
"He couldn’t quite understand it, I said, 'You’re going to win me things, son. I’m going to love having you.'"
Warnock added: "That was the only time I’ve ever thought about a player with that ability, because he was a luxury, he got it off the back-four and he nutmegged somebody and he scored.
"I banned the defence, straight away, from giving him the ball in our half. Banned them all. I told him [Taarabt], ‘If you come over the half-way line into our half’, I would sub him.
"One of the best years of my life, that promotion. One of the hardest, but fabulous to get the best out of players, and they were average players who loved it."
Taarabt was unplayable in the 2010/11 season, helping the R's to promotion to the Premier League after winning the Championship title.
He played 44 league games and chipped in with 19 goals in a spectacular campaign.
Topics: Football, Neil Warnock, QPR
