MILLWALL V CARDIFF
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NEIL Warnock has revealed how he rescued Junior Hoilett from QPR exile – and is still being rewarded by the “fine wine” winger three years later.
Likely to be a first pick on the Cardiff City team-sheet for tonight’s televised clash at Milwall, Hoilett heads to the New Den with the usual smile on his face a little wider than normal.
It is understandable. His goal in the 4-1 win over Leeds last week – a result and performance that suggested there is about to be ‘a second coming’ for Cardiff in this Championship promotion race – saw him take his tally for the season to nine in all competitions, the highest in his career. His assists for Callum Paterson and Anthony Pilkington made it seven for the campaign, a number only bettered by four others in the division.
All coming on the back of a Bosman move in the first few days of Warnock’s reign last season, a time where Hoilett had gone three months without a club, seemingly waiting for where the veteran manager would end up.
It’s a relationship that has benefited both, Warnock arguing the 27-year-old is having the best season of his playing days to date; impressive when you consider the eye-catching start he had at Blackburn in the Premier League.
But it is a relationship now revealed to be forged on Warnock wiping the slate clean for the wide-man with an eye for goal when he returned to QPR for a short second spell in charge in 2015.
“He’s been a revelation for me from the first day I saw him at QPR,” explained Warnock of the Canada international.
“When I walked back in there, he was training with the Under 18s as punishment. I can’t remember why he’d been disciplined – maybe he has refused a transfer or something – but I said to them when I went in, ‘Can I pick anyone who’s at the club’ and they said ‘yes,’ so I went to see Junior.
“When I spoke to him, I told him I’d tried to sign him two or three times, that he’d be playing that Saturday and that was it. He was amazed, he hadn’t played for weeks, but I think he was man of the match and since then, he’s been great for me.
“It’s like him and Sol (Bamba), who stuck by me, they are very, very good Championship players. He’s underrated, one of those that is a first name on the teamsheet.
“He’s someone who’s matured and developed into a far better player than he’s ever been. I think it’s his best season personally.
“He’s like a nice maturing bottle of wine: a bit tatty at first, but then it gradually gets smoother and then you get to the a la crème of wine and you think ‘wow.’ I don’t think he’ll play better than this.”
Few would argue, certainly not Cardiff fans. It’s rare a headline grabber can also be a ‘Mr Consistent’ in the way Hoilett has been, adding the creativity and guile to go with the Bluebirds’ power game.
He is among the divisional leaders in terms of chance-providing passes this season. He’s had more shots on goal than any other Cardiff player, more dribbles, and his threat has seen him become Cardiff’s most fouled player – winning 49 free-kicks to allow him to swing in free-kicks such as the one he provided for Sean Morrison to score from last week.
“He’s at a level where he’s getting eight out of ten every week,” agreed Warnock. “For a forward to do that is very difficult because these big lumps of defenders just have to stop players playing, whereas your forwards have to be positive, they have to create – and it’s far more difficult to create.
“That’s why wingers get stick like I used to get stick when I was a winger. That’s why I stick up for them. I’m in the wingers’ union. I love wingers, I like seeing them taking players on, getting crosses in and attacking.
“I like that it’s Yanic’s (Wildschutt) first thought – he doesn’t think sensibly sometimes, he just thinks let’s go for that, and I can’t fault that. I do enjoy (Nathaniel) Mendez-Laing and others having a go because that’s what I like to watch. I think when we get the ball in the right areas, we can and should score more goals.”
For a manager who takes almost as much pleasure as improving players as
improving teams’ standing in the table, there was particular pleasure to watching Hoilett score when he followed up Callum Paterson’s shot to score the second at Leeds.
“That’s the type of goal we should score more of,” he added. “We get in great positions, but the wingers have not been coming in enough.
“All credit to Ronnie and Kev (Jepson and Blackwell, Warnock’s assistants), they have worked on that the last couple of weeks, trying to score more goals from wide players.”
Hoilett’s hunger for the ball in dangerous positions comes on top of that ability to sometimes spark something out of nothing, a much-needed asset for a team that have already come up against sides happy to sit-in. Against Milwall, there is the physical battle that will be needed, but the key for Cardiff is for the likes of Hoilett to shine through it.
But the fact he rarely fades out of games shows Hoilett is willing to work as much as he is willing to wait for openings. He was going until the dying stages at Leeds, assisting for Pilkington in that time, and all in a season where he has played in all 29 of Cardiff’s Championship fixtures that came straight back off summer involvement for Canada in the Gold Cup.
“It’s incredible isn’t it, and although I’ve had to help him at times, it doesn’t seemed to have affected him,” said the Yorkshireman.
“He’s got a great attitude. Look at last week, I had to change the wide players because I had to give Bruno Manga some help because Yanic is still getting used to what we want. Putting Junior there negated all Leeds’ threat on the left and he’s still involved in the last goal.
“He had a little blip over Christmas, but we all did and we’re more comfortable now – and ready to give this a go.”
Which everyone would raise a glass to.