LOVE him or hate him, Neil Warnock certainly has the ability to wind opposing fans up and get the nation talking.

Who can forget the last time a side of his locked horns with Blackburn Rovers? A low key FA Cup clash ended up as national back page headlines back in December.

There were some who were not complaining too much when he labelled former Rovers midfielder El-Hadji Diouf a ‘sewer rat’ either.

After all, Dioufy has attracted his fair share of headlines in the past as well.

No-one knows what exactly went on back at Ewood apart from those on the pitch.

Warnock claimed Diouf taunted QPR striker Jamie Mackie while he was lying in the ground with a broken leg, while the midfielder strenuously denied the allegations.

Whatever happened, we do know that Warnock said Diouf was the ‘lowest of the low’ and that there was no place for him in the English game.

Fast forward eight months and Mr Warnock needs to take a good hard look at himself.

So Diouf doesn’t deserve another chance but Joey Barton does?

His signing of Barton smacks a little bit of hypocrisy to me.

Diouf is certainly no angel, but it would take some going to top Barton’s list of bad-boy antics.

Stabbing a cigar out in a team-mate’s eye back in 2004, arrested for common assault and affray, and charged with violent conduct by the FA are just some of the QPR midfielder’s career misdemeanours.

So it seems the ever controversial Mr Warnock is ready to see the best in people when it suits.

How would he react if Steve Kean launched a verbal assault at Barton on Saturday?

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for giving footballers a second chance.

After all, most of them are just ordinary young men with an extraordinary talent and huge amounts of money.

It could turn anyone’s head.

Diouf has paid for his string of bad boy antics with no Premier League club prepared to take the gamble on him despite his obvious talent.

I am left scratching my head at how Barton continues to earn a living at the top of the game.

In any other walk of life he would be struggling.

Fair play to Newcastle United for finally taking a stand against a player who showed no gratitude to them for all the chances they gave him.

It is just a pity Warnock seems to have lost those morals he was so adamant about the last time Rovers played QPR.

Don’t be surprised to see either Barton or Warnock make the headlines on Saturday but the problem with this duo is it is just as likely to be for bad reasons as good ones.

Football needs all sorts but give me the top professionals that Rovers have in their squad any day.