Warnock was the manager when Joey Barton played for Queens Park Rangers and he knows the player well.
When he heard of the move to Rangers, his top advice was that Barton keeps his discipline. Barton, 33, is renowned for his fiery temperament. However, the coach backed Barton to be a success for Rangers.
Warnock said:
“I don’t think even he knows if he will cope with it. But we saw a very mature Joey Barton last season. No-one expected him to go through a whole season without the red mist descending.
“If he can curb that red mist, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him win the player of the season award. If Joey can curb that red mist, I think he will enjoy it in Scotland more than he has enjoyed his football for many years.”
The former Rotherham boss says the player will enjoy his career more in Scotland than he has in most of his football years if he can just get his acts right. He also admitted that Barton wasn’t the easiest of players to manage.
Rangers are building a squad for their first season back in the Scottish Premiership and hope Barton can help them. His arrival at Rangers added to the excitement in the air around Ibrox, as his signing shows Warburton’s side ambition.
Barton helped Burnley with their promotion to the English Premier League. He was given a two year deal to help Rangers too ahead of the season. His temper was always a worry for managers but he handled it well last season, with many hoping he improves. Last season was the only one that he wasn’t sent off in the last five years. However, he picked up 10 yellow cards in 40 games. It was a huge improvement considering that he has picked up nine red cards in a 14-year career with Manchester City, Newcastle, QPR, Marseille and Burnley that has also brought 111 yellow cards.
