Bothroyd: Warnock was right to drop me

Jay Bothroyd says boss Neil Warnock’s decision to leave him out was exactly what he needed to return to form.
  
The 29-year-old striker’s first-half header gave QPR the lead in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat against Manchester City at Loftus Road and was his second goal in two games.
 
Bothroyd started six matches up until the 6-0 away defeat to Fulham, but was unable to find the net and was a substitute against Blackburn, Chelsea and Tottenham. 

“All you can do as a professional is go in the next day and work even harder to get back in the team, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

But he came off the bench to score at Spurs and then again in a fine display against top-of-the-league City, and Bothroyd says it is all down to Warnock’s man management.
 
He said: “I don’t think there are many managers that will tell you they’re going to leave you out, but he did.

“The manager said to me before he left me out that I’d done well but I hadn’t found a goal. I think that was great management to be honest. He’s a great man manager. 

“All you can do as a professional is go in the next day and work even harder to get back in the team, and that’s what I’ve been doing.

“I’ve been doing extra sessions with the coaches, keeping fit, doing more, coming in early, being the last to leave and obviously it’s paid off so far.”
 
Bothroyd, a summer signing from Cardiff, has played as a lone forward during most of his time at QPR and admitted he found it tough to adapt to a different style of play.

“A number of things have been different for me,” Bothroyd said. 
 
“Over the last three years I was playing in a 4-4-2 at Cardiff. A lot went through me. But we play a different system that I’ve had to get used to. 
 
“When you play a disciplined role up front, staying in the six-yard box is difficult. I always want to be involved, I want to be a catalyst. I want things to come through me.”
 
He added: “I’m a pretty relaxed person. It wasn’t necessarily a relief to get the goal, it was a case of when it was going to happen. 

“I’ve now scored against both Tottenham and Man City and hopefully I can continue this run.”