Paul Gilham/Getty ImagesFan favorite Stephane Mbia has helped QPR rekindle their season.

With the crucial part of the season staring us in the face, perhaps it is a little bit too early to be pushing candidates for the player of the year.

After all, I would imagine that if QPR stay up -- and it is still a big, big, big IF -- the favourites for the fans' player of the year are very likely to come from the significant signings in the January transfer window.

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Already Chris Samba has been a rock in defence, and from starting only 40 per cent fit, he has improved game-by-game to really solidify a back four that has looked rocky most of the season.

Loic Remy is as sharp as a tack. Goals keep teams up in this league, and his ratio of chances to goals is incredibly high. At 26, he is already proving a shrewd acquisition -- even with a price tack of £8.5m -- and fans are really beginning to enjoy watching him play.

Then there is the Tottenham connection: New signing Jermaine Jenas has proved a revelation since he was brought in as an add-on to the Andros Townsend deal -- and he has attracted a few fans. Meanwhile, Townsend himself, as a direct attacker with a fierce shot, will be shoo-in for some to grab the plaudits.

But for me, there is an unsung hero who has slowly crept into the thoughts of QPR fans as the rock that Harry Redknapp is building his team around.

Step forward Stephane Mbia and take a bow. The Cameroonian probably had the most inauspicious start to his career at Loftus Road when he arrived with an injury. It took a couple of weeks before he got a run-out in the Carling Cup against Reading when he picked up the first of many yellow cards and gave away a last minute penalty in a 3-2 defeat.

Then we all groaned when a rather foolish challenge at Arsenal forced a sending off when a solid defensive performance looked like gathering a point at The Emirates.

But from then it has been a steady improvement as the French-passport holder -- who was a vital cog in Marseille's championship-winning side two seasons ago -- found his stride. In fact, such is his importance that QPR have not won a game in the league this season without him anchoring the middle of the park.

He makes the hard yards box-to-box, puts in an incredible amount of challenges, often giving the opposition's creative midfielders a very difficult ride. His work ethic gives players like Townsend, Remy and Jenas the space to operate.

And he is a very nice guy. After every game he climbs into the crowd and hands his shirt to a youngster -- a lovely touch.

Critics will suggest that he is too quick to foul and that his distribution has been a little awry, but I would contest that we have seen a radical improvement in both.

So, next time you watch QPR play, put him on your own personal player cam and enjoy a masterclass in how to play the game without the ball. Mbia, to me, is QPR's best buy since returning to the Premier League, and it is little surprise that Chelsea were sniffing around him in the January transfer window.

Follow Sean Smith on Twitter @seanshorn

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