West Brom striker Ishmael Miller has signed a 93 day loan deal with QPR this afternoon as Neil Warnock looks to give his side a final push towards promotion.
Miller is a 23-year-old, six foot three inch, 13 stone monster of a centre forward who came up through the ranks at Man City’s renowned academy before making his name at West Brom. He has twice been promoted from this league with the Baggies, scoring 16 goals when they won the division in 2007/08. For all that though he has proved brittle in his career so far with just 37 appearances to his name in the last three years – a period of time that also included 14 months out of action with a ruptured cruciate ligament and numerous leaves of absence besides with hamstring and other problems.
Having failed to make a real breakthrough at City Miller joined West Brom, first on loan then for £1.6m, in 2007 and has impressed at the Hawthorns whenever he has been fit enough to do so. Leicester have been sniffing around him this January but West Brom have dragged their feet awaiting news of a possible replacement. QPR have remained patient and have got their man on a three month loan deal initially, which they hope will become a long term six month deal if the Baggies can sign another striker during the transfer window.
Miller will wear Paul Furlong's old 29 shirt at Loftus Road.
"Ishmael is a player I have been looking at for a long time. I have always liked him and when it was put to me about bringing him in I asked the board to support me. It is not guaranteed yet until the end of the season but we are hoping that before the end of January that might be the case. I thought he did very well in his first training session today - he looked good and fitted in well. We have got a good group here anyway so it is always easy for people to fit in. Having won promotion with West Brom last season he knows what it is all about. He gives us something we haven't got because we have lost Jamie Mackie for the season and Patrick Agyemang for a spell. Ishmael has got an abundance of pace and we are glad to bring him in." Neil Warnock
"When a team like QPR, who are top of the league, come calling you can't ask for much more. I've watched QPR play a few times this season and the gaffer has assembled a great squad. Having met the lads today you can see there is a great camaraderie within the squad. I'm here to get games and kick start my career again." Ishmael Miller
"In the last 18 months he hasn't been able to play one game of 90 minutes. He needs to play consistently week in, week out to be able to reach his full potential and match fitness. We can't give him that at the moment. The stage where we are means we haven't got the time to do that. To play every week will be good for him." Roberto De Matteo
Sheffield United fans will tell you that Neil Warnock is a great manager, but cannot spot a decent striker for love nor money. Rob Hulse’s mixed start to life at QPR and Leon Clarke’s lumbering cameos would back up that accusation but in Ishmael Miller I believe he has found us a terrific Championship striker, albeit a player with one huge flaw that may hinder his impact at QPR.
First of all - as with Routledge, Shittu, and just about everybody else we’ve been linked with this January – what we have in Ishmael Miller is a player who is proven in this league, and failed in the one above. Shittu gets away with his mistakes in this league because he has the speed to get back at players, Routledge can cover his own lousy technique with his sheer pace, and Miller gets results in this league simply by overpowering opponents. All three, on their day, can look absolutely unstoppable in this division and all three get found out consistently when they are asked to play at the highest level.
It’s the highest level that we want to be playing at, so hauling in such players could be seen as a lack of ambition and forward thinking. I disagree. You're not going to get many genuine proven Premiership players willing to drop down to the Championship, even to a team that stands a good chance of being promoted from it. Partly because of wages, also because whenever a Robbie Keane type comes on the market there is always a Birmingham/Fulham/Wolves type club at the bottom end of the top flight that will be at the front of the queue. Craig Bellamy is the only quality, proven Premiership player I can remember dropping down to this level while still in his prime. Paul Merson may have been the last one before that.
This time last year Newcastle went out and signed several players of this type – Routledge, Leon Best, Mike Williamson and Danny Simpson. Two have managed to maintain their place in the top flight, two have not, but the point of the signings was to make sure they got there in the first place and that is what Neil Warnock has tried to do this week.
Miller, in his defence, has been restricted in what he has been able to do in the Premiership by a succession of injuries. Perhaps if he could get fit for a prolonged period of time he could become a good Premiership striker - Sylvain Ebanks Blake is making strides this season and Miller is a similar player in many ways. He has made just one start and six substitute appearances this season, last year he appeared 16 times again mainly from the bench, 15 appearances to his name the season before that and again most of them started in the stands. Of the last three years he has missed 14 months with a ruptured cruciate ligament and many more weeks besides with various bumps and niggles. This is his biggest flaw. If Ishmael Miller can start 18 games for us between now and May then he is a fantastic signing, but for the last three years he has been unable to do that and there’s a hint of Dean Sturridge about the whole thing – why should he suddenly be able to string a run of games together for us?
If he does he’s exactly what we need for that lone striker role. He’s powerful, good in the air, with a 16 goal season and two promotions from this level on his CV already. He can win headers, and hold up the ball and bring others into play. Admittedly it was against a defence that included, at varying points of the day, Rehman, Curtis, Cullip, Barker and Stewart but his goal and performance against us for the Baggies three years ago was excellent.
The success and failure of this signing will be determined by the club’s medical people rather than Miller or anybody else.