With eight weeks until the start of the season, and no movement in or out of Loftus Road so far, Kick Up The R’s columnist and LFW message board regular Kevin Cole surveys the lie of the land in W12.
Over the last four transfer windows, QPR have brought in 30 senior professionals – either on permanent deals or long term loans. Of the 30, only nine have left and that includes four loanees returning to their home clubs. Each transfer has added to an unbalanced, dysfunctional squad where far too many are lacking any level of commitment.
The sheer number of transactions has contributed a huge amount to the relegation. It is clear that there are far too many factions who do not get on. But another summer with a large turnover of players is on the cards. I’m reminded of the Irish directions which state “If you’re trying to get there, I wouldn’t start from here”. Adding to the difficulties is that I’m not convinced anyone at the top of the club has an idea where we’re supposed to be going.
Many fans want to see a return to the QPR of the late 60s through to the early 90s, where we brought through players from the youth set up and supplemented them with others bought cheaply and developed before being sold on at a massive profit. As an alternative to the policy of the last two seasons it has its attractions. A return to that romantic ideal will take far too long to produce short term results, although it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some deals along those lines. However, the main priority has to be to reduce the wage bill which wasn’t sustainable in the Premier League and is even less so in the Championship.
Normally, the easy option would be not to renew contracts that expire. There aren’t that many players out of contract and there are question marks over those that are about to be. Radek Cerny has already retired and Rob Hulse is certain to go. Brian Murphy has just been offered a two year extension. I cannot see Clint Hill going from club captain to another club, just because his deal expires this month. Tal Ben Haim, who only signed a six month deal in January may have done enough to secure an offer - especially when he has shown a desire greater than many others, is unlikely to be a high earner, and can cover the whole of the back line. DJ Campbell wasn’t deemed good enough for the Premiership, but his goals during his loan spell at Ipswich suggest he could be an asset in the Championship.
Can we afford to turn down any reasonable deals for any of the most highly paid individuals? Especially, when there is a clear demand. Julio Cesar has been encouraged to find another club, with Arsenal the likely destination. Joey Barton would love to return to Marseille, who are desperate to have him back or not that fussed depending on who you believe. Either way I’d be surprised if he is still here in August. Adel Taarabt hasn’t been consistent enough to become a Premier League star, but his performances have attracted plenty of attention while Loic Remy’s six goals in half a season have acted as a fine advertisement. The obvious downside for the latter is the pending court case. Chris Samba hasn’t done much to justify his transfer fee or the eye watering wages, but a bid close to what we paid, would see him on his way.
In the next group, are the players who are not wanted by the manager. Esteban Granero’s agent is already looking for another club, while Anton Ferdinand and Djibril Cisse spent time on loan overseas and both loans could be converted into permanent moves. Jose Bosingwa surely cannot play for Rangers again. It was noticeable that when the booing of the fans at the Newcastle game forced Redknapp into taking him out of the firing line, it was Newcastle players, rather than QPR ones, who tried to comfort him. The future of Stephane Mbia, Samba Diakite, Ji-Sung Park and Junior Hoilett are all open to doubt.
In the unlikely event that all the players named were moved on, we’d be left with a small squad, significantly short of the quality required to prosper in the Championship. So, while we need to move plenty out, we will also need some carefully targeted replacements. Ideally, we would like young and ambitious players who see QPR as an improvement to anything they have achieved before. Every other club from the bottom half of the Premiership downwards is looking for the same, so it won’t be easy.
I suspect that Harry Redknapp came in believing he could do enough to keep us up. He couldn’t and, after six months in the job, has a far better idea of the scale of the mess he’s walked into. His recent demeanour has been similar to that of a bulldog chewing a wasp and prompted suggestions that he is no longer committed to the job. Fernandes assures us that he is “pumped”. Let’s hope he is. He’s certainly got the contacts and experience. If he can pull off the majority of the changes required, and do it in a single summer, he’ll have earned his reputed £3m salary and we may start next season with a lot more hope and enthusiasm than seems likely at this stage.
Pictures – Action Images