QPR’s first summer signing following promotion to the Premier League could scarcely be more high profile — former Manchester United and England captain Rio Ferdinand arriving on a one-year deal.
Rio Ferdinand, 35, was released by Manchester United at the end of last season following 12 years, 453 appearances, six Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one Champions League victory. He has been named in the Premier League’s Team of the Year on six separate occasions while with Leeds and Manchester United.
He is the third member of the Ferdinand family to play for the R’s following cousin Les, who scored 91 goals in 185 appearances for Rangers between 1987 and 1995 and brother Anton who endured a difficult two year spell at Loftus Road after signing from Sunderland in 2011 — a stint best remembered for the John Terry race scandal when the then-England captain was caught on Sky coverage calling the QPR defender a "fucking black c**t.” Only the Allens — Les, his two sons Clive and Bradley, and their cousin Martin — have had more family members representing QPR in the history of the club.
This appearance in Hoops for one of the finest English defenders of his generation could have come much sooner — Rio was part of the QPR youth set-up as a 13-year-old before eventually progressing into the Premier League through the ranks at West Ham United.
As a child, Ferdinand, born and raised in Peckham, represented Southwark in gymnastics at the London Youth Games and won a scholarship to attend the Central School of Ballet in London.
At Upton Park he was given his chance by current QPR boss Harry Redknapp along with fellow academy graduate Frank Lampard. Like Jermain Defoe (hotly tipped to join QPR on loan from Toronto later this season) further down the line, he spent time on loan at Redknapp’s former club Bournemouth, and made his Hammers debut in an end of season fixture against Sheffield Wednesday in May 1996 — just as QPR were being relegated from the Premier League for the first time. In 1997/98 he was named the Hammer of the Year aged just 19.
Ferdinand broke records in 2000 when he joined big-spending, Champions League-chasing Leeds United for £18m — a British record transfer fee, and the most money paid for a defender anywhere in the world at that time. Leeds over-reached, subsequently crashing and burning thanks to the high-risk strategy of Peter Ridsdale when they failed to make the Champions League in 2002, but Ferdinand excelled, captaining the club to a European Cup semi-final, and following an impressive 2002 World Cup in japan he was sold to Manchester United for £29.1m. For the second time in little over two years, Ferdinand was the record British transfer and world’s most expensive defender.
It’s stated LFW editorial policy to keep any praise of Manchester United, or recollections of their past triumphs, to an absolute minimum, for fear of inducing a fit of projectile vomiting from which there may be no escape other than death. In summary, Ferdinand did quite well there. He peaked in 2008, captaining United to a Champions League final win against Chelsea — which we don’t mind talking about obviously.
For England he has amassed 81 caps and been called up for four World Cups starting in 1998 and ending in 2010 — although he didn’t make an appearance in the first and missed the last through injury. Oddly, he has never featured at a European Championships finals for his country. That stat should have been put to bed in 2012 but Roy Hodgson, scandalously in this site’s opinion, decided to take John Terry to Poland and Ukraine despite the impending race charge and, as that allegation resulted from the racial abuse of Ferdinand’s brother Anton at QPR, England were unable to select both Terry and Rio Ferdinand in the same squad. It remains a shame, in every sense of the word, that England took Terry — regardless of whether it was ahead of Ferdinand or not — to that tournament given the allegations, since proven, against him. Ferdinand retired from international football in May 2013 after being overlooked for several squads for what Hodgson assured the media were "football reasons”.
Ferdinand’s own reputation was damaged in September 2003 when he failed to attend a drug test at Manchester United’s training ground and received an eight month ban and £50,000 fine. In April 2008 he was accused of kicking a female steward in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge following a defeat. Earlier in his career his England debut was delayed in 1998 after a drink driving charge.
However in more recent times Ferdinand has become better known for his considered, insightful television punditry work as well as numerous charity initiatives. He has previously criticised FIFA for their refusal to severely punish nations and teams for racism offences
Probably of more concern to QPR is his fitness record. He missed the first half of 2009/10 with back and knee injuries, then missed the 2010 World Cup and all of Manchester United’s pre-season with another knee complaint. He was struck by a hamstring injury at the start of the 2011/12 season. Last year he made 21 starts for United as they laboured into seventh — just 12 of those came in the league.
Ferdinand has signed a 12 month contract at Loftus Road and is QPR’s first signing since they were promoted to the Premier League via the play offs in May.
"I used to sit in the Loft — my dad used bring me here as a young boy. QPR was the first professional club to ever sign me. Anton had nothing but good things to say about QPR and I watched Les here as a boy, with the likes of Ray Wilkins, Clive Wilson, David Bardsley and Alan McDonald.”
"I spoke to Harry and Mr Fernandes at length. I think they both looked me in the eye and knew that I still have something to offer — that I had a genuine desire to come here and play football. I had a lot of offers from all over the world — some in places with a better climate than here. But the draw for me was to play in the Premier League and back here where it all started.
"It’s not about money — I had loads of more lucrative offers available to me. I still feel I’ve got something to offer and I’m excited about helping this club cement its place in the Premier League.” - Rio Ferdinand
"I really couldn't be more pleased. Rio’s a fantastic player and a great professional — I'm delighted we've been able to bring him here. I signed Rio as a 14 year-old. He was class on the field and off the field then, and he's continued in that manner throughout his career. During his time at Manchester United, he was the best defender in Europe, if not the world. To bring him to QPR — when he's still got so much to offer in terms of his quality, class, experience and know-how — is a remarkable coup for the club.” - Harry Redknapp
"On the whole, haven't got a problem with this if it is a one year deal. Played in the Prem, former captain of a club like Man U. Brings a wealth of experience and hopefully a good professional mentality. Hopefully will help us close out vital games next season. — SDM1508
"The Mail are claiming we're paying him £70k a week, if it's anything near that we've learnt nothing. What other club would do a deal like that for a near 36 year old?” -Nov77
"Pretty sure Dave McIntyre said on Twitter or in an article recently that it was a basic wage of £35k with some more based on appearances etc. Much more inclined to believe him. Ferdinand could be ok. United fans I know don't think he's half the player he once was but think that he would certainly offer something in terms of organisation. It's not the direction I'd like to see Redknapp & co go with transfers, but if it's a one off I can certainly see their rationale. A CB partnership of him and Onuoha (or Caulker/Lascalles) doesn't actually sound too bad. I fear for us if Ferdinand ever plays with Dunne or Hill though.” -WadR
"Complete vanity signing and simply not what we need. This team is crying out for pace, mobility, legs. The one thing we don't need is an experienced centre-half and certainly not one who looks shot and uninterested in playing for a club like ours.” -Watford_Rangers
"I am in favour of the Rio Ferdinand signing and welcome him to the club. From what I've heard he has been very honourable about his dealings with the club and irrespective of any other factors he has said from the start he would join QPR and hasn't gone round touting his services to any club that would want him and I think there are many.
"If our medical is sufficiently stringent and he has passed it without issues, then there is no reason why he can't play an important part this season. Yes he is 35, but he has quality and integrity and I believe he will commit to the club in a way that some of our previous signings of this type did not. From what I've seen of him he only knows how to play by giving his best and I hope he enjoys doing that at QPR.” -SomersetHoops
Are you over 30? Have you achieved everything you’re ever likely to achieve in your career? Is your fitness failing? Are you injury prone? Have you nothing left to prove? Are you earning truck loads? Are you looking for a pension top up? Step right this way Mr Zamora/Johnson/Park/Bosingwa …. Ferdinand?
On paper you could not possibly conjure up a week that sums up everything that is wrong with the modern day QPR than one where they sign Rio Ferdinand from Manchester United and then the very next day admit that they may not build the desperately needed new training ground at Warren Farm after all.
Since 2007 QPR have been at least part owned by Flavio Briatore, Bernie Ecclestone, Lakshmi Mittal and now Tony Fernandes. These are some of the world’s richest, most powerful, most influential men, and money has not been in short supply. Since Fernandes arrived at Loftus Road in August 2011 some £170m has been lost, now weighted against the club as debt. During these two super-rich regimes Loftus Road has been painted, had swanky hospitality facilities added, got a big screen that never shows replays and media facilities in accordance with Premier League regulations have been shoe-horned in. But neither the Briatore/Ecclestone regime, nor Tony Fernandes and his consortium, have ever spent a single penny on something tangible to help the club in the future. If Fernandes walked away tomorrow, even if he wrote off the debt as he went, QPR would be the same club it was back in 2007 when it was saved from the cusp of bankruptcy: sub-standard stadium; overpaid playing squad; non-existent youth set-up; inadequate, rented training facilities.
Since 2007 not one single player has come out of the QPR youth team and become a first team regular, semi regular or occasional fill in. Not a single one. The QPR academy currently trains at the Concorde Club — more rented accommodation — which is completely separate from the first team base. When Harry Redknapp could have found use for Max Ehmer last season he brought in Oguchi Onyewu on a short term deal and never picked him. Before Christmas he also signed and never picked Javier Chevanton and then for the second half of the season we had to suffer the comic genius of Mobido Maiga while Tom Hitchcock was loaned out.
There has been talk of a new stadium, and the club has gone through the planning process and judicial appeal over Warren Farm, but never once has anybody put a spade in the ground and turned words into actions. This week Tony Fernandes, in saying that Warren Farm had taken a bit too long to get off the ground and perhaps the club should just focus on superficial improvements to the current wholly inadequate set up at Harlington (which the club borrow from a college) instead, asked "why do we need a training ground like Southampton or Spurs?”
This is a man who says QPR have learnt from their mistakes.
Those mistakes being that last time QPR were in the Premier League they went chasing after big named, ageing stars of the division. People you’d heard of, people who were great in 2006, people who’d achieved stuff in the game — Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson, Jose Bosingwa, Ji-Sung Park, Chris Samba. And why would these players come to QPR? To play at the wonderfully atmospheric but hopelessly outdated Loftus Road? To train on a drafty college field under the end of the Heathrow runway and use facilities Chelsea (before Chelsea were rich) slated as completely inadequate more than a decade ago? No. They came for money and nothing else. And they came because there was something wrong with them and nobody else was daft enough to offer them that money. It’s why leaches like Shaun Wright-Phillips continue to feast on the veins of Queens Park Rangers — because the club was stupid enough to offer a player on the downward slope a ridiculous four year contract and there’s nobody out there daft enough to tempt him with anything like a better offer to go elsewhere.
After signing Rio Ferdinand, you can almost hear the tuts and see the rolling eyes from other clubs up and down the country. Off they go again.
Medium and long term, it’s pure QPR. Always another player, always a name, always something that’s going to get QPR and their shiny Air Asia sponsorship logos on Sky Sports News, always something that’s good for PR. Rarely a player with sell-on value, rarely a player with things to prove, rarely a player with a decent medical history. And, just like last time, a player who’s going to walk in on a far bigger basic wage than most who worked hard to get the club promoted in the first place. Definition of insanity, repeat same actions, expect different results, etc etc etc. The club doesn’t hesitate to spend massive money on players like this, but baulks at relatively smaller sums for things like the academy, the training ground and so on. I’m constantly drawn back to the scene on the Four Year Plan where the board sit around discussing reducing the matchday flower budget from £700 to £500 and the C Club menu from £9.50 a head to £7.50 a head before agreeing that no reductions whatsoever will be made to the playing budget. A playing budget that, at that time, included a four year deal for Patrick Agyemang and his personalised-reg Bentley at roughly £12,000 per week.
Breathe….. Short term though, this one might actually be quite shrewd.
Ferdinand’s fitness problems are a concern. I’ve filed Harry Redknapp’s assertion that Ferdinand was fit throughout last season but not selected and would have been first name on the team sheet this year if Ryan Giggs had been made manager in the same drawer as his claim he can’t read or write, was going to manage the Ukraine (having turned down Newcastle because it was too far away from Bournemouth) and South Korea happily cleared Yun Suk-Young to play in the play-off final rather than join them for the World Cup.
But, famous last words, I don’t think this is a player who is as physically shot as Ji-Sung Park when he made a similarly high profile move from Manchester United to QPR two years ago — Rangers, incidentally, have an appalling record of signing duds from Old Trafford.
Nor do I think we’re looking at a Jose Bosingwa-type situation where a player who’s achieved everything he’s ever going to achieve and is looking for final pay days takes advantage of a naïve club rolling in new money. Rio Ferdinand could have earned more and played for more established clubs elsewhere if he’d wanted. There’s certainly not shortage of Champions League-qualifying clubs in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and possibly France, Spain and Portugal as well who would have taken on Rio Ferdinand this summer. His connection with QPR is genuine and — famous last words — I believe him when he says he’s up for the challenge that faces Rangers this season.
The thing that sticks with me most is not anything that’s been said this week, amid a PR frenzy of "we’re not making the same mistakes again, honest”, but something that Anton Ferdinand said when he joined QPR three years ago. The lesser (by several million country miles) Ferdinand brother said he’d had offers from the skips of European football — Turkey, Russia etc — where the likes of Kenny Miller and Darius Vassell go to con a great living for 18 months at the end of their careers but his brother Rio had said he should "walk over broken glass” to sign for QPR and play in the Premier League.
Cynics may say that this is because Rio, who has shown himself to be quite the astute marketer and businessman in recent times, recognised that nobody in the Premier League would pay a player as poor as his brother the money QPR were offering but, perhaps naively, I think he had more wholesome motives behind that statement.
Harry Redknapp has described this as a "remarkable coup” and for once I’m inclined to agree with him. QPR need some sound, long-term planning, facilities and ethos and Redknapp is providing none of that. Signings like Mobido Maiga and Oguchi Onyewu, brought in and plonked ahead of Max Ehmer and Tom Hitchcock, sum up Redknapp’s short-termism and the club’s problems. However, Redknapp has also gone out and signed Charlie Austin and Matt Phillips, and is apparently close to sealing a deal for Cardiff’s Stephen Caulker who is exactly the sort of player QPR should be trying to bring in. Since the money arrived, only the steal of Akos Buzsaky from Plymouth comes close to this sort of shrewdness. And you can talk about the money Ferdinand will earn, but given it’s a one year contract and a free transfer he’s likely to cost QPR less than half what Hull have paid for Jake Livermore, and probably about a quarter of what Sunderland have paid for Fabio Borini. So let’s not be rolling our eyes and tutting in our glass houses just yet eh? Imagine the message board and press reaction to the news that QPR have bought Jake Livermore for £8m and Fabio Borini for £14m?
Just because other ageing pros with fitness problems and a giant medal collection came to QPR previously and tossed it off, doesn’t mean Ferdinand will. After all, Ryan Nelsen turned out to be the best of Mark Hughes’ clutch of signings two summers ago. I, possibly over optimistically, envisage Ferdinand performing in a similar way to the New Zealand skipper at the heart of the planned three man defence this season. If he’s alongside Caulker and Nedum Onuoha in that trio, with Suk-Young and Simpson as wing backs, then that’s a really great start for QPR’s 2014/15 Premier League team.
Besides, we’re due a decent Ferdinand.
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