QPR have made a clear statement of their new intent by moving quickly to secure a pair of promising 22-year-olds from Swindon, but they must work hard to ensure they don’t suffer the same fate as their predecessors.

Facts

He scored six goals and had eight assists to his name last season, and made the division’s Team of the Year, leading to links with Aston Villa this summer where former Spurs academy head Tim Sherwood is, of course, now manager. Luongo was also named Player of the Tournament at January’s Asian Cup, where he scored in the final for Australia as they beat South Korea 2-1. He has a dozen caps and two goals for the Australia senior team so far.

Born in Sydney to an Italian father and Indonesian mother, Luongo started his football at APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC down under before heading to these shores in 2011 to join the Tottenham academy. He was loaned out first to Ipswich Town for the first three months of the 2012/13 season and scored one League Cup goal in eight starts and three substitute appearances for Paul Jewell’s side.

He was then one of a clutch of Spurs players sent on loan to Swindon, with manager Mark Cooper playing a progressive, attractive, intricate style in League One that attracted the Premier League club to send their best youngsters there. He was part of the Swindon side that impressively dispatched QPR from the League Cup in 2013/14 at Loftus Road. His form persuaded Swindon to spend £400,000 to acquire him permanently, although Spurs maintained first-refusal on him at that price should he move on and have a generous sell-on clause in the agreement should he go anywhere else — as has now happened.

Pedigree-wise, Ben Gladwin couldn’t be more different. Also 22 and also joining from Swindon, the physical, versatile attacker joined the Robins in July 2013 after coming up through the non-league game with stints at Wallingford, Windsor and Eton, Hayes and Yeading and Marlow after being released from Reading’s youth set up as a boy.

He scored 11 times for Swindon last season, including eight in the final seven fixtures of the season as the Robins made an ultimately unsuccessful bid for promotion through the play-offs.

Luongo and Gladwin have both signed three year contracts at Loftus Road. The combined fee for the two players is in the region of £3.5m.

Reaction

“Ben’s a fine addition for us and someone myself and Les have been monitoring for some time. I'm happy we've persuaded him to come here because there was a lot of interest from other clubs, some in the Premier League. He just wants to come in and play and he'll get that opportunity with us. I'm looking forward to coaching him and working with a player I believe can only keep improving.”— QPR manager Chris Ramsey.

“Regular football is important to me. That’s why QPR appealed to me. I’m at my best when I’m playing week in, week out — I’m all for playing as many games as possible in a season. The step up to the Championship is going to be a challenge, but I’ll always back myself. I sat down with the manager and the big thing for me was where he wants to go with the club. Also, how he wants me to be involved attracted me. He sold it to me really well. I never want to rest on my laurels — I always want to push on. I’m very excited to now be a QPR player. I can’t wait to start pre-season and get my head down.” -Massimo Luongo

“There was interest from the Premier League but for me, personally, I think this move is a little more realistic at this stage of my career. Playing is what it’s all about. Sitting on the bench is no way to improve your game. Chris Ramsey is a fantastic coach and I’m sure he’ll improve me on the training pitch. I spoke to him earlier this week and was hugely impressed by what he had to say and where he sees me fitting in. Everyone I’ve spoken to about QPR said it would be a good move for me. I can’t wait to get going here.” - Ben Gladwin

Opinion

I say that because last summer I thought our signings were decent. Rio Ferdinand apart, which was always a vintage modern-day QPR ego fest likely to blow up in their faces, the players brought in were of better ability, age, attitude and pedigree than the wasters the club had lumbered itself with before at greater expense. I still think Jordon Mutch is a fine player, and that Stephen Caulker was a very good signing — he still has time to turn things around, if he can stay out of pub brawls. Isla and Vargas had enjoyed good World Cups and Leroy Fer had shone in a relegated Norwich team.

Yes they came in late, but the play-off finalists are always at that disadvantage and it was exacerbated by a South American World Cup. And, yes, it was a typical bit of latter-day Harry Redknapp nonsense to sign players thinking he was going to play a back three and then abandon it after a game and a half, leaving the squad short in key areas. But Caulker, Mutch, Fer, Isla, Vargas were all good signings on paper. Tony Fernandes repeated that over and over again when things started going badly - we'll be fine, learnt lessons, got good players.

The problem is if you're making a rancid Bolognese sauce, it takes more than a couple of garlic cloves to turn the thing around. These players are just the latest names to go onto the list of those who looked great elsewhere, but came to QPR and performed poorly. Junior Hoilett, fantastic at Blackburn, now barely looks like a footballer. We brought them into a broken club. Once is fine, twice is fine, three times is concerning, but it has happened over and over and over again at QPR. And if it's still the case, then Massimo Luongo and Ben Gladwin need to watch their careers or risk being swallowed up by the blackness too.

The departures of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton, on the same day that Clint Hill and Ale Faurlin were given a chance to extend their stays here, give hope — that dangerous commodity again.

We can debate whether Joey Barton is actually any good or not until the cows come home. We can hear from people who say that, actually, Wright-Phillips was a good influence around the training ground, setting an example to the younger players and what not. And we can say that Faurlin will be lucky to ever walk up the stairs again, never mind play football, after what he's been through and Clint Hill, who was only meant to be good enough for one more year four years ago, is starting to struggle. But we'd be missing the point if we did.

The fact is, whether you like Barton or Wright-Phillips or not, they represent what has been wrong at QPR over the last four years. All about ego and name and individuals and money. Faurlin and Hill, who have constantly put the club above all else, represent everything we want QPR to be.

Whatever the exact figures of the wages paid to Barton and Wright-Phillips - and estimates vary wildly - it was far in excess of what anybody else at the club was on when they arrived. There will always be high earners and low earners at a football club, but QPR took a spirited squad that had worked hard for promotion and basically cast them aside, slung a whole clutch of people who'd done nothing for the club in there on ten times the money, and wondered why it put a few backs up.

And that money never reduced over four years, whether they played or not, whether the club did well or not, whether it stayed in the Premier League or not, whether they behaved themselves or not — Joey and Shaun got their money regardless. The deals they were given highlighted how desperate QPR were to have them, like we were privileged to get such big-name players to our little tiny club. It should always be the other way around: signings should always feel privileged to be coming here.

There has been no uniform standard of behaviour at QPR during their time here and they’ve both taken full advantage of it. Neil Warnock talks in his book about Wright-Phillips taking the piss out of him during training when he'd tried to fine him. Joey Barton has been involved in countless incidents on and off the field. He's been sent off four times, all for reactions rather than fouls, in four massive matches for the club. He has regularly brought the club into disrepute with his conduct on social media, recently telling supporters reacting to a newspaper story about him they know nothing because they "work in Sainsbury's" as if people who work in Sainsbury's can't have their say. He also spent an entire afternoon before a match abusing Rodney Marsh who, whatever you think of him, won a cup final here and did far more for QPR than Joey Barton has ever done. For all this QPR made him the captain, and Joey was allowed to Tweet and Whats App message the chairman. This sort of thing should never be allowed to be the case again.

You cannot impose standards, wage structures, behaviour protocol, social media guidance and what not while people like that are still around. They’ll look at the contracts you gave them and laugh. “Joey, I know all the Newsnight and Twitter stuff has been fine for the last three years, but we’d like you to stop now,” isn’t going to wash, particularly as the chairman himself is just as bad for it. With them gone, you can start to enact change. Keeping people who have behaved well, performed well, and treated the club and its fans with respect sets a standard that the younger, hungrier players the club now wants to be its signature signings will be asked to abide by.

Both Luongo and Gladwin will see this as a big move and opportunity for them, as opposed to doing us a favour or “moving for the money” as Barton so tactfully described his original transfer to Loftus Road. A sensible approach from the club to today’s season ticket prices means the patience Chris Ramsey has pleaded for will be afforded — high prices have poisoned the atmosphere at Loftus Road before and would have created an inappropriate environment for Ramsey and Les Ferdinand to do what they seem to be planning to do.

These signings bode very well, and it sounds as if more will follow in a similar vein. Ferdinand’s plan for the club is taking shape but that culture of behaviour, respect and team ethic needs to be right or we risk simply put together a collection of disparate individuals once more.

All in all, it’s been a fantastic week for the club.

The Twitter @loftforwords

The Pictures — Action Images

Photo: Action Images

NathanNI added 22:57 - May 28 Nice write up Clive. Fingers crossed the lessons have been learned. Couldn't have asked for a better start with these quick moves. Makes such a change from hiding behind a cushion on deadline day.
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Neil_SI added 23:45 - May 28 To say I'm pleased by what's happened in recent days is a bit of an understatement. The past couple of days have shown a great mark of intent and we've got off to a flying start. Let's hope we can maintain this positive momentum. Just a few days back we'd lost 5-1 to Leicester City and I was disappointed by the amount of negativity shown for what effectively was a dead rubber match. Chris Ramsey called for patience and spoke about the need to be ready for a productive pre-season by the end of June. When he said that, all I could think about was that it was just over a month away and it needed to be an exceptional period to be ready for a productive pre-season. At that point, we had a long list of players on the books whose future's were up in air, no idea of what kind of replacements we'd be in for or after, the FFP situation still ongoing and no real idea what season ticket prices might be. It's clear Les Ferdinand and Ramsey have been hard at work preparing ahead of relegation, and rather than act late, as we've done many a time, we've come out of the blocks fast and been pro-active, which had already helped set a positive tone. Of course, there's still lots of work to do, it still is likely to be a tough season, and we'll surely see more people come and go, including players we might want to see stay. But all in all, for what's needed to be done, absolutely no complaints at all. In terms of the playing personnel, for me personally, it's almost like a shadow has been lifted off the place. For the first time in my life, I found it very difficult to get behind or support some of those players who were let go because they did not represent me or the club in the way I wanted or expected them to do so. If we want the momentum to continue, it would be worth considering bringing Jamie Mackie home and Shaun Derry onto the coaching staff. That would really send a message out, that perhaps, finally, QPR might be coming back too.

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PunteR added 23:51 - May 28 There's definitely a bit of optimism around Loftus rd at the moment . Ramsey was questioned on the message boards whether he could attract the right players to the club and whether he's a good coach.Both players rate him and wanted to play for him and turned down prem clubs to play here. So far so good. Lets hope they can do the business on the pitch. cheers clive
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kilburnLadQPR added 00:03 - May 29 Well said my friend, I finally believe we're on the right track these two acquisitions are the perfect. Both are young and hungry, and the right type. I also think both will have good sell on value. Gladwin's the real deal, and in him we might have unearthed a real gem. The club is making the right moved. We need to establish that "culture of excellence" the gaffers talked about.

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AussieRs added 00:14 - May 29 Mass Luongo was Australia's star in winning Asian Cup for first time this year. Genuinely exciting player - No10. At risk of Strine bias I know, but can't wait to see him in Hoops next year and for some years on. Also, in relation to cows coming home etc, I know Barton appeared to really try in most games but his passing was the worst by any midfielder I watched in any team in the Premier League this season. Wildly overambitious and almost always inaccurate. At least Henry never really tried this.

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18StoneOfHoop added 02:37 - May 29 Terrific analysis by CW, no qualms with a word of it. I think what sets Clive apart from other writers on QPR, is that in every article he writes he constantly endeavours - the Socratic technique? - to dispassionately and even-handedly to see fully the merits of both sides of the argument before weighing in with what he thinks. E.G: "We can debate whether Joey Barton is actually any good or not until the cows come home. We can hear from people who say that, actually, Wright-Phillips was a good influence around the training ground, setting an example to the younger players and what not. And we can say that Faurlin will be lucky to ever walk up the stairs again, never mind play football, after what he's been through and Clint Hill, who was only meant to be good enough for one more year four years ago, is starting to struggle." Cracking prose style as well as convincing argument. #SendMyOrderOfTheCWBrownNoseInthePostASAP There's been a fair bit of general revisionism on the messageboard that posits confidently that Redknapp relying on Clint to make key game-changing decisions and with dodgy knees was visibly fooked the day we beat The Rams and should have retired there and then but I agree with CW he seemed to do some good business that summer: "Caulker, Mutch, Fer, Isla, Vargas were all good signings on paper." Those signings agewise and promisewise pleased me too at the time.I had no idea they would all on the whole have abysmal disasterous seasons. The only time I've met Clive was pre Sunderland at home on August 30th when we beat Sunderland 1-0. He said Redknapp's hard to like - presser irritation already set in - but the squad and signings was enough to stay up - <doh>. So however wise,learned,and astute Clive can seem he can get it wrong too just as much as the next less cerebral mug R's punter. Like all commenters so far, faith has been renewed and am much heartened by the last couple of days ; who we've shipped out,the calibre and age of who we're shipping in and the acceptable ST prices. Champing at the bit for the June fixtures release to see when the mini west London league takes place - bring on Konk's mob and those irritating stinging little Twickenham buzzers. The forthcoming season will Shirley just be a lot more fun...please God!!

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snanker added 05:13 - May 29 Watched and was impressed by Ange Postecoglu's surprise Socceroo selection of ML in the Asian Cup. He looks a real prospect and I couldn't believe he'd stay in Div1 very long after his break out tournament performances although he did seem to fade a touch toward the end of the comp with his physical approach. Over the moon R's have done some excellent business here and trust young Gladwin can live up to his name !! No surprise re the clear out so far altho' Barton may possibly have been a think twice at some stage. Still a long way to go re, fines, CA, what players want to depart of own free will etc,etc.. Maybe not such doom and gloom as a week month ago ! Light at the end of the tunnel ?

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timcocking added 05:53 - May 29 Sounds good. Fingers crossed.
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YorkRanger added 07:04 - May 29 It really has been a good couple of days. The player movements have surpassed expectation and the Season Ticket prices are what was hoped for. I think it has shown that actions speak louder than words and also that the club has a grasp of supporter sentiment. It has also defused somewhat the ongoing Message Board debate about the merits or otherwise of Chris Ramsey. For me that particular debate should now be laid to rest. After a miserable season, once again the hope starts to build up again. Fingers crossed it doesn't kill us....

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Discodroids added 08:59 - May 29 laverly bit of work.crunch.
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QPunkR added 09:52 - May 29 After another shitty season, I'm actually feeling positive about my Club for the first time in about 3-4 years this week. Brilliant work shipping off the shite (most of 'em anyway) and now the kind of signings we were wanting to make all along. Somebody pinch me! Great write-up Clive and I have to say I agree with every single word. And most of the full-stops.
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GetMeRangers added 13:28 - May 29 From that video, Ben Gladwin looks and sounds like a Jamie Mackie... just better Nothing better than hearing players coming to the club and giving good sound reasons, especially when being courted by Timmy and the riches of the Prem. If appointing CR was to have an excellent coach capable of improving young hungry but raw players, then I hope the naysayers will perhaps start to change their tune

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extratimeR added 14:43 - May 29 Yes, agree we seem to be changing and moving in the right direction, (finally!), did not know much about these signings, but link with Chris Ramsey and Spurs academy shows a lot of thought must have gone in prior. just renewed season tickets this morning, pricing is spot-on, surprised, do not feel anywhere as negative as last relegation. Thanks Clive!
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pedrosqpr added 17:39 - May 29 Very level headed signings no Hollywood players. I get the feeling the planning had started somewhere after the Palace match . This is probably Chris Ramsey's comfort zone as far as player personnel , The biggest statement of the future was the players released from there contracts. one thing I still would like to see is some experience in the team and not 11 newbies but I'm sure we will still have Karl henry and Alexandro Faurlin and Clint hanging around. I think the word of the week must be plannning , something all good businesses are able to do. ( Air Asia) its a pity we didn;t go down this route earlier . Lets hope for Bournemouth's sake Harry isn't meddling or giving them advice ha ha Interesting that all the preseason matches were organised and released very early , well done Les ! ..

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dixiedean added 19:01 - May 29 seems we're unanimously happy about the goings-on so far ( or the dissenters haven't voiced it yet ) . I reckon the 6 who have been released represent approx £250k a week ( c £1m per month !) in combined wages , which is big money and would fund a lot of signings at Champ level. Let's hope Luongo fares better than previous Aussies such as Ned Zelic and George Kulscar ! Carlton Cole might be a good bet at this level too- in fact I think we should have signed him when the Ammers released him last time before they took him back. Not a very glamorous player but quietly effective as a target man with a bit of muscle.

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isawqpratwcity added 04:01 - Jun 19 Allup, I'd give Joey a fail: 4 1/2 out of 10. But that's better than the 1/10 I'd give SWP, and only that for his goal at Chelsea. If the c*nt had any dcenecy he would have gone out on loan. Oxygen thief. Don't know anything about Gladwin, but Luongo's signing is music to my ears.
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