How will Joey Barton react to being dropped? How can QPR beat relegation from the Premiership? Former QPR midfielder Richard Langley provides a player’s point of view to LFW.
For more of Richard’s opinions about the current situation at QPR, click on the banner to visit his new Kicking It My Way Blog
I was asked to write for LoftforWords this week and I immediately thought that it would be nice to have more interaction with the fans as I feel it is important for them to hear a former player’s point of view. I am sure some won't agree on all points but that is what helps contribute to a healthy debate and discussion.
With the current situation at QPR the most important thing, as we all know, is survival. How we get there right now isn't really a concern to many of us. Mark Hughes, the man in charge, is responsible for leading us out of the mess that we are in. There are a few things that worry me. Firstly, at the moment it doesn't seem like he knows his best team. We clearly have no style of play that matches from one week to the next. I don't know what we represent. Our play appears to be off the cuff.
Some teams are out and out defensive and set up with a ‘park the bus’ type attitude. Others, like Stoke, are openly direct and aggressive. Swansea will work off possession and try to play their way through you. The bottom line is that, with most teams, you know what to expect.
Since the sacking of Neil Warnock, Hughes has failed to mark his stamp on the team. There doesn't seem to be a visible difference in the way we play which does make you wonder why they replaced Warnock in the first place.
It does worry me that after the Liverpool game Hughes said they had been preparing 'meticulously' for that game because espite a 3-2 victory and an ecstatic reaction from the crowd and players I failed to see what he had worked on that could have been so 'meticulous'. The back four, for example, are looking extremely suspect, not only when defending but when they are in possession too.
Maybe it was a chance for Hughes to kid the fans into thinking he is doing a good job but I refuse to be fooled. People have asked me how can we go from being so great in the latter part of the game last Wednesday to performing so badly at the Stadium of Light and it’s because, in my opinion, the Liverpool game was a smash and grab. As great a night as it was we were lucky to get the three points.
I didn't watch the Sunderland game but for me, if the team played anything like they did for the first 80 minutes of the game against Liverpool the result may have been a fair reflection.
I think times times have changed in football. Nowadays it is not so easy to put a team of well paid stars out on the pitch and expect instant results. You need to have an identity and a system in place and this is something that Hughes doesn't seem to have. I can't really tell you how he intends to play. This lack of clarity is apparent on match days too. I'm not at the training ground to see their preparations but it comes down to one of two things; Hughes has a game plan and the players cannot orchestrate it, or his game plan is not working in the Premier League. Either way the buck stops with the manager.
Under Ian Holloway we were all clear and scripted of what we had to do. I remember on my return to QPR we had a lot of new faces in the squad. Olly sat us all down and asked the question:"Lads, what kind of team are we?" There were a lot of blank faces, the look of confusion increased when Paul Furlong raised his hand and said: "We're a Dry Cleaners gaffer." Now Olly faces the group of guys sitting in front of him and says: "Yeah you are right Furs, we 'close and press'."
So for those of you that are still confused, he wanted us to close the ball down and press the other team. Now as ugly as this was to watch at times, we all knew what we could and couldn't do. I am hoping that Mark Hughes can keep us up this season and then have time in the summer to get the team playing exactly how he wants.
In my opinion the disparity of the wages between players who are being asked to do the same job will be an issue. We also have a lot of players getting overpaid. There are players not being treated fairly yet they are being encouraged to leave the club and face extraordinary pay cuts if they do leave. Players on £10-20k per week are facing going to another club and making less than 10% of the income they take at QPR. In all honesty ask yourself if you would act any differently to the players being labelled ‘deadwood’ in the squad. We can't blame the players for not wanting to leave, it’s the club that has dished out huge contracts in the exchange for a quick fire promotion. The progress of the club is being held back by having so many players that are surplus to requirements.
Our purported highest earners, Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips, have been frustrating this year. What they need to understand is that they are the highest earners in the club’s history. We are paying them top Premiership wages and unfortunately their performances have been way below par. We are not paying these inflated wages for them to turn up and be anonymous or average. We have failed to see many glimpses of the reasons why Chelsea decided to part with £21m for the tricky winger and Joey Barton has not had the effect that the fans would have been expecting. But, in all fairness to Joey, he is not a game winner and was always going to find it difficult to make an impact at Loftus Road with the big reputation that preceded him. And again, the players cannot be blamed for being gifted with these contracts.
As a player I would feel hard done by knowing that there are certain players in the team that are earning an inordinate amount of money in comparison to the rest of the squad, especially if they are sitting on the bench or not performing as well as me. It is an issue that needs to be dealt with, if not it will divide the camp.
Joey Barton would have been genuinely upset after being dropped. As a professional it's a blow to your confidence. I have been in situations before like Joey where you know you are not playing well and that there is only so much loyalty the manager can show you. With every misplaced pass the pressure mounts. You would have the rivals for your position asking the manager when they will get a chance to play and you know the inevitable is around the corner. On occasions like these, with the crowd on your back, it was almost a relief to get dropped and have an opportunity to find some form out of the spotlight. This little break will do him the world of good. I can see him coming back into the starting XI and leading the team again.
Go back ten years when a certain part of the crowd was booing Paul Furlong. This was a big test for of his character. I remember feeling the pain Furs was going through. I cut in off the left and sent a ball flying in and Furs rose to beat the keeper and the defender to the ball to send the ball into the net but then walked away without celebrating. It affected him. But he came back that season to show his worth against Oldham in that play-off semi final, he won us that game and as a result won the supporters over and now is revered by some as a Rangers legend. I am sure Joey Barton will show the same ability to bounce back to an adverse crowd.
We are in a dog fight at the bottom of the league and it's players like Joey we will be needing to get us out of it.
My gut feeling is that we have enough genuine quality to escape relegation this season. It will be a collective effort that gets us out from the fans, players and coaching staff. It is time for us all to fight together. Whatever disagreements there are, and I am sure there are many, the players will be realising that this is their livelihood and their pride at risk. They don't want to get relegated. It's a huge test of nerve. The experience in the team is going to be vital - older heads helping out the younger pros.
If they can show the amount of passion that QPR supporters have shown over the years I am quietly confident that we can complete the task that lies ahead.
For more of Richard’s opinions about the current situation at QPR, click on the banner to visit his new Kicking It My Way Blog
Tweet @LANGERS1979, @loftforwords
Pictures – Action Images