QPR's Lack Of Imagination

• 

Queens Park Rangers' fans rightly considered themselves dissatisfied at the end of last season. Since the sacking of Neil Warnock on January 8th, the club won just seven of their 21 remaining Premier League games and, due to their final day defeat at Eastlands, QPR survived courtesy of a controversial late Stoke penalty against Bolton. Such is life, however, and this 'great' escape afforded QPR the opportunity to progress and make a definitive imprint on the Premier League that went beyond simply employing its enfant terrible in midfield.
The club's initial fear was a squad that could at best be defined as bloated. As the season ended QPR had forty first team players, a figure that desperately needed reducing, particularly with the enforcement of the Premier League's 25-man squad rule. A genuine clear-out was obviously necessary, and manager Mark Hughes made clear his intentions. "Every club will look at their current staff and what they need to build and get stronger. That means a number of players will go as a result," said Hughes just before the City game.
Even more concerning was the age of the squad, and exactly half of those forty players within the squad were aged thirty or more. Of the side that started the defeat to Manchester City six were the wrong side of thirty, and none of the starting eleven was aged under 25. QPR did not give a single league start to a player under 21 years of age last season, the only top flight side not to do so.
Initially, the club made some headway. Danny Shittu, Fitz Hall, Danny Gabbidon, Lee Cook, Patrick Agyemang and Akos Buzsaky were all allowed to leave on free transfers, and Paddy Kenny and Heidar Helguson dropped down to the Championship for minimal fees.
All looked rosy until Rangers began to bring in replacements. Aside from Junior Hoilett's arrival and making Samba Diakite's loan deal permanent, the club has recruited five players. Ryan Nelsen is 34, Andy Johnson 31, Rob Green 32, Park Ji-Sung 31 and Jose Bosingwa 30. On Wednesday they began talks to enlist Ricardo Carvalho from Real Madrid, another 34-year-old. Carvalho will become the 19th thirty-plus player at Loftus Road. It's almost pipe and slippers time, and QPR's policy has been scorned by many.
Forgetting the weak Dad's Army and QPR OAP gags for a moment, this appears to be a futile exercise in short-termism, and Mark Hughes has sculpted a squad that will need an overhaul within two seasons. Moreover, the swollen nature of the squad has not been addressed. For a team that often fields only one striker (with Jamie Mackie pushed out wide right on Saturday), having Johnson, Cisse, Mackie, Bobby Zamora, Jay Bothroyd, DJ Campbell, Rob Hulse and Tommy Smith on the books falls somewhere between greed and lunacy. Should Carvalho and Michael Dawson sign, in central defence they will have at least six options to choose from.
Mark Hughes' plan to recruit enough Premier League experience to attempt to ensure survival is evident but by no means fool proof, and in addition QPR have added considerably to their wage bill this summer. It is a particularly disappointing approach from Hughes, who remarked after leaving Fulham that "as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences." Signing ageing players on high wages in a bid to simply survive, looks like anything but 'ambitious'. Given Hughes' underperformance since his appointment, the carte blanche provided by Tony Fernandes is equally confusing. Matt Stanger's Eggert Magnusson comparison in Winners and Losers rings true, and should ring alarmingly for fans.
On Saturday, QPR looked woefully inept against a Swansea side expected by many to find things tougher this season, suffering their worst home defeat in over sixty years. Manchester United recruits Fabio and Park looked lost, and Rob Green displayed his World Cup 2010 form at an inopportune time. Rangers had four players making their debuts, and yet the frailties of last season appeared have been ignored. Another long season potentially awaits.
The saddest aspect of QPR's transfer window is that, unlike many other clubs, it appears that Hughes had a meaningful budget to effect change at Loftus Road. Given a fortunate second chance to establish themselves as a Premier League club after a substandard first season, QPR and their manager have ignored ambition and fancy (not to mention an effective scouting network) in favour of an expensive tunnel vision. They may regret such a lack of imagination.

Daniel Storey