#qpr fc

What a difference three days make. QPR came up against a dogged but essentially ugly Millwall side and just couldn’t get their rhythm going. A completely different performance to the one against Ipswich three days earlier.

Plenty of talking points though. Millwall down to 10 men late in the first half for a straight red after a series of tough tackles ended in one the ref thought was too much. Scowen writhed in agony. Their player got sent off. Bit unlucky in my view. All this after Millwall had scored early after Freeman made a mistake on the left which their player took full advantage of, finishing nicely.

And from then on Millwall dominated. It wasn’t that we weren’t trying and we did string the occasional move together. But Millwall were just up and at us and we couldn’t find any rhythm. 

Worse was to come. Start of the second half we went two down after more slack defending and everyone thought that was it. In fact you wondered whether we would totally capitulate in the driving rain and let in more. It’s been our way over recent seasons. But to our great credit Olly made changes and we battled on. Smith, Sylla and Lua Lua came on. Onuoha was sacrificed at the back and Conor and Mackie were straight swapped. Conor’s only real contribution had been to hit the bar when he really should have scored and it’s a recurring theme, isn’t it?

Smith added much needed grunt and Lua Lua did exactly what he did on Saturday by getting his not insubstantial bulk in front of his marker and drawing the foul almost every time. He’s a player that presents a real danger for me and I think he should start. But impact sub he’s proving to be. And of course another impact sub came on and did the business late doors yet again. Mat smith prodding home after Luongo had got us right back in it with a decent effort from the edge of the box.

By then the roles had been completely reversed and Rangers made the extra man tell very well. It was a real bombardment and the man of the match was certainly their goalkeeper who made a string of fine saves to deny us.

Although it was a very entertaining game full of incident and endeavour, I have to say I left the ground frustrated.

Frustration 1. We didn’t come out of the blocks like we usually do and Millwall were first to everything.

Frustration 2. We couldn’t adapt to the different style Millwall played with. We need to learn how to beat teams that don’t give us space.

Frustration 3. Conor. Still not firing.

Frustration 4. The crowd. Although it was a good atmosphere, I was expecting more than 12,000.

Frustration 5. Pinging ball after ball after ball out to Baptiste on the left. He’s no winger and it got us nowhere but we continued to do it.

Frustration 6. Setting up with absolutely no midfield for the final half hour. We did a lot of good work but much of it was telegraphed because it was obvious the long ball was coming. We had far more success when we used Luongo and Freeman and we had patience.

Frustration 7. We couldn’t find the third we threatened to. A combination of bad luck and good goalkeeping. But not many would have argued had we got it. Although, on reflection, after their first half performance, Millwall deserved a point.

Frustration 8. I broke the golden rule and backed us because I thought we were nailed on after Saturday’s performance. I should know better. Like I said in the last post, we’re going to win a load. We’re going to lose a load. 

All in all I think most QPR fans went home happy, certainly judging by twitter. I left with the eight frustrations.

Special mention to Smithies who made one incredible save in the first minutes of the game. Really world class. Second special mention to Olly. He made key decisions at key times and they worked. Third special mention to Freeman who, mistake apart, was once again our driving force and our creative outlet.

A positive end to a frustrating evening against a side who didn’t play too much football but set about us with plenty of energy. We struggled against that and the problem is, there will be plenty more teams like that this season.

At last. A football team. There is plenty to improve on but you couldn’t have wished for a more dominant display for the season’s opener.

Defensively we were rock solid for all but the last few minutes of the game.

In midfield we were utterly dominant in the first half and held our own comfortable second half.

Up front there was a good work rate and occasional sparkle.  Polter scored a cracker too with virtually the last kick of the game to add a bit of pizazz to a hard working performance.

Bidwell made his debut at left back and he impressed. He looks keen to get forward and comfortable beyond the half way line which gives great cause for hope considering the players who have held that position in recent history.

I never thought I’d see Caulker in a QPR shirt again (at least I hoped I wouldn’t) but by all accounts he’s been fantastic pre season and he looked excellent today. Commanding. Hall next to him simply picked up where he left off last season. Very comfortable on the ball, good in the tackle, good positional sense. Obviously early days but if Jimmy Floyd can get Caulker motoring then we’ve got potentially two excellent centre backs on our hands.

Onuoha found himself on the right again. I’m not sure he likes it there and he’s certainly no natural flanker but he was untroubled today and netted me £330 for scoring first, although how much he knew about it I’m not sure. Rob Green - making his Leeds debut - did what he’s always been prone to doing which was flap and get outmuscled in the six yard box, and when the ball brushed off Ned’s thigh we were 1-0 up. Possibly fortuitous but not considering our dominance and early pressing for those first 10 minutes. 

That was largely down to debut boy Shodipo’s business on the left wing and his link up play with Bidwell. Shodipo is young and raw but he already shows a keenness to use both feet and also, joy of joys, to actually beat a man. It’s something we’ve been lacking for yonks. Someone with the ability to actually beat a man, with either pace (Feraday) or trickery (Taarabt) or sheer doggone head down determinedness (Mackie). Beating a man is what creates space and gets us going the right way. I think QPR have forgotten that over the last few years. Anyway, Shodipo’s performance was full of bristling intent and promise even if the final product was what you’d expect from a youngster.

Chery knows how to beat a man too. Last year’s best player (in my book anyway) and the closest thing we have to a true quality attacker was in good form again. He always looks dangerous going forward. His final ball let him down a little today, but he buried our second, a penalty, with aplomb in the bottom right even though Green guessed right. The penalty came after another debutant Jordan Cousins was felled by a clumsy challenge after getting the wrong side of the defender. Cheap and easy.

El Khayati came on for Gladwin mid way through the second half. The thing to note here is that Gladwin doesn’t seem to have worked on his speed in the pre-season. I’m not sure if it’s even something that can be worked on, speed. You either have it or you don’t. Gladwin doesn’t. He was hauled off after his lack of shift left him dangerously exposed on a yellow. I saw enough of Gladwin last season to understand there’s talent there. But blimey. you could almost make out the silvery trails on the grass after each of his ‘runs’. Judging from some tweets, he’s going to get some stick before long which is unfortunate and not something I will ever understand. But I do wonder why he’s out there on the right. Call me olf-fashioned but a winger should have a turn of pace, no?

Lots to like about Henry’s performance in the middle. Rock solid as usual. Much maligned is Henry but he’s been our most consistent performer over a tough two or three years and he really keeps us ticking over. Luongo didn’t do his usual disappearing act next to Henry and that was promising too. He involved himself throughout and looked creative and industrious. So nice balance there.

Up front Polter was big and strong and did a lot of donkey work. He ran onto a chery through ball in the first half, cut inside beautifully and was unfortunate to hit the post, but he netted our third deep into injury time with a good run, collecting a tough ball on the left, outmuscling his marker and slamming the ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle. The Polter on the cake, rather than the Chery.

Bidwell got a booking in the first half for showing, at worst, mild annoyance at a bad decision from the referee. I only mention this because if that’s the new law, there’s going to be a lot of trouble in the bedding down. Many a player is going to find themselves on the wrong side of a sending off for doing nothing much and I hope JFH has briefed the players accordingly.

Leeds for their part didn’t look bad. They just didn’t offer enough up front and we were so dominant in the middle that they found it hard to get hold of the ball and develop anything. All good from our point of view. But I think we’ll play a lot better sides this season and a lot worse.

The big difference today was tempo. Right from the start we played with tempo and intent. We dictated play, and we dictated it was fast and strong. And we didn’t let up or go to sleep or lose concentration or not get out of the blocks. There’s so much to look forward to this season. A new signing from Metz, a team of players with something to prove who aren’t rinsing us week in week out. All overseen by two good young footballing brains in Sir Les and JFH. This upped tempo really was the big difference. It’s something we’ve lacked for many seasons.

There are three distinct groups forming in the QPR squad. The biggest one, thankfully, is ‘players who have the scope to kick on. Those in this group I see as players with real potential. Raw now. Physically not quite up to it yet maybe. Mentally green. But players who, with enough game time, enough good coaching, enough confidence, enough attitude and enough good luck, could turn out to be half decent. In this group I would put Ingram, Robinson, Kwepeka, Petrasso, Luongo, Gladwin, Washington, El Khayati and Polter. That’s a pretty big group and it shows how much this squad’s changed. Because I wouldn’t have even had this as a group name two years ago.

‘Established first teamers’ are players I see as relatively finished articles who we can always rely on to put in a shift and produce something decent in the Championship. I have down Smithies, Perch, Onuoha (although he flirts dangerously with a group I shall come on to), Chery, Henry, Hoilet (another flirting dangerously with another group) and Philips (you know what these brackets are for right?). 

The final group are players we are best off shipping out, either because they are past their best, are never going to be good enough, or haven’t got the right attitude. In this group I would put Toszer, Konchesky and Mackie. Tozser I just can’t envisage improving. I may be wrong but I just can’t see him being the midefield general we’ve come to rely on in Henry, Faurlin or Derry before him. Konchesky is past his best surely. And Mackie unfortunately seems to have become more and more fragile.

The club announced straight after our final game of the season (1-0 home win against Bristol City - great strike from Henry) that Faurlin and Hill were being released. I don’t think there’s a QPR fan who isn’t sad to hear that news about either of them. They have been great servants. 100% committed during some horrible times. But it would have been hard to envisage Hill getting a full season at his age and we have some decent cover in his position. Faurlin was possibly more a decision based on money and the worry of his knee giving way again. Whatever the reasons, it’s sad to see two such great professionals leave a club who have been starved of great professionals for so long. Also going are Traore (Bye bye. See ya. Bye now), Yun Suk Young (such promise, god knows what happened there), Diakite (a remnant from a different time, a different world) and a bloke called Oscar Gobern who may as well be a hamburger seller in the South Africa Rd Stand for all I know about him. We’re currently in talks with Henry and Hoilet to renew contracts.

For me, if someone came in offering decent money for either Hoilet of Philips, I would take it. Both can do a job for us next season but they both remain symbols of an old QPR I’d rather forget about. Under Jimmy and Les there’s a definite feeling that we are moving on. This won’t lead us to instant success. But chasing instant success is what led us to the dreadful financial and spiritual state we find ourselves in now. The finances will take a number of years to right themselves. Getting rid of a few high earners is only a start. We have no parachute payments coming as of next year and I don’t see this squad as one capable of making a serious challenge for promotion. If all the players in the ‘Players with scope to kick on’ group do so, then maybe in a couple of seasons, who knows? Until then we have to be happy with mid table mediocrity. So, financially, things aint looking good.

Spiritually,things have got somewhat better this season to my mind. We are finally anonymous again. A blessing. It beats being a laughing stock, a team reviled for their policy of trying to buy survival at the expense of every principle the club was built on. We now have players with something to prove. We now have youngsters. In reality the football isn’t much better, but the feeling is. Best of all we have a young talented manager and a relatively young director of football who have gotten to grips with the realities of our situation and are prepared to remain and slug it out. That gives me hope. So I wouldn’t be sorry to see Philips and Hoilet go if it gave us a bit of cash. Out with the old...

Onuoha is a weird one. I like him. When he’s on form he’s an imposing player. he has his moments with the ball at his feet and he can play on both flanks althoughI think it’s not where he’s at his best. The doubt is twofold. Positionally he’s constantly found out. We’ve been weak from corners and crosses all season and he has to take his share of the blame. Secondly, he’s no captain. It’s a post that’s wasted on him. He’s simply not vocal or confident enough and I would have no qualms handing that honour to either Henry or Hall next season. We haven’t exactly got players queueing up for the role though. IT’s a worry and a feature of our squad for many seasons over the recent years.

Where are we light? If Hoilet and Philips move on we have no width, although many would argue we have no width with them here! Petrasso woudl have to have one serious summer to become the one we could rely on to create out wide next season. Robinson really looked like he could stretch opposition wing backs when I saw him and that’s hopeful. But the wings still represent an area of weakness. Up front we’re light. I like Polter. He puts a shift in and I can’t imagine there are many defenders who will be delighted at the prospect of having to deal with him. But he’s not going to be prolific. I guess we’re hoping Washington’s the man to bang them in. He hasn’t banged one in yet though, and if he doesn’t kick on we’re incredibly light up top. I have high hopes for Washington though and am looking forward to celebrating more of his international goals this summer. Defensively it doesn’t feel too bad. Angella is in a group all on his own. ‘Very decent squad player’. He provides good cover for Hall and Onuoha. Onuoha is versatile. Perch is solid and there’s some good talent coming through.

Personally I woudl be looking for an out and out goalscorer (easy huh?), a player with width and a new midfield enforcer to help Henry out. It’s going to be lonely in there for him without Faurlin. Everything else can wait. And I’d buy a bulk order of cotton wool to wrap Chery up in.

QPR 2 Birmingham 0. The headline for me was not how great we were but how utterly dire Birmingham were. Is this really a team knokcing on the door of the playoffs? If it is, then we can forget all the guff about this being a strong league. They were truly the worst team I’ve seen all season at LR.They lacked any cutting edge whatsoever and just seemed to be going through the motions. They reminded me of us away from home and against other London clubs.That’s how poor they were. So I’m not sure we can learn too much from the win. I think we know more from our last two away games (Bolton 1-1 with an injury time equaliser and a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough against a Sheffield Wednesday team flying high and full of confidence). What we’re learning is that Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink is slowly building a team that may lack too much pizazz but is certainly hard to beat. 

If we’re going to beat ourselves up because teams keep hammering Fulham after we got hammered by them, then it works both ways. Sheff Wed were unlucky yesterday to only come away with a draw against league leaders hull. So we’re definitely getting hard to beat.

And you could see it was safety first from JFH. In a game we were never in any doubt of losing, he took off Chery and replaced him with Tozser after 70 mins. This was disappointing. We lost all our momentum and the game fizzled out. Personally I don’t understand why such conservative tactics can help at this stage of the season. Far better to give Birmingham the walloping they deserved. 

I’m glad Chery’s getting his chance though. He’s a creative player, a dangerous shooter from outside the box and he finished with aplomb after good running and perseverance from the returning Pech on the left. Chery’s turn and shot was expert in its precision. A cool head with a touch of class up front and I like him playing behind Polter, who may be clumsy but looks more of a handful with every game. It was his searing run into the box and clever jink to get right in front of his marker that drew the penalty which Hoilet calmly slotted for the second. 

After that it could have been six or seven but for a lack of composure and a running out of steam of Philips and Hoilet. Henry continued to provide the grunt in the middle and Luongo took all the room he was given by the absent Birmingham midfield to show off his skills. Like I’ve said before, when he’s got time and space he’s a really good player to watch, a real QPR player. Unfortunately, denied said time and space he is ineffective. Can we play Birmingham every week? Luongo would certainly love that.

Hall and Angella were dominant. Hall again caught the eye with his calmness and sure footedness. And Onuoha, back in the right back role yet again, was loving life there as he was allowed to waltz round the park. Len’s lens would have been focussing admirably. 

Unfortunately it won’t always be like this. There will be stiffer tests to come. But lets enjoy this rare comfy win while we can and look at the positives which for me are Polter’s continued improvement, Chery’s class, Luongo’s skill and Hall’s assuredness.

Man of the match? Hall or Chery. Let’s go with Chery because he’s giving us much needed options in the final third. Conor Washington came on late doors and looked keen and busy as usual and when he’s adapted to the pace of the division it looks like he’ll be another good option up there.

We’ll have some ups and we’ll have some downs before the season ends. But it feels like we’re just starting to get a little consistency under JFH. Hard to beat, with some willing workers and young talent coming through. It won’t always be pretty and it won’t always work against teams that press, but I wonder if we’re just starting to see a team taking shape.

Two massive things happened. Charlie Austin got sold to Southampton for £4 million.

And QPR won. Away. And scored three goals.

The Austin sale came as a bit of a surprise to me I must say. I thought he was happy to stay till the end of the season and have his pick of clubs and name his salary as a completely free agent. And I wasn’t convinced QPR would be willing to sell as long as there was any chance whatsoever of sneaking a play off place.

Well, maybe the sale gives us some clue as to what the board think our chances are! We have somewhat blown it over the last eight games. The irony? It’s games that Charlie has missed!

I lamented on Twitter about the loss. It’s plain to see we’re a completely different proposition with him in the side. 

But when all the moaning and groaning is over I guess this gives us all a chance to do something important. And that is to get on with it. Life goes on. In fact, it made me wonder whether we might be better off if another couple of players were snapped up in the remaining transfer window. 

The sale of Green would end years of confusion over our no1 berth. It’s been indicative of a lot of our transfer dealings, this particular position. First Mark Hughes seems to think li’l ol’ QPR can accommodate not one but two top class goalkeepers int he squad by adding Julio Cesar to the ranks. Like either of those are ever going to be happy warming the bench. We had a better goalkeeping squad than Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal. What a ridiculous situation. Finally sense is seen when Julio goes and we sign a very promising keeper in McCarthy, a player tracked by liverpool, who ends up not getting a look in despite iffy form from Green.

When he gets fed up we sign another promising goalkeeper in Smithies who by all accounts has much potential. Again he warms the bench while Green’s form continues to dip. It’s only now that Green is close to activating an appearance clause in his contract which gives him a year’s extension that we drop him in favour of Smithies. I think if Green was to get some interest from the Premiership, we would be wise to offload and finally back the young talent we have sought to acquire.

Philips, Fer, Hoilet. All of them could be reasonably expected to get some interest too. Whilst I actively admire Fer and think Philips definitely has his uses in this division, I wonder whether complete shake up is what JFH really needs. We have midfield cover for all three of these players. Chery and Luongo look like good players to my mind. Raw but good. Maybe a good old clear out will just get everyone going. I’m up for it. I’m sure there’s appetite within the club to lower the wage bill and possibly get a little transfer money - they were quoting £8 mil last season for philips. An astronomical price considering his limitations, good player though he is. Hoilet has certainly improved over recent weeks but I don’t think he would leave a massive hole in the side. So why not go all out? It’s attitude as much as anything that has held us back. Let’s see.

With Charlie gone, I feared another toothless performance at Rotherham and the first half proved to be exactly that according to all reports. But we bagged a quick pair early in the second half and two quick goals is always something of a hammer blow. We grew in confidence and saw the game out very comfortable. Best of all, Polter scored again, capping off what I’m told was a thoroughly hard working performance from him. Let’s just hope he continues improving at the rate he is now because if he does we might have a half decent striker on our hands. Not a goal machine but a real handful. 

The other two goals were nice and came courtesy of Philips and the sort of resurgent Hoilet. And the assist for Polter’s last minute goal came from Fer, so I’m being wary of what I wish for with my earlier calls or a clear out. These are all very good players in this division. I just wonder whether they are jaded by the whole QPR circus they’ve been part of for the last three years. Let’s see. They all certainly played their part on Saturday.

Perch was back, meaning Onuoha could get back where he belongs at centre back. And he made one absolutely vital challenge in the first half that certainly kept parity. And Hall came out very well from everyone I talked to. 

Luongo also got a start. Nice to see. I must say though, I do wonder why Sandro isn’t playing if fit as I think he’s been absolutely outstanding whenever he’s played. Him and Faurlin missing again. Such a shame that we say that so often. But lucky we have cover, and the much maligned Henry as always played his part in sealing things in the middle.

So, our darling Charlie is gone. But nothing eases the pain like a convincing away win, albeit against opposition struggling at the moment. It shows there can be life AC (after Charlie). And it shows that, even with him gone, we have a squad that should not just compete in this division, but really grab the league by the scruff of the neck. Something tells me we could still do this. We are capable of a run. But we are short up front. The meagre £4 mil we got for Austin (of course he’s worth four times that but with less than six months left on his contract, that’s the way the cookie crumbles and you have to congratulate Southampton on nicking him right under the noses of some stiff competition) needs to be invested in a goal scorer. Crouch? Rhodes? The names are being touted. Both know how to bang the ball in the net. And that’s what we need. We’re creating chances.

If Brighton are the best team in the championship, then I reckon we’re going up.

This was the 9th game in a row where I’ve seen solid improvement. And yesterday I saw a bit extra. 

New boy Hasslebaink had called for the players to express themselves and play with more freedom. There were real signs the players were listening. The intricate play between midfield and defence was good to watch. It would be even better if it was between midfield and up front!

Brighton arrived at Loftus Rd as Championship leaders and the only unbeaten team in all four leagues. They left with the former accolade still intact but they were lucky to do so.

They were never truly overwhelmed but they were thoroughly outplayed for large periods of the game save for a bizarre two minute period in which they managed to steal a two goal march and look home and dried. It was utterly unfair. The first hit the back of the net with me fully expecting the whistle to stifle the away fans’ cheers and cue manic ‘aaaaagggggghhh’s from myself. But the nudge on Sandro which directly led to the scrambled overhead kick went unpunished, much to the annoyance of Onuoha who was booked for his protests.

With the sizeable away crowd still merry from that, a loose ball in midfield led to a speculative 40 yard effort which headed straight for Green but then somehow managed to skid right under him and into the net. Green must take the blame although it’s fair to say I can understand the circumstances that led to the goal.

Shocking stuff and no reward at all for a very industrious first 60 minutes in which we created a few good chances and Charlie Austin was on fire.

But the most pleasing aspect of the game was Rangers response. To a man the team kept plugging away, kept creating chances and thwarting a big physical Brighton side who knew all the tricks and were time wasting even before the first goal went in.

The constant probing led to Austing grabbing one back in emphatic style, getting in front of his defender, using his body well and banging the ball past the keeper with aplomb. Once that went in, for me it was only a matter of time. Philips and Hoilet were both creating. Fer, still half a yard short at the moment, was creating danger and Faurlin was pulling every string. He drew a very nasty challenge from his man which if it had connected would have broken Faurlin’s ankle. Faurlin was apoplectic and lucky not to get sent off himself, which was the fate of the tackler. Not an intended career ender but clumsy and dangerous nonetheless. From then on Brighton were clinging on but time was running out.

A corner in the 86th minute gave Faurlin the chance to whip in yet another inch perfect cross and who other than Austin to gamble on the space and knock home a perfect header into the far corner. Sublime stuff. Faurlin’s corners have been a constant menace for weeks, and now we have Charlie back to make the most of them, this valuable set piece becomes a real weapon for us. When was the last time we had that?

We could have won it late on but another Austin effort was cleared. It would have been a just three points. Alas, we’re still a little naive and whilst we’re growing in confidence were still not brimming with it. So a point will have to do. But a moral victory no doubt.

Special mentions. Sandro and Faurlin. Onuoha and Hall. This is the spine of the team and boy is it strong. They all had excellent games again. What a shame that Perch had to limp off meaning Onuoha dropped to right back. The good news is Angella deputised very well. It’s testament to our strength in depth. We have a pretty good bench right now. Who’d have thought?

Special mention number two. Super Charlie Austin. What can I say that’s not already been said? Nothing. But it won’t stop me. The man is a proper geezer. As a player he is full of confidence. His movement is impeccable. His eye for goal unique. I don’t think I have seen a better out and out goalscorer since Bannister. Les couldn’t find the net with the aplomb Charlie does. He does a lot of donkey work and his head never goes down. Off the pitch he’s a true role model. the way he has conducted himself throughout the on-off transfer speculation has been so wonderful, so gentlemanly, so correct. His attitude is exemplary. He is an absolute rarity in football today and it is our job to admire and cheer him until the sad day he leaves and then to carry on cheering him wherever he ends up. This man is a true servant of the club and a Rangers legend. And I don’t say that lightly. It still amazes me that not one Premiership club bit last year. Incredible. He’s worth every penny he’s likely to pocket when he leaves contract free in the summer. Top top man. With him in the team we can go up.

And I don’t mean ‘can’ as in ‘maybe’. I mean ‘can’ as in, I believe this team has an excellent chance of not only finishing in the play off places, but pushing for automatic promotion. I’ve seen enough from this squad over the last eight weeks to be convinced that if we stay relatively injury free, we don’t have much to fear either home or away from anyone. But, absolutely essential to that belief is Austin. Without him, we’re just a solid team who lacks movement and confidence up front. With him we’re a totally different proposition.

I am so excited about the second half of this season. In fact I’m bullish. We can do this. We have nothing to fear except massive injuries. This is a decent side with some excellent players hitting form at exactly the right time. We have an ambitious manager to corral these players and there’s a good team spirit right now.

Roll on Bristol City on Saturday. We need to start picking up three points instead of one and going on a run. And I think we will.

well, not ‘popular’ demand exactly but...well actually by no demand at all. But view from the conny is back anyway, so there.

The story so far

1) we got relegated and went down as possibly the most embarrassing shambles in the history of the Premier league. For me we were nowhere near as bad as the team that went down two years previously. But it was clear to everyone there were deep problems at the club caused by our short termist approach to the Premier League. We bought high, sold low and are reaping what we sow now.

2) Close season we got rid of a load of out of contract dead wood (including Barton who happened to be my player of the season last year!) and the message was clear. No more cheque book.

3) new season started the same old way with limp losses to weak teams and an early exit to a lower division club in the League cup. Our defence continued to be a leaky joke but...

4) a couple of notable wins away against Huddersfield and Wolves showed we have the ability to score and the will to grind out a result.

5) the end of Jan came and we braced ourselves for the inevitable loss of Austin, Fer, Philips and Green.

6) No one wanted them it seems. And they are still QPR players as I type. Probably for the whole season.

7) This changes a lot. Suddenly the fans are ditching talk of a relegation battle and dreaming of the playoffs, maybe more.

8) Fulham 4 QPR 0. Talk switches again. Patience (if you can call it that!) is wearing thin with Chris Ramsey as our manager.

9) after a promising 4th place after 5 games QPR now lie 12th after 11 games. Defensively we’re a joke and the feeling is that with the team we have we are underachieving. Fer is back in after injury but Austin has been out for three weeks with hamstring trouble. Jay Emmanuel Thomas has proved a lively replacement. Promising starts too for Luongo, Hall, Chery and welcome returns for Faurlin and Mackie.

10) So, from a team we thought would be in tatters this year, we actually have a very decent team and squad for this season. But in truth we’re struggling a bit and it’s all down to the defensive frailties. Onuoha is club captain now but he’s had a bad start. Strikers seem to be getting the better of him constantly. The two new full backs, Konchesky and Perch offer little going forward. And we’re not sure on the partner for Onuoha having tried the promising new signings Angella and Hall alongside him and neither having worked very well. Ramsey is getting a lot of stick from the fans. He’s made a couple of bizarre substitutions, notably when he took Chery off when we were 3-0 down to Fulham when he was by far our best attacking option. And most recently on Saturday when we were 2-1 down to Birmingham and he took off Fer, again our brightest attacking option, with 10 minutes to go. Having said that, you have to wonder what world some QPR fans are living in. We have a young English coach on our hands here who is clearly respected in that field and is knuckling down with a completely new group of players. I’m not sure what more fans think we deserve. we have been a shambles of a club for a good few years now and I for one just want some stability and a manager who is rough around the edges and learning his trade is fine by me. We deserve nothing more and he deserves all our support. The signing of good old Neil Warnock to the backroom staff should certainly help Chris and I think Sir Les is doing a fine job under testing circumstances of trying to build something new. What is required from the fans is patience. And lots of it. Seems to me like a huge number of our fans just don’t have it.