QPR Require The Spirit Of Etihad For Relegation Scrap

Following Sunday’s gut wrenching draw with fellow battlers Wigan, QPR now face a futile relegation dogfight to maintain their essential Premier League status. With new boss Harry Redknapp at the helm, the Super Hoops will face a nail biting finale to another frustrating season in the top flight. Despite the fact, Redknapp and his new recruits have sparked a recent resurgence in Rangers league form, damaging defeats to Aston Villa and Fulham, have left QPR perilously close to the drop. Whilst relegation is an ever increasing possibility for the Loftus Road faithful, they will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s Etihad heroics.

Unable to learn from the mistakes of last season, QPR have continued to struggle at the foot of the Premiership table for most of this campaign. Defensively woeful and creatively starved, Redknapp’s Rangers are still shaking off the shortcomings of Mark Hughes forgettable tenure at the West London club. Hughes, who led QPR to survival last season, evidently struggled to galvanise his crop of Super Hoops to the satisfaction of chairman Tony Fernandes. The Welshman’s inability to secure a win all season, led to his inevitable downfall. Bestowed with the insurmountable task of Premiership survival, Harry Redknapp arguably faces the biggest challenge of his career.

Well renowned for his savvy transfer dealings, Redknapp opened business to build his survival charge. With their survival hopes leaning on the January window, ‘Harry Houdini’ acquired the services of the exciting Loic Remy and Andros Townsend, whilst also securing the experience of Chris Samba and Jermaine Jenas. Relieving his first team of its highly paid ‘dead weight’ and signing promising replacements, gave QPR fans hope for a brighter end to the season. Scoring pivotal goals in key victories over Sunderland and Southampton, Remy and Townsend have injected pace and trickery into a new look Rangers forward line. However, with only seven games remaining, their form may only promote their own careers rather than save the struggling club.

More importantly, QPR have been unable to replicate the stunning home form, which they relied so heavily upon last season. Using the intimidating atmosphere of Loftus Road, the Hoops were able to deliver exceptional performances, beating the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. However, the deafening voice generated from the old fashioned stadium hasn’t been utilised as effectively this campaign, with QPR only winning twice at Loftus Road all season. Due to poor league form, the partisan home crowd has had limited opportunities to show their true voice. Unlike teams such as Southampton, who have shown the benefits of important home victories, QPR’s home form leaves much to be desired.

Boasting Champions League winners, big money signings and an efficacious manager, the potential of this waning QPR side remains unfulfilled. On the other hand, although survival is important, relegation isn’t a disaster. Supported by an extremely wealthy board and a charismatic chairman, the Super Hoops have strong long term financial stability. If the club can construct a healthy balance of ‘football people’ and clever businessman, Rangers can start to move in the right direction. This, added to Harry Redknapp’s recent pledge of loyalty to the club, means QPR’s future may be more promising than this season suggests.