10th May 2009
What does it take to get promoted to the Premiership?
By thegodfather

The 2008/09 season has been a turbulent one for Queens Park Rangers to say the very least. It has seen the departures of two managers, some totally bizarre signings (Borrowdale) and newspaper reports claiming that the Chairman, Flavio Briatore, has been interfering with first-team affairs. Despite the Rs achieving their highest league finish for years, many supporters have seen the 2008/09 campaign as a huge disappointment. After a rise in season-ticket prices and the club promising a ‘revolutionary season’, many fans expected the Rs to challenge at the top of the table. So, why did the team fail to live up to these expectations and what does it really take to gain promotion to the Premier League?

1. Consistency

This is so important – not just in the Championship, but at all levels of football. The teams that achieved automatic promotion, Wolves and Birmingham, managed to put good runs of form together, rarely dropping points. Queens Park Rangers, on the other hand, were arguably the most inconsistent team in the league last season. The Rs went from beating Birmingham and Wolves with battling performances to losing to relegated Norwich City at Loftus Road.

What really let down Rangers last season was their away form. The Hoops only won 3 of their 23 matches on the road – this is simply not good enough. Next season, QPR are going to have to be consistent in their performances both at Loftus Road and away from home if they are to mount a promotion bid. Consistency can be achieved by the following: stability, the right signings, the right style of play and of course a bit of luck.

2. Stability

This is something that Queens Park Rangers have lacked over the course of the season. Stability is key to a successful campaign – particularly in the Championship. Sacking managers every few months only serves to unsettle the squad. Bringing in new coaches means that new training methods and new tactics are brought to the table – is it any wonder that the QPR players struggled to adapt from Iain Dowie’s physical style to Paulo Sousa’s continental game-play in a matter of months? Or were the players simply not good enough to adapt? Look at Wolves and Birmingham. Both have stuck by their managers and have reaped the rewards. It is crucial that the board get the next managerial appointment right and give the new man full control of first-team affairs.

Stability is also important on the pitch. One of the mistakes Paulo Sousa made was to constantly change the starting line-up. This unsettled the players and had a negative effect on the team’s performances. Of course, the likes of Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez can afford to rotate their starting line-ups since they have quality players who can adapt to new formations very easily. The new manager will need to decide upon his best starting line-up as early in the season as possible and then stick with it. Changing the team every week is unlikely to work.

3.The right signings

To get promoted from this division, it is important to make clever use of the transfer market. Queens Park Rangers simply did not get their signings right throughout the 2008/09 season. It was painfully obvious from the beginning of the campaign that a quality striker was desperately needed. The board did not act until the January transfer window, bringing in Heidar Helguson from Bolton Wanderers. Helguson clearly lacked confidence in front of goal and seemed to be incredibly prone to injury. The Icelandic simply wasn’t good enough – what the Rs needed was a strong, pacey goal-machine who wasn’t going to get injured every two seconds.

Rangers also made the mistake of relying on youngsters, who had no experience of playing in a physical league like the Championship. Daniel Parejo and Emmanuel Ledesma, loan signings from Real Madrid and Genoa respectively, were simply too lightweight for this division. It was clear that both had the potential to be classy players but they were little use against the likes of Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.

To be successful at this level, Rangers have to spend money on players with experience who are going to be able to cope with the physical and aggressive style of play that typifies the Championship. I just hope that Briatore and Co. have realised this.

4.The right style of play

The signings the club make during the summer will need to fit the new manager's style of play. There is no point in buying big, physical players suited to "hoofball" if the new coach wishes his team to play attractive, flowing football. Similarly, there is no point in signing skilful, lightweight players who are going to be shoved off the ball easily if the manager wants his side to be physical.

Of course, the other option is for the new manager to aim for a balance between the two. He may want his side to play decent, passing football but his team to be capable of getting 'stuck in' and hassling the opponents.

It will certainly be very interesting to see which option the new manager chooses - but it is important that the board give him full control of first-team affairs so that he can sign the players who will fit into his style of play.

5.Luck (injuries)

This is something that Queens Park Rangers did not really have much of over the course of the 2008/09 season. The Hoops missed arguably their two most skilful players for the majority of the season – Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine. Then, to make matters worse, the Rs lost Patrick Agyemang and captain, Martin Rowlands, to serious injuries. Is it really reasonable to expect a side missing four first-team regulars to challenge for promotion? Would Paulo Sousa still be in a job if Rowlands, Buzsaky and Vine had been available for selection throughout his tenure? Injuries can make or break a team’s season and I just hope Queens Park Rangers have a bit more luck next year.

Conclusion

I think that how QPR fare next season depends on the managerial appointment and the signings the new boss makes. The Hoops are actually not far off being a very good side but it is crucial that the board make the right decisions this time round. Once the new manager is appointed, he has to receive 100% support from the Chairman. In the transfer market, Rangers have got to make a new striker their priority and spend wisely on strengthening other areas of the team. The new signings will need to fit in to the new manager's style of play. If these things happen, then there is no reason why the Rs can’t establish themselves as serious promotion contenders.