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By 10pm tonight, Npower Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers may find themselves 9 points clear at the top of the table with 8 games remaining, meaning, barring an end-of-season collapse, Neil Warnock and his side will be battling it out with fellow money bags Manchester City and Chelsea next year. Former chairman Flavio Briatore promised Europe to fans by the 2012/2013 season, and although that may appear a little too optimistic, leading the Championship all season is no mean feat and with a few important additions this summer, Rangers may just find themselves back on the footballing map once more.
For those of you thinking that QPR have ran away with the league, think again. Yeah, they may have been at the top since September, and the table never lies, but Warnock has seen his men win some of their most important points through 1-0 wins and the odd late comeback here and there. The reason why Rangers have looked so formidable is because they have the perfect Championship squad – they boast the best defence in the league playing behind the instrumental Adel Taarabt (Championship Player of the Year), not to mention Heidar Helguson having without a doubt his best season to date in front of goal. Add Warnock to the equation and you have the perfect ingredients.
Rangers really should make a How to win the Championship for Dummies edition, featuring tips on how to top the table stay there. Since a 4-0 drubbing over Barnsley on the 7th August, they have never looked back. One result which truly defined their Premier League credentials was the 1-0 win away from home (as I mentioned, important points coming from 1-0 wins) over Reading in February. The R’s were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time, but showed immense grit and pugnacity to scrape a goal and hold onto their lead.
So what has turned this once mid-table, underachieving side into one of Premiership ambitions? The arrival of Warnock definitely didn’t hinder. Warnock joined in March 2010 and helped his side comfortably avoid relegation, starting his era with an emphatic win over West Bromwich Albion. In the summer he introduced the likes of Paddy Kenny, Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Jamie Mackie and Adel Taarabt in the hope of building a successful team, but few could have believed they would gel like they did. I mean look at City, who completely ruin the idea that money buys you success.
Only those of you living in a cave for the past 8 months would not have heard of Adel Taarabt. Some would argue that QPR are just a one man team, but the 1-0 win (I sense a pattern emerging) over Doncaster without Taarabt even in the country shows they have strength in depth required to do well in England’s top division. I guess you could counter-argue my point and say that if QPR fans are praising their side for winning without Taarabt, surely this shows that they have relied too heavily upon the Moroccan magician this campaign? I mean, he is our top goal scorer with 15 (the majority of which will be in the running for Goal of the Season) and leads the assist tally in the Championship, and like many others, I believe that QPR would still be a mid-table side without him.
The problem for QPR this summer will be holding onto Taarabt. He can be hard to deal with, hence the reason why Harry Redknapp let him leave Tottenham, but we are talking about a player who is capable of bullying any defender to the extent where they need psychiatric help. Chelsea, WBA and Newcastle are rumoured to be interested in Taarabt who himself has said that Manchester United are after his signature. Hmm, is that a hint of cockiness I smell from the Moroccan, or is Sir Alex Ferguson really preparing a bid for the maestro? I can’t see it myself, but stranger things have happened.
Warnock will definitely have to splash the cash in the summer if he wants to generate a side looking for a mid-table finish, but let’s be honest, with the money floating around at Loftus Road Warnock can probably afford to buy a second and third string side which could achieve just as much as the first could. At the minute Rangers are dependent on Taarabt and I personally believe that a number of their players are Championship level performers, including Helguson. That said, in the form of Shaun Derry and Clint Hill, they have two experienced players who wear their heart on their sleeve week-in, week-out. Who can blame them, at the ages of 33 and 32 respectively, this will surely be their last chance to battle with the big boys.
For a side who have kept 22 clean sheets already this season, do not expect many additions to the defence in the summer transfer window. They need to bolster their attacking options, especially when you consider their top scorer plays in midfield. To be fair, Warnock looked to have signed a proven goal scorer in the summer when he bought Mackie in from Plymouth for an undisclosed fee, and after the striker scored 8 goals in his opening 7 games for the Hoops everyone forgot about Taarabt for a moment. This was until Mackie suffered a double-leg break in January, ruling him for the rest of the season.
One player who Rangers fans would love to see is Watford’s Danny Graham. The R’s are rumoured to be interested in the Championship’s top goal scorer, who netted twice against them in December to inflict Rangers’ first loss of the season (the one and only game I was unfortunate enough to attend). Other strikers QPR may be interested in are Sylvain Ebanks-Blake of Wolves and Craig Bellamy of Manchester City. Ebanks-Blake will definitely want to stay in the Premiership if Wolves do not avoid the drop, although he has only netted 7 times for Mick McCarthy’s side. As for Bellamy? Well, I doubt the Welshman is ever going to play for City again and I think that he would play a key role with the right service from Taarabt, Alejandro Faurlin and co.
A few more names include Jobi McAnuff, Matt Phillips and Steven Fletcher, however these are all just rumours. Rangers have been thrilling to watch all season and have the right man in charge to steer them across the line. The next step will be cracking the Premiership, but who knows, with the right additions in the summer, QPR may just be able to relive the successful days where Rodney Marsh ran the show. Step forward Adel Taarabt, your time has come.
For those of you thinking that QPR have ran away with the league, think again. Yeah, they may have been at the top since September, and the table never lies, but Warnock has seen his men win some of their most important points through 1-0 wins and the odd late comeback here and there. The reason why Rangers have looked so formidable is because they have the perfect Championship squad – they boast the best defence in the league playing behind the instrumental Adel Taarabt (Championship Player of the Year), not to mention Heidar Helguson having without a doubt his best season to date in front of goal. Add Warnock to the equation and you have the perfect ingredients.
Rangers really should make a How to win the Championship for Dummies edition, featuring tips on how to top the table stay there. Since a 4-0 drubbing over Barnsley on the 7th August, they have never looked back. One result which truly defined their Premier League credentials was the 1-0 win away from home (as I mentioned, important points coming from 1-0 wins) over Reading in February. The R’s were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time, but showed immense grit and pugnacity to scrape a goal and hold onto their lead.
So what has turned this once mid-table, underachieving side into one of Premiership ambitions? The arrival of Warnock definitely didn’t hinder. Warnock joined in March 2010 and helped his side comfortably avoid relegation, starting his era with an emphatic win over West Bromwich Albion. In the summer he introduced the likes of Paddy Kenny, Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Jamie Mackie and Adel Taarabt in the hope of building a successful team, but few could have believed they would gel like they did. I mean look at City, who completely ruin the idea that money buys you success.
Only those of you living in a cave for the past 8 months would not have heard of Adel Taarabt. Some would argue that QPR are just a one man team, but the 1-0 win (I sense a pattern emerging) over Doncaster without Taarabt even in the country shows they have strength in depth required to do well in England’s top division. I guess you could counter-argue my point and say that if QPR fans are praising their side for winning without Taarabt, surely this shows that they have relied too heavily upon the Moroccan magician this campaign? I mean, he is our top goal scorer with 15 (the majority of which will be in the running for Goal of the Season) and leads the assist tally in the Championship, and like many others, I believe that QPR would still be a mid-table side without him.
The problem for QPR this summer will be holding onto Taarabt. He can be hard to deal with, hence the reason why Harry Redknapp let him leave Tottenham, but we are talking about a player who is capable of bullying any defender to the extent where they need psychiatric help. Chelsea, WBA and Newcastle are rumoured to be interested in Taarabt who himself has said that Manchester United are after his signature. Hmm, is that a hint of cockiness I smell from the Moroccan, or is Sir Alex Ferguson really preparing a bid for the maestro? I can’t see it myself, but stranger things have happened.
Warnock will definitely have to splash the cash in the summer if he wants to generate a side looking for a mid-table finish, but let’s be honest, with the money floating around at Loftus Road Warnock can probably afford to buy a second and third string side which could achieve just as much as the first could. At the minute Rangers are dependent on Taarabt and I personally believe that a number of their players are Championship level performers, including Helguson. That said, in the form of Shaun Derry and Clint Hill, they have two experienced players who wear their heart on their sleeve week-in, week-out. Who can blame them, at the ages of 33 and 32 respectively, this will surely be their last chance to battle with the big boys.
For a side who have kept 22 clean sheets already this season, do not expect many additions to the defence in the summer transfer window. They need to bolster their attacking options, especially when you consider their top scorer plays in midfield. To be fair, Warnock looked to have signed a proven goal scorer in the summer when he bought Mackie in from Plymouth for an undisclosed fee, and after the striker scored 8 goals in his opening 7 games for the Hoops everyone forgot about Taarabt for a moment. This was until Mackie suffered a double-leg break in January, ruling him for the rest of the season.
One player who Rangers fans would love to see is Watford’s Danny Graham. The R’s are rumoured to be interested in the Championship’s top goal scorer, who netted twice against them in December to inflict Rangers’ first loss of the season (the one and only game I was unfortunate enough to attend). Other strikers QPR may be interested in are Sylvain Ebanks-Blake of Wolves and Craig Bellamy of Manchester City. Ebanks-Blake will definitely want to stay in the Premiership if Wolves do not avoid the drop, although he has only netted 7 times for Mick McCarthy’s side. As for Bellamy? Well, I doubt the Welshman is ever going to play for City again and I think that he would play a key role with the right service from Taarabt, Alejandro Faurlin and co.
A few more names include Jobi McAnuff, Matt Phillips and Steven Fletcher, however these are all just rumours. Rangers have been thrilling to watch all season and have the right man in charge to steer them across the line. The next step will be cracking the Premiership, but who knows, with the right additions in the summer, QPR may just be able to relive the successful days where Rodney Marsh ran the show. Step forward Adel Taarabt, your time has come.
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