Promoted team analysis – QPR

Promoted team analysis – QPR

Today we begin a series of articles examining the three teams promoted to the Premier League from the Championship. Leicester won the league and automatic promotion quite emphatically in the end with 102 points which was 9 ahead of Burnley in second who also now join them in the top division. In contrast QPR were 22 points off the leaders but still managed to gain promotion via the play-offs courtesy of a Bobby Zamora Wembley winner. Surely such a point gap would suggest that that QPR will be the least well equipped to survive in the big league? Let’s find out…

Last season:
Fourth in Championship (promoted via play-offs)
85 points
Won 23
Drew 11
Lost 12
Scored 60 (joint second lowest in the top half of the Championship)
Conceded 44

Previous season in Premier League:
2012-13 season – 20th (relegated)

For a while West Brom were the archetypal yo-yo club – more recently you could read QPR for that. This coming season they are back in the Premier League for the second time in three seasons. Even ‘Harry Houdini’ as he has been coined, couldn’t prevent the slip into the second rung the last time they were in the Premier League. They’ll be looking to consolidate this season and a worse-off 17th position would do for them.

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The Manager – Harry Redknapp.

Promoted team analysis – QPR

‘Arrys’ back! And he’s done it again – he has got his man – Rio Ferdinand. Add to this, he already has Richard Dunne and Clint Hill and only recently let go of Luke Young and Aaron Hughes – he likes to rely on experience, particularly of the league, which is of course, vital. It was no secret that the last squad was he inherited at The R’s wasn’t one he would have put his name to but he slowly shipped out the under-performers and brought in, mostly on loans and short-term deals, players to get him out of the Championship. He did this on 24th May when a Bobby Zamora last minute goal secured victory over Derby County in the play-off final. This despite finishing five points behind Derby who were in 3rd in the regular season – oh the joys of the play-offs!

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The Players

GOALKEEPERS
Robert Green (4.5) – laugh all you like (and you will), but you would have to think that Green is the most set-in-stone GK in the FPL this season – currently he only has a two-appearance understudy and youth team keepers challenging him. Julio Cesar is on loan at Toronto FC and as we know was the goalkeeper who let in 7 goals in the World Cup semi-final. As a little pointer – Green rotates quite nicely with Julian Speroni of Palace until around the middle of October.

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DEFENDERS
Simpson/Ferdinand/Caulker/Traore
Steven Caulker from Cardiff isn’t confirmed just yet but when he is I’d wager he’ll be in the region of £5.5m. Many think he is one of the brightest centre backs for England of recent times and that it was vital that he remained in the Premier League for his own career. And what about him playing alongside a player he has modelled his game on? That would seem to be what is going to happen with the news of the arrival of the ‘other’ Ferdinand (they’ve had Anton and Les already down Loftus Road). Rio Ferdinand may not play every minute of every game but his experience will be vital to develop Caulker and also to organise and galvanise those around him. He should be backed up by Richard Dunne who himself has a wealth of experience in the Premier League. Even if the Caulker deal doesn’t materialise, then as long as Rio stays fit they should be OK in the centre back areas. Dunne played 45 league matches last season to prove his durability and stamina.

The right full back should be Danny Simpson and it is the other side where it is fraught with fantasy prospect danger. Clint Hill, Yun Suk-Young, Armand Traore (listed as a MID) or Nedum Onuoha could all stake claims for the left wing-back position now Assou-Ekotto is back with Tottenham.

QPR kept 17 clean sheets in the Championships regular season and two in their three play-off matches including the final. Between August and October they kept eight clean sheets in a row.

With Green, Ferdinand and Dunne – they will have lots of experience and could provide you with a nice fourth or fifth defender for your teams.

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MIDFIELDERS
Taarabt/Barton/Phillips/Hoilett
Adel Taarabt – remember him? The man who was on loan at Fulham previously (and a favourite for some in FFL) he then went on loan again to er . . . . AC Milan! Costing £5.5m he can turn a game single-handedly, but then walk through every other game until his next ‘worldy’. Too risky for many, but 5 goals and 5 assists in his last season in the top league with the Hoops.

I may suggest Junior Hoilett here – £5.0m the Hoops’ top assister in the Championship last season (only six mind you) and four goals. But in three previous seasons in the Premier League the Canuck has 14 goals and ten assists including a best 7 goals and 6 assists whilst with Blackburn in 2011/12. Joey Barton, or rather ‘Mr Joseph Anthony Barton’ as he is regularly referred to by the courts is back in the Premier League via France and the Championship. Last seen attempting to assault most of Man City’s title winning team of 2012 in that final day decider, bad old Joey is back. Now we are not suggesting for one second that you invest any hard earned fantasy money in the violent scally but at £5.0m and quite possibly on set plays and likely to notch the odd goal you could actually do a lot worse as a 5th mid. But if they introduce GBH and common assault into the bonus system then he will be FPL gold.

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FORWARDS
Remy/Austin
Loic Remy currently has 20.5% ownership and that isn’t a surprise if he stays with QPR and within the EPL come the first day. This is based on his 14 goals for Newcastle last season. He is a proven scorer at this level and a long-time Arsenal target. He is the same fantasy value as Fernando Torres (but we can’t hold that against him – please no one let the man know that for goodness sake, it could destroy him).

Charlie Austin – 17 in 31 in his first full season at QPR. He will be looking to make up for lost time, having failed a medical at Hull City whilst with Burnley – this is his first pop at the big time. Austin may well be the next Rickie Lambert – the type to score goals at any level he finds himself at. I see him getting a lot of game time even with Remy back. On penalty kick duty as well and could prove great value at £6m.

The back-up here will be Bobby Zamora £4.5m – old Bobby wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you only had 4.5 left and he was being kept for your bench. He should see a lot of appearances from the bench – which, if you remember Adam Le Fondre for Reading – could still lead to some decent returns.

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Fixtures
QPR have Hull, Sunderland and Stoke as their first three home matches – hardly a horrendous hand been dealt there. But interspersed are two away trips across London to White Hart Lane and Old Trafford (sic) which probably do not hold much fantasy interest, but it is that second match which Rio will have already circled in his diary.

After that it is two away on the bounce (Southampton and another London derby at West Ham) followed by two consecutive home matches – Aston Villa may hold no fear but before that it is Liverpool, which takes them to the end of October.

Summary
I’d be surprised if many fantasy managers plan to have three (or even two) QPR players, but it seems a third striker or a center back may be the most attractive position to invest in. Unless you are a Brentford, Fulham or Chelsea fan, then you surely won’t mind if QPR stay up for a longer spell this time, if only for Harry Redknapp. The league is better with him in it for sure. The R’s are a nice little club playing in a lovely little matchbox style stadium which always looks busy and tremendously atmospheric especially when they score and the music system plays the . . . DO DO DE DO . . .and the Superhoops fans respond “HOOPS” emphatically. Simple things like that define a club and its fans. They’ll be hoping to be singing aplenty this season.

Thanks for reading Promoted team analysis – QPR. This article was written by The Gallant Pioneer (@mitchellcraig81).