Is relegation inevitable for QPR? February 9, 2012 8:38 am thomasbermingham 489 Views Featured, Opinion, QPR 1 comment Another dreadfully disappointing result at the weekend has left QPR well and truly looking like favourites to go down. At this stage in the season, winning at home against fellow strugglers is pivotal and when playing as well as QPR were for the first 45 minutes, going on to lose the game was even more painful. Substitute, Kevin Doyle heaped incredible woe upon QPR after scoring the winner which increased the feeling of sorrow around Loftus Road. QPR were dominating and not for the first time this season, started the game well. QPR have given away more points from winning positions than any team in the division. Wolves on the other hand have earned more points from losing positions than any other side, so what was about to happen, wasnât as big a surprise as supporters may have thought. QPR were finally back to playing attractive, one touch, on the ground football. The new signings fitted into the side with ease and despite having less than a weekâs training together, it looked like they had been playing together for months. QPR deservedly went 1-0 up after a period of possession which eventually built up to Shaun Wright-Phillips laying the ball back to debutant Bobby Zamora, who hit the ball on the half-volley into the back of the net. It was the perfect start. The finish was one which QPR have been lacking all season; an out and out strikerâs finish, something Bothroyd, Campbell, Hulse and Macheda have all failed to produce this season. The goal came, following Cisseâs superb finish in midweek against Villa, to mark his dream debut and the start the pair made against Wolves was mouth watering for QPR fans, considering they only cost £8million. The strike partnership seemed to be what QPR fans have been hoping for, for many seasons. Football is a game that can turn sour very quickly. Once again QPRâs afternoon was spoilt and what had started to look like a certain win (a win that would have put a wide gap between themselves and the relegation zone) was quickly slipping through their fingers. After a disgusting tackle by Johnson on new boy Cisse in the 33rd minute, Cisse was left feeling understandably aggrieved having already suffered two potential career-ending leg breaks. Cisseâs reaction, however was inexcusable and he was rightly shown red after raising his hands to Johnson. Myself, as well as other Rangerâs fans sitting around me, were quickly reminded and then all commented on how similar this was to the Norwich game; a game in which we were also dominating but cruelly lost 2-1 following the dismissal of Barton. As Barton tweeted after the Wolves game and it could have applied to the Norwich game as well. âIf we had kept 11 on the pitch it would have been a cricket scoreâ I donât believe that this statement was far wrong as QPR were by far the better team in both. As an Râs fan, losing this âsix-pointerâ at home certainly feels like relegation is inevitable. Relegation could be catastrophic for the club. Going down could leave QPR with possibly the most expensive wage bill in Championship history, as well as an âambitiousâ manager who certainly wouldnât be happy managing in the lower leagues. Whilst I am mentioning wage bills, our highest player on books, Joey Barton is far from earning his money this season. I have received a bit of stick from fellow QPR fans recently for questioning our captain. He is reportedly earning around £80,000-90,ooo a week and yet cannot pass a football, let alone live up to his self-professed âbest midfielder in Englandâ title. He is certainly more trouble than he is worth. His controversial tweets as well as his on the field shenanigans have frustrated me and some others all season. I read somewhere that he has misplaced the ball on more occasions than any other Premiership player and after watching him week in and week out, that statistic is not hard to believe. If I were Hughes, I would ban him from Twitter and teach him how to pass. Relegation or not, I donât want him in a hooped shirt next season, let alone captaining the side. A silver-lining from another terrible weekend for QPR was the return of Morrocon magician, Adel Taarabt. He is a player I have openly criticised and I believe rightly so, this season. He has performed very poorly all season but has started to show similar glimpses of his superb form from last season. Throughout the second half he was the only QPR player that ever looked like threatening Wolvesâ goal. This form has come at the right time considering Zamora has no strike partner due to Cisseâs suspension. Wolves are not a great side and with no disrespect, I have no doubt that they will go down. Wigan are also in a lot of trouble and are looking increasingly likely to be relegated. Whether Blackburn or Bolton are likely to join them, instead of QPR, we will have to see. A good inclination as to who will go down will be the MUST MUST win game for QPR against Blackburn this weekend. It is the first fixture of a double return to old clubs for Hughes. After going away to Blackburn, QPR will play at a sold out Loftus Road against Hughesâ former club, Fulham. Time seems to be running out for QPR. Faurlin hasnât been replaced, Barton has severely underachieved as have Shaun Wright-Phillips, Campbell, Bothroyd and others. Zamora and Cisse seem to be the perfect strike partnership to claw QPR out of an increasingly large hole. This weekend, however QPR will have to rely of Taarabt up front with Zamora; a partnership that will have to work for the next three games. On Cisseâs return, QPRâs future in the Premier League may be all but decided.
We are not relegation favourites, we are currently predicted to stay up. http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation The article is sensationalist bollocks Id expect the like of tribal football to come up with.
whilst not in a great position, why is everyone saying were favourites to go down? we've barely been in the bottom 3 all season and have a stronger squad (now) than those around us. we'll be ok.
Our run-in is exceptionally daunting. Unless we have the points on the board by the end of March we will need to turn over some seriously good sides to stay up. With Cisse now out for half of this critical period you can see why alarm bells are ringing.
The last 4 games are but that could be a blessing, for example if the scum got to the final, they could rest a whole bunch of players as our game if before the final. Man City could also have won or lost the title by the final game and have nothing to play for.
Flyer Good points, and a little ray of light! But when is the Cup Final then? It must be early - we play the scum 28/4! If the Liverpool game is postponed, it could also give them problems putting out a strong team with their runs in both Cups.
The Cup final is the weekend of the Stoke game so potentially we could have scum resting players for the final, stoke, then citeh who have nothing to play for and we all saw what WHU did to Man U to beat a team playing for nothing away from home to stay up.
need to get at least 4 points in the next 3 games, a draw at blackburn and beat fulham, then well on the way, only get two points then it could be nerve wracking
It's seriously horrendous. Three of our last four away games are against United, City and Chelsea and three of our last five home games are Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs. Throw in an away game at Sunderland and we're playing 7 of the top 8 in our last 9.
Unless our team, QPR win this week-end the club is and will go down! What then will happen to our new manager, players and our owners?? Will they all stay to get us back next season or all do a runner??
You are a little ray of sunshine aren't you Jimmy? If we don't stay up the least the whole club staff (players, management, tea ladies, the lot) can do is to commit ritual suicide in the centre circle at Loftus Road day after the city game. If we don't win this weekend we just have to win some other games instead. No problem we are staying up mate.
It doesn't all come down to Saturday but it does depend on how Sparky is getting the team to play. We must improve with each match. We looked classy against Wolves until the sending off, and then we looked like 10 men that hadn't played together. As each week goes by we should be less fragile and better equipped to deal with whatever the game throws at us.
Yes, I'm worried but Flyer's table of bookies' odds is some reassurance. Those guys don't operate as charitable institutions.
