The weekend’s 1-0 loss to rivals Fulham will be chastening for Mark Hughes. Here are five reasons we feel the club will not stay up.
1) Leaky defence. The club just cannot keep a clean sheet. Conceding three at Ewood Park a fortnight ago was an indication of the defensive problems at the club and not even two weeks on the training ground has put it right. All season the club have struggled, perhaps they should just be thankful they didn’t concede six to Fulham this time around.
2) Team of individuals. On deadline day in August and through January the club’s approach to the transfer market seemed to simply be, ‘let’s sign whoever is willing to come’ as opposed to having a proper strategy and looking at easing in two or three key men. Too many players in key positions are unfamiliar with each other and failing to gel. With just 12 games left Mark Hughes faces an uphill task to quickly transform his side into a cohesive unit.
3) No discipline. Samba Diakite’s red was QPR’s fifth of the campaign. If the club can’t keep ten men on the pitch then they are always going to struggle. The red was an encapsulation of the club’s problems, just rushing in to the tackle without stopping to think if the right decision was being made. It highlights the lack of togetherness in the team and only exacerbates their defensive problems.
4) Manager never battled the drop. This is new territory for Mark Hughes. Three years ago he was planning Manchester City’s ascent to the league title and now he is staring into a relegation abyss. Even at Blackburn he was never in a survival fight, leading the side to a comfortable mid-table finish. If his heart wasn’t in it at Fulham, is it now? Most of QPR’s stars also lack the experience of fellow relegation battlers Wigan and Wolves who have beaten the drop before and know what is required.
5) Poor home record. The club have lost six of their last eight home games, which has to be massively concerning to their fans. If they are to avoid relegation they have to improve this urgently, or it will prove their downfall. Loftus Road seemed like a fortress in their 1-0 win over Chelsea in October, sadly for supporters this has been very much the exception rather than the rule.
– Can QPR turn it around or are they doomed?
image: © Tom Cuppens
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