QPR’s 2015 Review: Calamity Park Rangers

To paraphrase the brilliant Malcolm Tucker, QPR are an omnishambles. Here are some quotes from the past 12 months showing just how much of a rudderless mess the club is in.

With the club mired in a Premier League relegation battle, then manager Harry Redknapp resigns due to his knees being in danger of giving out

Feb 3rd – “I can’t walk; I can barely stand and watch. I’m in pain all the time. I’ve been putting it off…. but it has got to the stage where I cannot do the job.”

Following Redknapp’s knee-knack resignation, Chris Ramsey took over as interim manager at QPR. Chairman Tony Fernandes went on the search for his latest manager and took to Twitter to notify fans and press alike.

Feb 10th – “Think I have got my dream manager. Not what anyone thinks. Take a while. Still a bit to go but I’m very happy. Press all wrong.”

Speculation was rife about the identity of said dream manager was, needless to say no one expected that youth team coach and managerial novice Chris Ramsey would be given the post full-time.

Feb 13th – TF: “My desire to identify the right individual for the job and at this time, we believe Chris is the ideal candidate‘ ‘Chris has an opportunity now to stamp his authority and class on the position. He is part of our long-term plans at QPR.”

Fernandes said Ramsey was the “ideal candidate” to take over at QPR

With the managerial position resolved until the end of the season, Ramsey and co went on an unremarkable run, including a humiliating 5-1 and 6-0 defeats at the hands of Leicester and Man City, that ultimately ended up with the club finishing rock bottom. Following relegation, Match of the Day pundit and former QPR player Jermaine Jenas shared his experiences of the club.

May 10th – “The thinking was just to chuck money at the team. There has been no organisation, no vision, and no discipline in the way things were done.”

In the meantime, the club had decided to bestow Chris Ramsey with the dreaded poisoned chalice of being in charge of first-team affairs. However, this time, the club had announced it had a clear plan on the forthcoming Championship season ahead.

May 19th – Les Ferdinand: “Rebuilding the club is our first target. If we can make an immediate return to the Premier League, then great, but we have to focus on re-establishing the traditions of QPR. That will take time, but in Chris we have a man who is relishing the challenge that lies ahead.”

Halfway through the year with a head coach in place and a close ally in the shape of the club’s director of football, an era of stability seemed possible. Things then got even better as the club managed to keep hold of its key players.

After 10 games, Ramsey had set an unremarkable but solid start, steering the club to mid table. However, the natives were restless, uninspired by what they were seeing on the pitch. A walloping by local rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage also added fuel to an ever-growing fire as September rolled into October.

Instead of a long-term vision of rebuilding, Ramsey’s pre-season objectives were to be discarded with and his aim, according to Tony Fernandes, should now be focused squarely on an immediate return to the Premier League.

Oct 15th – “Harlington looking good. Boys working hard. Let’s see. I do believe. But results speak. Going up is the world for me.”

Unfortunately, things didn’t improve for Ramsey and another loss to a local rival, this time away to Brentford all but sealed his fate. Not up to the task perhaps, but to say the rug had been pulled from under Ramsey’s feet would be an understatement, the club’s press statement however, decided it was mostly his fault.

Nov 4th – LF: “We’re all desperately disappointed it hasn’t worked out with Chris. He has had to deal with this shift in expectation and has worked incredibly hard in doing so.”

Keen to get it right this time around, the club appointed Neil Warnock in temporary charge for the foreseeable future. After a lengthy interview process, QPR settled on their new man, Burton Albion manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Jimmy, a man also keen to set the right impression, also managed to sound like a man who plied his trade on Football Manager;

“They are a club steeped in history and one I have always taken a keen interest in and privately harboured dreams of managing one day.”

Striking whilst the iron is hot the club also announced early bird 2016/2017 season ticket prices, not for a second thinking that fans might be paying top end Championship prices for League One football. However, as it stands, Hasselbaink is winless in his first six matches and the club lie 16th in the table. After the 2-1 loss to Hull on New Year’s Day Hasselbaink said……

“I’m not thinking about the play-offs. I’m thinking about making sure the team are performing better and trying to get a win, that’s what I’m thinking about. We’re not looking up the table right now, we’re looking to concentrate on us.”

A new manager at QPR suggesting that patience is now needed for the club to get back on an even keel. Who knows if he’ll be listened to, but it’s a new year, so it’s a time for making resolutions. However, I doubt the club will stick to them.