QPR Can't Repeat Mistakes

Rio Ferdinand is not the player that QPR need

Harry Redknapp has a tough job facing him to keep QPR's head above water but rumours of Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand worry us...

When QPR were relegated from the Premier League in 2012/13 after a rocky two-year stay, the time was right to rebuild, reduce the wage bill and devise a long-term plan to bring stability to the club. 

Unfortunately for the club's fans, stability was far from the minds of those in charge at Loftus Road and they opted to keep much of their unsuccessful squad in an attempt to bounce straight back to the Premier League. 

Fortunately for Harry Redknapp and his team, they were able to secure promotion through the play-offs, but is there any reason to think that 2014/15 will be any different from QPR's last stint in the top flight? On the evidence so far, probably not.

Fortunate is the best way to describe QPR's promotion back to the Premier League. Rangers started the season on fire, going the first 11 games unbeaten and climbing up to second in the table, but tailed off badly, winning just seven off their last 18 games as Leicester City and Burnley sealed the automatic promotion spots. 

Having reached the play-off final by beating Wigan Athletic in extra time in the second leg of their semi-final, QPR then ended Derby County's dreams of a return to the Premier League with a 90th minute winner from Bobby Zamora. 

Zamora's winner was Rangers' only shot on target throughout the entire match. As important an achievement returning to the Premier League is, QPR's run to play-off success hardly breeds confidence that they will take the top flight by storm next season.

Despite their poor run towards the end of the season, QPR's squad still maintains the look of a Premier League team sheet, with the likes of Andy Johnson, Joey Barton and Robert Green all boasting significant top-flight experience. 

Unfortunately for Rangers, the squad also comes with a Premier League price tag and reportedly even cost more in wages last season than Atltico Madrid's. Given that Atltico were able to win La Liga and reach the Champions League final whilst Rangers struggled to make it out of the Championship, it is easy to see why the club has been accused of mismanagement. 

Having reported losses of around 80m in their last season in the Premier League, the club could be in line for a substantial fine under 'Financial Fair Play' rules now that they have returned. 

Many of the club's big earners from their last stint in the Premier League remain on their books (although some including goalkeeper Jlio Csar have been loaned out) and it is hard to see how they could possibly avoid significant losses again.

Having secured their return to the Premier League, QPR must now consolidate and offload as many of their overpaid stars as possible. They need hardworking, proven Premier League players who are up for the survival battle, not big name prima donnas who are happy to milk the club dry without putting in the effort on the field. 

With Harry Redknapp at the helm the club have a manager with significant transfer market experience and he must use this to secure high quality loan signings rather than perpetuating QPR's problems by signing more big name, big wage, stars. In light of this, recent rumours of moves for Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand are particularly worrying. 

With Arsenal reportedly interested in signing striker Loic Remy, Redknapp should be willing to cash in, and put his faith in 2013/14 top scorer Charlie Austin to do the business in the Premier League.  

However QPR approach the coming season it will be a significant challenge but, for the sake of their fans and the future of the club, Redknapp must take a pragmatic approach.
There are enough poor teams in the Premier League for QPR to survive next season without pushing the club into further debt, and this must be the first and only realistic aim. 

If Redknapp aims too high and over-commits then Rangers could find themselves back in the Championship in a flash, but next time they may not be so lucky in finding a way out.