Harry Redknapp had a more or less decent start to his reign as manager of Queens Park Ranger as the struggling London side managed a goal less draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but the experienced manager will know that his team will have to start getting the points on the board if they wants to stand any chance of surviving in the Premier League for one more season. The Loftus Road club is being linked with one name after another over the last couple of weeks, as is expected after any managerial change, and it will be up to Harry to see that his players are not distracted with so much transfer speculation going on about the club.
The QPR players looked extremely fresh last time out against The Black Cats, as if a burden had been lifted off their chests after the sacking of Mark Hughes and although it is too soon to speculate whether it was the caliber of Harry Redknapp or the discredit of Mark Hughes. In spite of the fact that they did not play sumptuous football against Sunderland, the players were extremely free in their play and had smiles in their faces that had almost disappeared during Hughes’s reign.
As they get ready to face Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa, who are themselves on a high after a win in midweek over Reading, The Hoops will have to get their best out of the players to get the better of an extremely confident and young Villa side. Christian Benteke’s goal was enough for Lambert’s side against Reading on Tuesday but a resilient QPR side will prove to be much more of a task for The Villans. Barry Bannan and his young counterparts form the core of this new and exciting attacking side for Villa and Lambert has made stunning progress with the development of these players.
QPR will depend on Moroccan dazzler Adel Taraabt and midfield signing from Real Madrid Esteban Granero to give them their first win of the season. However, with just 5 points from 14 games and 5 points behind their immediate rivals, even a win wouldn’t be enough for The Hoops to jump out of the relegation zone. However, a win might just turn out to be the catalyst for more successful results in the future and will give the side immense confidence as they look to make the greatest escape.