As QPR embark on a new season in the Sky Bet Championship, Vital QPR aims to predict and speculate over the outcome of the most unpredictable league in the world…
Name: Ipswich Town
Manager: Mick McCarthy
Stadium: Portman Road
Also Knows As: The Tractor Boys
Last Season Finish: 14th
This Season Prediction: 9th
Last Meeting: February 2011, QPR 2-0 Ipswich (Hill, Helguson)
Summer Transfers (Out): Michael Chopra (Blackpool), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Swap, Bristol City), Andy Drury (Crawley), Joe Whight (Bury), Lee Martin (Millwall), Jack Ainsley, Jason Brown, Cormac Burke, Ronan Murray, Arran Lee-Baratt (All Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Ryan Tunnicliffe (Loan, Man Utd), Jack Doherty (£57k, Waterford United), Christophe Berra (Wolves), Frederic Veseli (Man Utd), Paul Anderson (Swap, Bristol City), David McGoldrick (Nottm Forest), Cole Skuse (Bristol City), Daryl Murphy (Celtic), Jay Tabb (Reading), Dean Gerken (Bristol City)
One to Watch: David McGoldrick
A Few Thoughts: Once you get past the bothersome drone of the South Yorkshire accent, (something the BBC like to promote during major footballing Championships for some reason) you can start to appreciate that Mick McCarthy is actually a decent manager. Perhaps it was time for McCarthy to leave Wolves, but the timing of his departure and his subsequent successors were poor decisions from Steve Morgan, and I am pretty certain Wolves would be facing Wigan, not Bradford, this season had Morgan decided to retain the services of McCarthy. Alas, Wolves` loss is Ipswich`s gain, and having taken over in November last season, he guided Ipswich from relegation candidates to mid-table safety with little trouble, albeit amidst some wildly inconsistent results. He took over a squad that Paul Jewell had left in a mediocre state and did well to get the best out of the likes of Tommy Smith, Carlos Edwards and David McGoldrick.
McGoldrick has joined on a permanent basis, along with Jay Tabb, Ryan Tunnicliffe and McCarthy favourite Christophe Berra. They now possess a sound Championship squad and having somewhat set up camp in England`s second tier (they celebrate their 12th Championship birthday this year) they don`t look like going anywhere, up or down, for the foreseeable future. Their summer additions and McCarthy`s unadulterated managerial style will see another top half finish, but I can potentially see a two or three month period spent in the playoff positions before eventually fading away.
Name: AFC Bournemouth
Manager: Eddie Howe
Stadium: The Fitness First Stadium
Also Knows As: The Cherries
Last Season Finish: 2nd (League 1)
This Season Prediction: 10th
Last Meeting: January 2004, Bournemouth 1-0 QPR (Feeney)
Summer Transfers (Out): Charlie Sheringham (AFC Wimbledon), Jonathan Meades (Oxford), Frank Demouge (Roda JC), Dan Strugnell (Havant & Waterlooville)
Summer Transfers (In):Mohamed Coulibaly (Grasshopper), Ian Harte (Reading), Elliot Ward (Norwich)
One to Watch: Matt Ritchie
A Few Thoughts: Were it not for a woeful penalty from Marcello Trotta and an astonishing minute of football in the Brentford versus Doncaster fixture on the last game of the season, Bournemouth would have been crowned League 1 Champions. Instead they finished second behind Rovers and probably caused the guy who had a bet on United, Cardiff, Gillingham and Bournemouth to win their respective leagues, an early death. Still, Bournemouth were promoted, capping off a remarkable turnaround that saw them forced into administration in only 2008, suffering a 10-point deduction along the way, with debts of around £4 million hanging over their head. The work of the owners and manager Eddie Howe, who took over at the age of 31, must be applauded as they`ve taken Bournemouth from near extinction to the second tier of English football for only the second time in their history in a matter of years.
I`m not predicting any of the three promoted teams to make any impact like Norwich or Southampton did in their first season back in the Championship, but I believe Bournemouth will quite comfortably secure a mid-table finish. The likeable Eddie Howe, in his second spell with the club, already has Championship experience with a stint at Burnley, and his impact on the club is epitomised none more so by the fact that Bournemouth only lost 6 league games since his homecoming last October. Bournemouth possess a talented squad; Matt Ritchie, the npower League 1 Player of the Year, along with Harry Arter and Charlie Daniels make up a solid midfield and the signings of Ian Harte and Elliot Ward bolster a defence that kept 16 clean sheets last season. The impressive Lewis Grabban and Brett Pitman shared 32 league goals between them last season, but another frontman may be required should these two fail to fire.
Name: Blackburn Rovers
Manager: Gary Bowyer
Stadium: Ewood Park
Also Knows As: Rovers
Last Season Finish: 17th
This Season Prediction: 11th
Last Meeting: February 2012, Blackburn 3-2 QPR (Yakubu, Nzonzi, Onouha OG – Mackie 2)
Summer Transfers (Out): Ryan Edwards (Loan, Chesterfield), Jack O`Connell (Loan, Rochdale), Edinho Junior (Loan, Whitehawk), Anton Forrester (Loan, Bury), Martin Olsson (£2.5m, Norwich), David Goodwillie (Loan, Dundeed Utd), Nuno Gomes, Danny Murphy (All Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Alex Marrow (Crystal Palace), Matthew Kilgallon (Sunderland), DJ Campbell (QPR), Simon Eastwood (Portsmouth), Alan Judge (Notts County), Chris Taylor (Millwall), Todd Kane (Loan, Chelsea)
One to Watch: Jordan Rhodes
A Few Thoughts: You`d be hard-pressed to find a story as farfetched and improbable as that of Blackburn Rovers and their considerable and comical demise even on a website like tribalfootball.com. The unforeseen arrival of The Venky`s, the chicken farmers who for some reason decided they`d like to run a football club, the influence of football agent Jerome Anderson and his fondness of hiring his own clients (including his own son, Myles, who quite clearly isn`t a footballer), the sacking of Sam Allardyce and hiring of Steve Kean (another of Anderson`s clients) and their eventual relegation from the Premier League, amidst raucous, ongoing protests from large numbers of fans. The Lancashire club seem to be the host of a footballing civil war.
The board, or whoever runs the club, decided to keep Steve Kean on following their relegation, before getting rid of him eight games into the season. Henning Berg lasted just 57 days before Michael Appleton, their third bald manager in a row, eclipsed that stay by a whole 10 days. Gary Bowyer managed to steer Blackburn away from relegation to a respectable 17th placed finish, and was appointed permanent manager over the summer. He has overseen a number of changes in playing personnel since his appointment; the departures of Olsson and Murphy not ideal, yet the arrivals of DJ Campbell and Kilgallon add experience and quality to the squad. Jordan Rhodes, arguably the best striker in the league, will have another season providing the goals for Blackburn and whilst I can`t see the inexperienced Bowyer leading any sort of promotion charge for the club, they are a big enough club with a good enough squad to secure a mid-table finish, whilst the boys upstairs work out what the hell is going on with the club.
Name: Queens Park Rangers
Manager: Harry Redknapp
Stadium: Loftus Road
Also Knows As: The R`s
Last Season Finish: 20th (Premier League)
This Season Prediction: 12th
Last Meeting: –
Summer Transfers (Out): Ji Sung Park (Loan, PSV), Jamie Mackie (£1m, Nottm Forest), Jose Bosingwa (Trabzonspor), Tal Ben Haim (Standard Liege), Chris Samba (£12m, Anzhi Makhachkala), DJ Campbell (Blackburn Rovers), Troy Hewitt (Walsall), Radek Cerny (Slavia Prague), Djibril Cisse (Kuban Krasnodar), Rob Hulse, Jay Bothroyd, (All Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Danny Simpson (Newcastle), Karl Henry (£1m, Wolves)
One to Watch: Andy Johnson
A Few Thoughts: ‘Comfortable mid-table finish!` they cried, ‘Top 8!` some dared to dream, as Champions League winners, hot prospects and internationals came bounding through the Loftus Road door at the beginning of last season. They couldn`t have been more wrong, however, as Rangers` wild and erratic spending splurge allowed a cold, indolent and uninspiring atmosphere seep into a squad that had staved off relegation by the skin of their teeth the following season. The mistakes Fernandes and Mark Hughes made at the beginning of last season ultimately cost them their Premier League status and as QPR embark on a season back in the Championship, everyone is wondering whether a repeat of the fortunes of Newcastle or Wolves will be apparent come May 3rd.
QPR could easily be the new Wolves – big name signings on big contracts with no support or love for the club they play for usually leads to despair, and when a team is on a losing streak it`s incredibly hard to fend off the inevitable rut. The likes of Barton, Mbia and Ferdinand are still roaming the Loftus Road dressing room and the pitiable ambience acquired from last season`s theatrics still meanders deep through QPR fans` hearts. The questionable arrivals of elderly pro`s Richard Dunne and Karl Henry make you wonder whether the board have actually learnt their lesson, whilst the shocking departure of Jamie Mackie assuages any promises made that QPR will only entertain ‘the right sort`. They possess a manager who made some questionable decisions towards the back end of last season and was heavily linked with a move away from the club after a spat with the owner`s about their transfer policy (one presumes the Fernandes didn`t want to indulge another 32-year-old in Wayne Bridge, so instead went out to purchase two 33 and 30-year-olds instead). Nobody needs to tell QPR fans this season will be tough and every game will be watched through hands and fingers as they pray for a season that doesn`t end in another humiliation.
QPR could easily be the new Newcastle – a squad that has been largely kept together following relegation, with the departures of necessary candidates Park and Bosingwa, allowing for a renewed start. They possess the experience of Derry, Hill and Faurlin at this level whilst the likes of Zamora, Onuoha and Simpson have plied their trade in the Premier League. New signings Dunne and Henry possess the leadership and guidance this QPR so lacked last season and the youthful verve of Hoilett and Granero are players that can still make a big difference. In Redknapp they have an experienced manager who, besides a dodgy knee, still knows what it takes to succeed at this level and has been making all the right noises throughout pre-season. Fans and pundits rattle on about giving managers time, so why should QPR not do the same for their players? They have a chance to make things right and perhaps having played together for so long, they may finally start to click.
And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, I genuinely do not have a clue where QPR will finish this season.
Name: Birmingham City
Manager: Lee Clark
Stadium: St Andrews
Also Knows As: Blues
Last Season Finish: 12th
This Season Prediction: 13th
Last Meeting: October 2008, QPR 1-0 Birmingham (Di Carmine)
Summer Transfers (Out): Akwasi Asante (Loan, Shrewsbury), Amari`I Bell (Loan, Nuneaton), Nathan Redmond (£2m, Norwich), Curtis Davies (£2m, Hull), Steven Caldwell (Toronto), Pablo Ibanez, Morgaro Gomis, Keith Fahey, Stephen Carr (All Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Scott Allan (Loan, WBA), Matt Green (Mansfield), Dan Burn (Loan, Fulham), Andrew Shinnie (Inverness), Olly Lee (Barnet), Lee Novak (Huddersfield), Tom Adeyami (Norwich), Darren Randolph (Motherwell), Neal Eardley (Blackpool), Kyle Bartley (Loan, Swansea)
One to Watch: Dan Burn
A Few Thoughts: QPR managed to beat Birmingham, the eventual second-placed finishers, the last time these two met, through a goal from one of QPR`s worst ever players, Samuel Di Carmine. Alex McLeish, a manager who`s never really been good at managing, oversaw their promotion that season and masterminded a 9th placed finish the following campaign having acquired the services of the likes of Christian Benitez, Barry Ferguson and Ben Foster. He contrived to mess it up, however, as he got them relegated the following season, despite winning the League Cup and managed to provoke the Birmingham fans even more than he had done already by departing to rivals Aston Villa. Chris Hughton took over and did an incredible job of getting them to the playoffs whilst taking them through the struggles of the Europa League at the same time. He left for Norwich City with the club in financial turmoil and under a transfer embargo following the misdemeanours of Hong Kong-based owner Carson Yeung, yet another owner who thought they could have a crack at running a football club as a past time.
Lee Clark arrived at St Andrews, after departing Huddersfield under somewhat acrimonious circumstances, and despite enduring a difficult start to his reign as manager, utilised Birmingham`s academy system well and guided his team to a 12th placed finish. The hard-hitting Geordie gaffer dropped Nicola Zigic for giving the ‘worst training session he ever came across` and his rigorous managerial style has started to win round Blues fans. Clark has experimented with a 3-5-2 formation in pre-season and could well be taking after Zola`s success at Watford last campaign. He has resorted to creating a DVD of what Birmingham FC is about to sell to new recruits, which seems to have worked as he has acquired the services of Kyle Bartley, Dan Burn and Lee Novak. Not quite ready to return to the top flight just yet, Birmingham should hang onto Clark, as given a few years they could well be well-equipped to mount a promotion challenge.
Name: Middlesbrough
Manager: Tony Mowbray
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Also Known As: Boro
Last Season Finish: 16th
This Season Prediction: 14th
Last Meeting: February 2011, Middlesbrough 0-3 QPR (Helguson 2, Taarabt)
Summer Transfers (Out): Scott McDonald (Millwall), Nicky Bailey (Millwall), Christian Burgess (Loan, Hartlepool), Stephen McManus (Motherwell), Merouane Zemmama (Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Dean Whitehead (Stoke), Jozsef Varga (Loan, Debreceni VSC)
One to Watch: Lucas Jutkiewicz
A Few Thoughts: Gary Hooper and Gordon Strachan are possibly the only two people you need to tell that the Scottish Football League is about as noteworthy as the Huddersfield and District Works and Combination Football League, and so it seemed strange that Strachan decided to plunge into the depths of Scottish football to build a potential Championship winning side following his arrival in 2009. The signings of Kris Boyd, Willo Flood, Stephen McManus, Barry Robson and Kevin Thomson fell harder than a Stephane Mbia Oscar-winning dive and Strachan could only achieve Championship mediocrity in his year`s stint at the club. Tony Mowbray, undoubtedly a very good manager, has been left to clean up Strachan`s, and probably Southgate`s for that matter, whopping Scottish mess. He has managed to start to build his own group of players, adding the likes of Lucas Jutkiewicz, Jonathan Woodgate, George Friend and recently Dean Whitehead to his squad and has the backing of the ever-supportive Chairman Steve Gibson. He still has to contend with half full attendances at home games, something he even blamed upon himself, and has endured a lack of support from fans who are no longer used to League and UEFA Cup finals.
The talents of Boro graduates Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson and David Wheater gracing the Riverside pitch seem like a distant memory and Mowbray has had to look elsewhere to strengthen the squad in recent times. They started off well last season, threatening the top two up till Christmas, before they tailed off towards the end of the season; Mowbray will be hoping for a similar start but to maintain their form throughout the whole campaign. Unfortunately Boro just aren`t good enough to see a return to the Premier League yet, but whilst they have Mowbray in charge they have a foundation to build from.
Name: Burnley
Manager: Sean Dyche
Stadium: Turf Moor
Also Known As: The Clarets
Last Season Finish: 11th
This Season Prediction: 15th
Last Meeting: January 2011, Burnley 0-0 QPR
Summer Transfers (Out): George Porter (Loan, AFC Wimbledon), Dane Richards (FK Bodo), Shay McCartan (Accrington), Chris McCann (Wigan), Alex MacDonald (Burton), Lee Grant (Derby), Wes Fletcher (York City), Martin Paterson (Huddersfield), Brian Jensen (Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Ryan Noble (Sunderland), Scott Arfield (Huddersfield), Tom Heaton (Bristol City), Joseph Mills (Reading), Nick Liversedge (Whitby), Alex Cisak (Oldham), Daniel Nizic (Sydney FC)
One to Watch: Charlie Austin
A Few Thoughts: The sacking of Owen Coyle and subsequent appointment of Brian Laws ranks up there with one of the strangest and most absurd decisions in football. Burnley have been toiling ever since that inexplicable decision in 2010. In their first season back in the Championship they possessed a decent squad that still had Premier League potential; Laws, however, failed to utilise the likes of Chris Eagles, Wade Elliot and Jay Rodriguez and ended up waiting two years before his next managerial appointment. Following the departure of Eddie Howe, Burnley swooped to capture Sean Dyche after his release from Watford, having failed in their bid to snatch Malky Mackay from the Hornets a couple of years earlier.
Dyche completed a remarkable job at Watford, guiding a team that had the likes of Chris Iwelumo leading the line and Carl Dickinson acting as a defender, to a respectable mid-table finish, when most had tipped them for relegation. The fiery, ginger-haired manager`s no nonsense playing style has been symbolised in his teams` fighting spirit, and whilst his sides` may lack the pizazz of a sensuous Barcelona, you can`t fault them for trying. He was criticised for turning his back on youth in his time at Watford, favouring loan signings instead, and whilst Dyche clearly has many contacts in the game his best bet may be nurturing some of Burnley`s youth players through to their first team. Most Burnley fans are lacking in optimism for the upcoming season, and whilst I can see a struggle for The Clarets, I believe Dyche will steer them clear of relegation. Look out for those blazing ginger sideburns in post-match interviews.
Name: Blackpool
Manager: Paul Ince
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Also Known As: The Seasiders
Last Season Finish: 15th
This Season Prediction: 16th
Last Meeting: January 2010, Blackpool 2-2 QPR (Adam, Taylor-Fletcher – Connolly, Taarabt)
Summer Transfers (Out): Ian Evatt (Chesterfield), Alex Baptiste (Bolton), Stephen Crainey (Wigan), Ashley Eastham (Rochdale), Neil Eardley (Birmingham), Chris Kettings (Loan, York), Paul Bignot (Grimsby), Ludovic Sylvestre (Caykur Rizespor), Adda Djeziri, Matthew Challoner, Curtis Thompson, Tiago Gomes, Elliot Grandin, Jamie Menagh, Gerardo Bruna (All Released)
Summer Transfers (In): Steve Davies (£500k, Bristol City), Michael Chopra (Ipswich), Gary McKenzie (MK Dons), Bobby Grant (Rochdale)
One to Watch: Bobby Grant
A Few Thoughts: Imagine Blackpool as a retired elderly couple; years of hard work slaving away to make a living, climbing up the metaphorical ladder of success before an unlikely and delirious lottery win, coming in the form of a bald-headed Bristolian, led to a year of indulgence and enjoying their existence with life`s elite. All good things must come to an end and our elderly couple have eventually retired, withdrawing to, well Blackpool, for a nice life of pedestrian survival. The arrival of Paul Ince has all but abandoned any hopes of a return to the top flight, since Ince is not a very good manager more than anything, but only the extravagant courage of someone like Ian Holloway could ever see Blackpool reach the dizzy heights of the Premier League again. Last year`s big performers are likely to leave or are injured and the remaining squad members boast the likes of Craig Cathcart and Gary Taylor-Fletcher as their main threats. Add to this the strong rumour that Paul Ince offered his resignation over the potential transfer of his son Tom Ince to Cardiff and you can easily see why Blackpool fans are having a tough time of it at the moment. God they even had Caleb Folan training with the squad whilst away on a training camp.
I must not paint a completely dull picture for the orange of Blackpool, and with still one year remaining from the Premier League parachute payments they may still have some funds to go and strengthen their squad. A 2-0 victory over Northern Football League Division One side Penrith FC in their first pre-season friendly can only be taken as a positive, and new signing Bobby Grant from Rochdale looks like a good bit of business. Whilst things may not be going well for Blackpool off the pitch, their fans and sides` verve and courage built up from previous season will see them have another crack at the Championship next season, even if Ince doesn`t make it the whole season in charge.
Abuse me on twitter @harrod11. A special thanks to @N_Harrod for his valued help and assistance
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