Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Jim Magilton has shown a commendable unwillingness to rest on his laurels over the last couple of weeks with a number of loan additions to the squad and a player going in the opposite direction as well.

On the credit side, Magilton has quickly moved in the loan market to add Peterborough left-back Tommy Williams, Blackburn midfielder Steven Reid and young Chelsea goalkeeper Rhys Taylor.

The last of these was clearly out of necessity after Tom Heaton's loan deal expired and he returned to Manchester United (and now on loan again to Rochdale). Heaton is still the club's long-term target as an understudy to Radek Cerny but as an ambitious player himself, he has indicated that he will leave Old Trafford in the summer in search of first-team football, so Loftus Road might not be his ideal destination. In the meantime, Taylor (pictured left) will provide the necessary cover should Cerny get injured. He's only 19 and yet to play for Chelsea's first team but he is a Wales U21 international and a regular at reserve level. Magilton was certainly talking up the deal, saying Taylor has come 'highly recommended' and 'that he will push Radek all the way'. The current deal runs until January 4.

Looking at the other two additions, neither were quite as essential, though the club had no cover at left-back and diminished options in the middle of the park after the long-term injuries to Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands.

Tommy Williams (pictured right) is a former QPR player who had fallen slightly out of favour at Peterborough United and had also been struggling with an ankle injury. He's definitely got a wealth of experience including three spells at London Road, two spells at QPR and appearances for Barnsley, Gillingham, Swansea City and Wycombe. Gary Borrowdale missed QPR's last match, the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday but is fit for the Doncaster game so it's far from certain who Magilton will pick in the left-back slot.

Finally, Steven Reid (pictured left) arrived from Blackburn Rovers on a month-long loan deal. The length of the deal suggests Rangers are definitely testing the player out or that they see him purely as a stop-gap, though both Mahon or Rowlands will be far from fit in four weeks time. Magilton got most excited about this signing though. He said, "He's a class act. He can pass; he can tackle; he can shoot, he's box-to-box - he's a very, very good player." It certainly makes his midfield options look a bit more attractive with Reid, Alejandro Faurlin and Ben Watson all in contention to start against Doncaster.

Moving out on loan is Gareth Ainsworth (pictured right) who has been finding it difficult to get a look-in this season. After helping the club through two dismal periods last season by stepping into the shoes of both Iain Dowie and Paulo Sousa following their unceremonious dismissals, Ainsworth indicated that he would put his desire to move into coaching on the back burner for now and concentrate on playing. Unfortunately, with QPR's attacking players firing on all cylinders, he's not really had a chance and now moves on a month's loan to try and help Wycombe get off the bottom of League One.

Questions will remain about what QPR will do when all these players depart, with Ben Watson, Jay Simpson and Adel Taarabt also only at the club on a temporary basis, though the latter two are there until the end of the season (and the club will hope to keep Watson for as long as well). By the time they depart, the club could be in the Premiership though when the degree of investment from the club's wealthy backers could sky-rocket. In the meantime, the club has back-up in all positions and competition for places, which few teams in the Championship can boast of.