Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

This has been the longest time  in which I've failed to update the blog since starting it, through a mixture of post-season complacency, QPR fatigue (a very real and prevalent condition for thousands who go to Loftus Road on a fortnightly basis) and also my having gained some other freelance work, which while very welcome, is non-QPR related .

I've been keeping my eye on Rangers of course and as should be expected for a club which could be on the precipice of major change, the last month, since that final game against Newcastle, has not been lacking in important news.

There hasn't been the flurry of  transfer activity that some anticipated, though if you take many papers at face value that is not for a lack of interest on QPR's part. I recall Neil Warnock indicating he was keen to tie up as much business as possible prior to the World Cup which gives him another two weeks to add to the signings of strikers Jamie Mackie and Leon Clarke and in what is looking more and more like a done deal, Darren Ambrose from Crystal Palace. That's not to rule out further transfer activity after that point, with Warnock and chairman Ishan Saksena looking to forge a harmonious working relationship in which the manager can suggest any number of transfer targets to his boss. That process could carry on right up to the start of the season and possibly beyond.

Which suffice to say means I hope to update here on a much more regular basis between now and the start of next season. With one month of the close season already gone and the World Cup to come, plus pre-season fixtures from July 12, including a tour of Italy, the new season will be here sooner than you think and a lot could happen in that time. As ever with Rangers, it should be interesting. Below is a round-up of the last 30 days with the odd prediction on what this last month could mean for the rest of the summer.

May News Round-Up

The first player to come into the QPR squad this summer was one who was already with the club. Patrick Agyemang returned to Loftus Road following a loan spell at Bristol City during the second half of last season. It was a pretty dismal time away from the club for Agyemang, though his stay with City came as their season floundered, but it does call into question his future with Rangers.

The main tabloid game in May, when it came to QPR anyway, was who will Neil Warnock sign from Crystal Palace? Because of a) Warnock's clear affection for the club and its players and b) Palace's absolutely hopeless financial position, it is possible for any combination of players to be suggested as Rangers' transfer targets. Only a week into the close season and The Daily Mail was suggesting that Neil Danns would be making a short move for £1.5 million. By the middle of the month defender Clint Hill was being touted as the most likely candidate; by the end and over the last week, Darren Ambrose has jumped to the head of the queue and this one looks to have the most validity. Though some sites may have jumped the gun in announcing his signing, it appears that Palace's administrators need to off-load Ambrose just to pay their wage bill for the last month. Keeper Julian Speroni has also been repeatedly linked with a move to QPR, though he should really be discussed in a whole new section on Warnock's unsuccessful courting of goalkeepers. 

At the same time as Danns was being rumoured to be on his way, the Ealing Gazette was reporting that Barnsley defender Rob Kozluk had also been added to the shopping list. The exit door was open this month, though surprisingly not for any of the playing personnel but for three members of the back-room staff, with head physio Paul Hunter, assistant physio Shane Annun and reserve team manager Keith Ryan all getting the chop. Youngster Josh Parker, who made four appearances at the end of last season, will remain at the club though after signing a one-year extension to keep him with the Hoops until next summer.

Into the third week of the month and Rangers were finally ready to do some business, though if it was big-name signings you craved, there was bound to be a slight tinge of disappointment. On May 13 the club moved for Plymouth Argyle attacker Jamie Mackie; by the 18th he had signed a four-year deal, though his goal-rate while in the South-West suggests he will have a point to prove next season.

Gavin Mahon was auditioning to be included as well next season - his contract expires this summer and a long-term injury over the last campaign prevented him from having any opportunity to impress his new boss. He's been talking a good game in the press though and if any player fits the Warnock-type of hard-working, tough-challenging battlers, Mahon is surely the man.

One player who has not been synonymous with graft during his career is striker Leon Clarke, but Warnock clearly sees some potential in this very, very rough diamond. The 25-year-old former Wolves, former Sheffield Wednesday man became the second signing of what is still shaping up to be a busy summer.

Over the last week, it's been a return to the hunting ground of Palace and the never-ending quest for a new keeper. As part of the former search, Ambrose now looks nailed-on to be the third summer signing. In the latter quest, The Mail was reporting that a £750,000 move for Sheffield United's Paddy Kenny had been rebuffed, while Speroni was weighing up his options and Peterborough were laughing off any suggestion that they will let Joe Lewis jump back up to the Championship.

Oh, and a former Rangers manager took a club on a much smaller budget than QPR's into the Premiership while supporters learned they would have another London derby next season, though probably not one they will look forward to with any great relish. On to June...