Ever since the investment from owner Tony Fernandes, Queens Park Rangers have made an vast array of peculiar and intriguing signings. They are a band of misfits with Mark Hughes at the helm.
Over the summer the club made a flurry of signings and their squad, on paper at least, looks very talented with experienced international players, former Champions League and Premiership winners thrown into the mix they should be doing a lot better than at the foot of the table without a win.
Looking at the squad it is quite remarkable who they have. Kieron Dyer (remember him?), once England’s great young hope but a career blighted by injuries and now he has ended up in West London. Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse fits right in with the QPR outcasts and his special trick is to nearly get a red card every game.
Robert Green, who has never really recovered from his World Cup 2010 gaffe, is in between the sticks and after a couple of years of obscurity following the tournament has found himself backing up none other than former Inter Milan number one Julio Cesar.
Then there is Jose Boswinga, he of the most notable mono brow in the league (just behind Fellani), who was signed from Chelsea helping the team to Champions League glory last season. Throw in Shaun Wright-Phillips, Andrew Johnson and Adel Taarabat and you have a team of undoubtedly talented players but misfits or outcasts in their own right.
And just to top it all off there is cult hero Ji Sung Park of Manchester United fame, ‘Big Game Park’ as I have heard him affectionately called, as captain. Brilliant.
Mark Hughes has a job on his hands trying to manage all these big egos and eccentric personalities and I’m not sure if this is the reason they are struggling so much this season. Fernandes has backed Hughes on numerous occasions amid this turbulent start to the season and there will most likely be more investment come January.
If Hughes is able to harness all this talent at his disposal they should be able to get themselves out this rut and survive in the league this year. Regardless, they have already proved to be the fun team to watch this season (for me at least) with a starting XI which always makes exclaim ‘Oh yeah! I remember him’.
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