On the morning of the 24th November, QPR fans woke up to the news that they’d got their wish. Harry Redknapp had been appointed Hoop’s boss, and was going to once again pluck a struggling club from the foot of the table to consecutive survival seasons.
Just over four months later, and a team of Harry Potter and Harry Houdini probably wouldn’t be able to pull off this particular escape act.
QPR lie 19th in the Premier League, seven points and twelve goals from safety. With the likes of Everton, Arsenal and Liverpool still to play, most pundits seem to have resigned the West Londoners to a battle for promotion this time next year.
It will be a rare blot of Redknapp’s almost perfect relegation record with just one previous drop in his career as a manager (Southampton in 04/05). Yet, despite the best efforts of predecessor Mark Hughes, Redknapp will have to take at very least some of the blame for QPR’s poor season.
I’ve no doubt Redknapp will find a way to worm out of any responsibility for Ranger’s plight this season once their inevitable relegation is confirmed. This will no doubt be assisted by the media, who love their mate ‘Arry. He’s always good for a quote (out of his car window or otherwise), and it’s very unlikely many if any journalists will risk such a strong relationship with the former Tottenham and Portsmouth boss by laying any blame at his door.
It was interesting to see Redknapp recently rule himself out of taking the England job in the future. How convenient, as I don’t think anyone at the FA quite fancies having you as England boss right now, Harry. In fact, Redknapp was never offered the job in the first place, despite the media’s frenzied appeals for the ex-West Ham boss to replace Fabio Capello last March. Twelve months on, Roy Hodgson, the FA’s first choice, will most probably lead the Three Lions in Rio next summer, whilst Redknapp is staring relegation straight between the eyes.
Redknapp has been in charge for the majority of Ranger’s fixtures this season. Whilst he’s been in the dugout for all four of QPR’s league victories this season, four simply isn’t good enough. Harry came in with the reputation that he was the king of the escape, a modern day Houdini. Frankly, QPR have been atrociously average all season. There have been numerous moments where it looked like they might finally pick up some form (back to back wins against Southampton and Sunderland spring to mind) yet it never materialised.
Redknapp, regardless of the players at his disposable, has built a reputation of being able to pick up a squad when they’re down, and turn their fortunes around. Really, at no point this season has this squad looked like they are good enough to survive in this division. To be honest, this is mainly down to the fact that they aren’t. Yet, Harry is famed with the immunity of relegation, passing this on to his players just with his sheer presence. Not this time.
He also had a transfer window, his favourite time of year. He lived up to his reputation, with much wheeling-and-dealing done during the month of January. Yet, although certain signings have been successful (Loïc Remy has five league goals, and Andros Townsend will be a superb player given the chance to develop at parent-club Spurs), it’s the likes of £100k a week defender Christopher Samba who look like a real problem for the Loftus Road club. The Congolese, former Blackburn centre-back has had an indifferent spell since his move from Anzhi, capped off with a woeful display against Fulham, in which he was at fault for the first two goals, and later apologised on Twitter. QPR looked as dead and buried in late January as they do now. Yet Harry threw a hell of a lot of money at the problem, and QPR are sinking because of it now.
The likes of Samba, Remy and goalkeeper Julio Cesar are not lasting five minutes in the Championship. Frankly, by getting relegated this year of all years, and missing out on the increased revenue from the newly signed television rights agreement, Rangers will need to cost cut. You get a hunch they might struggle to find suitors willing to part with £100,000 every seven days once they see a clip of Samba’s performance at Craven Cottage two weeks ago. QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes allowed Redknapp to part with a lot of money in his attempts to keep QPR up. Over £20million and one Tal Ben-Haim later, Harry’s failed.
Hughes admittedly left him in a perilous starting position, but he certainly hasn’t helped himself. Packing the squad with mercenaries, who once QPR are down will be on the phone to their agents looking for alternative Premier League accommodation, as well as not instilling the nous to nick a result here and there which is so common with Redknapp sides have been the keys to this disaster of a season. The 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa last month was the killer. Rangers should have been four up at half time. They left Birmingham empty handed.
Redknapp has previous when it comes to bleeding clubs dry. His time at Portsmouth is seen by many as successful, topped off with the 2008 FA Cup. Try telling that to Portsmouth fans. Redknapp and Milan Mandaric ruined that club, and on Wednesday, Pompey will start to find out if they’ll be allowed to enter the league next season.
Harry will no doubt jump ship the moment the season finishes. He’s not the sort of man to make amends for his errors. I just hope for R’s fan’s sakes, the problems he’s caused don’t lie as deep as the ones at Fratton Park.
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