Rangers’ fans seem slightly optimistic about the team’s fortunes next season. With only one new addition to the current squad and the defence looking worryingly thin following three departures, R’s fans still believe the team is on the up.
So much so that 43% of voters reckon a top half finish (7th-18th) is waiting around the corner. A further 34% casted their votes on a bottom half finish (13th-18th).
With a league containing the likes of West Ham, Leeds, Sunderland, Wolves and Leicester there are going to be no easy games, in fact Rangers will be seen as the underdogs for nearly every game they play. Loftus Road will hopefully remain the unbeatable fotress from last year but our away form is little more than patchy.
Last season we failed to beat sides such as Rushden, Colchester, Peterborough, Port Vale, Wycombe, Bournemouth, Notts County and Oldham so you can see the size of our task ahead if we want to win points away at the likes of Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Millwall, Reading, Coventry, Wigan and Cardiff. We were even beaten by Brighton, Bristol City and Plymouth away from home last term- our three challengers.
Last season we did however beat Sheffield United 2-0 away in the League Cup, one of our best performances of the season. So there is light in the tunnel. Rangers’ fans are being extremely optimistic when 10% still believe a playoff place is achievable and even more so when 4.5% dreamers see us as champions come May.
The truth of the matter is- the Championship this season is most definitely the toughest and strongest of recent years. Ian Holloway must some how find someone somewhere to step into our sketchy defence and do a job. Maybe not just one player either, we are severely lacking defensive steel and that will be exposed by rival sides next term. The midfield should hopefully be good enough now that Cook has signed; however the need for a creative centre midfielder is still an option most fans believe Ollie should try and take. Up front we have the firepower in Gallen, Furlong, Thorpe and Cureton to terrorise oppositions. If were being greedy, another Furlong-type player would help to compliment the veteran in his retirement year. Thorpe should not be sold, he scores crucial goals when there called for and as for Cureton, well were yet to see the best of him (or any of him really). The two goals against Port Vale at home last season suggest he still has the knack of scoring regularly.
Finally between the sticks Chris Day is as good as any goalkeeper in the division. Lee Camp may have been pretty spectacular in the promotion run-in but fans should not be too disheartened that he won’t be signed permanently. Chrissie Day has on more than one occasion saved us from defeat.
On first look our squad looks considerably small. Defence wafer thin, midfield suitable and strikeforce average but when you believe the qualities that Ollie will install in his players such as belief, determination, unity, teamwork and spirit we could easily be looking higher the up the table.
One thing is for sure- it will take a miracle to end up as championship champions or even promoted, a playoff place is a little too far into dream world. An appropriate finish would surely be to consolidate in mid-table in our first year back in the second tier of football. But with Ollie working his magic in the transfer market and a little bit of luck...who knows.
The season starts on August 7th against Rotherham United at Loftus Road. Our first friendly match is tonight at 7.45pm against Nairn County as part of our Scottish tour. Tune into QPR MAD for the latest news as and when we hear it.
Remember if you are a Rangers fan in Scotland we want to hear from you. Match reports, player performances and interesting facts you notice are all welcome. Just Email the Editor with your view.