Five things that might improve the atmosphere at QPR

QPR have launched a Make Some Noise campaign in an attempt to improve the atmosphere at Loftus Road.

The campaign will involve flyers on every turnstile as supporters enter the stadium for Saturday’s match against Reading.

It’s fair to say the idea has not gone down well with supporters, with many on social media making their disgust clear.

What’s causing the poor atmosphere and what could change it? Here are five things that might make a positive difference.

1: Restore the Loft

QPR say the Make Some Noise campaign is a response to feedback given to chief executive Lee Hoos. But Hoos has flatly refused to give in to pleas to move the family stand from the lower Loft – traditionally a part of the ground populated by hardcore supporters from which much of the atmosphere was generated.

Moving families from this area would be problematic for a number of reasons. Where would they go? And which season ticket holders would potentially have to make way for them? Hoos is also a numbers man, and the numbers tell him the family stand is in the right place.

But where there’s a will there’s a way, and there ought to be a will to reverse what was a stupid decision that has inevitably affected the atmosphere and will continue to do so.

QPR have been prepared to put noses out of joint in the past, not least when regulars were unceremoniously turfed out of the South Africa Road stand to make room for a larger directors’ and VIP area, where there are often plenty of empty seats.

Admittedly that happened during the Flavio Briatore era, but more recently fans in the Ellerslie Road stand were affected by extra media facilities QPR had to add. Disabled fans have also had a raw deal at Rangers and improving their experience has required change.

Rangers, like all clubs, are prepared to make tough decisions when it suits them.

You can be certain that if the proposed relocation to Old Oak happens, or, even more so, if it doesn’t and alternative options are then mooted, some fans will be deeply unhappy with the vision set out by QPR’s owners, who will be more than prepared to make their case for what they’ll argue is the greater good. Compared to that, moving the family stand is nothing.

The aim of any club should be to attract and retain young fans. For decades, prior to the lower Loft being turned into a half-empty family area, the club attracted and retained solid support largely because of the Loftus Road experience.

That experience is now relatively poor, so preserving the current set-up based on numbers is short-sighted and irresponsible. Less important than where young fans sit at Loftus Road is what kind of Loftus Road they come to know.

The Loft is QPR tradition. A more worthwhile campaign would be to restore it and fill it.

2: Play with two up front

Many Rangers fans argue that the reason for the poor atmosphere is very simple: the football’s rubbish.

Allied to this is the strong belief that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink isn’t adventurous enough and ought to adopt a more attacking approach – namely with two up front.

From a tactical perspective, this theory has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese in a colander. There are good reasons why successive QPR managers before Hasselbaink, and managers in general, haven’t played with two out and out strikers either.

Tjaronn Chery, arguably Rangers’ best and most influential player, plays in the number 10 role, and the idea that Rangers could play with a 4-4-2 (in which many apparently would select the permanently unfit and uncommitted Sandro in central midfield) and be better for it just doesn’t stack up.

It’s not 1985. The days of wingers running down the wing and slinging crosses towards a couple of strikers are generally gone – because it’s easy to defend against.

Playing that way would arguably get Rangers nowhere in the long run. But what it might do, initially at least, is get the crowd going, create a bit of a spark around the place from which the players might feed off. And after that, who knows?

3: Show some personality

Much has been made of QPR’s frequent manager changes. But there has been continuity in the sense that for around half of the last 25 years the manager has been Gerry Francis, Ian Holloway or Neil Warnock. This has been hugely significant in terms of shaping attitudes.

All three managers were major personalities, excellent with the media, and most importantly they knew exactly what buttons to push when it came to getting the fans on side.

This helped them create a sense of pride and togetherness in which fans were engaged and rallied behind a cause. This was reflected in their teams, which contained characters who remain fondly remembered by supporters.

That has made it very difficult for more considered, introverted managers to be accepted. They’re perceived as dull and uninspiring. And when that perception kicks in, a malaise hangs over the place.

QPR’s history over the last few decades does not bode well for a lower-key personality like Hasselbaink. Managers in his mould have generally been unable to galvanise the club.

With the possible exception of Sebastian Polter, his team also lacks players with the personality to do it for him. It’s all very stale at the moment.

Forget tactics. Hasselbaink’s best bet this week would be to have a dig at Reading about shamelessly copying QPR’s kit, and on Saturday pick a fight with a linesman – anything to lift that malaise and get the place going.

4: Reduce ticket prices

Obviously.

5: Give it time

After the foolhardy spending, Rangers are in transition and this was always going to be a difficult couple of years as the club is reshaped.

The average age of their recent signings, plus a desire to bring through youngsters, means it will take time for characters to develop and for the team to find some momentum, and in turn excite the fans and generate an atmosphere. It might just be a case of waiting.

‘Make some noise’ isn’t the best slogan ever and has opened Rangers up to some deserved ridicule.

‘Welcome to Loftus Road. We’re trying to build for the future but the next couple of years are likely to be like pulling teeth at times’ wouldn’t fit the bill – or the flyer.

But it would probably be the most honest portrayal of where Rangers are right now.