Five reasons there has been no ‘new manager bounce’ for QPR
Six matches into Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s tenure and QPR are down to 16th in the Championship table and are still waiting for their first win since the Dutchman took over. So why has there (again) been no ‘new manager bounce’ for Rangers?
The Austin factor
To state the bleedin’ obvious, Austin’s absence has been a major reason for Rangers’ problems. They have often – but not always – struggled badly without him previously. But with Jamie Mackie also sidelined and the other attacking options limited, this spell without Austin has been especially difficult.
Same old story
While every QPR fan will have hoped for the new manager to make an immediate impact, the cold truth is that whoever was in the job this season faced a difficult task, with an unbalanced squad and a number of players the club were unable to get rid of. It will take time to turn things around.
The pressing game
Other managers might have tried to gently cajole some of QPR’s big-name players into improving their performances – an approach that might well have yielded better short-term results – and there are many good judges who will tell you the one thing you should not attempt with Rangers’ squad is a pressing game.
But Hasselbaink has been determined to play this way. It’s a challenge, because the fitness and/or work ethic of several key QPR players can be questioned. The response from them has actually been quite good, but there has been obvious fraying around the edges and the late goals conceded prove that 90-minute performances with the kind of intensity Hasselbaink wants are not going to happen instantly.
Wait and see
There has been plenty of goodwill towards the new manager from fans, but the vibe around Loftus Road is very much one of ‘wait and see’ – very different to the buzz surrounding Neil Warnock’s recent return to the helm as interim boss. That helped Warnock provide an immediate spark that Hasselbaink must rekindle.
The right-back problem
The focus will inevitably be at the other end of the pitch, but the lack of a specialist right-back has been a big cause of QPR’s problems this season and a factor in recent results. James Perch is currently out injured but in any case was not performing well – he can play at right-back, but it’s by no means his best position.
This had a knock-on effect earlier in the season, with balls played into the area between Perch and an out-of-form Karl Henry causing havoc. The Perch-Henry axis has been an issue for QPR for much of the campaign so far and Perch’s recent absence has led to Nedum Onuoha moving across, splitting up what had been a settled centre-back partnership with the excellent Grant Hall. Bringing in a right-back this month is a priority.
