Are QPR the new Manchester City?

For most people, as cash is the lifeblood of the Premier league, there would only be one possible answer to this question, and it would be yes.

After a couple of years lolling on the Caribbean beaches of English football – you know – Burnden Park, The DW Stadium, Bloomfield Road – swanking about all their continental imports, for City it’s back to pie and chips at the mobile café on the trip home after the game.  Their African player of the Year is lording it at the Cup of Nations, chipping 30 yard free kicks gloriously to the top right hand corner of the net.  Meanwhile back at Eastlands Mancini’s raking the last embers of the fire as the team struggles against Everton and steamrollers a supine Fulham in a wintry blizzard.  Now it’s QPR’s turn to be feted by a sugar daddy, pumped full of financial testosterone.

Of course, the answer is yes, QPR are the new Man City – but for a very different reason.  A glance at the QPR team sheet recently shows three City favourites washed up on those namby-pamby southern beaches: Joey Barton (Andy Capp’s answer to Jacques Derrida), Shaun Wright-Phillips – otherwise known as Billy the Whizz – and Nedum Onouha – outstanding athlete and scholar.  Did Tony Fernandes just go out and get a job lot – For sale – Second Hand Football Team – has had some use, but mostly in good condition? 

If so, I reckon he got a good deal – not only did he filch three good players – he got in there again and picked up our second best manager of the past ten years.  (Mancini has to go first – thanks to the FA Cup.)

Spotted Wright-Phillips at the training ground the day Mark Kennedy signed (from Wimbledon, Wiki says).  Around about an hour after training had finished, and 20 minutes after several first team players had scooted down the road to the pub in their Mercedes SLK 230s, Wright-Phillips wandered back from one of the extra training sessions that turned him into such a revelation, persuading Chelsea to buy him for £23 million.  Spotted again bouncing up and down like an overgrown school kid in the changing rooms after the 1999 2^nd division playoff final, Shaun typified the low income City, triumphing through disaster by living on its wits.

Barton too – a reject from Everton: indomitable spirit and determination were his main assets, and that came with all kinds of issues.  In one cherished game Barton was sent off during half time – quite an achievement.  Not only that – it motivated City to come back from 3-0 down to beat Spurs 4-3.  That’s quite a plus for a City fan, after Wembley 1981, and other disasters against that London team.

Then, poor Nedum Onouha – I do feel sorry for him – such a talent – intelligent, fast, reliable – and Mancini would not even look at him – spent £6 million on Savic instead – and we all know where that led!  Not that it was anything to do with his mother, or the fact that Garry Cook resigned shortly after revelations about unsolicited emails.  Watching poor old Ned sat on the bench, or mostly not even sat on it, and then bumbling on for his last appearance (against Wigan) looking a little lost and baffled, all his confidence eaten away by the sheer rudeness of being ignored for so long, my heart went out to him.  I wish him well.  I wish he was playing for us.

Caribbean beaches and caviar – not all they are made out to be.  Good luck QPR, good luck Barton, Wright-Phillips, Onouha.  Good luck Hughes.  Good luck, good old honest endeavour.

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