Can Mark Hughes turn these big-money individuals into a winning team?

QPR: bottom of the table, no wins and already uncertainty around the future of manager Mark Hughes. So, is the Welshman the right man to bring the affluent R’s Premier League survival?

It could be argued, the most ambitious QPR fan could expect more than just staying afloat in the top division. This could even be a fairly justified view after the players that have come in with the new owners, first Flavio Briatore and now Tony Fernandes. But, what can QPR fans expect this season and beyond from their team?

Firstly, we should acknowledge the progress they have made with their cash injection. From a mid-table Championship team, they shot up the table and finished as champions (admittedly amongst controversy with the case of Alejandro Faurlin) yet little could be taken away from the team performances under Neil Warnock. Yet, halfway into their new season in the Premier League, the ambitious, perhaps impatient owners were dissatisfied enough with the team’s position and it cost Warnock his job.

Mark Hughes, the former Wales and Blackburn manager came in with an optimistic crowd and a healthy budget for the January transfer market. He didn’t disappoint. With the likes of Bobby Zamora rejoining Hughes after their days together at Fulham, along with dynamic midfielder Samba Diakhite and experienced striker Djibril Cisse coming in, it seemed fans and players alike could finally feel at ease for the second half of the season.

It wasn’t to last. Loftus Road, the tight ground close to the pitch should have been a fortress for the Hoops, yet under Hughes, the team still struggled to get wins. Moreover, red cards seemed to come thick and fast, particularly in the case of Cisse, who in one game had to be calmed down by Joey Barton of all people and who can forget his display at the Etihad on the final day of the season? QPR lost that game 3-2 in one of the most incredible climaxes to a season one may ever see in their lifetime, yet it was enough to keep QPR up by the skin of their teeth.

So the summer, as it is for any team with a poor previous season, was a building process. A chance to see where the squad needs improvements and frankly, with the finances available to Mark Hughes, that was never an issue. Probably the busiest club in the transfer market this summer, bringing in the likes of Champions :League winning keeper Julio Cesar, Park Ji Sung, who replaced Barton as the captain,who was palmed off to Marseilles, a forgotten man. In addition, Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero was brought in.

So, I hear you ask, how can such a mouth-watering array of talent come to the West London club, only to see them get thumped at home 5-0 to Swansea on the opening day of the season? Not their first opening day annihilation in the Premier League either, I should stress. The answer, in my opinion: QPR are not a team, or at least do not have a team mentality. They strike me as eleven individuals, playing for the team for different reasons. Whether this problem is down to the manager or not remains to be seen, but there needs to be changes at the club if they are to enjoy future seasons in the top flight.

The Malaysian owners can spend all the money under the sun to bring the top stars to the club, but it wont buy them success. Swansea, who seem to lack any real stars, relatively speaking, demolished them with a solid team performance, something that the early relegation candidates do not seem capable of.

Is a change of manager needed? Who knows. All that can be pointed out, is that the club needs stability and a change of ethos around the team. If this doesn’t happen, the threat of relegation will become all the more real.

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