It’s never easy being at the bottom of the barrel. Liverpool supporters everywhere might be feeling a bit hard done by with their slow start to the season seeing them go into the international break in a depressing 9th place in the table, but they’ve got nothing on the Queens Park Rangers faithful.
Sure, the Hoops just enjoyed promotion back into the Premier League at their first attempt, but even though it’s still early days, necks start to get sore pretty quickly when you have to crane them upwards to see where the likes of fellow promotees Leicester City are in the table. While it’s still a bit too early to start planning another season in the Championship, QPR boss Harry Redknapp isn’t even considering being relegated — or, the pressure that’s starting to mount on him.
“We have played seven games, we are seven games into a Premier League season. We have played three home games, we got beaten by Hull 1-0 and missed a penalty, we beat Sunderland and drew with Stoke in a tough game – it is not easy” said the Hoops manager of their poor start to the season. “I still have every confidence in the players here that we will start getting the results, and hopefully that will start on Sunday.”
While beating Liverpool — who admittedly haven’t quite looked themselves this season — might seem like a bit of a lofty goal, there’s nowhere to go for QPR but up. Redknapp was quick to point out that they’ve played only seven matches so far, but they’ve secured only four points from the available twenty-one on offer, leading to suggestions that if results don’t turn around soon that he might be looking for a new job before too long.
For the time being anyway, the journeyman manager appears to have the support of the dressing room with a number of players — including one who knows a thing or two about beating the Reds — expressing support for their beleaguered manager. “To push the panic button now would be crazy in my eyes. Harry still comes across to me as a fighter and a man with a lot of fight left in him” said former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand when asked about his boss’s precarious situation. “It’s down to us as players, as well as the coaching staff, to start turning results around.”
Despite their poor start, the Hoops remain unbeaten at home since their opening day defeat to Hull City. The stark fact that they’ve played only two matches at Loftus Road since then calls that beam of light into question, but with the QPR faithful treated to a win over Sunderland and a thrilling 2-2 draw with Stoke City, results in the capital have given the fans — and midfielder Leroy Fer — something to hang their hopes on.
“For me, this is the right moment to play against one of the big teams at home. We will have the fans behind us. Both teams will be trying to win the game, so it’s going to be an open match. We know they will be coming here looking to win it” he told the clubs official website. “Our home form has been good – a win, a draw and a loss. We have to keep that home form going now and bring it into Sunday’s game.”
I’ll give you three guesses which result the travelling Kop will be looking for this weekend…
–Steven
