Football
Wally Downes Jr. 9y

QPR Report Card: A summary of Rangers' Premier League season so far

With the Premier League season edging towards its halfway point, who has starred for Queens Park Rangers and can Harry Redknapp keep his side away from trouble come May? Here's a look at how QPR have fared so far.

Grade: E

Your Season So Far -- In A Sentence

A shambolic start with erroneous signings and formation changes that has plateaued into a season of trudging along, clinging to hopes of narrow home wins against weaker sides.

Highlight

Taking a point from Manchester City at home in a 2-2 draw is the best performance of the season so far and it should have been a victory, with Sergio Aguero handling the ball before one of his goals and Charlie Austin having two efforts ruled out.

It was also one of the few occasions Harry Redknapp selected the right team and tactics. City played an exceptional starting XI and introduced substitutes Edin Dzeko, Frank Lampard and James Milner to try to save the day but Rangers were dogged and stoic in defence and frightening going forward with Bobby Zamora and Austin working in near-perfect harmony.

Twice the home side went ahead and it was a thrilling evening that seemed to unite the players and reinstall some faith among the fans who had watched some poor performances in previous weeks. Karl Henry, a League One player before his move to Loftus Road, covered more ground than any other player that night and that was indicative of the spirit of the evening.

Low Point

Out-of-favour midfielder Adel Taarabt and Harry Redknapp had an ugly public spat in the newspapers after the 3-2 home defeat to Liverpool but Taarabt was on the periphery then and was never going to help QPR win vital points in a relegation battle this season.

More recently, however, centre-back Steven Caulker missed the Everton match after falling over in a pub and cutting his head. It seems the story and the headlines were sensationalised but the facts are QPR lost one of their most consistent and important players for a match against a side that were just four points ahead of them because he fell over.

Caulker has been one of the few shining lights in the squad this season and looks set to be at the club for the long-term, unlike some of the ageing or loan players, so there was added disappointment around the debacle. Had the centre-back played -- even with stitches in his bruised head -- and helped the club to some points, then he would have been vindicated; instead Rangers were thumped 3-1 and went back into the relegation zone.

Surprise Star

Richard Dunne. The Irish centre-back has been written off more times than a boy racer's first car but he is a stalwart in the QPR defence this season. Redknapp is helping himself to some the credit for Dunne's place in the squad and his current form but the former Everton man was only given a new contract in the summer because he played a set amount of matches in the previous season that triggered a clause in his contract.

Rangers signed two centre-backs in the summer and Dunne was stripped of his No. 5 shirt that was handed over to new darling Rio Ferdinand, who coincidentally has a No. 5 clothing range.

He was shunted out to the left-sided centre-back position in a misjudged 3-5-2 formation in the humiliating 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in the second match of the season and did not start a Premier League match for two months after that. But his return against Liverpool coincided with the club's upturn in form. Even when he scored the 10th own goal of his Premier League career against Liverpool, he came out afterwards and discussed it with the assembled media. He is a model professional and should be appreciated more.

Must Do Better

Nobody expected a past-it Ferdinand to recreate his glorious Manchester United form at lowly Rangers. He spent the past decade winning trophies surrounded by 10 or so of the Premier League's best players but his time at the top level has gone. Netherlands international Leroy Fer could probably do more but he is being played out of position on the left wing when he is a central midfielder.

He has shown glimpses of the ability that gets him in the Dutch side alongside some stellar names but until he gets a regular run in the spine of the side you are unlikely to see him reproduce the quality he showed during the 2013-14 season at Norwich. Fer should be forcing Redknapp to play him in his preferred position with his performances in training.

Great Expectations

Rangers should avoid relegation, their squad and budget is incomparable with fellow strugglers Burnley and Leicester who already appear doomed with their meagre resources. All QPR have to do is finish fourth from bottom at the expense of Aston Villa, Hull, Crystal Palace, West Brom or Sunderland. Whether they play long ball, Rio Ferdinand, Les Ferdinand or never claim a single point away from home will be irrelevant if they pull it off.

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