They had previously appeared to be on the upswing under Mark Warburton, but their deterioration under his direction in the latter half of the 2021/22 season prevented them from securing a spot in the playoffs.
After Warburton was fired at the conclusion of that season, Mick Beale appeared to have the R’s back on track at the beginning of 2022–23, with the team even briefly dominating the Championship standings.
Unfortunately for them, the performance and his brief stint at Loftus Road weren’t meant to last, and they weren’t in their greatest shape at that point.
Gareth Ainsworth only managed to lead the club to survival after Neil Critchley and Gareth Ainsworth both failed to turn things around.
It makes sense that some QPR fans are upset given the current political climate, so we’ll look at three players who have occasionally faced criticism while still receiving acclaim from others.
Jake Clarke-Salter
Some supporters have praised Clarke-Salter for his ability and there are certainly no doubts that he’s a very gifted player when fit and in top form.
However, he has been the subject of some criticism for failing to stay fit and although it’s not his fault that he has suffered with injury problems, you can understand why QPR supporters may be frustrated because he could be a real asset.
Former key defender Rob Dickie left in the summer as well as Leon Balogun, arguably increasing just how important ex-Chelsea man Clarke-Salter could be when he’s on the pitch.
Able to operate both in a back three and back four, that’s useful for Ainsworth who may want to switch up systems throughout this campaign and potentially beyond.
Chris Willock
Willock is included on this list because there have been accusations about his application at times.
This is a shame because he’s a very, very gifted player and he has shown before that he can be a game-changer in the final third at this level.
Registering six goals and two assists in the league last term, he will know that he can do better than that but in fairness, the ex-Arsenal man managed to get to that total in 28 appearances.
Scoring at a rate of more than a goal every five games isn’t bad and if he can stay fit this term and start regularly, there’s no reason why he can’t shine and silence his doubters.
If injury troubles don’t ruin his rhythm, he will be able to control his own destiny this term. Ainsworth will probably give him more chances to shine if he can perform well.
Lyndon Dykes
On social media, there has been discussion on how effective Dykes is in reality.
But he deserves a lot of respect because he has excelled both at home and abroad, and because during his time at Loftus Road, the R’s have benefited greatly from his contributions rather than suffered.
And given the few options the R’s have moving forward as of this writing, he is a very significant person.
He will feel very confident to continue scoring if he can put himself on the scoresheet quite a few times in a short period of time.
Leave a Reply