Could Glory Days Be Around the Corner at Loftus Road?
Christmas has come early for QPR fans with the news that Lakshmi Mittal, the world's fifth richest man, has bought a 20% stake in the club. With Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore also on board the Championship club have now set their sights on the Premier League. Could this be the break that the troubled London team deserve or is it just setting up the Loftus Road faithful for another fall?
This has been one of the most dramatic seasons in QPR's history and we have not even reached Christmas. Rangers, under the guidance of their third manager since October, currently prop up the Championship and host Colchester United in a crucial six-pointer this weekend. A disastrous start to the season, compounded by the tragic death of striker Ray Jones sent the club into free-fall; losing convincingly both home and away until they recorded their first win at the tenth time of asking.
Prior to this, guns in the boardroom, training ground brawls, a dire transfer policy and the fatal stabbing of another youngster have cast a very dark shadow over W12 in recent years, with nothing but a bleak future in sight for the diminishing numbers that were travelling to Loftus Road.
During this year's pre-season, winger Lee Cook was sold to local rivals Fulham in a cut-price deal that was just enough to keep QPR afloat for the foreseeable. After escaping the jaws of relegation the season before, the prospect of moving up the league without the team's star player was unattractive to say the least.
However, a buzz has since surrounded the club. Saved by two of the most influential men in Formula One, there has since been A-list celebrities in the directors box, an improvement in the team's performances and money has been poured into the club. The interest in West London's forgotten team, both in the press and from investors, has given all connected with QPR the lift they needed.
Mittal, an Indian steel magnate and the latest man to stake a claim in the club, is fifth on the Forbes List of Billionaires. His personal wealth currently stands at $32 billion, dwarfing Roman Abramovich's $18 billion who currently sits in 16th place.
QPR fans, more than most, can sense a false dawn but there is genuine excitement at this news.
The transfer window could prove decisive for the future of the club. Sunderland fans will remember the giant strides up the table made last year after a slow start and with 9 points separating 13 teams in the current league, a few wins could see Rangers climb up the table. A centre back and a striker are top of the shopping list and with a seemingly bottomless pit of money it is only a matter of time before QPR move away from the relegation area, surely not to return.
The players brought in must be of a quality to sustain a long, hard season in the Championship and though promotion is too far away this season, must be high on the clubs agenda come next August.
January's FA Cup tie at Chelsea is unlikely to prove a turning point in the London's current football landscape, though it could give QPR fans a taste of things to come in the not so distant future.
