As we reach March, we are at the tail-end of the season. Have we accomplished anything this season, or was this just another wasted season? With the Christmas season over and with the team firmly entrenched in the middle of the pack, management decided that a change had to be made; out with the old (after less than a season), and in with the new! And so, yet another mid-season change in manager. We have seen this before (just last season, for example). Managers come and go at QPR quicker than Paris fashions and, at least over the last couple of decades, these changes haven't had a huge impact on our fortunes. So, what about this time? Did the change make a difference? Some will say no; same old, same old. And they have a point, right? More than ten games have gone and we are still firmly entrenched in the middle of the pack and don't look like we will be making a move for the play-off places any time soon. I mean, we are 4 point behind the team one place ahead of us and 11 points off the playoff places with only 14 games to go. Whatsmore, the January transfer window came and went sucking our most talented player away from the team. £4 m is all we got for Austin, who had a boatload of goals in last year's Premiership. "Young, talented, English, goalscorers are a premium in the Premiership," is what we are always told and yet, whereas Raheem Sterling cost Man City £49m, we got one tenth of that for Austin. How is that possible? On top of that, Fer left on a free, Sandro left on a free, Caulker went to Liverpool and all we got in return were a couple of Division 3 hopefuls. Not really good business, by any standards. Jimmy keeps chopping and changing the team, just like Chris before him, and sometimes we look great, but more often we look mediocre. Could we be in for another off-season full of promise and positive soundbites followed by a poor start to the season followed by another change of manager? We have certainly been there before. But, of course, every penny has two sides. And the other side is that this is a rebuilding season and, viewed through that lens, things are going to plan. Old and expensive players have been shifted in favor of younger up-and-comers. Green has been replaced by Smithies. Green did nothing wrong, but now is the time to blood a replacement and give him a chance to get his feet wet. The couple of Division 3 hopefuls that we picked up during the January transfer window have looked great in their starts. Washington has been a dynamo, looking dangerous whenever he has been on the pitch. Nobody expects him to score twenty this season, but if he can get 10-15 games this season it will stand him in great stead for next season. Likewise, Khayati has looked great in his limited action so far and already has an assist to his name. Better still, all the players on high salaries have been moved on leaving us in a much more sustainable position in the long-run. Our defense has gone from the oldest in living memory over the last couple of years, to being built on a solid foundation of youth and speed. Yesterday's team had an average age of 27. As captain, Onouha's game has continued to grow -- he has been solid in defense and is now beginning to make more of a contribution in the attacking third. Sure, we are not going to make the playoffs this year. But then again, that is not the point of the season. The point is re-building -- give the team time to grow together and then, with 20 games and an offseason, see what they can do next year. So, which is it? Another wasted season, or a rebuilding period which will be worth it in the long run? What do you think?
OK, so season over and I am not sure what to make of it. We finish in 13th place. Our form has been very mixed. Maybe the last game of the season sums it up best. Petrasso and Washington leading the charge for the youngsters but Henry and Hill are the ones that really got it done for us today. Oh well, on to the offseason. I bloody hate the offseason!