About two to three weeks ago almost anybody would have told you that Queens Park Rangers were going to get relegated. They had only two wins, 11 draws and 14 losses. They had an incredible wage bill, filled by players who were happy just to pick up a check, and were not concerned about the relegation battle. With only 17 points they were on track to go down with the least amount of points ever. When Harry Redknapp took over as manager, he managed to tighten their defense but other than that things didn’t really improve. With 10 games to go, QPR went on a mid season break to Dubai. While in the Middle East, they barely trained (it was too hot during the day, so they could only train for a maximum of 90 minutes at night or early in the morning) and then there were reports that the players were spending the evenings clubbing and coming back in the early hours completely drunk. Harry Redknapp said he was disgusted by these comments, but he knew that in the last 10 matches of the season and with games against six of their relegation rivals, it was vital for his team to bond and begin actually playing as a team.
In the first game back from their controversial mid-season break, QPR beat a very in form Southampton side at St. Mary’s. The win gave them a glimmer of hope in what looked like a worthless attempt to fight for survival. In their next match QPR continued their good form, trouncing a hapless Sunderland 3-1 at home. With this result they doubled the amount of wins they had in the season and went from 17 points to 23. They are now level on points with second bottom Reading a point behind Wigan, even though Wigan has a game in hand, and only four points behind Aston Villa and safety. Could QPR do the impossible and save themselves from relegation? With upcoming matches against Reading, Aston Villa, Wigan, Newcastle and Fulham, and if they can continue the run they are currently in, then it is definitely possible. QPR have a very capable squad, definitely a squad that shouldn’t be in the relegation zone. What they desperately needed was some good luck and some confidence. What they really needed was to win. They had to win matches and after winning two on the trot you can expect a new and rejuvenated QPR side. It would not surprise me at all if they got to safety.