Analysis of QPR 2011/2012 Season

Competition Analysis

We exceeded the expectations of the board in all the competitions that we entered. The objective in the league was to achieve at least a EURO Cup entry from our league position, which we exceeded in style by lifting the Premiership title for the first time in the history of the club.

The expectation in the Champions Cup was very low, in fact it was to compete in the playoff which we were already in. We had an astonishing run, with a few slices of luck along the way, and managed to lift the Champions Cup beating Ajax in the final, way beyond what we could have ever dreamed at the start of the season.

In the FA Cup the expectation was to reach the 6th Round. We managed to go one stage further, getting to the semi-final, before our disappointing exit to Everton. The expectation in the League Cup was to reach at least the Quarter Final, which we again exceeded by reaching the final, losing to Arsenal in controversial circumstances.

There were no expectations put upon us, as far as the Community Shield goes. The board were happy that we were playing in it. We managed to overcome Man City and lift the trophy.

Team Statistics

Our top five goalscorers for the season were:

• 25 - Ignacio Scocco - Striker
• 23 - Fatih Yucel - Striker
• 15 - Angelo Balanta - Striker
• 12 - Hogan Ephraim - Midfielder
• 7 - Luis Jimenez & Akos Buzsaky - Midfielders

Nine other players managed to get onto the scoresheet during the season, in a fantastic all round performance. I was pleased with how the strikers performed and the level of goals being scored from the midfield. The most important goal of the season, was again scored by Clement Grenier, who grabbed the dramatic winner in the Champions Cup, in a similar fashion to his late winner in the FA Cup final the previous season.

The top five for providing assists this season were:

• 12 - Fatih Yucel
• 11 - Luis Jimenez
• 10 - Ignacio Scocco
• 10 - Clement Grenier - Midfielder
• 9 - Angelo Balanta & Hogan Ephraim
  

There were 13 other players who managed to provide at least one assist during the season.

Our top five rated players for the season were:

• 7.22 - Simon Kjær - Defender
• 7.21- Silvui Lung jr - Goalkeeper
• 7.21 - Sebastien Puygrenier - Defender
• 7.20 - Ignacio Scocco
• 7.18 - Laure - Defender

Six other player managed to achieve a rating of 7.00 or higher.

This indicates how well our defence performed this season, with Simon Kjær being the most consistent player. Our striker force this year wasn't quite as consistent as in the previous season, largely due to Fatih Yucel being distracted for the first few months, when he was upset, believing he needed to leave the club to further his career.

The fans player of the year was Ignacio Scocco, who also turned out to be rated as the best signing of the season in the Premiership.

Signings

I've already indicated that Ignacio Scocco was the signing of the season, for his goalscoring and assists, and one of the most consistent players in the team. It took a few games for him to gel with the squad, but soon started to turn in some excellent performances, providing many crucial goals during our league campaign. I look forward to him being available for the Champions Cup matches next season.

Simon Kjær was a very impressive signing, but due to the amount paid, does not rate as being as good a signing as Scocco. He is however a star central defender, and was the rock at the heart of our defence. His consistency was outstanding, rarely having a poor match during the season. As with Scocco he took a few matches to blend with squad, but once comfortable, he made it hard work for the opposition strikers to find a way past him.

Luis Jimenez was the bargain of the season, arriving on a free transfer, and putting in some good performances. He is not one of the most consistent players, becoming complacent sometimes against lesser opposition, which is his only real fault.

Sunny turned out to also be a superb bargain, playing in rotation with Rafa. Sunny managed to get on the scoresheet 3 times, and provided more assists but he also had more of a discipline issue, being sent off a couple of times.

Tomas Klimek, Carlos and Bretislav Pospisil have developed during the year, but still remain a season or two away from being able to break into the first team squad with any regularity. They are still showing some good promise, with Carlos being touted as the next Thiago Motta. He spent most of the season struggling to settle in London, but right at the end revealed that he is now happy, which should help him develop a lot quicker now.

Loan Players

Gianmarco Zigoni was another striker loaned to us by our parent club, AC Milan, arriving at a perfect time when I most required an extra striker, saving me the trouble of trying to buy another during the January transfer window. He proved quite a hit with the fans, putting in some good performances at times, but lacked consistency. His return of 6 goals and 5 assists was however very useful.

Paul Dixon was loaned from Bolton in the January transfer window due to an injury situation during a very busy period, when we only had one left back who was fit. He gave some very decent performances for us, providing an assist on his debut, being fairly consistent in the matches he played.

Awards


The English Players' Young Player of the Year award was given to Fatih Yucel, with Angelo Balanta coming second. Both players had an excellent year. If Fatih Yucel had not been distracted earlier in the season, he could have had another truly outstanding year. I have been named the manager of the year. Simon Kjær was our only player included in the Players' Team of the Year.

Fatih Yucel won the European Champions Cup Best Player Award, with Silviu Lung jr claiming second spot. Five of our players were named in the European Champions Cup Dream Team, with Hogan Ephraim, Luis Jimenez and Sunny named along with the best two players in the tournament.

The Future

Our defence has been very solid this season, with only Arsenal conceding less goals than us in the league. The biggest weakness is the full backs. They are however fairly good, so unless I can find much better players that I can afford to pay, their is little to be gained in this area. I will however be selling Martin Stranzl, as he became unhappy during the season, not seeing much action in the first team, largely because he didn't perform very well. I will be looking for a replacement, either a second star defender or a player to act as backup.

The biggest improvements will probably come from strengthening the wings. I will sell Slory, who was very disappointing this season, and look to bring in a couple of quality players to play on the left and right wings.

I am also tempted to increase the strike force, because this last season proved to be very tough on our strikers. That would also allow us to have much better cover on the wings, as Scocco can play very well as a right winger, and Balanta as a left winger if required.

I will also be looking to sell Alejandro Faurlin, as he was the worst performer of the season, ending up with a rating of 6.60 from the 11 matches he played, providing a single assist. His attributes suggest he should be able to perform well as an attacking midfielder, but he was very disappointing.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma with Akos Buzsaky, because he's starting to fall short of the quality required at this level. If I can sign some players that can provide at least the same quality of long shots and free kicks, then I can think about letting him go while I can still get a reasonable price for him. I like him as a player, and I know the fans would hate to see him leave, so it's a difficult thing to contemplate.

I also have the issue of Silvui Lung jr, who wants to leave. I'm hoping that I can get a good enough offer because it would be a crime to sell him for less than I bought him, especially as he's improved a lot. From the insulting offers I received in the January transfer window, it seems that he's wanted, but noone wants to pay much for him. If he causes problems I will have to let him go though.