It is almost that time of year. The transfer window will open in a few weeks and, true to form, Harry Redknapp is already thinking about how he can improve his Queens Park Rangers squad. He was asked if attack is an area that needs strengthening and the response was a classic Redknappism. “For sure,” QPR’s manager said.
Tony Fernandes, the club’s chairman, has been warned but Redknapp did have a point. The lack of options available in the forward positions will be placed into sharp focus when QPR visit Everton next Monday without Charlie Austin, who will be serving a one-match suspension after his late red card in the win over Burnley.
Austin, QPR’s top scorer, is responsible for half of their 16 goals and his absence will leave Redknapp with only Bobby Zamora and Eduardo Vargas as his senior strikers. They are both useful players but Zamora’s creaking body makes it difficult for him to last 90 minutes and although Vargas scored twice against Liverpool in October, he has been more of a provider. The Chilean created QPR’s second goal against Burnley when he set up Austin in the 74th minute but two minutes later Jon Moss showed Austin a second yellow card for leading with an elbow in a challenge with Michael Keane.
“Bobby had to come off, [he] started to get cramp,” Redknapp said. “The little boy Vargas looked a bit tired at times, he’s had a baby and looks like he hasn’t quite got the spring in his step he had a few weeks ago, so I end up sticking Niko Kranjcar up there on his own when Charlie got sent off. Niko gets hold of the ball – he can play up there at a pinch but he’s not a striker. You’ve got to have four or five strikers in the Premier League.”
Redknapp is happier with his defence and believes that unfashionable grafters such as Richard Dunne will help QPR stay up. “Since I brought him back in the side his performances have been fantastic,” Redknapp said. “He’s a competitor. He heads it, he’s strong in the air. And people think he’s slow.
“He’s not as quick as he was but in his prime he was lightning quick. I’ve had coaches saying ‘we can turn him round, he can’t run’ and I said ‘hang on, you’ve got the wrong guy’. He still ain’t no slouch.”
Dunne produced a host of vital interventions to keep Burnley at bay, while Robert Green had to make a couple of outstanding saves in the first half, and QPR were grateful the visitors did not show more composure in front of goal.
The home side were outplayed for long periods but hung in there, taking the lead when Leroy Fer finished off a fine move in the 51st minute, and the victory moved them out of the bottom three for the first time since August. Redknapp’s task now is to make QPR as resilient away from home as they are at Loftus Road.
They have not yet picked up a point on their travels and their next two away matches are against Everton and Arsenal; home games against West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace over Christmas are likely to be crucial. “We’ve played better teams away from home, tough teams who’ve probably been a bit better than us,” Redknapp said.
As for Burnley, an encouraging performance was let down by their shoddy finishing. Danny Ings, Scott Arfield and George Boyd all wasted excellent chances, although Sean Dyche is hopeful the return of Sam Vokes is not far away. The influential striker has been out since March with a knee injury and could play in the reserves this week.
“Managers can make decisions too early or you could leave it too late and I always think the players know when they are ready,” Dyche said. “I always knew when I was a player. I was not as talented as him but I had a good mentality and knew when I was right and ready. He will know and when he is right he will let me know.”
Man of the match Richard Dunne (QPR)
