Assessing QPR After Northampton...Recalling QPR's Italy Tour...Where Are They Now? Armel Tchakounte

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Dave McIntyre/BBC 606 - Winging it
Emmanuel Ledesma’s cross for Dexter Blackstock to score the winner at Northampton could be a sign of things to come.
After featuring in central midfield at Stevenage on Saturday, Ledesma played out wide in last night’s game – and that’s where he will play from now on.
Blackstock's header gave Rangers a 1-0 win but more importantly, the match was another chance to look at Ledesma and Matteo Alberti.
Both summer signings played the majority of the match and striker Samuel Di Carmine came on as a second-half substitute.
Alberti looked exciting at times and showed he can pick a pass as well as run at defenders, while Ledesma showed some promise too.
Ledesma spent most of the game on the left but drifted over to the right to deliver a perfect cross for Blackstock’s goal.
He was later switched to the right flank – a position he apparently likes to play in despite being left footed.
It’s impossible to assess Ledesma properly at this stage, but what is obvious is that a big feature of his game is an ability to drift into holes and find space. He is very difficult to pick up.
Playing on the left allows him to wander inside and find space and when he plays on the right, he enjoys cutting in and shooting or delivering a cross.
It was clear from speaking to Iain Dowie after the game that he has definitely decided Ledesma will operate out wide rather than in the middle.
We won’t know until they play in competitive matches whether Ledesma and Alberti have enough about them going forward to compensate for potentially being quite easily picked off defensively in the Championship.
Dowie isn’t too concerned about that and is very much focused on creativity.
Personally, that’s exactly what I want to hear from a QPR manager.
I was also pleased to see a good performance from Matt Connolly at right-back.
Connolly played the whole match - partly because Peter Ramage has a slight hamstring problem - and did well. I like him and hope he'll feature a lot this season and beyond, regardless of who else comes in.
Next to Scotland, where Rangers will be playing Falkirk and Kilmarnock and training at a plush university campus.
I’ve heard Kaspars Gorkss will be giving a seminar on effective release clauses while he’s there. BBC 606


Next Match: QPR at Falkirk July 26. Ticket Details


Flashback two years: QPR's Italian Tour - While on tour, QPR's investor and Director, Dunga, left to manage Brazil.


Armel Tchakounte: QPR signed Cameroon Midfielder Armel Tchakounte in May 2006 - Gary Waddock's first signing. Tchakounte spent a year at QPR without playing a league game; and then QPR released him. After QPR, he seems to have vanished from football - even at a non-league level. Maybe he went abroad, but if so, unclear where.
See Wikipedia Profile
So if any blog reader knows where he ended up/if he's still playing anywhere, be interested to know. (Post here or contact at qprreport@hotmail.com)