Assessing and Praising QPR's Mikele Leigertwood...Next Leicester. Ref Announced...Flashback: De Canio Appointed...

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David McIntyre/BBC606 - Mikele's milestone 28 October 2009
- Mikele Leigertwood could make his 100th appearance for QPR in Friday’s game against Leicester.
- And if Jim Magilton restores him to the starting line-up, it will be Leigertwood’s 200th league start.
- Whether he ought to start in light of Gavin Mahon’s performances in midfield and Peter Ramage’s at full-back is debatable.
- Should Leigertwood, now recovered from flu, go back into the team?
- I think he should.
- Then there’s the issue of where he might play.
- Based on what I’d seen of him at his previous clubs, where he operated mainly as a defender, I’ve long regarded Leigertwood as the best right-back at QPR.
- Since eventually playing in that position for Rangers, his performances have been excellent.
- He has already played at right-back in the Premier League and I believe could do so again to good effect if Rangers went up.
- But in the Championship, I’d always have Leigertwood in Rangers’ midfield.
- That’s not out of some belief that teams need to bustle their way out of the league. It’s more that Leigertwood can be a bit hit-and-miss in midfield.
- He can be sloppy at times, and in the top division that’s much more likely to be punished.
- At one stage last season, the vibe from Rangers appeared to be that they would listen to offers for Leigertwood. It was claimed that a number of clubs were interested in him.
- That seemed ridiculous to me. At a time when more and more clubs are looking for midfielders in the Leigertwood mould, why let him go?
- Thankfully, sense has prevailed and before his recent absence Leigertwood was one of Magilton’s most trusted performers.
- A dynamic, physically strong central-midfield player, who is also a decent footballer, is worth his weight in gold – especially in the Championship.
- Whether Leigertwood would make it as a midfielder at a higher level is open to question.
- In fact, whether he’s cut out for a midfield role even now, given Magilton’s options and strong emphasis on ball retention, is a matter of opinion.
- Anyone arguing that his role should now be as a right-back, even if the likes of Ben Watson are unavailable, has a strong case.
- I’ve always liked Leigertwood as a player.
- I covered Wimbledon a fair bit when he was a youngster just beginning to break into the first team there.
- Back then, he was seen as a top prospect as a centre-back.
- He was prone to switching off and making the odd silly mistake – as many young players are – but he obviously had class and a future in the game.
- Leigertwood, now 26, has the distinction of being Rangers’ first major signing with the money generated by the takeover of 2007.
- At the time, I thought it was £900,000 well spent on exactly the type of player an ambitious Championship club should be spending significant sums of money on; someone who could perform at that level, but also in the division above.
- My issue with Rangers’ spending since then is that, in my opinion, only Akos Buzsaky definitely ticks this box, although Matt Connolly and Hogan Ephraim’s potential means their signings were more than justified. The same applies to the excellent Alejandro Faurlin.
- As a defender, I’ve no doubt that Leigertwood could step up a level and is a better player than when he last played in the top division with Crystal Palace and Sheffield United.
- But the man himself is very keen to become established as a top-class midfielder.
- And if his game continues to develop, he may well get his wish.
- Whatever his position, Leigertwood deserves to be regarded as one of Rangers’ best and most important players.
- And now they’re paying big wages, QPR need guys like Mikele Leigertwood – good pros who, regardless of their salary, are ambitious and will always give everything.
- There’s no reason why he shouldn’t clock up another hundred appearances for the club.
- And who knows. Maybe, just maybe, most of them will be as a Premier League player.
BBC606

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