By any standards, the Loftus Road club’s business was conducted at a frenetic pace, prompted, no doubt, by their serious brush with relegation last season.
Manager Mark Hughes now has the challenging job of moulding a group of disparate players into an effective Premier League unit and a win over Chelsea would help a great deal in that building process.
But some have been surprised, even troubled, over two of QPR’s signings: goalkeeper Rob Green on a free transfer from West Ham followed by Brazilian shot-stopper Julio Cesar a few weeks and several matches later from Inter Milan.
Among those perplexed was the former QPR goalkeeping great, Phil Parkes. The big man from Sedgley, Staffordshire, spent nine years between the posts at Loftus Road, making 344 senior appearances before moving to West Ham in 1979, where he remained for another 11 seasons.
“It’s very strange,” says 62-year-old Parkes. “They obviously don’t fancy Rob Green as their number one keeper because they haven’t signed someone like Cesar on a four-year contract to act as cover.
“I saw a quote from him the other day saying that he was going to Rangers to win the League. I thought, ‘someone’s told him he’s signing for Glasgow Rangers, not QPR!’ He obviously has a few things to learn about English football.
“To be frank, the goalkeeping position was a big problem for QPR last season. Paddy Kenny is a good Championship-standard keeper but when the club were promoted, they should have strengthened in that position.
“When they signed Rob Green, I thought it was a good fit for both him and QPR.”
Parkes is part of West Ham’s corporate entertainment team which gave him the chance to watch Green regularly.
“I’m there for most home games,” he adds. “He had a couple of bad spells, once when he was sent off playing for England and then the mistake in the World Cup in South Africa, and that did seem to affect him a little.
“Apart from that, though, he was very consistent for West Ham and that’s what you need in a keeper.
“I thought West Ham might have offered him a bit more money to keep him but Sam Allardyce is a good manager. He knows what he’s doing, Rob’s contract was up and he had a great offer from QPR. I thought it was a really good move for him, a fresh opportunity, and sometimes that is exactly what your career needs.
“It worked wonders for me when I did a similar thing and went to West Ham from QPR and I thought it would also work out well for Rob.
“The big problem came in that opening game against Swansea. Rob made the mistake for the first goal and for the rest of that half he looked really nervous.
“On that basis, it seems it was decided — whether it was Mark Hughes or someone else — that QPR needed yet another new keeper.
“It’s very strange, though, because you don’t judge a goalkeeper on one or two games. You assess him over a season and as far as I am concerned, Rob has proved his consistency over the past five years.
“He’s a very capable goalkeeper and as good as anyone in the Premier League. The club are now paying two keepers very good money and only one of them can play.
“Something may have happened behind the scenes but from what I know of Rob, he seems a nice guy so I don’t believe he has caused any upset.
“Generally, it does seem as though their narrow escape of last season has led to QPR being very pro-active. They don’t want to be in that same position again so they’ve bought loads of players to try to avoid a repeat.”
Parkes was No1 wherever he played and would not be in favour of Hughes switching between Green and Cesar in order to keep them both happy.
“I’m a bit old-fashioned, I suppose, but I’m not a great admirer of the so-called rotation system,” he says. “There were more games a season when I played but managers used to try to keep the same team on the basis that, if you were winning, the more times you played the better understanding there was.
“At QPR now it will take time to blend in all those players but overall, I believe they’ll be okay. They haven’t started too well but they have enough experience and quality to survive comfortably this time.
“The big problem is trying to knit that team together in time to get a decent points total on the board because the longer it goes without a win, the harder things get.
“Until they notch up that first win, the pressure will be firmly on QPR.
“I don’t know who will be in goal against Chelsea this weekend but if it is Julio Cesar, it won’t be easy. He has come from a different country with a different football culture and it takes time.
“I wish them well but it’s still a mystery to me.”
ROB GREEN
Age: 32
Former clubs: Norwich, West Ham
International caps: 12
Honours: Championship (2004 with Norwich)
Height: 6ft 3ins
Appearances last season: 46
Goals conceded last season: 46
Parkes on Green
To be frank, the goalkeeping position was a big problem for QPR last season. When they signed Rob Green, I thought it was a good fit for both him and QPR but they obviously don’t fancy him as their No1.
JULIO CESAR
Age: 33
Former clubs: Flamengo, Inter Milan
International caps (Brazil): 64
Honours: Serie A (2006, 07, 08, 09, 10), Coppa Italia (2006, 10, 11), Champions League (2010), Copa America (2004)
Height: 6ft 1ins
Appearances last season: 43
Goals conceded last season: 50
Parkes on Cesar
I saw a quote from him the other day saying that he was going to Rangers to win the league. I thought, ‘someone’s told him he’s signing for Glasgow Rangers, not QPR!’ Evening Standard
