Boom & Boost: Why QPR Ought to Pray that their Spending Pays Off

They say that in life, you have to spend money to make money. Now, that is true in business of course, but what about in football? Splashing the cash on big name signings can prove successful in the short term, but what about the long-term effects?

This is what is more commonly known as the ‘Pompey Syndrome’. Back in the 2007/08 season, Portsmouth FC had Harry Redknapp at the helm and  a string of quality players, including Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson and David James, to name but a few. This was all funded by the seemingly bottomless pit of money owned by Alexandre Gaydamak. 

And the result? Pompey won the FA Cup, and thus qualified for the UEFA Cup (Europa League) for the following campaign. Great success! Surely things could only get better. Oh, how wrong we all were...

As sure as night follows day, Gaydamak got bored of his new ‘play thing’, and cut the purse strings. Harry Redknapp and a host of other stars left the club, and they soon bowed out of the UEFA Cup. Worse was to come though. At the start of the 2009/10 season, the club’s finances had dried up to the extent that players and staff were not being paid. 

Soon enough, HMRC stepped in and threatened the club with a winding-up order, and whilst that threat was eventually fought off, administration inevitably followed. Fast forward to the 2012/13 campaign, and Portsmouth are – following two quick fire relegations – plying their trade in nPower League One, with a squad consisting of youth teamers and out of contract players. 

It’s such a shame to see, which is why a few alarm bells must be going off around Loftus Road with QPR’s current assault on the transfer market. In the last few weeks and months, Mark Hughes has splashed out a sensible £2.5 million on Park Ji-Sung, but brought in a host of out of contract and loan signings many of whom will undoubtedly be on big wages - guys like David Hoilett, Jose Bosingwa, Andy Johnson and Robert Green.

And in the past couple of days, the Hoops have looked to plug their leaky backline by splashing out on Michael Dawson, in a deal which could reach £9 million, as well as loaning in Ricardo Carvalho, who – it’s safe to assume – isn’t being paid minimum wage.

So is there a long term strategy for success in place at Loftus Road? Or is this simply papering over the cracks, as anyone who witnessed Swansea’s demolition of them on Saturday will testify? 

Portsmouth is a proud family club, with a rich heritage and tradition. So too is QPR. Let’s hope history isn’t about to repeat itself.

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