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.

For all of the latest football opinion, news and betting tips, stay tuned to Route One.

The Best Value Betting for nPower League One

Here at Route One we reckon fans of clubs in nPower League One are in for an absolute treat this season.

On first glance there appears to be no runaway winner of the title, around a dozen sides who could genuinely be in the mix for the Play Off places, and don’t even get us started on the relegation scrap ahead. 

One thing is for certain though, there’s money to be made from League One betting. So we’ve racked our collective brains (didn’t take too long), and here is what we have found:

Outright & Promotion

 

Typically, you’d expect the three relegated teams from the Championship to be the front runners for the title. This year, however, there appears to be a buck in that trend. Coventry City have had a bit of a clear out, lost a few of their better players and have replaced them with Kevin Kilbane. Still, onwards and upwards hey. Take the 9/2 on offer from Coral for the Sky Blues to be promoted if you’re feeling particularly frivolous.

Pompey will be more concerned with avoiding the drop than promotion (more on that later), and Doncaster Rovers – despite the shrewd signings of David Cotterill and Billy Paynter – will probably be off the pace.

So it seems that some of last season’s nearly men could be in the frame for bigger and better things this time round. Sheffield United have maintained their strong home support, and despite losing a few players you have to assume they’ll be there or thereabouts come May. Their outright price of 6/1 at Coral would suggest the bookmakers aren’t so confident.

One side we do like the look of at Route One is Colchester United. The ‘U’s’ have convinced key players Anthony Wordsworth, John-Joe O’Toole and Magnus Okuonghae to stay, and have added Championship experience in the form of Clinton Morrison, Freddie Sears and Marcus Bean. The 11/1 being offered by William Hill for promotion is red hot value.

Others who we fancy will be in the promotion shake-up include MK Dons (5/2, Paddy Power), last season’s dark horses Notts County (9/2, Ladbrokes) and – safe in the knowledge that back-to-back promotions are a distinct possibility (see Norwich, Southampton, Stevenage et al) – Swindon (3/1, Paddy Power).

Relegation

In the light of Portsmouth’s ongoing battles, League One relegation betting has been suspended by all of the leading bookmakers.

On a purely predictive note, expect Pompey’s crudely assembled squad to struggle. It pains us to say it, but things could be set to get worse for the South Coast club, and it’s such a shame to see. Walsall and Hartlepool are our other two picks for the dreaded drop.

Top Goalscorer

 

Another open field this one. You would expect both of the Mk Dons duo Ryan Lowe and Charlie MacDonald (both 20/1, Paddy Power) to be banging them in, assuming that new signing Alan Smith is not reverted back to the forward role he so enjoyed as a young scamp at Leeds. Either way, there are plenty of goals to be had at the MK Stadium this term.

Chris Porter is the favourite with many bookmakers, with best odds of 14/1 to be had at Paddy Power. Tall and powerful, Porter will benefit from more game time for the Blades following Ched Evans’ incarceration, and certainly knows where the net is.

And don’t forget Lewis Grabban (16/1, William Hill) and Gary Alexander (25/1, Coral), who both scored plenty in League Two last season, and will be confident of maintaining that form this campaign.

One final treat for you, dear reader, and this is the Route One Special. A young man by the name of Mathias Pogba signed for Crewe Alexandra in the summer, and subsequently notched 8 goals in 5 pre-season games. He followed this with a brace in Crewe’s 5-0 Capital Cup demolition of Hartlepool last weekend.

Now we could be made to look really, really silly with this one, but the 66/1 being offered by William Hill looks like exceptional value. Just don’t blame us if he turns out to be a lame duck...

Play Up Pompey: How to Sign a Player in Two Days

One of Pompey's most ardent fans - John Anthony

For fans of the ‘traditional’ family football club, what is happening at Portsmouth at the minute is particularly hard to stomach.

The South Coast club has already been hit with a ten-point deduction for the forthcoming League One campaign, and now salt has been well and truly rubbed into the wound with the news that ALL senior players must leave the club by Friday 10^th August, or face extinction.

So it looks for all the tea in China like a case of ‘will the last person out, please turn out the lights’.

Or does it? 

With the clear out comes an opportunity to start again with a blank canvas. Whilst the first team squad is currently made up of youngsters according to that venerable source Wikipedia, Pompey have taken experienced midfielder Brian Howard and former MK Dons marksman Izale McLeod on trial, so with this in mind here at Route One we thought we’d do a wee bit of scouting ourselves. 

With a copy of the PFA’s Transfer List in our mits, we kindly procured a whole new starting eleven for Michael Appleton’s men. 

Take a look at our ‘Out of Contract XI’:

Goalkeeper:

Paul Smith – Smith is an agile keeper that has plied his trade mostly for Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Southampton, playing in almost 200 games. He would be a safe pair of hands in League One for sure.

Defence:

James Chambers – A versatile defender who performs most predominantly at right back, journeyman Chambers was last spotted playing for Doncaster Rovers, making 87 appearances across four seasons at the club.

Paul Robinson – Robinson is exactly the kind of gritty, heart on sleeve player you need in a League One relegation battle. He can operate at either left back or centre half, and his no nonsense style has seen him become a crowd favourite at both WBA and Bolton.

Danny Shittu – Shittu is - to borrow a technical term - an absolute beast. Standing 6ft 3in and as wide as a breezeblock outhouse, the former Nigerian international is robust and rock solid, and would be a great addition.

Ibrahima Sonko – Another player who has spent a fair amount of his career in the Premiership, free agent Sonko turned out 22 times for Ipswich last season. He had a spell at loan on Pompey in 2010.

Midfield:

John Oster – After being billed as a promising youngster at Everton and Sunderland, Oster dropped off the radar for a bit but has rediscovered himself at Donny Rovers. He can play on both flanks or in the middle of the park.

Brian Howard – Howard’s most famous hour came when he scored the winner for Barnsley against Liverpool in an FA Cup tie back in 2008. The Tykes went on to the Semi Final that year, and Howard was named in the Championship Team of the Year too. His career has been on the slide since but he still has a trusted left foot.

Sean Davis – A combative midfielder, Davis flirted with England selection way back in 2003. He had a three year stint with Pompey in the mid-noughties, which may sway him to return. 

Sammy Clingan – Clingan was Coventry City’s club captain last season, and caught the eye with his industrious midfield displays. Would be something of a coup for Portsmouth but hey, if you don’t ask you don’t get.

Forwards:

Roman Bednar – Whilst he may be a bit of a loose cannon who may or may not enjoy the odd recreational drug, Bednar is definitely capable of scoring goals in League One. A career tally of 71 strikes in 231 games lends weight to this argument.

Ricardo Fuller – A cult hero at his last club Stoke, Fuller was released by Tony Pulis following a ‘ridiculous’ stamping incident involving Branislav Ivanovic. The Jamaican is another player who would be a handful in League One.

So there you have it Mr Appleton, a brand new side for you to get your teeth into. You’re welcome. In all seriousness, let’s hope that whoever they sign, Pompey are still ‘playing up’ this time next year.

#SavePompey