First things first: I have no problem with Arshavin.  He’s got pace, he’s shown flashes of great skill, and he’s also an interesting character.  And, sure, if he comes to Loftus Road, I’ll be rooting for him to light up Premier League defenses.

Having said that … it’s really, really hard to figure out where Arshavan fits into the QPR roster.  And it’s not like we’d have to get rid of a reserve guy to make room for him.  We’d pretty much have to get rid of one of our new signings or few established players.  Which, of course, would make no sense.

Here’s how I see the QPR middie/forward/striker positions lining up.

Derry, Faurlin, and Park are all central / defensive midfielders.  Barton, if he comes back, is in the same boat.  Really only 2 spots for these 4 guys, but you need depth, and Barton is a huge question mark.  So no big overcrowding problem here.  But once you move forward …

Wright-Phillips is is straight-up wing.  He’s got the pace and dribbling to create from the edges, he’s got a decent shot, and a good motor.  Pretty much the same thing Arshavin brings to the table.  Taarabt is a winger / attacking middie-type who has dribbling moves, good vision, and can unlock defenses.  I’d pictured Taarbs and SWP on either wing this season.  There are other options, of course, but that was probably the most dangerous duo.

Hoilett is another true wing.  He’s a speedster who can dribble, pass, and who brings absolutely nothing to the table defensively.  I thought he wouldn’t be much of a scoring threat, but he notched one against Trabzonspor the other night.  So, basically, we already have 3 players for 2 starting wing positions.  OK, so Hoilett would work as a substitute and late-game “instant offense” guy, but I definitely don’t see either SWP or Taarbs starting the match on the bench.  If that’s the cost of getting Shava, no way should we be going in for that deal.

Of course, Arshavin can play a little striker or second-striker/”hole” guy as well.  But consider how many strikers we already have.  Cisse` looked solid the other day, and certainly has done enough to earn some playing time. Andy Johnson, who we just brought in, will certainly figure in the striker picture – as well he should.  He has the experience, the touch, and the toughness (which is exactly why we brought him in).  Zamora looks like he’s moving down in the pecking order; still, he’s a solid substitute or change-of-pace option.  And Jamie Mackie still has has something in the tank.  And since he can play multiple forward positions, he’s valuable to keep around, and can plug in in case of injury.

In other words, our front 6 were probably figured to look something like this, front to back:

Cisse`

SWP – Johnson – Taarabt

Faurlin – Park

with Mackie, Hoilett and Zamora as first subs, and Barton maybe getting some burn once he gets back.  But even if we had  injuries / needed two true strikers / people were ineffective, we could do something like this:

Johnson – Zamora

SWP – Faurlin – Park – Taarabt

or

Cisse` – Zamora

SWP – Faurlin – Park – Hoilett

or

Johnson – Zamora

SWP – Faurlin – Park – Hoilett

Basically, we’re already so deep up front that it’s going to be hard to find space for everyone once Barton and Faurlin are back.  Adding Arshavin would either (1) require us to get rid of Johnson, or bury him on the bench (a huge mistake), or (2) get rid of Hoilett.  And even that wouldn’t solve the problem.   In short, we already have an army of strikers, which isn’t even Arshavin’s best position anyway.  And we already have 2 really good wingers, and another decent looking one.  So someone is the odd-man out (even more so than now) if Arshavin comes aboard.

Again, though – if we pick him up, I’ll be the first to support him and hope he starts scoring some goals.  But I’d rather we go out and get one more defender, considering our 66 goals allowed were tied for worst against non-relegated Premier League teams last season.  Either way, though, we’ll be following the story all week.  Stay tuned to our twitter feed at http://twitter.com/QPR_offside for the latest news and notes.

The starting line-up was an interesting mix of the old and the new, as new boys Junior Hoilett and Park Ji-Sung got some action and looked decent.  Hoilett especially looked like he might be a solid pick-up, as he clearly has some pace and was worrying the Trabzonspor fullbacks on several occasions.  But the one time he had a good chance to score, he hooked a shot wide of the target, after being sprung loose by a nice pass from Jamie Mackie.  Mackie and Park both looked decent against a pretty tough Trabzonspor back line, although Mackie committed a poor turnover in the first half when he tried to turn too quickly and lost the handle.

Kieron Dyer also played his first match in nearly a year, as a broken foot bone and complications from the resultant rehab kept him out for the entirety of last season.  I’m not counting on much from Dyer this season, but if he can give us a few good minutes at one of those midfield spots, it will be a good bonus.

Cisse` drifted in and out, but when he was in, he looked dangerous.  He hasn’t lost much as far as speed and agility; I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score in double digits this season, especially if our midfield can control possession and feed him regularly.

Some video highlights – this one should have both goals:

The club is back to the training ground this week, with the roster probably set for the season.  There’s still a chance that we make a move for Berbatov, but that looks less likely now (especially since he seems like he might be signing for Sociedad in Spain).  Our roster for opening day vs. Swansea will probably look something like this:

GK

Green

Cerny

DEFENSE

Ferdinand

Onuoha

Traore`

Hill

Luke Young

Connolly (recalled from Reading, I believe)

MIDFIELD / WINGS

Taarabt

Dyer

Faurlin

Derry

Wright-Phillips

Park Ji-Sung

Smith

(Barton to join later … maybe)

FORWARDS

Cisse`

Hoilett

Andy Johnson

Zamora

Campbell ???

Mackie

Check back later this week for a look at the upcoming schedule, and a review of any Berbatov news (probably none).

Of course, Green is probably best known for this blunder-ific moment:

Interestingly, looking at it with the perspective of time, this wasn’t quite as horrible a howler as it first seemed.  Don’t get me wrong, he definitely should have saved it, and if he routinely let that kind of shot it, he’d be out of a job.  But it was skipping along the ground pretty quickly, with a bit of off-side spin, and it was a wet day.  Frankly, the bigger problem for England was the fact that Dempsey was allowed to tee up the shot with no one getting in his face.  At any rate, if you judge him from his whole body of work, and not just that one moment, Green has had a pretty decent career and is certainly a respectable (if not great) Premier League caliber GK.

Of course, we already had a respectable Premier League caliber GK in Paddy Kenny.  Despite his injury problems, he still had several good games last year, and had a stretch where he was playing like a better-than-average Premier League ‘keeper.  But, he’s been shipped off to Leeds, and there ain’t no use in whining about it now.

As long as Green is our man, let’s look at some vital stats:

HEIGHT - An authoritative 6’3”

HOMETOWN - Chertsey, England, former home of The Who drummer Keith Moon and reputed burial place of Henry VI

BEST SEASON – Probably 2008-2009, when Green played in every match and kept 10 clean sheets.  The prior season (2007-2008) was the one in which he was named West Ham’s player of the year, but 08-09 actually saw the Hammers finish in a better Premier League position, and with a better defensive record – a better than average 45 goals allowed over 38 matches.  He also saved two penalties and was known for his calm command of the back line.

INTERNATIONAL CAREER - Aside from the embarrassment against the USA, Green has had a few decent matches for the Three Lions.  He was in the net for England’s 5-1 win that saw them clinch qualification for the 2010 World Cup, and even got back onto the field this past Spring in a friendly, which England won, 1-0.  Unfortunately, England didn’t need him during the recent Euro 2012 run – although maybe he would have been able to keep Pirlo’s penalty out of the net.

Anyway, I always liked Paddy K, but Green is an intriguing prospect for this upcoming season.  He’s not a young guy, but he still moves well and seems to have decent lateral quickness.  If we can make one more signing to beef up the back line, I think our goals-allowed can be much improved this year.

We’ll be back this weekend to further analyze the transfer season and to try to piece together what our line-up might look like.

At 31 years old, Park is not a guy we could expect to be around for a decade.  But he can step in right away and help: he’s an aggressive tackler and a high energy guy who can control the middle of the field.  His scoring touch is decent, but not great – Park had only 19 Premier League goals in 7 year with Man U.  You might expect more from a midfielder who played in about half the team’s games over that time.  But he’s a tireless worker, a solid passer, and he fights hard to win loose balls and to make it tough for opposing midfielders to set up an attack.  Given QPR’s propensity to get run off the middle of the pitch last year (the first Fulham match would be a good example), this is the kind of move that will help immensely.

You can check out some highlights here:

As you can see, his stamina is amazing.  On several instances, he makes a run the length of the field, and still has a little burst at the end to get past a defender.  And while he’s not a trickster who will dribble past 4 defenders, he can certainly worry a defense if you give him the ball at his feet.

As of now, the midfield looks pretty crowded, with Park joining Diakite (who made his loan move permanent), Alejandro Faurlin, if he’s healthy, Fabio da Silva (coming over on a loan deal), Shaun Derry and Adel Taarabt all competing for spots.  Derry will probably be the odd man out.  Taarabt says he wants a new deal; it’s unclear whether that will happen before the start of the season, but I’d be in favor of keeping him around.  Despite his inconsistencies last year, he’s a talented guy and his pace and touch would fit well with Park’s high-energy, ball-winning style.

A lot of speculation remains over where the club might be looking next.  Given our defensive struggles last season, there’s a good chance that Hughes is looking to bring in CB help.  The market is a lot tougher there, though.  With so many teams needing reliable defenders, the few that are on the market will command a premium.  Check in later this week, as we follow the transfer season and try to discern how QPR will be lining up this coming season.

Well, after today’s Wigan victory on the road, the picture is much more clear.  Climb aboard as we sort out what’s what:STAYING UP:

Wigan

Even a draw today would have left them in great shape, but Wigan made it a sure thing and scored a victory.  All credit to Wigan: they were down and out a few months ago, and clawed their way back, with wins over Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool, and Newcastle in recent weeks.  Wigan will be playing in the Premier League next season.  Robert Martinez and his boys did a great job in the past 2 months, and will probably finish as high as 15th.

Aston Villa

Another club that’s now safe, but Villa has a lot left to be proud of.  They were a mid-table team in February.  But their 9-match winless streak (going all the way back to March 10) put their survival in doubt and gave AVFC supporters a few sleepless nights.  At the end of the day, though, they’re staying up, and they can get a win over Norwich this weekend to finish on a still-respectanle 41 points.

GOING DOWN:

Wolverhampton

This has been a foregone conclusion for weeks, as Wolves needed everything to go right to stay up and instead got a run of bad luck.   They’ll probably finish on 5 wins for the season.  They do have a few decent young players, though, and with the parachute money I wouldn’t be against them returning to the Prem sometime soon.

Blackburn

I hate to be critical of a club that has a few guys I like, but the past few weeks have been just awful for Blackburn.  Facing must wins against Spurs and Wigan, they showed up sluggish and tentative.  They don’t have much firepower up front and get bossed around in the midfield.  Hard to blame Steve Kean for everything, because there were some injuries, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get the sack.

STILL BATTLING

Bolton

Losing that 2-goal lead to WBA last week really hurt Bolton.  Now they need to go on the road against a decent Stoke team, and a draw does them no good: facing a 2-point deficit, they need a win.  And they won’t be helped by the fact that defender David Wheater is out with a knee injury.  Still, 6 of Bolton’s 10 wins this season are on the road, and Stoke isn’t a giant by any means.  If Bolton can get an early goal, expect them to try to hold on for dear life.

QPR

The boys are in a much better position this week – deservedly so, having earned that gutty win on Sunday in front of the home fans.  If we can pick up even a point against City, we’re safe.  A tough task, no doubt, but we did fight pretty well against City in our earlier match this season.

In that last match, Joey Barton and Alejandro Faurlin performed surprisingly well against Man City’s midfield, and we didn’t get pushed around at all.  If it weren’t for a few great individual plays from Dzeko and Silva, we could have had a draw in that one.  So don’t think the Rs are going to be intimidated going into the match.

Tune in later this week for a more complete preview, and then we’ll be here this weekend with coverage and video highlights.

Despite the ecstatic finish, this was a mostly pedestrian performance from QPR.  Most of the game was bogged down in the middle of the field, and the Rs lacked much creativity (aside from Adel Taarabt, who played well for the fourth straight game and did manage to give Stoke some problems).  Sure, Stoke looked sluggish as well – but that’s to be expected.  They’re a mid-table team without a whole lot to play for, and they’re also known for a defensive approach, especially on the road.  But QPR really needed a win here, and despite controlling a majority of possession and leading in shots on goal, there weren’t many good chances being created and the play in the final third was poor.

It’s only fair to say, though, that our defense was playing very well throughout.  Aside from one instance in which Peter Crouch was given space to unleash a header, we mostly shut down the Stoke attack and cleared the ball well when we had to.  But up front, we weren’t getting it done for most of the game – possibly due, in part, to the absence of SWP, a move which I didn’t really understand.

Anyway, both Shaun and Jay Bothroyd were brought on late, and the move did seem to spark the offense.  From a corner, Anton Ferdinand got enough on the ball with his head to send it towards the goal, and Cisse` was in the right place at the right time.  His goal was a pretty simple knock-in.  But at that point, QPR supporters would have taken anything, as the jubilant reaction showed.  Nearly equally important, WBA staged a late 2-goal comeback to draw level with Bolton and send QPR up the table.

As of now, we sit in 16th place.  Wigan still has a match in hand (this comes tomorrow vs. Blackburn).  If the Rovers get a win in that one, we stay in 16th.  But even if Wigan wins, we still sit outside the relegation zone, and a draw vs. City next week would be enough to keep us up.  Seems like a tall order, but keep in mind we played City very tough earlier this season, and that was before the arrival of our winter reinforcements, both of whom played well today.

Here’s video of the goal and subsequent celebration:

QPR 1-0 Stoke City – Cisse Goal – 6.5… by bwin888

Cisse` earned his transfer fee right there.  Check back in later this week for a preview of Man City and a look at the final weekend of the Premier League season.

Fellow strugglers Bolton didn’t do quite as well, but they did manage to pick up a point, with Kevin Davies’ second goal salvaging a late draw.  This is a match I would have loved to see Sunderland win.  But, at this point in the season, Sunderland is one of those clubs without a whole lot to play for: nowhere near European spots, but completely safe from relegation.  That’s a part of life in the Prem.  Bolton now sits on 34 points after 35 matches, exactly the same as QPR in both categories.  We hold a guge lead in goal differential, though, if we were to find ourselves tied at the end of the season.

Finally, Aston Villa lucked into a draw as WBA missed out on what should have been a penalty kick after a hand-ball in the area.  Villa has looked incredibly poor recently, to be honest: they’ve now gone 8 straight Premier League matches without a win.  The draw helps them a bit, though, as they now sit on 37 points after 36 matches – the same line as Wigan, and 3 points ahead of Bolton, QPR and Blackburn (with those latter 3 clubs all having a game in hand over Villa and Wigan).

So – QPR is going to need points from our last 3 matchs: at Chelsea, home vs. Stoke, and at Man City.  I wouldn’t want to say exactly how many point we’ll need (it would depend mostly on Bolton’s run-in and the Blackburn-Wigan match next week), but a draw tomorrow at Chelsea would be good.  As far as the match: I’ll note that the FA cancelled the normal pre-game handshake, so as to not stoke the flames of the Ferdinand-Terry situation.  I don’t want to say too much about that, other than to say it seems like all parties sort of wish it was behind them.  But aside from that, Chelsea clearly sees this as a revenge game.  The 1-0 loss not only involved a few questionable calls, but also began the Blues’ mid-season slump.  Currently sitting in 6th, they need this one just as bad as we do.

For a line-up, Taarabt is suspended after being sent off late last week.  This means that we’ll probably start SWP-Zamora-Mackie up front, with Barton the boss of the midfield. It’s possible that Diji Cisse` gets a start, but more likely that he’ll be first forward off the bench.  On the Chelsea side, the Blues are coming off a draining midweek win over Barcelona, so I expect a bit of squad rotation for them.  David Luiz is still out, Gary Cahill is hurt, so their back 4 will probably be some combination of Cole, Ivanovic, Terry, and Bosingwa.  If SWP and Zamora can get a bit of space between them, we have a good chance at an early goal.  That’s probably what we’ll need, because our odds of keeping Drogba and company out of the net for 90 minutes are pretty low.

For QPR fans in North America, this one is on Fox Soccer Channel live.  Coverage starts at 8:30 AM.  And check back when it’s over for a recap and video highlights.  As always, stay tuned to our twitter feed at http://twitter.com/QPR_offside to be kept up to date on all things QPR.

Hodgson’s reaction:

In the early stages, QPP looked livelier, controlling the middle of the field and getting Taarabt and Bobby Zamora forward.  But WBA ‘keeper Ben Foster was up to the task on a 1-v-1 against Zamora, and a few other attacks fizzled out.  It was in the 22nd minute when Dorrans struck a powerful shot from at least 25 yards out that wriggled past Paddy Kenny, and West Brom was happy to play defensively from that point on.

Taarabt and Joey Barton had chances that they missed, but Bobby Zamora was the chief squanderer of the day – twice he had a very make-able shot that he sent wide, in addition to his early opportunity that he put right into Foster’s path.  Bobby has had some nice goals for us, but if he’d had a better touch today, we would have picked up a point.  Most of our losses this season have come from lackluster midfield play; today, we won a lot of the 50-50 balls and created several good chances, we just couldn’t finish when we really needed to.

If there was any good news, it’s that Blackburn also lost (going down 3-0 to Swansea).  So at least we’re not back in the relegation zone as of yet.  But this was a match we really needed at least a point from, with several difficult matches coming up.  We have Spurs and Chelsea coming up, and we need to take at least a point from those if we are to even have a shot.  Right now, our biggest concern is Wigan vs. Arsenal on Monday.  After that’s over, check back for an updated look at the standings and a preview of next week.

Looking at the table, Wolverhampton is probably doomed already (carrying only 22 points from 31 matches, way behind even 19th-paced Wigan).  But the four clubs directly above Wolves are down in the trenches – QPR, Wigan ‘Latics, Bolton, and Blackburn.  Let’s dig into the details and see who’s likely to fight their way to survival.

BOLTON

Games Played: 30

Points:  29

Goal Differential: -24

Next Three: vs. Fulham, at Newcastle, vs. Swansea

None of these clubs should be feeling especially optimistic, but Bolton’s situation is perhaps the least dire.  With a 1-point lead over the other three and a game in hand, Bolton has the inside track at survival.  They’ve also won three straight in the Prem, and seem to have put their worst form behind them.

But Bolton can’t rest yet.  They do have a poor goal differential that would hurt them if they finished level with Blackburn or QPR.  And their crammed schedule won’t let them relax.  A loss vs. Fulham this weekend would put Bolton right back in the danger zone.

BLACKBURN

Games Played: 31

Points: 28

Goal Differential: -21

Next Three: at West Brom, vs. Liverpool, at Swansea

Blackburn nearly earned a vital point on Monday vs. Manchester United.  But a late burst from Man U doomed the Rovers and pushed them back into the relegation zone.  Now, they absolutely need at least a point vs. West Brom this week.  Although Liverpool has been slumping, they’re still a cut above these struggling clubs, so going into next week needing a win would probably be too much to ask.

Blackburn is actually probably the best offensive club of the four on this list – the Yak is a menace against even the best defenses, and David Holiett has also been according himself very well.  It’s been leaking goals at the back (especially late goals and/or strange and unfathomable breakdowns in the defending) that have doomed Blackburn.  If they can stop giving up cheap goals, Blackburn is very much alive in the fight to stay up.

WIGAN

Games Played: 31

Points: 28

Goal Differential: -26

Next Three: at Chelsea, vs. Man U, at Arsenal

No doubt about it, those next three are brutal.  Wigan also has the Premier League’s weakest offense (no one has more than four Premier League goals) and a poor goal differential in the event of a tie in the table.  If they can stay alive, they have winnable matches the last two weeks against Blackburn and Wolves.  But that’s a tall order given their April schedule.

QPR

Games Played: 31

Points: 28

Goal Differential: -19

Next Three: Man U, vs. Swansea, at West Brom

The Rs looked lively in the big win over Arsenal last week.  Adel Taarabt may have finally found his form (too him long enough) and Bobby Zamora will provide the firepower up front until Cisse` returns from suspension.  The match-up on Sunday is a nasty one, but if we can take even a point out of that one, we have a pair of winnable matches following.

The key for the Rs are as follows: maintaining discipline and making hard and aggressive tackles in the midfield – we always run into trouble when we let opponents set up shop without hassling them.  When we’re playing our best, we turn the midfield acres into a free-for-all.  But when we look the worst (like the first Fulham match), our opponents win a ball and suddenly seem like they slide right into their offensive sets.  If Barton and Derry can get aggressive and win a few balls in the midfield, we should be able to bang out enough points to stay up.

QPR vs. Man U is the early Sunday match, and it’s on Fox Soccer Channel in the USA.  Check in after the match for a recap and video highlights, and a look ahead to see how the relegation battle is developing.

The first half was msotly in Liverpool’s favor, as QPR’s closest chance came when Liverpool’s Jose Enrique nearly put the ball into his own goal. Despite constant pressure, Liverpool didn’t score in the first half, but they had two inside of half an hour in the second – first Sebastian Coates (with a brilliant overhead kick) and then Dirk Kuyt finding the net.

But the Rs stuck with it and fought hard. In fact, it was after we went down 2-0 and has to start pushing forward that we fianlly looked lively for the first time. Taarabt sent in a cross that Derry was able to meet, and Cisse’ added another with a header ten minutes later. On both of these, you could say that poor defending or a lack of aggressiveness from Liverpool were to blame, although the Cisse` goal still had a touch of talent about it, as he got his head to the high ball and sent it back the other way around Reina.

But the clincher was, to be honest, nearly a gift. Mackie ran through a long ball, but one of the Liverpool defenders (Skrtel?) has a clear chance to knock it away, and just missed. Mackie was there to run through the loose ball, and put it far side past Reina for the electrifying win.

Some video – all 5 goals are here:

With the win, QPR sit in 17th (although with a game in hand on the other relegation strugglers). We’re on the road this wekend vs. Sunderland – if we can pick up a point from this one, things are really starting to look up.