QPR have survived their first season back in the top flight after what can only be described as an eventful campaign. The Hoops were returning to the higher echelon of English football after an 17-year absence and expectations were high following a great season in the Championship. However, it became clear over the summer that QPR's moneyed owners weren't exactly forthcoming in releasing funds to then boss Neil Warnock. The outspoken former Sheffield boss had to make do with Bosman signings such as Kieron Dyer, Danny Gabbidon, Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell, none of whom imposed themselves in the side over the season. QPR went off to a highly erratic start, losing their first game by 4-0 at Loftus Road to Bolton, then going to win more on their travels. Their first, and only, home win in the first phase of the season was against Chelsea in October and results took a turn for the worse in the run up to the Christmas period, with a run of eight winless games calling time on Neil Warnock's rein. With the side in the bottom three in January, it was all change at Loftus Road, with Tony Fernandes taking over the club and calling upon Mark Hughes at the helm. The former Manchester City boss, in turn, was the most active player in the January transfer window, bringing in strong signings such as Bobby Zamora, Nedum Onuoha, Taiwe Taiwo, Djibril Cisse and Samba Diakite. All these players blended rather well into the side, with only some disciplinary problems which meant Diakite and Cisse spent a few weeks in the sin bin initially but results improved significantly at home, particularly ahead of Easter. Hughes soon identified the problems at the back and installed Clint Hill in central defence alongside Anton Ferdinand, with Nedum Onuoha and Taiwe Taiwo manning the full back roles. The QPR boss kept his faith in Joey Barton in central midfield while the volatile Adel Taarabt remained a fixture on the left side, although the Moroccan had little end product throughout the season. Jamie Mackie on the right side was a great find and imposed himself in the side this season with a great eye for goal and a fantastic workrate to complement a strong partnership of Diakite and Derry in the engine room. The Hoops strung together a great run of results in the final two months of the season at Loftus Road which enabled them to keep the specter of relegation just about at bay, with fours consecutive home wins over Liverpool, Arsenal, Swansea and Spurs. Still their lack of consistency and results away from Loftus Road in the second part of the season meant the drop zone was never far below them and they had to wait till the last game of the season to be sure of another season in the top flight, in spite of losing in dramatic circumstances to champions to be Manchester City.
