Is Harry Redknapp The Man To Guide QPR To Safety?

By Gary Marshall @GKMarshall on October 7, 2014

Following their 2-0 loss at the hands of West Ham on Sunday, Tony Fernandes was left reeling on social media, leaping to the defence of his QPR side and Harry Redknapp. Although Sunday’s loss chalked their fifth defeat in just seven matches, it was the manner of the Hammers’ victory that left fans outraged, and it’s understandable why.

West Ham’s newly signed Diafra Sakho, a player Harry Redknapp turned down this Summer, took it upon himself to show Redknapp what a mistake that was with a Man of the Match performance. He was a proverbial thorn in QPR’s side for the duration of the match, and with the likes of the talismanic Niko Kranjcar even having an off day, Redknapp’s outfit displayed a performance that can only be defined by one word: lackadaisical.

And boy, did social media know it. The first port of call for QPR fans was to address how negative the side looked on the day, and the expression, “You’ve lost before the game has even begun” was one to take heed of.

Now rooted to the bottom of the table on goal difference, it’s clear that Redknapp’s side is failing to get started. With a well-experienced, yet leaky defence that even Manchester United can take pride in excelling against, only Everton have conceded more goals this season. And with this Summer’s failure to bolster their attacking corps with a replacement for Loic Remy, they are now feeling the brunt of the cutting edge up top.

To his credit, Charlie Austin has worked hard in all of his appearances; but in the grand scheme of things, are Austin, Zamora and an inexperienced Eduardo Vargas potent enough to take a game by the scruff and grab three vital points? Probably not.

It doesn’t get any easier for the side that stands at the nadir of the Premier League either. Within their next six fixtures, they have run-ins with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, where even a point of a possible nine would be a well-accomplished feat. Their only solace lies in an away trip to Newcastle, where three points would not only be of huge help in their fight for safety, but could also be the final nail in the coffin for an under-fire Alan Pardew.

However, this remains a Newcastle side that has yet to win this season and are still above QPR. So how does QPR move on from here? With a reportedly stalled contract extension for Redknapp and suggestion that he will leave the club if relegated, is a change in regime the solution for QPR’s survival this season?

With survival expert Bear Grylls Tony Pulis available, I suspect Fernandes will be weighing up the dividends of Redknapp remaining in the helm over the coming weeks. What do you think? Should QPR stick with Redknapp, sink or swim?