Queens Park Rangers have had an inconsistent start to the season under manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and currently find themselves sitting in 16th place in the Sky Bet Championship table after picking up 3 wins from the opening 8 league games.

The R's have picked up good wins against the likes of Wigan Athletic, Cardiff City and Leeds United but have also suffered loses to the likes of early season strugglers Preston and newly promoted side Barnsley.

They were also on the receiving end of a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle United and it is clear that the R's are a work in progress.

The club have brought in numerous signings over the summer and while it is too early to make serious judgements on them, this article is going to take a look at THREE previous signings who never quite lived up to expectation at the club.

 

Chris Samba

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Not only did Chris Samba arrive at Loftus Road with a big reputation, he also arrived with a huge price tag after costing the club a record fee.

Samba was no stranger to the English top flight after a 6 year stint with Blackburn Rovers saw him make over 150 Premier League appearances, where he developed a reputation for being a commanding and consistently solid centre back.

Samba penned a four year deal with the R's although he only lasted half a season, making just 10 appearances for the club.

Throughout those 10 appearances Samba was found out for his lack of pace and certainly didn't look like an experienced Premier League player.

After QPR's relegation was sealed, Samba's horror stay at Loftus Road ended when former club Anzhi Makhachkala came calling.

Adel Taraabt

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QPR initially signed Taraabt on a loan deal in the 2008-2009 season where a brief loan spell saw him make 7 appearances and score one goal, the following season saw Taraabt join the club again but this time on a season long loan.

Throughout the season long loan the young Moroccan impressed the fans and management staff at Loftus Road as he made 41 appearances, scoring 7 goals in the process in the Championship.

The following season saw him join on a permanent deal and Taraabt went on to have the best season of his career to date, he went onto make 44 appearances and scored 19 goals en route to the club securing promotion to the Premier League and Taraabt himself picked up the Football League Player of the Year award.

Taraabt displayed all the attributes to indicate to fans and staff alike that he had what it takes to make the step up to the top flight and while this was true, he did not have the application or the attitude to succeed at the top level and it was from this point onward that his QPR career started to decline.

It was a case of having the talent but not having the desire to fulfill his quite clear potential.

Throughout the 2013-2014 season he departed the club on two loan spells to Fulham and AC Milan respectively and when he returned it appeared the manager at the time Harry Redknapp was ready to give Taraabt a second chance.

Although, in the 2014-2015 season he was limited to just 8 appearances.

Taraabt is now on the books at Benfica, although he has played much of his football in the Benfica B team after struggling to break into the first team.

Shaun Wright-Phillips

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On transfer deadline day in 2011, Shaun Wright-Phillips penned a three year deal at the club having signed for an undisclosed fee from Manchester City.

Having played for the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea prior to signing for the R's much was expected of the England international although he never quite lived up to expectations.

During his first year with the club he was regularly involved in the first team but was largely ineffectual, he made 34 appearances but failed to score a single goal.

The following season saw his appearances decrease as he only made 22 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals in a season that ended with the club being relegated to the Championship.

QPR bounced straight back up to the Premier League the following year but again the involvement of the ageing Shaun Wright-Phillips was on the decline, as he only made 13 appearances in the campaign.

Wright-Phillips then made just 5 appearances the following season and it was announced that he was to be released at the end of his contract.

He now plays his club football for MLS side New York Red Bulls.