QPR have had a strong off-season in the transfer market and Mark Warburton’s side should have plenty of cause for optimism heading into the new campaign.
The Rs enjoyed a fine second half of the season last term and they should be heading into the new season full of belief and confidence as a result.
QPR have brought in the likes of Jordy De Wijs, Charlie Austin, Sam Field, Andre Dozzell, Jimmy Dunne, and Jordan Archer and all of those seem like exactly the right additions to make to the squad.
For the first time in many seasons, QPR fans will be thinking there is a genuine chance that they could actually challenge for promotion from the Championship next term. If they can do that it would be an excellent campaign for them considering they have been well adrift of that in recent years.
While we wait to see what happens with the Rs next term, we have put together a starting line-up of the best English players to have featured for QPR in the last 15 years with a 4-4-2 formation selected…
It was a tough choice between Rob Green and Paddy Kenny for the place in this side. Although it was a tough choice the latter makes it even though he did make some appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team. That is because he was born in Halifax in England, with him having qualified for the Ireland national side due to his parents.
Kenny was signed by QPR in the summer of 2010 as part of Neil Warnock’s rejuvenation of the squad ahead of what would prove to be a very successful campaign for the Rs.
The experienced stopper had been a crucial player for his manager at Sheffield United and he was once again his firm choice in goal at Loftus Road.
During the 2010/11 campaign, Kenny was on hand to produce some excellent moments of individual quality to keep the Rs ahead or in matches in the Championship.
That meant that during his 44 league appearances he played an instrumental role in helping the club secure the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.
The following season, Kenny managed to make 33 Premier League appearances for the Rs and he played a key role in helping the club avoid the drop despite them parting ways with Warnock mid-way through the campaign.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Kenny went on to reunite with Warnock once more at Leeds United and then had spells with the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Rotherham United, Ipswich Town and Northampton Town.
This was a more straightforward choice to have to make with Danny Simpson more than earning his place at right-back in this side for his performance for QPR during the 15 year period that we are concerned with for this line-up.
Simpson would only spend a single season with QPR with him arriving on a free transfer from Newcastle United in the summer of 2013.
The defender proved to be an astute signing by Harry Redknapp and he was a crucial player for them throughout the 2-13/14 campaign as the Rs aimed to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
The right-back managed to make 42 appearances in all competitions for the Rs and played a key role in their play-off campaign that saw them defeat Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals before then somehow over coming to Derby County despite having ten men at Wembley.
The defender went on to sign for Leicester City the year after and he would go on to play a crucial part in the Foxes’ remarkable Premier League title-winning season in 2015/16.
Simpson is currently with Bristol City following a brief spell with Huddersfield Town during the 2019/20 season.
In terms of the individual quality of a player that has played for QPR during the last 15 years there are few who could compare with Rio Ferdinand.
He makes this list for being a world-class defender for both Manchester United and England rather than for his actual displays for the Rs.
Ferdinand made the move to QPR in the summer of 2014 and signed a one-year deal with the Rs following the end of his illustrious spell with Manchester United.
He appeared to be the sort of experienced addition to the squad that could help the club survive their first campaign back in the Premier League following their promotion in 2013/14.
However, Ferdinand would not managed to make any major impact on the field for QPR and instead struggled at times when he did feature and found himself mostly out of the starting line-up.
In total, the defender managed to make 12 appearances for the Rs as they were relegated from the Premier League.
The Englishman retired at the end of his short spell with QPR and has since gone onto be a pundit for the likes of BT Sport and BBC Sport. The defender would have been an unbelievable player for the Rs had he arrived at any other stage in his career.
Alongside Ferdinand at the heart of the Rs’ defence here is Clint Hill and he most certainly earns his spot here due to his performances on the field for QPR during his successful spell with the club in the last 15 years.
Hill arrived at QPR in the summer of 2010 and reunited with Neil Warnock after their time together at Crystal Palace. The centre-back instantly became one of the club’s most important players and he was a real leader at the back for them.
In his first season, the defender was excellent all campaign long making 44 league appearances and scoring twice as the Rs earned promotion.
The defender was an important member of the squad for the next two seasons in the Premier League, although he was limited to just 22 appearances in the 2011/12 season as the Rs survived the drop.
Following their relegation in 2013, Hill was once again an instrumental figure during a promotion challenge for the Rs in the Championship with him making 46 appearances and helping Redknapp’s side earn promotion via the play-offs.
Again Hill’s influence on the side was not as strong in the top-flight the following campaign and he could prevent them from suffering another relegation.
Then after making 13 appearances in the 2015/16 season for the Rs, the defender left the club for Rangers in the summer of 2016.
Coming into the side in perhaps an unfamiliar left-back position is Kyle Walker who similarly to Ferdinand makes this line-up following his performances and achievements for club and country outside of his short spell with the Rs in the last 15 years.
Walker was signed by QPR on an initial six-month loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2010 and he proved to be an exceptional performer for Warnock’s side during the first half of the 2010/11 campaign in the Championship.
During his 20 league appearances, Walker helped QPR to establish themselves as the best side in the division and he looked a player that should be operating in the Premier League.
Aston Villa as a result, made the move to sign him on loan in January 2011 as his Rs spell came to a close.
In the years since Walker established himself as a crucial player for Tottenham Hotspur before earning a big-money move to Manchester City.
For City, the defender has managed to win three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and two Community Shields. While he has also helped England reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of this summer’s Euros.
Coming into the side in the right-wing position in this line-up is Wayne Routledge and he makes this side for having been a very strong performer for the Rs during his two spells with the club in the last 15 years.
Routledge was first signed by the Rs from Cardiff City in January 2009 and he instantly added a lot of quality to their squad with his directness in the final third and his ability to make the right decision in the final third when he got into decent positions.
The winger managed to make 19 appearances in the second half of the 2008/09 campaign in which he scored one goal.
In the 2009/10 season, Routledge managed to enjoy a strong first half of the campaign for QPR and he fired home six goals in his 30 appearances in all competitions to establish himself as one of the Rs best-attacking talents.
In January 2010, Newcastle United made a move for the winger and secure him on a permanent deal from QPR as they targeted a return to the Premier League. He went on to help the Magpies earn promotion that campaign scoring three times in 17 matches.
The winger then returned to QPR on loan during the 2010/11 season and he managed to fire in five goals in his 20 Championship appearances to help the Rs secure promotion to the Premier League.
The first player to come into the side at the heart of the midfield is Shaun Derry and there are few arguments that could be made against his inclusion here.
The midfielder was signed by the Rs in the summer of 2010 following his departure from Crystal Palace and he was another player that reunited with Warnock.
He proved to be an excellent pick-up by QPR and instantly became one of their most influential performers making 47 appearances and helping the club secure the Championship title.
The following season, Derry’s experience and quality was crucial for the Rs as they made the step up to the Premier League. The midfielder managed to make 29 appearances in the league and played a vital role in helping the Rs survive the drop in their first season back in the top-flight.
The following campaign, Derry’s influence on the side was not as strong and he could not help the club avoid relegation to the Championship. After a short-term spell on loan with Millwall in the 2013/14 season, he left the Rs in the summer of 2014.
Alongisde Derry at the heart of the midfield is the controversial figure of Joey Barton.
He makes the list mainly for the excellent form he was able to produce for the Rs in the 2013/14 promotion-winning season and also the following year in the Premier League.
Barton was signed by the Rs in the summer of 2011 following his departure from Newcastle United. The midfielder was a decent performer in the 2011/12 season and he made 31 appearances and scored three times for them.
However, he was sent off in a controversial fashion on the final day as the Rs survived the drop despite losing against Man City in that infamous fixture. He was then sent out on loan to Marseille for the 2012/13 campaign which saw QPR relegated.
The midfielder returned to the Rs in the summer of 2013 and displayed the right attitude to earn himself a key place in the squad once again.
In the Championship, Barton was a class above and he played a driving role for them in helping QPR reach the play-offs and secure promotion against Derby County in the final.
Barton made 28 appearances the following campaign and was one of QPR’s better performers despite the club suffering relegation. He has since gone onto have spells with Burnley and Rangers before managing Fleetwood Town and at the moment Bristol Rovers.
On the left-hand side of midfield in a somewhat unfamiliar role is Ebere Eze and he simply had to have a place in the starting line-up here because he has been one of their most gifted players in the last 15 years.
Eze had always been an impressive performer for the Rs in their youth set up and he eventually made the breakthrough into the first team during the 2017/18 campaign in the Championship.
He managed to display his potential with a number of promising displays and some memorable moments of quality as he scored twice in 17 appearances in all competitions.
The 2018/18 season would be the one where Eze truly started to make his mark in the Championship with QPR and emerged as one of the division’s brightest attacking talents. He managed to score four goals and also provided three assists in his 42 appearances.
Eze needed to just improve his end product to take his game to the next level, and in 2019/20 he certainly did that with him producing dazzling display after dazzling display. In total, he managed to fire in 14 goals and provided eight assists in his 46 appearances.
Crystal Palace swooped for Eze in the summer of 2020 and he enjoyed a strong first season in the Premier League for the Eagles last term.
Coming into the side upfront is Charlie Austin and he simply had to be included in this starting line-up considering the form he has displayed in both of his spells with the Rs in the last 15 years.
Austin was signed from Burnley in the summer of 2013 as the Rs aimed to get their side ready to challenge for promotion at the first time of asking in 2013/14.
The forward proved to be an astute signing by the Rs and he managed to hit the ground running as expected with 20 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions to help the club earn promotion.
The 2014/15 season saw Austin find some excellent form despite the Rs struggles in the Premier League, he managed to fire home a very impressive tally of 18 league goals in his 35 appearances.
The following summer it was expected that he would leave after QPR’s relegation but no move happened and he scored ten goals in 16 Championship games in the first half of the next term.
Austin then made the move to Southampton in the winter window in 2016. However, after three full campaigns with the Saints in the Premier League, the forward made the move to West Brom. He helped the Baggies earn promotion in 2019/20 scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
Last term, Austin signed for QPR again on loan from West Brom and he managed to fire home eight goals and provided one assist in his 21 league games. As a result, the Rs have re-signed him permanently this summer.
Joining Austin upfront at QPR is Bobby Zamora and he had to be included here for scoring arguably the Rs’ most high-profile goal during the last 15 years in the Championship play-off final against Derby County in 2014.
Zamora joined QPR in the winter window of 2012 and he managed to make 14 appearances for the Rs in the second half of the 2011/12 season and scored twice in the process to help the club survive the drop.
The following campaign, the forward fired home four goals in his 25 appearances but that was not enough to help the club survive the drop.
The 2013/14 season saw Zamora play a key role in the club’s promotion campaign and he managed to score four goals in all competitions including that famous winner against Derby. The following season, the striker scored another three goals in 31 appearances but again could not stop them from being relegated.