After disappointing home results against Watford and Burnley, Paulo Sousa’s honeymoon period might be coming to an end.
Sousa has impressed me since taking over as coach, but it is his good fortune that Flavio Briatore was not at recent matches.
As Sousa’s predecessors – and that includes Gareth Ainsworth – have discovered, just one poor home performance in front of Briatore and friends is enough to turn the tide against the coach.
Another disappointment against Coventry this weekend and Sousa will be under pressure, just as Gigi De Canio and Iain Dowie were just weeks after being appointed.
Rangers have stuttered in recent games and some players are struggling more than others.
Peter Ramage hasn’t had the best of starts to his Rangers career and is now in danger of losing his place at right-back to Matt Connolly.
Ramage is a good lad, but for me the question ever since his move from Newcastle has been whether his plodding, unspectacular style, which helped him do a solid job for his hometown team, could be transferred to a very different club in the south.
Based on his first half-season at QPR, the answer is perhaps no.
For Newcastle – in a higher division – he had the look of a keen, honest young defender who lacked finesse but was dependable and could hold his own.
But playing in the same style for Rangers, he has looked slow and short of quality. He’s in different territory now.
Ramage is a better player than he has shown so far, and a better centre-back than right-back despite stating that he prefers the latter position.
The problem for Ramage is that there are still better centre-backs at the club, including Connolly, and there are also better right-backs - again including Connolly.
So while injuries and suspensions could yet lead to Ramage doing a job for Rangers at centre-back, at the moment he doesn’t warrant a place in the side.
Ramage is a good player, despite his poor form, but Connolly deserves a run at right-back and looks like he’s going to get one.
Damien Delaney is another much-maligned player this season. He has done well for Rangers in the past and still has the support of Sousa, who prefers him to Gary Borrowdale.
Borrowdale's permanent move was agreed when the initial loan deal went through, so Rangers had no choice but to sign him when the transfer window opened despite the fact that he is not Sousa's choice.
The loan was agreed before Sousa's appointment and the signing has understandably been linked by some to Dowie, who signed Borrowdale for Coventry and also knew him from his Crystal Palace days.
In fact the player was on QPR's radar even before Dowie took the QPR job.
De Canio's staff went to watch Borrowdale and Rangers made enquiries about him and Sheffield Wednesday's Tommy Spurr but could not agree a fee and eventually signed Delaney, who started well but has not been as impressive this season.
Gavin Mahon also has his critics.
I much prefer the less reliable but more mobile and dynamic Mikele Leigertwood, who may well get the nod ahead of Mahon against Coventry as Rangers look to tempt one of the clubs currently keeping tabs on Leigertwood to table a bid.
Leigertwood will be allowed to leave if an offer of around £1m comes in and another midfielder can be signed – especially now Damiano Tomassi’s departure, which had been on the cards, has been confirmed and Adam Bolder remains likely to join Millwall.
Tottenham’s Hossam Ghaly has been lined up as a possible signing but the more likely acquisition is Liam Miller.
Sunderland are willing to let Miller go and Rangers will begin talks to try and seal his signing early next week.
Regardless of who comes in, getting rid of Leigertwood would be a mistake, but Mahon is a good pro who knows the game and does a steady job for the team.
If Damion Stewart wins the player of the year award, he ought to thank Mahon in his acceptance speech because he is the main reason for the plaudits Stewart has received this season.
With Mahon constantly screening the centre of the defence, plus the absence of attacking full-backs, Stewart has been able to tackle and head his way through the season without being exposed.
More attacking full-backs or no midfielder sitting in front of him would require Stewart to read the game and make more decisions.
Stewart has won much praise of late and Mahon very little, but take Mahon out and Stewart’s time as flavour of the month would come to an abrupt end.
Another player who has struggled to convince is Samuel Di Carmine.
Like Dani Parejo, there are reasons not to like Di Carmine that are nothing to do with him or his ability as a player. Unfortunately for him, he has become a symbol of Briatore’s involvement in team affairs.
If, like Parejo, Di Carmine’s loan spell is cut short - which seems increasingly likely to happen - I suspect that, as with Parejo, few will be sorry to see him go.
As a player, I actually quite rate Di Carmine. He’s subtle, and I like that.
As I’ve said previously about him, regardless of his weaknesses the thing to watch out for with Di Carmine is how rarely he is marked.
If he plays for Rangers again, notice how time and time again he isn’t being picked up by a defender.
It’s his main strength. He moves across defenders and is constantly looking to pick up space. He’s very clever in the way he quietly gives defenders the slip and this is a great attribute for such a young forward to have.
He’s a typical Italian striker – a drifter - so will always attract criticism here because he will often seem to fade from games.
But he isn’t a goal threat, and other aspects of his game aren’t good enough for regular Championship football.
If he was QPR’s own player, he’d be well worth keeping and trying to develop. But he isn’t, and the best thing for both parties is that he goes back to Fiorentina sooner rather than later.
Angelo Balanta, Rangers’ own player, has serious potential and is already more developed than Di Carmine. He should be given a chance instead.
But one youngster I most definitely do not want to see go is Emmanuel Ledesma.
At most other clubs, a great start by a teenager on loan in a foreign country would be played down at every opportunity.
Good old Rangers, true to form and clearly learning nothing from the Nicky Ward debacle, did the opposite.
They even brought out a T-shirt of Ledesma and his “legendary” (after a handful of games!) celebration. His form inevitably then dipped.
Ledesma isn’t as good as he was cracked up to be at the start of the season and he isn’t as bad as he has seemed since.
He is the same prospect that showed such brilliant skill and charisma in August. He’s a terrific young player, with exceptional balance and ability, and Rangers should be as keen to sign him permanently now as they were initially.
Ledesma prefers playing on the right flank and it’s by far his best position.
He’ll slip further down the pecking order now Wayne Routledge has arrived to play there, and I expect the new man to be a huge hit and immediately become a crowd favourite. At Championship level, Routledge is a very exciting player.
But given the choice of paying £500,000 for Routledge or developing the potentially much better Ledesma, I know what I’d do.
Home
