A serene end to an unusually calm transfer window for QPR and with a team in place they’ll now be hoping to continue their promising start on the pitch when newly promoted Cardiff visit Loftus Road this evening.

QPR (2-1-0 DWDW 4th) v Cardiff (0-3-0 WDDLD 13th)

Mercantile Credit Trophy >>> Wednesday September 2, 2026 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Weather – Grey with drizzle >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

Lo, as quickly as it opened (then closed, then opened a second time) the summer transfer window abruptly “slams shut”. Put a fork in 2026, it’s done. Blessed relief for us old fashioned types who still think the football matches and their outcomes are more important and interesting than the trading of players between the teams involved.

It has, as ever, been an unedifying spectacle. Mediocre players being swapped between middle-of-the-road clubs for ever more eye-watering sums. Clubs who’ve had all summer to do business flapping around hopelessly at the (literal) eleventh hour. Liam Delap, already outrageously priced at £30m a year ago, does fuck all for 12 months and now costs £45m. Disgusting. Particularly when set against the economic and social background of the country it’s taking place in.

Three months of sordid hyperbole, now thankfully parked. Fabrizio Romano can go back to shilling for whichever despotic Middle Eastern regime wants to pay him to sportswash this time. The “registered football agent” or “freelance journalist” can return to searching for self-worth in their PornHub subscription. Your favourite ITK account can hibernate and plot their next username change ahead of January.

I think my favourite this year was the “TeamTalk transfer specialist” who announced Wimbledon’s Junior Nkeng was QPR bound, then two hours later changed the headline to Nottingham Forest. The player joined Charlton yesterday. Or the account who said ‘if you thought Dennis Cirkin was good just wait and see what they’ve got in store next’ and then QPR signed nobody else for the following three weeks. In the attention seeking economy, truth and accuracy are worth far less than clout.

Relief, too, observing QPR’s untypically grown-up approach to the whole thing.

Deadline day night was, as ever, awash with clubs who’ve been hungry all summer suddenly rushing up to the counter two minutes before closing and paying £8 for a Pot Noodle. Teams who’ve known for some time they’re short in a certain position paying over the odds on the deadline because any man willing to pay $50 for a cab would certainly be willing to pay $75 (Wrexham). Several paid for their brinkmanship by coming up empty handed (Cardiff), or at best with a desperate loan or three (Birmingham). Observe the reactions of supporters there, or at Stoke, Sheff Utd, Derby, Blackburn, Preston… It feels like half the fanbases in this league now expect their team to be relegated from it. And there go QPR, skating along the top of the chaos like a serene swan, having sorted all their shit out in July. I still half expected to wake up this morning and find out we'd done Raheem Sterling like the QPR of old, but no. Most unlike us, and most welcome.

We naturally caveat this with the wholly fair and accurate summation from one commenter a few weeks back that “QPR do this every year and still finish 15th”, but it does feel like it’s been a good window for Rangers.

Even in this polarised fanbase there was some universal acceptance last year’s side was weak in goal, at full back, and in the centre of midfield. Good, strong, early, proactive business was done to bring Pierce Charles, Calum Ward, Dennis Cirkin, Boy Kemper, Tariq Lamptey and Glen Kamara into each of those problem areas. Only Ward commanding a fee. I think that’s pretty impressive business, certainly when compared to what’s going on in places like Stoke, Burnley and West Ham. Calm, firm, decisive, positive action, and all of it done early in the summer so the squad was together, fit and firing from the off to take advantage of this very kind start we’ve been gifted fixture wise – none of this “slow burn” bullshit.

You take your online life in your hands when daring to criticise Christian Nourry’s work as QPR CEO/DOF. On the occasions we have done that it’s often been to do with his lack of experience in the role. I think this summer we’ve seen the value of him getting two or three years in the job under his belt.

In summer one we thought we were going to outsmart everybody by picking up data darlings from the Belgian and Swiss leagues, woefully underestimating the Championship’s discreet nuances (you play every third day of the bastard week for four months through the winter). Summer two we were too idealistic rather than pragmatic – known problems with the team in goal, at full back and in midfield were allowed to manifest because we theoretically had ‘development prospects’ in those positions, but those prospects were Joe Walsh, Esquerdinha, Ziyad Larkeche, Kieran Morgan etc. Cue last minute trolley dash for Rhys Norrington-Davies and Isaac Hayden with a mob-placating Koki Saito thrown in there too at considerable expense when the season started terribly. The team finished significantly lower in the table than it should have done because the goalkeeping situation was allowed to pervade.

This summer there’s been none of that. While sticking to the principles of sellable assets and lower average age, we’ve signed proven and experienced players. I only mind mistakes when you stubbornly double down on them. I think this window has shown excellent learnings.

It is, as ever, not perfect. We have single points of failure – Jimmy Dunne, for instance. Going in with Alfie Lloyd has your striker cover because the ridiculous Rayan Kolli situation has been allowed to drag through another summer and the Justin Obikwu farce continues is not ideal. I’m still not convinced with the centre of midfield. We’ve lost Sam Field, Hayden and Morgan while only adding Glen Kamara to an area we were already short and poor in. Kamara looks fantastic, I cannot wait to see more, but he has played little football for two years and was last seen in Saudi Arabia so we need to tread lightly there. Our form middle is currently Ronnie Edwards, but he can only continue this as long as Jake Clarke-Salter remains upright and facing front otherwise he has to move back into defence. Jonathan Varane, now apparently out of favour, really should have been moved on if possible and proper reinforcements added– preferably ones who can pass forwards. Edwards might get them out of the mire there – bar the first 20 minutes at Portsmouth he’s been terrific.

Clarke-Salter actually sums up a lot of our situation. On his day, when fit, as he’s shown so far, basically the best left sided centre back in the division. Never available. If you get a season out of him it’s a gamechanger, if you don’t then Edwards moves back and the central midfield starts to be an issue again. Dennis Cirkin is brilliant, Tariq Lamptey (as you saw on Saturday) might be exceptional, but you’re relying on several very fragile fellows to do a long winter for you. I wonder if we’ll look back on this and say it was optimistic/naïve. I guess this is why we’ve perhaps kept people like Liam Morrison hanging around when ideally you’d have moved him on too. We do have a few too many of those types (Esquerdinha) loitering still.

That said, the loans we have got our players are good ones. Morgan to Bradford, Larkeche to Barnsley, Jaylan Pearman to Swindon, Joe Walsh to Wigan, Phil Sanyaolu to Bristol Rovers. That’s a big improvement. Proper, productive, Football League loans. So much better than having 19/20-year-olds doing time at Bedford Town and Tonbridge Angels. Without being too cruel, if that’s the loan you’re getting at that age then you’re already done here and, for all the hype of our development squad, the only two first team players to emerge from that team which beat Brentford in the Premier League Cup final are now on loan at Bradford and Dundee Utd. Another set of academy signings this week with generic “pathways to first team” quotes attached – are the first team academy players in the room with us now? Hopefully these loans higher up the pyramid can be the start of that changing. QPR will start with only Ilias Chair tonight.

They’ll start with a team that should win the game, though. I’m more confident going into games with this mob than I have been any QPR side for quite some time.

You have to remember it’s being put together on a challenging budget as well. You may think we need another left winger, but the simple economics are we already have Paul Smyth, Koki Saito, Karamoko Dembele, Kwame Poku, Harvey Vale and Ilias Chair on staff. You can’t afford another winger salary on top of that. Look at our wide attacking options versus Blackburn’s at the weekend. Nourry and Andy Belk have done very well operating within the constraints our situation provides. You can be Goldilocks about it and wish for another centre back, another midfielder, another this, another that, but look at our bench at Ewood Park compared to the one on the other side of the tunnel. We’ve done well. I can see why we’re being rated as a dark horse. Keep this team largely fit and available and it could easily be top eight. It’s certainly unrecognisable from where it was three years ago.

The elephant in the room is currently stomping around at the other end of the Thames Clipper route. Millwall get £12m for the Femi Azeez they paid £2m for two years ago. That £12m goes on top of the £30m+ they’ve already fetched for Zian Flemming, Japhet Tanganga and Romain Esse in the last couple of years. It will enable them to recruit harder, faster, stronger than us in the coming windows. This is the next step for Nourry. One of these Edwards-types has to become a £15m player in the next 12 months for us to continue to grow.

For now though, when it comes to transfer windows, and QPR, I know what I hate… and I don’t hate this.

Links >>> Draw specialists – Oppo Profile >>> Taarabt genius – History >>> Robinson in charge – Referee >>> Cardiff Official Website >>> Three Little Birds — Blog >>> CCMB — Message Board >>> Wales Online — Local Paper >>> Mauve and Yellow — Blog >>> View From The Ninian — Website and Podcast

Below the fold

Team News: Monsieur Julien says the half time substitutions of Dennis Cirkin and Nicolas Madsen at Ewood Park were pre-planned as they continue to feel their way back to fitness. Glen Kamara and Tariq Lamptey were both very impressive as their replacements so presumably push for starts in this first three game week of the season. Other than that Rangers came through the win unscathed so will pick from the same squad which is still missing Karamoko Dembele long term and has seen Kieran Morgan (Bradford) and Ziyad Larkeche (Barnsley) depart on deadline. Liam Morrison and Rayan Kolli remain despite speculation linking both with moves away. Boy Kemper is sidelined until after the internationals with an ankle injury.

Cardiff’s attempts to settle into life back in the Championship are being hampered by a glut of absentees in defence. Will Fish is missing the first three months of the new campaign and star boy Dylan Lawlor has yet to feature at all having impressed at the heart of the back line in the division below and won’t be seen until after the next international break. Veteran Calum Chambers is also yet to kick a ball in either competition this season.

Elsewhere: The game of the night on Tuesday was West Ham finally getting up and running at the lower level with a 4-2 home win against fellow former Premier League side Wolves, but the intrigue in this midweek round lay elsewhere.

On the negative side it seems everything we thought about Preston this year is going to turn out to be true, and you’d be surprised if Paul Heckingbottom even makes it as far as our match on September 19 after they slumped to the bottom of the fledgling league table with a 3-1 home loss to Bristol City. They’re joined by Portsmouth, who were comfortably beaten at home again this time by Derby. In more positive news, with Zan Vipotnik in situ until January at least and a much improved summer transfer window it seems like Swansea might have something about them this year having swept aside Watford with ease last night.

Birmingham and Southampton fought out a draw, Stoke finally got off the mark with a surprise home win against Norwich (really living up to the ‘along came Norwich’ stereotype there) and Sheff Utd scored with the last kick to win 3-2 against newly promoted Bolton having trailed twice. If you sat through Lincoln 0-0 Blackburn then you have my sympathies.

All eyes on Charlton at West Brom tonight. The Addicks, fancied by many season previews as a relegation possibility, have won all three games so far. Millwall host Wrexham while the game of the night is probably Burnley hosting much fancied Middlesbrough.

Referee: Not a happy start to the season for Premier League referee Tim Robinson who was the official to miss Aune Heggebo’s handballed winner for West Brom at Norwich on day one. Details.

Form

- QPR have started the season with a draw in normal time against Millwall, a 3-1 away win at Portsmouth, a 0-0 at home to Bolton and 2-1 win at Blackburn. Four unbeaten having finished last season without a win in six games and losing the last four.

- QPR won on the opening day of the season for the first time since Mark Warburton’s Rangers beat Forest 2-0 at Loftus Road during lockdown in 2020, and the first away win on day one since the 2-1 at Stoke the year before that. The draw against Bolton means you still have to go back to 2016 - when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s savage pre-season did at least yield a 3-0 win against Leeds and 2-0 at Cardiff – to find the last time they won their first two. Avoiding defeat here would make it four unbeaten to begin in the league for the first time since Warburton’s class of 2021/22 drew with Millwall and then won at Hull and Middlesbrough to kick off as part of an unbeaten run of six.

- QPR are without a win in five home games in all comps going back to the 2-1 victory over Watford on April 3. The R’s have won four of 13 games on their own patch in 2026 and have lost five of the last nine.

- The away wins at Portsmouth and Blackburn both came having initially trailed, giving QPR a league-leading six points recovered from losing positions already. It’s the first time since November/December 2021 and 2-1 wins at Derby and Bristol City that Rangers have recovered from deficits to win consecutive away games.

- Prior to this midweek round no Championship side has had as many shots on target as QPR (22).

- Cardiff are back in the Championship after a year away and have also begun unbeaten in three – albeit all three of them draws. They got a last minute 1-1 at home to Wrexham on opening night and have since drawn 2-2 with Derby away and Sheff Utd at home – three goals in the opening seven minutes of the latter game at the weekend.

- Cardiff have lost only one of their last 11 league games – a nonsense 5-4 at Mansfield on the final day of last season when already promoted. They won ten away games in League One last season and lost only five of 23 road trips.

- Although Cardiff had to settle for a draw against Sheff Utd at the weekend they did so with 28 shots on goal, ten on target and 51 touches in the opposition box. They have had 101 touches in the opposition box across their three games so far – only Millwall (104) have had more.

- The ridiculous stat around possession continues to grow, with another win at the weekend against Blackburn achieved with 45.3% making it 67 games and 22 victories since QPR last beat a team while holding more of the ball than their opponent. Cardiff have dominated possession in each of their three league games so far – 67%, 64%, 67%.

- QPR and Cardiff tends to be a match up that favours the away side. Six of the last nine meetings between these teams have been won by the visitors and two of the other three were draws. Only Rangers’ 3-0 win at the height of Mick Beale Mania in October 2022 bucks this trend. The Bluebirds have won two and drawn one of their last four visits to Loftus Road and got a 0-0 here last time out.

- QPR have only lost two of their last 11 league games against Cardiff (W7 D2), keeping a clean sheet home and away to the Bluebirds when they last faced in 2024-25 (2-0, 0-0).

- Cardiff have only won four of their last 34 away games against London clubs in the Championship (D14 L16), although the last two of those were both against QPR (March 2022, January 2024).

- QPR have only lost one of their last six home league games against newly promoted opponents (W4 D1), a 2-3 defeat to Wrexham in January last season.

- This is the first time since 1987-88 QPR haven’t named a player aged 30 or older in their starting XI in any of their opening four games. @JTSupple

Prediction

In our Prediction League for 2026/27 we’ll once again be handing out prizes for being top at Christmas and overall winner from The Art of Football - sample the merch from our sponsor’s newly extended QPR collection here. Just three of you had a 0-0 on your coupon against Bolton. JB007007 won both prizes last year and has kindly agreed to keep up tradition and offer his irrational dislikes of each of our opponents this year…

“I’ve enjoyed some healthy rivalry with work clients over the years and we’ve had some good battles with Cardiff. The Langley late winner to avenge the hammering earlier in the 02-03 season was a great feel-good time on our surge to the play-offs. I wasn’t very impressed however, when walking away from the Millenium after the play-off defeat a month or so later and being ‘invited; for a punch up with wife and two young kids in tow. Go and enjoy your moment you muppets! During our promotion season the 2-1 win at home on that bitterly cold November afternoon sits very high on my favourites list.

“The Bluebirds have shown some grit and spirit so far on their return to the Championship. I’m also interested to see how Willock is doing if he starts this one.

“Once again, I was impressed with much of our football on Saturday. The bench really made the difference. Maybe too early to say, but if we can get and keep Lamptey fit we have a player here who looks a level higher. Once we scored, we controlled that game although it didn’t stop my guts from summersaulting in the late stages. I would expect more changes on Wednesday night which is fine as we need to manage the next two weeks as best we can. This a game I expect us to win under the lights and I think we’ll have too much for them. I’m going for a 2-0 win and Burrell to get off the mark.”

JB’s Prediction: QPR 2-0 Cardiff. Scorer – Rumarn Burrell

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 2-0 Cardiff. Scorer – Rumarn Burrell

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Pictures - Ian Randall Photography

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