QPR's 'Bad Eggs' Named by Daily Mirror, Joey Barton Quickly Counters Report

The names of the five “bad eggs” at Queens Park Rangers include Adel Taarabt and Eduardo Vargas, writes Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror.

Prior to QPR’s 6-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, which confirmed the club’s relegation from the Premier League, Joey Barton was critical of some unnamed members of the squad.

Lewis wrote that Taarabt and Vargas, along with Mauricio Isla, Armand Traore and Mauro Zarate, are the players who have been singled out for criticism.

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Per Patrick Davison of Sky Sports, Barton said: “On the whole, the dressing room has turned up and given everything. One or two bad eggs have spoiled it. If it had been done my way, they would have been out of the building straight away.”

However, Barton provided a retort to Lewis' report on Twitter:

QPR boss Chris Ramsey acknowledged that there had been some issues in the dressing room, per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, following the defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Between them, the five players mentioned, per Lewis, have started 50 Premier League games this season, per Soccerbase.com.

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Chilean full-back Isla has made the most appearances, while his compatriot Vargas has scored just three goals in 21 Premier League games, per WhoScored.com, since joining on loan from Napoli.

Taarabt has only started three games in the league this season, per Soccerbase.com, and Zarate has yet to start a game since he signed from West Ham on loan in the January transfer window.

Former QPR coach Marc Bircham is not surprised that Taarabt is one of the players to have been described as a “bad egg,” per TalkSport:

Football pundit Stan Collymore offered his take on the alleged disharmony in the QPR camp: 

With QPR facing up to life back in the Championship, it is clear there is going to be a major overhaul of the squad in the summer as the financial realities of not being in the Premier League kick in.

The loan deals of Zarate and Vargas seem highly unlikely to be renewed, and it is hard to see Taarabt, Isla and Traore also staying at Loftus Road if Ramsey remains QPR manager.

Big decisions lie ahead for the club, and ensuring there is a stable and harmonious dressing room is the best way of giving QPR their optimum chance of winning promotion back to the Premier League.