QPR: Season Looks Promising Despite Opening-Day Loss to Bolton Wanderers

This morning I woke up just early enough to catch one of the early matches on the long-awaited opening day of the 2011-2012 English Premier League (EPL) Season.

While Liverpool vs. Sunderland promised to be an exciting contest, I ultimately chose to tune into QPR vs. Bolton to see if the EPL newcomers would live up to their reputation as one of the most promising sides in the league.

Unfortunately, they failed miserably in front of their home crowd at Loftus Road, allowing a very mediocre Bolton side to score three second half goals en route to a 4-0 thrashing.

However, I should warn you that a single match is never indicative of a team's performance. 

Perhaps you remember last season when a Blackpool side dubbed the least likely side to stay afloat obliterated Wigan 4-0 on opening day.  While the Seasiders impressed throughout the season with their reckless commitment to positive football, they eventually were relegated following a 4-2 loss to United on the final day of the season.

Despite the painful scoreline, the Hoops did show enough promise to convince me that they might well finish near mid-table.  Had two unlucky deflections not slipped into goalkeeper Paddy Kenny's net, we probably would have witnessed an entirely different conclusion to the match.

While fans may be upset that their club has not splashed more cash in the transfer market with the backing of billionaire minority owner Lakshmi Mittal, they should take comfort in the promising performances of newly acquired strikers Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell.  While both failed to score, the pair looked to have beaten their markers on more than one occasion and perhaps should have been rewarded for their diligence. 

Similarly, QPR fans should be relieved to learn that reigning Championship Player of the Year and captain Adel Taarabt apparently is not leaving the Hoops for a Ligue 1 side.  Though he failed to replicate his mesmerizing performances from a year ago, he still demonstrated excellent touch and could have scored on either of two 20-yard attempts. If the 22-year-old decides to share the ball, QPR could display the most potent attack of all the clubs outside of the elite group of six, which promises to top the EPL table.

I would like to continue by considering the possibility of Mittal injecting millions of dollars into the club following a top ten finish this season, but I realize this might be a tad optimistic.  So, I'll go ahead and end with this simple thought: don't let the score line fool you—QPR is here to stay.