The honeymoon period of QPR's latest managerial appointment has quickly dissipated, leaving the club sliding towards relegation unless they can stop the rot.
Two draws from Marti Cifuentes's first three games in November following his appointment were followed by three wins on the bounce. But Rangers have not won since then, and fans fear this could be the season the club fall through the trapdoor into League One.
Second-bottom in the table and four points from safety, this month might prove crucial. QPR's next three fixtures, against Watford, Millwall and Huddersfield, are all at Loftus Road and represent a chance to get back on track. But they face plenty of obstacles.
Their 3-2 FA Cup defeat by Bournemouth last weekend yielded rare goals from strikers Lyndon Dykes and Sinclair Armstrong. But hopes of signing a reliable goalscorer in the transfer market this month are limited by financial restrictions.
QPR's latest accounts, from March 2023, show the club is losing £2.06million every month. It also continues to pay off a £40m fine received in 2017 for overspending on their way to promotion in the 2013-14 season.
A poor transfer strategy is another reason why any signings this month are likely to be loans. Goalkeeper Seny Dieng was sold to Middlesbrough for £2m last summer when he would have commanded a greater price tag the year before, and it is still a year until the costly wages for 2021 recruits Charlie Austin and Stefan Johansen roll out of the three-year financial fair play cycle and lift a weight off the club's finances.
QPR's inability to defend set-pieces has hindered them. Cifuentes, who joined from Swedish side Hammarby, has spoken in recent weeks about his impressive record at defending set-pieces at his previous club, but that is yet to translate to QPR.
