ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - Queens Park Rangers- Warnock signs up Bothroyd and Dyer

Posted by Brian Mahon on 07/14/2011

Queens Park Rangers agreed a three year deal with former Cardiff City and England national team striker Jay Bothroyd and it's good to see manager Neil Warnock adding a quality finisher to the ranks.

Financial terms were not released (he was asking £65,000-per-week at one point) but snapping him up on a free transfer probably eased the budgetary obstacles to his signing. Provided he can continue the quality he demonstrated last year this should be a valuable signing for the club.

There's a lengthy profile and lots of glowing quotes and prognostications for great success on the club's website (here) as well as a bio for those of you inclined to read about his academy days at Arsenal, multiple stops across England and Italy, and his warm feelings about returning to a club he played for as a nine year old (here).

One quote that stood out was his reaction to Loftus Road from his visit with Cardiff last season:

"When I came to Loftus Road with Cardiff last season, it was like a cauldron. It was a great atmosphere, very intimidating. We need to carry that on next season. When I came here last year, I got a bit of abuse and the fans made it a bit tough for me! But now hopefully they can get behind me."

Sounds about right. Hard to imagine anything less from the faithful - here's hoping Bothroyd gives us plenty (of good things) to shout about.

In the other big transfer news of the day, Neil Warnock has confirmed he has signed former West Ham and Newcastle United attacking midfielder Kieron Dyer.

The 32-year-old Dyer has spent the past four years at West Ham, but battled one injury after another, appearing in only 22 games over that period. He was reportedly the Hammer's highest earner at £83,000-per-week in 2010 and was unsurprisingly released at the end of his contract after the season.

Since his "good" football is squarely in the history books, you probably remember Dyer more for his off-field antics than anything else, considering the amount of time he's spent there. West Ham boss David Sullivan recommended he retire in 2010, openly frustrated by the expensive injury-plagued player (source). The notable exception of course would be his infamous on-pitch dust-up with then teammate Lee Bowyer (video here ).

To be fair, he has had some moments of brilliance in the past (enough to keep getting contracts) and injuries are sometimes unavoidable. Having said that, it's hard to get excited about bringing in an aging, constantly hurt player with an attitude problem. The saving grace is that this appears to be a pay-as-you-play deal, so the financial downside if he (read: when he) gets injured again should be minimal.

Hoops boss Warnock acknowledged the risk in an interview, but is upbeat about the possibilities Dyer could offer.

"As far as I'm concerned it's a gamble worth taking,' he told the London Evening Standard. “He really impressed me in training and it looks like he has been working hard on his fitness throughout the summer.

“He has a lot of experience and is desperate to play in the Premier League again. I like the hunger he's got and he wants to prove a point. I really appreciate his commitment."

Well, it's summer - if you're going to look on the bright side, this would be the time. Warnock's certainly earned the benefit of the doubt - and if the cost is reasonable it is hard to argue against taking a chance on a good (occasionally, when healthy, and when in the right mood) player.

After all, what could go wrong?

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