Football League World
·5 April 2024
Football League World
·5 April 2024
QPR have struggled so far this season, although the right-back position is one area that is not cause for concern with Reggie Cannon and Jimmy Dunne holding down the position.
While they currently sit in 16th place in the league, they are only six points clear of the relegation zone. They could well be drawn back into a relegation battle with a poor run of form, having done so well to drag themselves out of the bottom three in recent months.
They have six games left to play of the season, and will need all of their top players on form to remain in the second tier. One of these men is Dunne, who has impressed at right-back for QPR so far this year.
However, his form has kept Cannon out of the team, which has led some to talk about his potential future away from the club.
FLW's QPR fan pundit Louis Moir says that the club should not sell Reggie Cannon, despite the impressive form of Jimmy Dunne so far this season.
"Yeah, Reggie Cannon is a funny one. I mean, he came in and there was a lot of excitement surrounding the transfer, with rumours in the past that he was linked with bigger clubs. He came in, but didn't really cement a place in the side."
"He had a couple of injury problems. He then had quite a decent run in the side where he was all right, had a few good games and a few poor games. Obviously since Jimmy Dunne now, being an absolute revelation in that position, Cannon's not getting a look in. To be quite honest, I don't really think us QPR fans have seen a reasonable amount to give a real opinion on Cannon so far."
" mean obviously there's going to be games where he's going to come in, like injuries and suspensions. He'll have his chances to show what he can do, but obviously I wouldn't say he's a concern for his own sake. Obviously, he wants to be playing, but he'll know that time will come and to have him and Jimmy Dunne at the moment in the right-back positions, then that will do for me."
"Cannon could be very good, even when he's starting, and at back-up, not a bad option at all. So yeah, hopefully we can get to see more of him, but the way Jimmy Dunne is going at the moment, that probably won\t happen in the foreseeable future. We have to keep Cannon for sure. It'd be silly to sell him already, as we haven't really seen a lot of him so far in his QPR career."
While Cannon has not been sensational this year, it is too early to get rid of him.
The American has played 19 times in the league so far this season, although the bulk of them have been from the bench. While he hasn't achieved any goals or assists during this time, it is hard to judge him accurately with his limited minutes in a side that have struggled all over the park.
It is his first year in English football, having joined QPR on a free transfer after his Boavista contract was terminated in the summer. Given it is his first year in the Championship and playing in such a poor side, it would be foolish to write off Cannon just yet.
The club clearly saw talent in him when they signed him, and another season with some more stability at Loftus Road could see him become a good option at right-back, especially with three years left on his contract.
However, he will struggle to get back into the team with the results since Dunne came in at right-back.
Dunne came into the team at right-back after a 1-0 loss to Stoke last month. While usually a centre-back, he played every minute since then, starting eight times in a row for QPR.
This coincided with a run of five wins and two draws for the R's, as they lifted themselves away from the relegation zone. This run of form has given them the best chance of avoiding relegation, and is down in part in Dunne impressing on the right-hand side.