QPR rolled the dice on ex-AFC Bournemouth star - Loftus Road deal fell flat | OneFootball

Marc Pugh wasn't able to replicate his form for the Cherries in West London

Queens Park Rangers have become a mainstay in the Championship landscape over recent years, failing to re-establish themselves as promotion contenders during an extremely tumultuous period.

However, like any other second-tier club during their 10-year spell in the division, Loftus Road has seen its fair share of great moments and players, as well as those which offer a contrasting set of memories for Rangers supporters.

Those on the terraces in W12 remain hopeful that, one day, their side can return to the Premier League for the first time since 2015, as they now look to move forward after a brief flirtation with the potential threat of relegation to League One under Gareth Ainsworth in 2023.

Such a predicament came after a handful of top-half and mid-table finishes under the likes of Ian Holloway, Steve McClaren and Mark Warburton, during which the likes of Ilias Chair and current Arsenal and England sensation, Ebere Eze were the most talked about in this part of West London.

As a result of overspending during a chaotic period between the early and mid-2010s, the purse-strings were well and truly tightened by the hierarchy as Rangers looked to get back on an even financial keel.

This meant the likes of Warburton had to source gems through the club's highly-rated academy, or by doing so rather smartly in the transfer market.

As such, the deal which brought former AFC Bournemouth playmaker, Marc Pugh, to the club in 2019 was certainly viewed in such a manner.

However, the experienced figure was unable to replicate the form he showcased at the Vitality Stadium at Loftus Road.

Marc Pugh was integral to AFC Bournemouth's rise through the EFL under Eddie Howe

Pugh very much remains a cult hero in Dorset, having signed for Bournemouth in 2010 following their promotion to League One under current Newcastle boss, Eddie Howe.

A reported £100,000 switch from Hereford United proved to be a masterstroke, with the Bacup-born midfielder proving to be a key figure in the Cherries' quick rise from the lower reaches of the EFL to the Premier League in a five-year period.

25 goals in two seasons made him the club's top scorer and a man in-demand, before returning to form after Howe returned to the club after a brief spell with Burnley between January 2011 and May 2012.

After signing a fresh three-and-a-half year contract, eight further strikes helped Bournemouth reach the Championship, where he would remain a mainstay over the course of two further campaigns, with the 2014/15 season going down in folklore on the South Coast.

In a free-flowing attacking side which featured the likes of Matt Ritchie, Yann Kermorgant, Callum Wilson, Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser, Bournemouth clinched promotion and the Championship title in May 2015 after accruing 90 points and scoring 98 times, with Pugh responsible for nine of those.

Due to an influx of new signings over the next four years, Pugh would only feature 67 times in the Premier League, although he scored one of Bournemouth's 4 strikes in their first ever top-flight success against West Ham United in August 2015.

After seeing his minutes further reduced, the midfielder enjoyed a 14-game loan spell with Hull City in the second-half of the 2018/19 campaign, scoring three times and posting one assist before eventually joining Rangers in the summer after his lengthy association with the South Coast side ended.

Marc Pugh's move to Queens Park Rangers fell flat

Pugh was one of 13 incomings during Warburton's first transfer window as QPR boss, with a multitude of experienced campaigners joining the club on free transfers or loan deals.

The ex-Burnley man signed a one-year contract with the Championship side, making his debut through a 22-minute substitute cameo on the opening day of the 2019/20 season in a 2-1 success against Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

His versatility was a huge benefit to the ex-Brentford boss, featuring as somewhat of a regular on both flanks, although it took until December for Pugh to post assists in successive games against Preston North End and Birmingham City.

His first goal for the Hoops would come weeks later in a 2-2 draw with Charlton Athletic at Loftus Road, before waiting two months for his second, which came in another 2-2 draw, this time against the aforementioned West Midlands side.

However, the last of his 31 appearances for the club came in March 2020 against Preston North End, with the COVID-19 pandemic assisting Rangers' decision to opt against a contract extension, meaning that although it was a low-risk deal, Pugh's time in the capital would fall flat.