This Catapults QPR Into Playoff Shout – Former Striker Picks Difference Maker | OneFootball

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Ex-Championship hitman Sam Parkin is of the view that Richard Kone, with his ability, has catapulted Queen Park Rangers into a team that could finish mid-table with the chance to get into playoffs.

QPR signed Kone from Wycombe Wanderers in the summer, seeing off big competition for him, and the player has had an excellent start to the season with three goals from five games.

The London outfit began the season with a three-game winless run, but with the help of Kone they have managed to form a three-game winning streak with the latest coming at the weekend against high flying Stoke City 1-0.

Parkin is an admirer of Kone’s talents and he previously admitted that his fear is that the 22-year-old centre forward will not stick around at QPR for a long time.

He admitted that he is feeling optimistic about QPR having a good season as he pointed out that it is visible that having players who possess a threat up top is a difference maker, which QPR lacked last season.

The former forward, however, stressed that it is Kone who has managed to turn QPR from a struggling team to a club that have the chance to finish mid-table or even better.

“I am really optimistic about Rangers, you have to be”, Parkin said on the Championship Score Predictions (15:00) show.

“With [Harvey] Vale scoring at the weekend a lovely goal as well, but just watching the highlights and I have spoken to a few people, the difference it makes by having the threats at the top end of the pitch.

“The physicality of Kone, the mobility of [Rumarn] Burrell, the quality of Kone, I think that catapults what could have been a team that was set to struggle again this season.

“Kone in particular I am talking about and I think others are bonuses right now.

“The other kind of attacking acquisition,[Koki] Saito coming back as well; he is a good player.

“I think he catapults QPR into a team where a mid-table finish is very believable, but better is probably achievable as well.

Kone last season made 21 goal contributions for Wycombe Wanderers propelling them to finish fifth in the League One table, but they missed out on promotion after their defeat in the playoffs.

QPR are currently sitting ninth in the league table with ten points from six games and it remains to be seen whether Kone will be able to guide them to a playoff finish this season.