Neil Warnock has strengthened his defence with the signing for former QPR favourite Danny Shittu on a six month contract.
Shittu has spent the last three months playing in the Championship with Millwall to some acclaim. Having returned from the World Cup in South Africa, where he represented Nigeria, as a free agent Shittu trained with Crystal Palace during the summer before signing a three month contract with Millwall in October. He has made ten appearances for the Lions so far but has chosen to return to Loftus Road on a six month contract, rather than extend his time at the New Den.
Shittu began his professional career by writing to every club in London asking for a trial – a tactic that eventually earned him a professional deal at Charlton. He never made a senior appearance for the Addicks and after leaving spoke about his disappointment at the way Alan Curbishley dealt with players on the periphery of the first team. He enjoyed a successful loan spell in the Second Division with Blackpool in the second half of the 2000/01 season.
In 2001/02 cash strapped QPR also took Shittu on loan and although he was sent off on his debut in a 4-1 defeat at Peterborough United he went on to star in Ian Holloway’s team. Despite being in administration QPR were able to complete a permanent signing of the giant centre half for a fee in the region of £350,000 thanks to the generosity of the Winton family who also bankrolled the captures of DouDou and Marc Bircham around the same time. At the time Brentford were the West London side splashing the cash and owner Ron Noades was fuming at missing out on Shittu to a club in administration – Rangers were subsequently placed under a transfer embargo after Noades complained and clubs now have such restrictions imposed automatically when in administration.
Despite rupturing knee ligaments (an injury he initially played through for a whole half) at Bournemouth in the 2003/04 season Shittu was an integral and popular member of the team that won promotion into the Championship and consolidated its place there. When Rangers founds themselves short on cash again in the summer of 2006 Shittu was sold for £1.6m to Watford, then newly promoted into the Premiership. He made 175 appearances for QPR and scored an impressive 17 goals from centre half.
At Watford he failed to really make the Premiership grade as the Hornets were relegated at the first attempt and although he was given another crack at the top flight by Bolton he made only 12 starts in two years at the Reebok Stadium prior to his release during the summer.
He rejoins QPR on a short term, six month contract with a view to a summer extension.
“I'm excited and emotional to be back here. Everyone knows this is my home. I've got a lot of friends here and the fans know how I feel about them. I've been through a lot of highs and lows at QPR, but the place is buzzing at the moment and I can't wait to pull on the Rangers shirt again and give my all." Danny Shittu
You have to say well done to Warnock and the board. All the areas we needed to strengthen have been. All with players proven at this level, who have a point to prove and whose names will be cheered rather than jeered by the fans. The additions we've made will no doubt cause palpitations in most of the opposition managers for the remainder of the season and it's the best squad we've had since we were last in the Prem. I have to say I feel remarkably positive. I think I need a lay down now. Nurse!!! Aitch
I'm thrilled by this news and our activity in the transfer window has far exceeded my expectations. I really don't think we could have done any better and think the fit is just about as perfect as we could have wished for. It really gives us a sensational chance of taking the division. Neil SI
The problem with going back is that when a player leaves in the first place they are often doing well – either in their prime or a promising up and coming young player – and therefore a team is tempted to buy them. By the time they return they’re often on a downward curve of their career and often form a pale shadow of that bright young thing everybody remembers. I always wondered if that is how Les Ferdinand would be if he came back to Loftus Road at the end of his career having left for £6m right at the height of his goal scoring powers – perhaps it’s fortunate we never got to find out.
With Routledge the lad is still only 26 and I doubt his strengths have dwindled, or his weaknesses been improved, greatly in the year he has been away. Shittu has been absent a good deal longer. When he left he was the stand out player in a thoroughly abysmal QPR side, a very big fish in a very small and dingy pond. It could be the case that QPR fans remember him fondly, and will therefore welcome him back like a returning hero, simply because he stood out so much from that poor team and will subsequently be disappointed to find he can be a little rash, accident prone and not at all God like at times.
Another thing Shittu and Routledge have in common is that neither is good enough for the Premiership. They’ve both tried, and they’ve both failed several times. Shittu could point to extenuating circumstances at Watford where again he found himself surrounded by team mates not nearly good enough for the level they were playing at, but Bolton are Premiership mainstays these days and neither Gary Megson nor Owen Coyle were able to find even a bit part role for him at the Reebok Stadium. Shittu was forced to train with Crystal Palace after returning from a poor World Cup in the summer and Millwall would only give him a three month deal during which time he impressed, but was troubled by hamstring problems.
Those are the few negatives I can see in what is overwhelmingly, in my opinion, a positive move by Neil Warnock who tried to sign Shittu twice during his time at Sheffield United. Since Kyle Walker’s departure our defence has lacked pace – Shittu is bloody quick. When faced with Grant Holt and other similarly built brute strength type forwards this season Rangers have struggled – Shittu is built like a brick shit house. Having already lost Peter Ramage for the season and Walker at the end of his loan spell we are woefully short on cover at the back with only the dreaded prospect of a recall for Fitz Hall or the newly chunked out Gary Borrowdale as other options for us, in a recent reserve game Spurs leant us two centre halves for our team – in Shittu we have a proven Championship player who has been playing regularly in this league for Millwall. We lack a threat from set pieces this season, often due to Taarabt’s poor delivery in fairness – Shittu scored 17 times from centre half in his last spell with us.
And that’s without even going into the lift his arrival will give to the place. He was an immensely popular figure here last time and he is a very effective defender at this level, one that has been getting good reviews for his performances with Millwall this season. To pick up such a player for free and be able to put him straight into the team is a tremendous piece of business.