 Tuesday, 31st Aug 2010 21:47 by Clive Whittingham Another late deal on Tuesday saw QPR sign Derby County’s top scorer from last season Rob Hulse subject to league approval. FactsHulse, 30, started his career in the same Crewe youth set up as Dean Ashton and the two progressed into the first team at Gresty Road where they formed a lethal strike partnership that caught the eye of visiting scouts. Since then Hulse has yo-yoed between this league and the one above. A bad back injury hindered his initial development but after topping the first team goal scoring charts for three seasons in a row and winning the club’s player of the year award once in 2002/03 he moved to West Brom, for £750,000 – the start of a run of transfers that has seen £5.8m being committed to obtaining his services by four different clubs prior to today. After scoring ten in this division for the Baggies Hulse was deemed surplus to requirements in the top flight and joined Leeds United for £1.1m following a loan spell in 2005. A stomach injury affected his time at West Brom and then, after 20 goals in 59 games in Leeds won him a £3m move to Sheffield United after their promotion to the top flight, he sustained a double fracture to his leg in a clash with Petr Cech during a game at Chelsea. He finished as the Blades’ top scorer in the top flight, although he only managed a meagre eight goals. Hulse’s move to Derby in 2008 was probably the last time the Rams spent big money on a player - £1.75m. He scored 18 goals in his first season as Derby fought against relegation from this division and won both the players’ and fan’s player of the year awards at the end of it. Hulse, despite injury again restricting him to no goals before November last season, was repeatedly linked with moves away from Pride Park with Middlesbrough and Wolves both said to be keen on a £3m deal. Although Derby rejected those approaches it seems they have now decided to cash in on Hulse, whose contract expires next summer. The deal is yet to be ratified by the Football League but if given the go ahead it is believed Hulse will sign for a fee in the region of £1m.
OpinionWell, there we go, a striker. Not an attacking midfielder, or a winger, or a link man dressed up to look like a striker. A genuine, 6ft 3ins tall, bustling, goal scoring striker. With Championship and Premiership experience, costing a transfer fee. I think we can deduce from the activity over the past few weeks that Rob Hulse was not Neil Warnock's first choice, despite him signing him before at Sheffield United. We must also be wary of a recent injury record that will fit very well with the likes of Fitz Hall and Heidar Helguson at Loftus Road - perhaps Hulse and Heidar can job share and do half a season each. But much like Helguson, he automatically makes teams better when he does play. In the match preview prior to our trip to Derby at the weekend he was the one I picked out as a potential obstacle to what I expected would be a routine victory at Pride Park. If you're team has Rob Hulse in it at this level then you're giving the opposition something to worry about - and you can't really say the same thing of any of the centre forwards we've had at QPR since Paul Furlong left. I can't imagine many furrowed brows on visiting coaches to Loftus Road when Sam Di Carmine appeared on the QPR team sheet. With Hulse in their team Derby went to Leeds on the opening day of this season, outplayed them and won 2-1 with Hulse scoring a goal. Since then Derby have lost to Crewe, Cardiff and Coventry and snatched a draw from the jaws of victory against QPR – all without Hulse. It’s this that makes him such a good signing, but also such a risky signing. He’ good because when he plays QPR will be a vastly better side, with a genuine goal threat and point man at the top of the team. I like Heidar Helguson but he’s limited and getting on in years – the quality of our support players means that even Helguson has started to find some form at QPR this seaon, just think what Hulse will do supported by the likes of Mackie, Ephraim and Taarabt with Tommy Smith and Akos Buzsaky still to come into the team. But he is risky because if you come to rely on him he has, in recent times, struggled with one injury or another. The word ‘injury’ crops up nine times in his Wikipedia profile. He was out for a year with a back injury at Crewe, and his time with Sheffield United, Derby and Leeds has also been disrupted. Like I say, perhaps he and Heidar can job share. If we can get him fit and firing this iss a great signing for the level we’re at now – although Hulse, like Tommy Smith, has consistently failed to make the step up to the big time in the past. We are now, in my opinion, a top six side on paper. With Hulse to lead the line with back up from Helguson, and Mackie, Ephraim, Taarabt, Smith and Buzsaky available to play in support roles, we look a good side. The strength in depth is still not great, and we saw against Port Vale just how bad we can be when the quality players are removed from the side, but right at the last minute today we have added two much needed quality players to the line up. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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