4) Charlie Austin: Queens Park Rangers (2014/15)
Queens Park Rangers (QPR) are one of those teams that briefly pop their head up in the Premier League before quickly scurrying back to the safe confines of the Championship. Between 2010 and 2016, the London side have been promoted twice and relegated twice. And their last appearance in the top flight was back in the 2014/15 season.
To describe their season as a disaster would be an understatement. Of the 38 games played, QPR won only eight times and lost 24! With 30 points in all, they finished dead last and were relegated.
That squad managed by Harry Redknapp (until February) and later (Chris Ramsey) was absolutely shambolic save for striker Charlie Austin. A former bricklayer who found his way to stardom through non-league football and finally making it to the Premier League, Austin was a hard worker who deserved all the accolades that came his way.
With QPR, he scored 18 goals in the league that season – more than 40% of the team’s total. It was the fourth-highest in the league behind Sergio Aguero (26), Harry Kane (21) and Diego Costa (20). The next highest goalscorer at the club was Leroy Fer with six. Nobody else scored more than three – including Bobby Zamora who made 33 appearances.
Austin would spend half a season in the Championship before returning to the Premier League in the winter transfer window when Southampton signed him.
