‘NO DOUGHTS AT MY POSH SWITCH’
MANAGERS came and went at Loftus Road but Michael Doughty never really got a shot with QPR.
He is now happily settled at Peterborough and desperate to prove he deserved more of a chance with the Rs.
In six-and-a-half years, with the likes of Neil Warnock, Harry Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, he made just three league starts while heading out on loan to six different clubs, including two successful spells at Swindon.
This summer, it was finally time to move on and, after a promising start to his career with the Posh – albeit hampered by a slight back injury in October – Doughty, 25, is enjoying having somewhere to call home.
Signings
He said: “It was difficult because you would constantly have to settle in a new place and the carrot of first-team football at QPR was always dangled in front of me. It did seem a little bit elusive at times.
“I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I had spells where I was playing and involved regularly with the first team.
“Those are the challenges of a young player these days and the environment of professional football. There’s huge competition, signings from all over the Continent.
“You’re not only competing against kids your age or British players, you’re competing against the whole world. I feel like it was success in itself to come through that and I’m definitely the person I am because of that.
“Now I’m somewhere I can hang my hat. In this part of my career, I want to be successful.
“At QPR, there was a bit of a stop-start time, pretty much from when I came into the first-team set-up from the academy.
“I was just looking to play on a regular basis and enjoy it.”
Doughty, son of the late Forest chairman Nigel, is a versatile midfielder and has already shown his adaptability at London Road by taking up a deeper role than he was used to.
Defensive
That has already earned him comparisons with manager Grant McCann from the gaffer himself, though Doughty is keen to show he can still be a goal threat.
He added: “When I was at Swindon, my goalscoring ratio was pretty good and that’s something I know I have in my game.
“Here, my role’s been a lot more defensive but that’s part of the game that I can do. I’m just pleased to be playing. The manager had a great career, so for him to compare me to him I’ll take as a compliment!
“He’s been really helpful, really informative. He gives the boys a lot of licence to be creative and works very hard on the tactical knowledge.”
Doughty has had to settle for a bit-part role in recent weeks.
But he has every intention of breaking back into the line-up. He concluded: “My ultimate ambition and the reason why I came here is to go up. No disrespect, but I didn’t come here to play in League One.”