-
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times
Injured Royce faces D-Day
SIMON Royce will be forced to undergo surgery if he fails to meet his make-or-break deadline of returning to training by Friday.
The QPR goalkeeper, who has been sidelined with a groin problem since April, has set himself a cut-off date of September 1 to prove his fitness or face an operation.
Royce aggravated the injury in the summer - ironically, during a fitness programme he had devised himself - and will make a firm decision on his future later this week.
He told the Times: "I sat down with the physio [Prav Mathema] and decided to give it until September 1 to get myself right.
"I'd started doing some fitness work and that went fine for two or three days, so things were looking quite good. Then I did a session with Tony Roberts and I felt a reaction.
"If I keep getting that I'm going to have to see the surgeon who operated on me a few years ago, when I was at Leicester, and go back under the knife.
"It'll be a case of going in, having the scar tissue trimmed and accepting I'll be out for probably another six weeks. This has been very frustrating for me, a complete nightmare."
Until the beginning of February, Royce's career at Loftus Road seemed to be anything but a nightmare - a string of excellent performances in goal had made him a strong candidate for the club's Player of the Year award.
Then a back injury ruled him out of what proved to be Ian Holloway's last match in charge at Rangers and Gary Waddock promptly enlisted the experienced Paul Jones as cover.
And the outstanding form of Jones meant that, through no fault of his own, Royce was unable to regain his place even before the groin tear ended his season.
"Everything was going so well that, at the back of my mind was always this kind of feeling that it was almost going too well," admitted the former Southend, Leicester and Charlton goalkeeper.
"But this has happened to me before - I'd just got into the first team at Charlton, played eight games in a row and equalled the club record for clean sheets, then ruptured my knee ligaments.
"So it's not the first time I felt like I'd missed the boat. Fortunately I'm a strong kind of character and I wasn't going to react by throwing in the towel - I want to get this fixed and then I want my shirt back."
Whether or not he manages to dislodge Jones at some stage this season, the 34-year-old is keen to show Waddock and the Rangers board that he is worthy of a new contract when his current deal expires next summer.
"I'd like to think I don't actually need to get in the team to show what I can do," said Royce. "But the fitness side is a concern and I'm not getting any younger.
"If I'm injured for half the season and haven't played much football, the club might feel they need to get someone a bit younger. At least if I've played some reserve games they might think differently.
"I'm very happy at QPR - we've got a bright young manager and I want to see the club move forward.
"It's one last shot for me to win promotion and get back to the Premier League"
Kilburn Times">
Welcome to QPR REPORT - A completely unofficial and unaffiliated fan site focusing on G-d's Chosen Team, Queen's Park Rangers (QPR) FC. (Visit also QPR Report Messageboard and Follow on Twitter.) QPR Report accepts no sponsorship, advertising or financial contributions. In 2008, QPR Report was named as one of the top two blogs in the Football League
QPR Report Twitter Feed
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Blog Archive
-
▼
2006
(945)
-
▼
August
(116)
- Paladini Generously Helps Out With Toddler's Treat...
- Ex-QPR Kevin McLeod Links Up With Jamie Cureton at...
- Deadline Day, 2005: Langley and Lomas Join QPR
- Nick Ward Included in Australia's Asian Cup Qualif...
- Simon Royce Injury Update - Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times
- Rowlands' New Contract...Paladini on Moving Player...
- Paladini's Perspective About QPR's Future - From O...
- As QPR & Port Vale "Interact": For QPR Chairman Pa...
- Ex-QPR Director, Dunga, Returns to London this Wee...
- Stefan Moore Joins Port Vale on Loan
- 25 Years Ago Today: QPR's Cup Final/"Plastic Pitch...
- Ronaldo Wins the 2006 Golden Foot Award
- Ex-QPR, Jamie Cureton Turns 31
- For QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo: It's ...
- Buying QPR: The Various Efforts Five Years Ago Dur...
- One Year Ago: "Disharmony at QPR"
- QPR Drop to 19th
- "League Cup" Draw - QPR at Port Vale
- August 26 Nostalgia: QPR Go Top - (1992 beat Cove...
- Don Masson Turns SIXTY!
- QPR vs Ipswich - Additional Reports
- QPR Go Down at Home - QPR 1 Ipswich 3
- QPR's Updated Club Directory - Penrice & Breaker o...
- Northampton's Jerome Watt on QPR Game "I felt we w...
- QPR vs Ipswich
- Aug 25 Season Openers...1973-Southampton...1984-WB...
- Penrice and Breaker Set to Join Holloway at Plymouth
- QPR Appoint Mackrell Chief Operating Officer (A Ye...
- Remembering Barry Bridges: 38 Years Ago Today made...
- Ex-QPR's Leroy Rosenoir Turns 42
- QPR's Boardroom "Coup" - One Year Later
- Paul Jones & Garreth Ainsworth re Preston, Ipswich...
- Northampton 3 QPR 0 - A Year Ago, Today!
- Further Reports & Comments re QPR vs Northampton
- Reports & Comments on QPR 3 Northampton 2
- Northampton's Manager Looks at QPR Game
- For Kevin Gallen, a Decade since THE Injury at Por...
- Marcus Bignot Turns 32...Ex-Loanee, Lee Camp Turns 22
- Early Look at Northampton
- "Fire Alarm" Neil McNamara's April Jail Sentence
- Coming August 28 in Monaco: "The Golden Foot Award"
- QPR's Season Openers...Forty Years Ago...Thirty......
- Ex-QPR Birthdays Today....Ex-Manager, Stewart Hous...
- Preston 1 QPR 1 - Additional Reports & Comments
- QPR Draw 1-1 at Preston - Reports & Comments
- Preston Look at QPR....QPR Look at Preston
- Ex-QPR Winger Michael Meaker Turns 35
- On This Date
- Mark Devlin's Recovery
- QPR News Roundup
- The Puzzling (and Disappearing) Trophy Photo From ...
- Three Years Ago Today: Langley Sold...Knight Pursu...
- George Santos Turns 36
- Ready Allen King - Ex-QPR Birthdays Today
- QPR's Win Against Southend - Monday Reports
- How Ex-QPR's Did Yesterday
- One Year Ago: QPR's Heroes were Santos & Moore; Bi...
- Ex-QPR's Micky Walsh Turns 52
- Shittu Loving Watford Life
- Additional Match Reports of QPR 2 Southend 0
- Kiyan Prince - "Soccer fans remember stabbed boy"
- After Six Months, QPR Finally Win! - Reports & Com...
- QPR vs Southend - The Lineups
- Darren Blackstock
- Time for a Win! QPR Looking for their First Victor...
- QPR's "Annus Horribilis" - Marking a Year Since th...
- Swindon's Plane Crash
- Southend Look at QPR...QPR Look at Southend
- Ex-QPR Boss, Ian Holloway Speaking about Plymouth
- Nostalgia: August 10, 1968: Our First Division 'De...
- Nick Ward Profiled/Interviewed - BBC
- Blackstock Signs for QPR
- "Snippet" re QPR's Official Website: Material Removed
- Ex-QPR's Steve Palmer on Shittu, Waddock & QPR (Be...
- Further Reports & Comments
- Ex-QPR's Don Givens Turns 57
- QPR 2 Leeds 2 - Reports & Comments
- QPR Playing Leeds at Loftus Road - Teams
- Skysports Claims QPR Agree Fee for Southampton's B...
- Fulham's Rehman Signs for QPR on a Permanent Deal
- Mirror: QPR Set to Sign Fulham Defender, Zesh Rehm...
- Birthday: Ex-QPR (and West Ham) Goalkeeper, Phil P...
- QPR Chairman Paladini Interviewed on BBC London
- BBC Conference Preview: Kidderminster "Key Man:Dea...
- QPR Play Leeds Tomorrow
- Shittu's QPR Farewell
- Press Accounts re Ex-QPR's Bill Power & Mark Devli...
- Burnley vs QPR - Additional Reports
- WBA Comment on Shittu's Watford Choice
- Former QPR Chairman, Bill Power reportedly in Seri...
- An Eventful Week for QPR as Chairman Paladini Lamb...
- Burnley's Scorer Jonah Jones - Reminder How Dario ...
- QPR Defender Danny Shittu Joins Watford
- QPR Chairman Paladini: "Living in Fear...Bullet Pr...
- Burnley 2 QPR 0 -Further Match Reports & Comments
- Shittu Deciding Between Watford and WBA
- How Ex-QPRs Did Today -: Plymouth...Swindon...Swan...
- Burnley 2 QPR 0 - Match Reports
- Burnley vs QPR - The Lineups
- Ex-QPR Chairman Bill Power Says No QPR Return
-
▼
August
(116)