Flashback One Year: QPR's Squad...QPR Signings...QPR Prospects...Tchakounte Speaks

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What was happening at QPR one year ago: The first half of July, 2006

July 2006: QPR's 2006-2007 Squad (as First Announced in July 12 2006, before signings) List included a number of people who are transfer listed with some additioning signings coming after the squad was announced]

July 2006 - Official Site Squad Numbers Announced.....
1. Simon Royce
2. Marcus Bignot
3. Mauro Milanese
4. Ian Evatt
5. Dan Shittu
6. Tommy Doherty
7. Matthew Rose
8. Marc Bircham
9. Nick Ward
10. Kevin Gallen
11. Gareth Ainsworth
12. Jake Cole
14. Martin Rowlands
15. Dominic Shimmin
16. Steve Lomas
17. Lee Cook
18. Stefan Moore
19. Tchakounte-A
20. Scott Donnelly
21. Paul Jones
22. Shabazz Baidoo
23. Stefan Bailey
24. Pat Kanyuka
25. Damion Stewart
26. Sean Thomas
29. Paul Furlong
30. Marc Nygaard
34. Matthew Hislop
35. John Munday QPR Official Site

And the TEAM PHOTO - Team Photo

JULY SIGNINGS
07.07.2006 Latest WARD SIGNS Australian midfielder Nick Ward has signed a two year deal with QPR" QPR Official

17.07.2006 OLISEH SIGNS QPR have today signed midfielder Egutu Oliseh on a two year deal after he impressed Manager Gary Waddock QPR Official

18.07.2006 CZERKAS SIGNS Gary Waddock's prolonged search for a striker is finally over as Polish front-man Adam Czerkas put pen to paper on a one year loan deal QPR Official

Armel Tchakounte Garry Waddock's first signing, Armel Tchakounte spoke to QPR World (for QPR World Subscribers) "ALL SMILES - Armel tells QPR World he is enjoying life as a Ranger, and admits pre-season is tough - but he wouldn't want it any other way!"

July 8, 2006 Waddock's QPR played (ironically) Aldershot and drew 1-1
The teams:
Aldershot: Bull, Smith, Anderson (Milletti), Lee, Edwards, Winfield, Soares, Molesley, Grant, Gayle, Williams
QPR first half: Thomas, Bignot, Tonkin, Armel, Tobi, Kanyuka, Ainsworth, Olisen, Moore, Doherty, Baidoo
QPR second half: Thomas, Kanyuka (Tobi), Munday, Cook, Evatt, Lomas, Donnelly, Gallen, Bailey, Trialist, Hislop
Scorers: Doherty Report

July 2006 QPR's Coaches [All now gone] Assess the Players at the Aldershot Game (Official Site)-
From the Official Site WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

With pre-season training in full swing and the first game under their belts, how do the new look coaching staff think things are going?....
Gary Waddock on performance:
"The Aldershot game was a good fitness test for us and I was pleased with the work-rate of the players. It gave a lot of them the chance to get 45 minutes of action under their belt.
"The result of the game wasn't important to us. We need to make sure we are at our peak when we play Burnley in the first game of the season, that's when results start to matter. Between now and then it is simply a case of building up to that opening fixture."

Alan McDonald on formations:
"It was difficult to take a great deal away from the Aldershot game as we played two different teams either half."We tried a different formation to what we usually play. We hadn't done too much work with it but I felt that it certainly worked well in the first half.
"The changes in the second half saw it not working as well but I was still really pleased with the level of performance."But on the whole, this was more of a chance just to look at the young lads and those on trial, that was the main objective."

Justin Skinner on preparation and approach:
"The preparation for the first game is always a little bit sketchy, we went into the game not really working on set pieces, that wasn't our focus, that will come later."It's always a bit of a trial getting the logistics right when you want to field two different teams, but it went well overall I think."Behind the scenes it's going very well. Mark has been working hard on their fitness and this will be a hard week for them. Their attitude has been first class, from the young kids to the experienced pros.

Reserve team manager Justin Skinner out training
"They have been taking on new ideas that we've all put in. There hasn't been any moaning, we haven't given them a chance. It's been quality rather than quantity and has all been ball and game related."The staff side of things has become very organised, we say what we'll do, do it, then have a de-brief at the end of the day."We set out our session plans, get together and everyone is aware of what their jobs are for the day. All the training is set out, we don't wonder what we're going to do off the cuff. Prav Mathema also has an input, it's very much a joint effort."The boys have reacted to that because it's so well planned. They all have ice baths now after training which was new to them. They are weighed in and out, every detail is looked into and we've addressed a lot of aspects."We have a meeting every Monday morning with the staff to outline what went right and wrong the previous week. Today we spoke about how the game went and what could have gone better."

Tony Roberts on helping to achieve personal goals:
"Over the last ten days I've been getting the keepers back into their prevous good habits and routines. Paul Jones was back late due to international duty and Jake Cole was ill, so I've had a good chance to work one on one with Sean Thomas."I knew he was going to play the full 90 minutes on Saturday so we went over absolutely everything."Jake and Jonah are playing catch up now, so today the three of us worked on the technical side of goalkeeping - catching, distribution kicking and so on.
"It's good to get a structure for them like I do with the Academy keepers, there's a lot of organisation that's going into it."I have six keepers in all, from spring chickens to full internationals. Some are more agile and I need to accommodate all of them. I will do a lot more 'reps' with the younger ones because they can handle it and because they need more practise."You don't need to get Jonah in the gym whereas some of my youngsters may need more upper body strength. With each keeper they need a different plan."

Mark Barry on fitness:
It's a steady progression towards the Burnley game. For the match on Saturday against Aldershot, we were probably at 50% fitness-wise."By the time of the next match, we will be around the 75% mark. For the opening fixture of the season the players will be at 100%, which is our main objective.
"You can train as much as you like but, obviously enough, to be match-fit you need to play matches, so these games are imperative if the players are going to get used to the speed of the game, and so on. "At this stage, the fitness level of the lads is spot-on. We're making sure that we don't peak too early because if we reach 100% a week before the Burnley game, there's only one way to go - and that's down. I've got to make sure that doesn't happen." QPR Official

Joe Gallen was away in Germany with the QPR Youth Team

July 17, 2006 - BBC QPR hold out for £3m Shittu offer
"QPR chairman Gianni Paladini insists his club will not accept less than £3m for defender Danny Shittu. Watford have had a bid for the giant centre-back rejected, while Leeds and West Brom have shown an interest. Shittu, 25, has a clause in his contract allowing him to speak to any club that offers £3m for him.
And Paladini said: "There is no way whatsoever we will accept any less than that. There is absolutely no chance he will leave for less. No chance at all."
"I don't want him to go," Paladini added. "We're building a team and brought in Damion Stewart to play alongside him and we think those two will be a good combination. "I think he is worth more than £3m but because of the contract, there's nothing I can do if somebody offers us that. "Joleon Lescott went for £5m and Claude Davis went for £2.5m. Danny is a better defender than both of them.
"Danny Shittu will definitely stay here unless someone offers £3m. It's as simple as that." BBC

Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - Waddock on Bradley Wright Phillips
"Waddock said: "Bradley Wright-Phillips is a player I like and he would have been a good addition to the squad."He is the type of player we want at this club, whether on loan or permanent and I'd have love him to have joined us."But he's not, so we move on and see if we can get somebody else in to take us forward. There are areas of the squad I know we need to improve and that's down to me to sort out."As we move on through pre-season I'm going to look at one or two different things that may help us."... Kilburn Times

Waddock job convinced Cook to stay
Ben Kosky, Wembley and Kingsbury Times July 19, 2006
LEE Cook has revealed he would have thought twice about extending his QPR contract if the club had overlooked Gary Waddock for the manager's job. Cook, whose previous contract had a year left to run, signed an improved deal that will keep him at Loftus Road until 2009 last month. But the winger,....was anxious to know who he would be playing under before penning his signature. Cook's place in the side rarely seemed assured under former Rs manager Ian Holloway, who often preferred to deploy Martin Rowlands or skipper Kevin Gallen on the left of midfield....
"I wouldn't have signed unless I knew who the manager was and I wanted to know that it was Gary."Before I signed my contract I phoned Gary on holiday just to make sure everything was going to be sorted out with him first."I feel I've played decent football under him and so have the rest of the team. He's a great coach and I hope he's going to be successful as QPR manager."
I always wanted to sign - they made me the offer just before I went on holiday and I left it to my agent to sort out all the bits and bobs." Gianni [Paladini] said there would be a few new players coming in this summer - and that was good to hear, because it's going to be a difficult season, especially with the teams that have come down into this league...".
Kilburn Times

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - AGENTS' FEES
"The latest Football League Agents' Fees report has been released and makes for healthy reading for the R's.
The report, which focuses predominantly on the last six months, as well as the entire 2005/06 campaign, was released this morning.
During the last six months - which saw QPR make 28 transactions (which includes new registrations and transfers, updated contracts, cancelled contracts and loans) in total - the Club committed just £16,000 to agents.
Rangers committed £147,600 to agents during the 2005/06 campaign - a small proportion of the overall sum of £6,311,853 committed to agents in the Championship. ...QPR
QPR's Payments to Agents in the First Six Months of 2006
[The complete Football League "Agents Fee Report - Season 2005/06" can be viewed at http://www.football-league.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/f6/64/0,,10794~25846,00.pdf
[From January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2006, QPR paid 16,000 pounds for agents. (From June 5 2005 to June 6, 2006, QPR spent in total 147,600 pounds to agents.)
10 - New Registrations and Transfers
2 - Updated Contract
6 - Cancelled Contract
10 - Loans
(28 - Total )