Joe Gallen Speaks About QPR

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Daily Mail - Gallen's plea for an end to pain and mayhem at QPR

Apart from trying to revive the fortunes of a club that has for too long flirted with extinction, the new buyers of Queens Park Rangers must also tackle the curse of Loftus Road.
A string of appaling incidents over the past three years has led to fans questioning whether their club is merely afflicted by an extraordinary run of bad luck or, as some have suggested, jinxed.
From boardroom gun plots and death threats against key personnel to the murder of youth team hope Kiyan Prince and the death of teenage striker Ray Jones in a car crash 11 days ago, it has been a hugely traumatic period for everyone associated with QPR.
There was the incident on a tube platform last year which saw the accidental killing of a Vietnamese student, the hospitalisation of teen player Harry Smart and the arrest of him and two other academy players.
Add to these the 30-man brawl with the China Olympic team which left one young player with a broken jaw, and it's no wonder the idea of the “cursed club” has taken hold.
These are not normal events for a London football club. Watford, Charlton or Crystal Palace have not been making the same kind of headlines.
Former head of youth development Joe Gallen, who signed both Kiyan Prince and Ray Jones, dismisses the idea that the club's catchment area — which has seen young players recruited from deprived parts of west London like Harlesden — contributes towards disciplinary problems.
The brother of former Rangers striker Kevin is, however, at a loss to explain why the club is so regularly cursed with misfortune.
“I really can't put my finger on why we were afflicted with these problems but at times it was practically unmanageable,” said Gallen, who was axed and placed on gardening leave in the summer despite his success in the role.
“A combination of the China brawl, the Harry Smart incident and the stabbing of Kiyan meant I was dealing with police every day.
“There was a stage where police did not leave the building for about three weeks and all I seemed to be doing was giving statements, making sure the players weren't getting into further trouble, and arranging solicitors to represent them.
“The stuff with Harry was extremely tough. The players had been arrested and because he too was badly injured by the train, we didn't even know if he was going to survive.
“I am married but I put off thoughts of having children because I had to dedicate everything to QPR. I simply didn't have a life outside the club. And I did wonder at times whether I was still a football coach, and not working in a young offenders' institute or a police station.
“I don't think I will deal with police as much for the rest of my life as I did in my time at QPR.
“I'm not sure how much blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the football club. It's probably a social thing that only people in government can do anything about over a period of time.
“We had a lot of street kids coming to us, and that was good. A club like ours had to accept the baggage that came with some of the lads. We were happy that they had the potential to be fine players.”
A lifelong fan who grew up in Acton, Gallen remains hopeful that QPR can be regain their status as perennial overachievers in the not too distant future.
“I remember going to games in the 1980s and 1990s and seeing a great team, with a great kit, who on any given day could beat absolutely anyone home or away,” he recalls.
“It's not all about money, the structure of the club needs changing. It needs to restore some pride, respect and dignity for its fans. I wish them every success in going about this and I hope the new owners can bring about a watershed in our history.”
Rangers fans are now hoping that the £14 million takeover by Formula One magnates Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, set to be completed this week, will herald a new era both on and off the field.
Rangers' season so far has yielded just one point from three Championship games, but there are high hopes Briatore and Ecclestone's arrival can kick-start a surge up the table.
But former midfielder Marc Bircham, who after five years at Loftus Road left to join Yeovil in the summer, believes fundamental change is necessary for Rangers to have any chance of achieving the new owners' plan of reaching the Premiership within four years.
He said: “For Rangers, it has been about keeping their heads above water. The club is not run professionally
“I gave everything for them yet I learned I was on the transfer list last year through watching Sky Sports News. Two months earlier, Gianni Paladini had told me the club would sort out a new contract as soon as we were safe.
“I am not bitter now, but last summer I was, and I could see the club was going in the wrong direction. It was really hard to watch the work we did to get promoted in 2004 being ruined.” Daily Mail