Snippets: Readers Respond to Telegraph's "The Italian Job is a West End Flop for QPR"...Birthdays for Ex-QPR Coach and Possible QPR Signing

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Telegraph: Readers Responses to The Telegraph's John Inverdale's "The Italian Job is a West End flop for QPR"...Former (briefly) QPR coach, Ed De Goey Turns 41...Linked-in-the-press-to-QPR Wigan Center Half, Fritz Hall Turns 27

Original Article: John Inverdale's "The Italian Job is a West End flop for QPR" Amid all the euphoria about Fabio Capello's appointment, a gentle warning to all the FA mandarins in central London from their country cousins in west London, about the importance of the new England manager's deal including an unlimited supply of Linguaphone tapes.
Queens Park Rangers have an Italian manager called Luigi De Canio. He speaks virtually no English, and one of the team's players, Marc Nygaard, who speaks five languages, is temporarily acting as interpreter on the field after the club's first official translator lasted only a few days.
QPR defender Chris Barker has said that dressing-room tactical talks are proving difficult, and he is sure that De Canio is frustrated by his inability to communicate, though in one of the game's most trusted cliches, he says that "football is the same in whatever language." Well possibly.
And how, you ask, are QPR getting on in the Championship at the moment? They're bottom."

READERS RESPONSES
Our story at QPR is one of greed and mismanagement. Curiously the new owners route out of the problems of un-professional management is to bring in a foreign coach. Sounds familiar does'nt it Inverdale. This is happening 500 yards from the back door of the BBC in Wood Lane. Hardly the Country Cousins one would think.
This model for improvement is followed by most leading Clubs and clearly by some of the more imaginative clubs from lower leagues.
Equally its being followed by the F.A.
John Inverdale follows another route and passes an opinion. - Posted by matthew rees

Yet another uninformed opinion from the well-known master of the genre. If he'd care to take a look at this: link he would realise QPR's record under De Canio is better than that of four clubs with English managers. - Posted by James Skinner

The story is how did Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Roy Hodgson bring their skills to fruition at foreign Clubs.
A further extension of that story is how the Italians and Spanish are mounting a root and branch change to the English game both at Premiership and Championship levels.
These are exciting times and its fascinating to see the dinosaurs of British Journalism, English Football Management, and Ex-Players desperately keep up with those changes. One would have to say the particular nature of Invernales brief point seems narrow-minded, bitter and smug. My advice is to drift out to the Country and see what dedicated business men and professional football can resurrect from the wasteland that Chris Wright and his cronies made of this great Little Club. - Posted by Matthew Rees

Mr Inverdale,
What absolute headline grabbing dross. If you really have an interest in writing an article about QPR why not save it until the end of the season when you can fully assess the influence and impact of the Italians. Why have you not mentioned the previous years of underinvestment at QPR, the fact that De Canio is part of a NEW regime and has inherited a group of players some of which are loanees, some of which are just plain useless and as a collective they are all in a slump. Tell the story in its full context rather than just put a negative end slant on a catchy headline. That or stick to Rugby. - Posted by MarkH

what an insightful well written and informative article. possibly the best researched and presented 12 lines of sports journalism ever penned, an award surely to follow. - Posted by steve masters

What a ridiculous article Mr Inverdale. Mr De Canio has already won over the true fans who can see the impact he is making. He has inherited an awful squad and to keep us in touching distance with the rest is a miracle. He and the new owners took over after the transfer window closed. I believe the saying goes "judge a manager on his signings". Well he hasn't made one yet so to judge him now is a very ignorant thing to do. In fact a very ignorant article from someone whose opinion I have always respected. - Posted by Jonathan Wise

A cheap swipe by John Inverdale. QPR have been in dire straits for a decade and the team that LDC inherited frankly would struggle to beat an egg. Slow steady progress and developemnt is the key for Rangers and England. For goodness sake, the reason English football has 'gone foreign' owes more to the lack of investment by the FA going back years. If homegrown talent was available (players, coaches AND investors) they would of course be preferred to those from overseas. - Posted by Jeff O

This article has more Saxondale than Inverdale about it! QPR have had 3 games when goals were conceded in the final minutes, in which we would have won, and then we would have been well clear of trouble. The teams playing good football, and this piece shows nothing of what a great and proud club we are and better yet will become. Judge the team at the end of the season not a handful of games. I expect Mr Inverdale will be facing his own 'suspension' and 'ban' if he continues to write 'dribble' like this! Red Card!! - Posted by Matthew Bartram

John, I find your article distateful. I think you will find that since Mr De Canio has taken over he has got a bunch of free transfer/loanees and frankly limited players to get the ball down and stop playing hoofball. Alright we are bottom of the league but we are not cut adrift, QPR have a very bright future and I hope when he has the chance to bring some of his own players in you will see a change in fortunes for "the country cousins in West London". FORZA R's!!!! - Posted by BPR

Well-informed comment! Where exactly were QPR in the table when LDC took over? - Posted by StuartW

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good, controversial headline, eh, Mr. Inverdale.
Yes, QPR are bottom of the Championship, but they are one point off being outside the drop zone and three from 18th. Not exactly heady heights, but we were four points adrift after three games.
And, if Holy Mourinho took charge of the pile of dross De Canio inherited, he'd have struggled to do any better.
STOP this Xenophobic attitude and let Fabio get on with things. If it doesn't work out, then publish your 'I told you so's', but now is NOT the time.
(I thought this sort of tittle tattle was confined to the tabloids; maybe things are changing...) - Posted by Davin Condon

At least the italians have kept QPR in business unlike wimbledon. Chris Barker has Ryman league skills and English wouldnt help. Mr Inverdale they d\they do have an interpreter on the team. They are last because John Gregory rubbished up the team by not training them and playing lousy players. The team is full of loanees who dont know if theyre coming or going. Also they have no strikers that are instinctive goal scorers. The phenom Ray Jones was killed but despite this they are unbeaten in last three games.
Briatore is going to bring in 5 high priced high skilled players in Jan. Plans
to enlarge Stadium are a foot ... much better marketing concessions raising Rs marketability and contracts with top rate ubiform companeies. Remember Benetton
started out as a small shop. I would go to Loftus Rd in 1944 and stand on the one
terrace with mud surrounds. That this is happenning is truly a miracle. - Harry Soloway - Posted by HARRY J SOLOWAY
Telegraph

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