-
The Scotsman/Barry Anderson - Anderton tips Russell to prosper with QPR
AFTER Vladimir Romanov and his Russian comrades, Ali Russell is now at the mercy of Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and their Italian friends. Some might say out of the frying pan into the fire, but Phil Anderton is backing his former colleague to drive Queens Park Rangers' rejuvenation just as the club's Formula One-obsessed owners demand.
Russell left his position as Hearts' commercial director last week to head to London and become QPR's deputy managing director, for which read de facto chief executive. The title is temporary until previous CEO Mark Devlin concludes his lawsuit against the club. It is no small step for Russell, who shadowed Anderton's moves by following a strictly commercial path from Coca-Cola to Hearts via the Scottish Rugby Union.
Devlin was ousted from Loftus Road during an impromptu board meeting last year at which none other than Carlos Dunga, the Brazilian national coach, had the decisive vote. It is understood Dunga's agent had invested money in QPR and asked the former World Cup winner to represent him at the meeting, and Devlin was left privately seething by his removal. Russell has been recruited to work alongside new chairman Gianni Paladini, a former agent entrusted with the task of fronting Ecclestone and Briatore's joint £20million investment. Life at Hearts ensures Russell is well prepared for any turbulence in London, although a new career in a Formula One-style fast lane may take some getting used to.
"QPR is a great opportunity for him. I'm actually a little bit jealous," said Anderton, who was sacked as Hearts chief executive by Romanov in 2005 and now works in London as chief marketing officer with the Association of Tennis Professionals. "QPR have Ecclestone and Co, they're buying players and it's an exciting time to be working for a club like that. Ali has done extremely well to get that position.
"The difference between being a marketing executive and being a CEO is you can't do it all yourself. You're responsible for financial issues, marketing, commercial. Suddenly there are loads of areas you never had responsibility for before. That's when you need to get the right people in and delegate well, let others get on with it. That's a skill Ali will work on.
"He has a sound, down-to-earth commercial reality about him. He knows what's going to work and what isn't, but he's also willing to try things and I liked that about him. Coming into sport from a consumer goods background he had a lot of initiative, he was never the typical old-school administrator who sits back and waits for things to happen. He wants to make them happen.
"I made the transition from marketing to CEO and a lot of the principles are the same. He'll need a thorough understanding of what the club is about, what the guys investing the money want to achieve, what the club's strengths and weaknesses are. Then he can come up with a plan."
While chief executive at Murrayfield, Anderton hired Russell and then repeated the appointment when he moved to Hearts. Both know the stringent demands of Romanov well but Anderton predicts a slightly more straightforward existence for his former colleague at Loftus Road.
"Hopefully at QPR he'll actually be told what the plans are. I'm a bit dubious about whether he's actually ever been told what the expectations are at Hearts," he continued. "When I brought Ali to the club he was fully aware of the situation and there was always an element of risk. But the upside was clear because getting yourself into football makes you contacts that can take you onto the next level. I think that's what has happened with Ali." The eventual rise to such a prominent position as chief executive won't be without difficulties for Russell, however. Anderton recalled his own transition period at Tynecastle to offer valuable advice.
"I hadn't been involved in football when I became CEO at Hearts," he explained. "I didn't know agents or players and we weren't only operating in a Scottish market. We were looking in England and eastern Europe and no doubt they'll be doing the same at QPR. I brought on board a few agents, people like John Colquhoun, George Wright and John Calderwood. I told them what I was trying to achieve, the monies and parameters I had and asked them to help me by finding player resources and offering us opportunities.
"That then means you aren't the one floundering around on your own. I found that approach extremely helpful. I remember the whole recruitment of George Burley, that involved working with George Wright an
d John Calderwood. We had a couple of strategies, a list of world-class managers and then a separate list of other candidates.
"They then made contacts, finding out what people's positions were and whether there was any interest. I learned from those guys the best ways to approach and handle certain people. You learned what skills a candidate had, whether their career was on the ascendancy and if they would fit in with the culture of Romanov. That approach might be something Ali chooses to do."
Meanwhile, how do Hearts attempt to replace Russell, the man who negotiated the biggest commercial deal in club history when Umbro agreed to pay £2million for kit manufacturing rights? Anderton is coy.
"Who knows how things operate at Hearts now. I can't really answer that. Predicting what goes on at Tynecastle these days isn't something I'd make a lot of money on if I was a betting man." The Scotsman
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
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(1621)
-
▼
January
(182)
- Snippets...Briatore Q&A...Mancienne in England U-2...
- QPR's Brilliant England Winger, Dave Thomas - Prof...
- QPR Snippets: Bradford Extremely Unhappy..Injury U...
- Two Years Ago Today: QPR's Home Loss to Leicester ...
- QPR (Supposedly) Bid £1.5m for Preston's Simon Wha...
- Hull's Manager on Walton Loan...Says For Rest of S...
- No Ricketts to QPR
- QPR's "Discarding" of Home Grown Talent: Perspecti...
- Ricketts Signing Problems
- QPR Supposedly Make Increased Offer for Nottingham...
- QPR's League Position Compared to Year Ago....Ex-Q...
- QPR's Cardiff Defeat - Further Reports and Comments
- QPR's 3-1 Loss at Cardiff - Reports and Comments
- QPR Goalkeeper Liam O'Brien Trialing With Arsenal
- Teams for QPR vs Cardiff
- Teams for QPR vs Cardiff
- Simon Walton Joins Hull: QPR Say Till End of Febru...
- Ex-QPR John Hollins Appointed Manager of Weymouth
- The Changing Face of QPR
- Ricketts Reportedly Passes QPR Medical, Will be Si...
- Cardiff Preview "Moneybags Queens Park Rangers" Match
- And Yet Another QPR Departure: Dominic Shimmin
- Bradford and QPR Agree Fee for Jamaican Goalkeeper...
- Yet Another QPR Player Departs: Marc Nygaard
- "On This Day" Flashbacks...Arsenal Crush QPR...QPR...
- QPR Snippets: Parrett in England U-17 Squad...Curt...
- "Rangers Find Star in the Park" - QPR's Angelo Bal...
- Snippets: QPR Reportedly Bid for Kris Commons...Ro...
- No QPR in Football League Awards Shortlists
- Looking at QPR (and Newcastle's) Chances of Succes...
- Ex-QPR's Richard Pacquette Profiled
- Ex-QPR Ugo Ukah Update: Demotion Penalty Imposed o...
- Released QPR Winger Kieron St. Aimie Joins Barnet
- "To Do a QPR:" A New Expression in the Offing?.......
- QPR's Former Defender Ian Gillard Profiled and Int...
- QPR Supposedly Want Aston VIlla Goalkeeper, Thomas...
- Departures and Non-Arrivals including Nardiello to...
- Ainsworth and Bignot Proving Their Character...Ste...
- Two Italy-Experienced Managers: QPR's De Canio and...
- Alleged QPR Transfer Target Happy For Now
- Snippets: Barker Injury Update...Paying to Play at...
- QPR vs Chelsea Land Battle?
- Flashback One Year: QPR Luton Cup Exit...China Fri...
- Di Vaio to QPR This Week?
- Spurs Goalie Radek Cerny Prepared to Join QPR
- Fitz Hall Happy to Have Joined QPR
- Snippet re Di Vaio...Injury Update...Kanyuka on Le...
- QPR's Rowan Vine Makes Championship "Team of The W...
- Agent Claims QPR Want to Sign Two Spurs Players......
- Released QPR Defender Pat Kanyuka Joins Swindon
- QPR's Hall on Manager De Canio: "He's definitely t...
- QPR Interest in Genoa's Marco Di Vaio?
- QPR's "First Tentative Steps Towards World Dominat...
- Where Are They Now? Eddie Kelly, Rachid Harkouk, D...
- De Canio Warmly Profiled...Barnsley Victory: Furth...
- QPR' Win Against Barnsley: 11 Points From Playoffs...
- Teams for Today's QPR vs Barnsley Game...QPR's Ame...
- Good Short Preview For the New QPR
- Sebastian Rusculleda Claims Collapsed QPR Transfer...
- John Spencer's Barnsley Hatrick....Barnsley on QPR...
- Marcus Bignot Speaks About QPR and Millwall....Dag...
- Barnsley Preview QPR
- QPR's Vastly Changed Playing Squad
- QPR Plot to Rule The World
- QPR Release Two "Home Growns"
- QPR Have Another Defender: Hull's Delaney Signing ...
- QPR's New De Facto CEO Ali Russell Profiled and Pr...
- From Hotly-Pursued to Not-Wanted: Shabbaz Baidoo ...
- Snippets: Watch Return?....Ex-QPRs: Richard Pacque...
- Delaney Signing Day? - QPR Supposedly Beating off ...
- "Bid to Play at Loftus Road"
- Briatore's QPR Spending Plans
- Snippets: Mick Harford Luton's Manager, Warren Nei...
- QPR Transfers Continue: Bidding for Hull's Delaney...
- Ainsworth on Briatore's Renault Factory Tour and D...
- QPR Officially Announce Appointment of Ali Russell...
- Remembering Mick Leach
- Guide to QPR Websites - Updated
- Bignot Officially Joins Millwall
- Another QPR Player Linking Up With Yeovil?
- QPR's Briatore:- De Canio Remaining in Charge at QPR
- Goalie Stefan Postma Allowed to Join QPR
- Next: QPR vs Barnsley
- Steve Slade Back in Action
- Gordon Jago: Profiled and Interviewed
- Snippets: Leeds' Jermaine Beckford - QPR Lost out
- Hearts' Ali Russell Officially at QPR
- Nick Ward Revived
- Bignot Leaves QPR...But Has Not Yet Signed for Ano...
- QPR Trying Again for Spurs' Wayne Routledge
- Bignot Reportedly Signing for Millwall
- Ex-QPR: Adam Miller Makes Team of the Week...Mille...
- QPR's Mahon: Promotion Comes From More Than Just M...
- De Canio Explains Process QPR Signs Players
- Ian Holloway's Final QPR Victory
- Additional Reports of QPR's Loss to Sheffield United
- Ex-QPR Update - John Spencer Turns Down Chicago He...
- QPR vs Sheffield United - Further Reports and Comm...
- QPR Manager De Canio on His Way Out?
- QPR Lose to Sheffield United - Reports and Comments
-
▼
January
(182)