QPR's Post-Season Starts With a Bang: Two Eventful Weeks

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Post-seasons are meant to be boring as another football season comes to an end; players go off on holidays; and fans count down the days till the players report back for training. No boredom yet this year! It's been a rather eventful, stressful even somewhat disillusioning first couple of weeks for QPR fans since the season drew to a close.

Two weeks ago, QPR fans were eagerly awaiting the final game of the season at home to WBA, excited by Club captain Gareth Ainsworth's cryptic comment on the Official Site "Dawn of a New Era" that fans should "take their seats early ... It's got all the ingredients of being an afternoon to remember...Sunday promises to be a day every QPR fan, old and young, remembers for the rest of their lives." There was even media speculation about Zinedine Zidane was set to be appointed as QPR's new manager.

What actually occurred of course, was the unveiling of the new QPR Crest - and talk of a "New Era" opinions about which were definitely mixed.

Thanks and goodbye to Sponsors CarGiant, Sellotape and Le Coq Sportif.

Just on the footballing side, QPR ended their season with a 0-2 defeat at home to WBA and finished the season 14th in the table with 58 points.

Following the final game, came the Player/Supporters Dinner and Awards with Martin Rowlands voted Player of the Year. And no published suggestions that De Canio would not be remaining.

Then just days after the end of the season came the announcement that Manager Luigi De Canio was leaving "by mutual consent" - "Queens Park Rangers Football Club have parted company with First Team Coach Luigi De Canio by mutual consent with immediate effect.

Rumours of the new manager, Dowie, Allardyce, McClarren and Ince were the most cited in the press along with some more outlandish names. But from the onset, the press had Dowie as the most likely appointment. This was confirmed when the club announced that Ian Dowie was the new manager (Official Title, First Team Coach) on a two year contract.)

Departing as expected but still never officially announced, De Canio's two Italian assistant coaches: Iuri Bartoli and Paolo Pavese.

Also never officially announced, but just slipped in: Chairman Gianni Paladini was given the new title of "Sporting Director."

Signings: Unrelated to Dowie's arrival (even though he has now said that he will be in charge of signings), QPR have thus far signed Newcastle defender Peter Ramage and Spurs/Slavia Prague goalkeeper Radek Cerny. Two Signings. As was being touted a week earlier at the Players/Fans Dinner, QPR announced they were signing A.C Chievo Verona's 19 year old, Matteo Alberti.. QPR have reportedly signed the non-league defender, Joe Oastler, but there has been no official announcement.

Departure Announcement that five players were being released including American goalie, Matt Pickens, without ever playing a first team game. (The other four released: Sean Thomas, Aaron Goode, Andrew Howell and Stefan Bailey.)

Two pre-Season friendlies thus far announced: First Pre-Season friendly Announced: Oxford United Away, July 19. And a "prestigieous pre-season friendly" against AC Chievo Verona at Loftus Road, August 2. Announcement

Unmarked by the club: The League announcement that The 2008/2009 fixtures would be released on June 16 and the first game of the season was August 9.

And then came the Season Tickets price announcement; the manner in which it was done and a statement only hours later of "Record Sales" and a virtual messageboard meltdown. Fan Unhappiness. It's impossible of course to quantify how representative fan posts of unhappiness will either impact upon ultimate purchase decisions, or how in fact, they are representative of fans as a whole. And of course, the club may be hoping to attract new "fans" to the new glamorous QPR.

An assortment of QPR Fans groups who haven't always have the wamest of relations with each other, nonethess impressively banded together to issue a joint open letter to the club

How QPR might be run was maybe put into perspective. Chairman Flavio Briatore Interview with the magazine, Marketing Week, in which he outlined his plans for the club. Regarding his view of decision making, he repeated a perspective he had stated a few months ago: “The first thing to remember is that without us, there was no QPR. It’s as simple as that...I don’t want everybody telling me what I need to be doing. People believe the club is owned by the fans but it’s only a few that put their money down. For the rest of the people, it’s easy to criticise [when] they maybe spend £20.” Marketing Week

More to come: 84 Days to the start of the 2008-09 season.