-
PFA's Give Me Football Look at QPR Under Dowie
(Couple of items already oudated)
Loftus Road has hardly been simmering over the past decade as the O's have dropped into League One only to return to the Championship and find themselves as perennial strugglers.
However, with wealthy Formula 1 owners Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore bankrolling the Shepherds bush club there is a growing feeling that this is their time once again.
Not only are the two F1 bosses revving up for a season of success but they have also sold a 20 per cent stake in the club to the family of Lakshmi Mittal, the world's fifth richest man.
So with money apparently no object to QPR, they will be expected to push for the Premier League and glamour fixtures against the likes of spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal once again. A 14th placed finish last term wasn't enough to satisfy the appetite of Ecclestone and Briatore so Dowie has been ushered in at the expense of Luigi De Canio.
Zinedine Zidane was mentioned as a possible replacement for De Canio but Rangers have settled for a proven Championship manager in Dowie. However, the former Oldham, Crystal Palace, Charlton and Coventry manager will be under no illusions that expectations are sky high in West London.
Five million pounds was splashed out in January to entice the likes of Akos Buzsaky, Damien Delaney, Gavin Mahon, Fitz Hall, Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang to Loftus Road for the Rangers' revolution. There are no signs of the spending letting up this summer either as Tottenham goalkeeper Radek Cerny has agreed a two-year contract and Newcastles Peter Ramage is also on board with a three-year deal.
QPR have also agreed the signing of midfielder Matteo Alberti for an undisclosed fee from Italian Serie B side Chievo. The 19-year-old will put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Loftus Road on July 1. Alberti has yet to make his full league debut for Chievo but Rangers claim they have beaten off competition from a number of Serie A clubs to land his signature.
Crystal Palace captain Mark Hudson looks set to snub the offer of a new contract at Selhurst Park and could also be on his way across London to join QPR. The 26-year-old centre-half will be a free agent at the end of June and Palace boss Neil Warnock believes ex Dowie is leading the chase for his signature.
"I think Mark has already told people that he'll not be signing a new contract and he'll be leaving," Warnock said. "He's got one or two offers and money talks - that's his entitleFive million pounds was splashed out in January to entice the likes of Akos Buzsaky, Damien Delaney, Gavin Mahon, Fitz Hall, Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang to Loftus Road for the Rangers' revolution. There are no signs of the spending letting up this summer either as Tottenham goalkeeper Radek Cerny has agreed a two-year contract and Newcastles Peter Ramage is also on board with a three-year deal.
Looking ahead to next season's challenge, Dowie said: "My contract's two years so I hope it's realistic. We're going to be a very competitive team and I think within two years I'll have to bring success to this club. I want to make sure people at QPR think of me as a manager who knows how to get the job done and also brings attractive football to the club." PFA
Teamtalk - Briatore: We achieved target
Chairman Flavio Briatore believes QPR achieved their objective for last season by surviving relegation from the Championship.The financial backing of Briatore and co-owners Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal enabled the signing of nine players during the January transfer window, which helped Rangers extinguish relegation fears and secure a mid-table finish.
Briatore told the club's official website: "Everyone has done an amazing job to make our target - when we arrived it was to stay in this division.
"It was not easy and we made it and this is very important.
"The moment we arrived it was impossible to modify the club because the transfer window was closed and we suffered a lot because we lost a lot of points."
Teamtalk Comments can be heard by World Subscribers
Football League - 2008/09 CARLING CUP FIRST ROUND DRAW DETAILS
"The draw for Round 1 of the Carling Cup will be announced on Friday 13th June 2008 at 10.00am.... Football League [Game to be played August 13 or 14)
QPR's UPDATED SUMMER SCHEDULE
Just over a week till Carling Cup Draw...Less than two weeks till 2008-09 Fixtures relased...... Still to come: More Friendlies announced; more players signed! (Several players we reportedly were interested in have already moved to other clubs.) New 1st team strip (how many hoops, etc, etc?)
JUNE
- June 13 - Carling Cup Round 1 Draw
- June 16 - 2008-09 Fixtures Released
- June 30 - First Day of Training
JULY
- July 19, Stevenage, Away (Friendly) 3:00 pm.
- July 23 - Northampton Town, Away (Friendly) 7:45 pm
AUGUST
- August 2 - AC Chievo Verona (Home) 3:00 pm
- August 9 - 2008-09 Championship Season Kicks off
- August 13 or 14 - Carling Cup First Round
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
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
A Look at QPR....Briatore Comments.....Updated Pre-Season Calendar
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(1621)
-
▼
June
(98)
- Snippets: Supposedly Turning Down QPR...Job Openin...
- Snippets: "Back to Work" for QPR Players...Foodtim...
- QPR Video Nostalgia From 1975-76
- Snippets: Paladini: More Coming....Lakshmi Mittal ...
- Ronaldo for QPR?
- Snippets: Reporting Back for Training...Further Si...
- QPR Announce Signing of Genoa's Argentian Midfield...
- Nice Item: QPR, Chelsea and Fulham Jointly Helping...
- Ex-QPR Players: "Where Are They Now?" - The Answer!
- QPR's Italian Influx
- Bad, Terrible, Awful QPR
- Ex-QPR Snippets: Ned Zelic...Leroy Rosenoir...Trev...
- "The Horror! The Horror!" - Recalling 1968-1969
- Camp on Dowie...Luton Unhappy re Ex-QPR Furlong
- QPR Chasing Ched Evans...Lee Cook Obstacle...Watso...
- Snippets - Gorkss "Dispute"...Di Carmine Transfer....
- Ex-QPR's Gary Waddock Staying Longer at Aldershot
- Q&A With Zesh Rehman About QPR, His Future and Pak...
- Snippets: Ex-QPR Striker, Paul Furlong Finds a New...
- Emmanuel Ledesma to QPR?
- Looking Back at December's Fans Groups Consultativ...
- Fiorentina's "Di Carmine happy to QPR transfer"
- Snippets: Nardiello re His QPR Career Under Gregor...
- Year Flashback - Chairman Paladini Talking About S...
- Year Flasback: QPR's "China Brawl" Penalty Imposed
- Passing Close Season Halfway Point....QPR's Update...
- Year Flashback: QPR Welcome Mick Harford and Rejec...
- Snippet re Fiorentina's Di Carmine and Lepiller Su...
- Ex-QPR Board Snippets: Unhappiness With Dunga?...C...
- Luigi De Canio Update: QPR Supposedly Pursuing Sam...
- Snippets: Stefan Bailey Joins Grays Athletics
- Loftus Road Under Development - Photos of Loftus Road
- Barnsley's Seeming Obsession With Queens Park Rangers
- Four Ex- QPR Birthdays...Nostalgia Flashback: What...
- Fulham Seeking to Gazump QPR For Zamora?
- Inquest Focus on Four QPR Youth Players
- QPR Announce Partnership With Abbey/Santander
- Scottish Friendlies Rather than Fiorentina and Bol...
- QPR Announce Falkirk AND Kilmarnock Friendlies
- Gorkss Complaint Consequences - Update
- Ex-QPR CEO Mark Devlin Recalls His Early Days at QPR
- Four Year Flashback - Departure of "Old Regime" of...
- QPR's De Facto CEO, Ali Russell re Season Tickets
- Gorkss "Illegal Approach" Complaint - Update
- QPR Friendly Against Falkirk
- Football League Supporters' Survey: QPR Can Learn ...
- QPR's Alleged Illegal Approach
- Snippets: Dowie Optimism... Preston Deny Whalley.....
- QPR as General Championship Favourites
- 2008-2009 FA Cup Dates: (QPR's Path to Wembley?)
- Ex-QPR Dean Wilkins Leaves Brighton...Possible Rac...
- Supposed QPR Interest in Two Overseas Players
- QPR as Championship Favourites?
- QPR's 2008-2009 Fixtures - Barnsley at Loftus Road...
- Three Years of QPR Report...Fereday's 45th....
- Possible Caliendo Ownership Challenge to Briatore ...
- Buzsaky Role re Real Madrid?
- Ian Dowie Looks Forward
- Variety of QPR Transfer Rumours
- Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman Antonio Caliendo - A Brie...
- Year Flashback: Club's AGM and ABC Loan Talk...Ros...
- QPR vs Swindon Will See Seven Subs on Each Bench
- QPR-Swindon Links....Swindon and Ex-QPR Kanyuka Re...
- Snippets: QPR Spending £5 Million on Zamora/Watson...
- Fixtures Out Monday - Interesting Explanation How...
- Swindon vs QPR - Carling Cup
- Anniversary of Gerry Francis's Last England Game
- QPR Confirm Gorkss Bid
- Snippets: Carling Cup Seeding...Ex-QPR Birthdays.....
- Snippet: Zamora Set for QPR?
- Ex-QPR Chairman Again Claims Has Yet to Be Paid
- Signings Update
- QPR's Vice Chair on Player Signings and Promotion ...
- Anniversary of Jim Smith Taking Over at QPR: Leagu...
- Flashback One Year: When Fan Concerns Were "Windin...
- Slight Error! QPR ARE in the Carling Cup First Round
- QPR Fan Sites - An Updated Compilation
- Assessment of Ramage and Cerny Signings
- Flashback: When David Thorne, Tim Krause and Halee...
- Gossip: QPR Going for Zamora, Eastwood AND Phillips
- Profiling Purported QPR Signing Kaspars Gorkss
- Flashback - Two Years Ago: A Chairman's Optimism
- Marcus Bean's Mistake in Leaving QPR
- Delaney Optimistic About Dowie
- Gorkss Hopefully Signs for QPR Next Week...and Wil...
- QPR News Snippets
- QPR Season Tickets - Fan Reactions
- Ex-QPR Snippets
- Complete London Football Fan Census - QPR Fans' In...
- Flavio Briatore - "London's Most Popular Chairman"
- QPR News: Buzsaky Injury...Rehman Sickness
- QPR to Try Again for Watson and Other Targets....H...
- 2008 London Football Fan Census Findings...QPR Tic...
- Lee Cook Return: Door Opens Again - And Assessing ...
- A Look at QPR....Briatore Comments.....Updated Pre...
- Brief Cutting Apraisal of The New QPR
- Deloitte's Report on Clubs' Wages, Turnover and Fi...
- Supposed QPR Interest in Three Players
-
▼
June
(98)