Brian Glanville Perspective of QPR

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Perspective of one of the historically truly great football journalists, Brian Glanville

KICKING AROUND / BRIAN GLANVILLE COLUMN - SPORTSTAR
Funny game
".....And then, there is the curious case of Queens Park Rangers. Hardly analogous, since QPR, the West London club, have been taken over by three very rich men indeed. Among them Lakshmi Mittal, who is one of the richest men in the world. The other two being the millionaire Bernie Ecclestone and the Italian Flavio Briatore, both of them connected with Formula One motor racing. But what, in this new season of the so-called Championship, which not so long ago was known as the Second Division, have they done so far? In the first place, the appointment of the likeable Iain Dowie as new manager in place of the competent Italian, Luigi Di Canio, seemed unadventurous. Last season, Dowie left South East London’s Crystal Palace, saying that his wife wanted to go back north: only to sign for nearby Charlton Athletic. To the fury of the bellicose Palace Chairman, Simon Jordan, who took him to court and won £1 million. But Charlton eventually sacked Dowie, who was then appointed and sacked by Coventry City. What now? By the time you read this, he may not even be at QPR, since he has already fallen out with the combative Briatore.

And while QPR, who missed the real Championship title by a last ditch goalkeeping error and a single point in 1996, can hardly hope to discover the equivalent of those glorious maverick attackers, Rodney Marsh and Stan Bowles, when is the real spending going to start? Dowie pays tribute to Briatore for helping him to find excellent young players on loan such as right-winger Emmanuel Ledesma, an Argentine from Genoa, and Real Madrid’s striker, Daniel Parejo. But actual firm transfers have been of modestly accomplished players. Sportstar


Also: Brian Glanville/World Soccer - August 14, 2008
..We must take as read that QPR have three multi millionaires behind them. Yet what have they bought so far? I reported their opening match of the season, where they scraped through 2-1 against a Barnsley team which, by contrast with themselves, had shelled out £1 million plus for a quick new striker in the shape of Iain Hume, who duly scored the opening goal.
Afterwards, Iain Dowie – a somewhat unexpected managerial choice after his three club Odyssey last season, being sacked by two of them – paid credit to Flavio Briatore, the motor racing man (Bernie Ecclestone being the other) for helping him to sign good young foreign players on loan. On loan! One of them being the highly talented Genoan right flanker, Argentine born Emmanuel Ledesma, who had an excellent game.
But where are all the costly new arrivals? Without whom you can hardly see QPR escaping from the so-called Championship. And why has a once pleasant multi-rowed press box been turned into a cramped one slum at the back of the stand? Report