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UPDATED: 1:30 PM
Lee Cook/Icons Update - Rumours of a rift are rubbish
There have been some massive changes since I was last at QPR. The new owners have spent considerable sums on the ground. The boxes have been done up, there are new seats, there's even two full-time chefs from Flavio Briatore's restaurant, Cipriani, at the training ground. The food is incredible! It shows how far the club has come.
I've been back training with the squad again. It's definitely stronger than last year. We've brought some good new players in including Daniel Parejo from Real Madrid. Signing a player like that shows the ambition here. And we still have big players like Martin Rowlands to come back and make the squad even better.
The whole training set up has impressed me with the new ideas Iain Dowie has brought in. He inquired about me when I was at Coventry and I knew him a bit before I arrived. There was talk in the papers about him falling out with people at the club. As far as I can tell that’s nonsense. No one at the club has mentioned it and he's been back in training as enthusiastic as ever so I think it's a lot of rubbish.
The whole training set up has impressed me with the new ideas Iain Dowie has brought in.We played Barnsley on Saturday in our first game of the season. It’s a bit strange for me as I was expecting my first league game to be a week later in the Premiership…
I'll be back soon with more. Bye for now. Lee Cook
Harrow Observer/Tim Ewards - Boro battle to victory Harrow Borough v QPR
Harrow head into Saturday's tough Ryman Premier opener at Dover Athletic in good heart after a spirited 3-2 win over a Queens Park Rangers XI at Earlsmead last night (Wednesday).
Early first half goals from Jonathan Constant and Darren Grieves put the hosts in the driving seat before a mix up between defender Danny Leech and new goalkeeper Andre Baptiste allowed QPR's Chris Flood to half the deficit before the break.
Boro boss David Howell fielded an entirely different team after the interval but had to wait until the 75th minute for Ismael Ehui to restore the two goal cushion.
However, the Championship club's baby-faced side refused to buckle and grabbed another through Antonio German before wasted a glorious chance late on to earn a share of the spoils their second half domination deserved.
Harrow started the game brightly and, after seeing two earlier efforts deflected and sail high over the bar, Constant finally got his reward, blasting through a crowd of players from 12 yards after 13 minutes.
Barely five minutes later Harrow doubled their lead with QPR's defence at sixes and sevens. After the visitors failed to deal with a corner a goal-mouth scramble ensued and the burly Grieves was in the right place to stab the ball past Reece Crowther.
Despite a heavy downpour the pitch did not cut up, allowing the game to continue at full throttle. Grieves then headed a good chance over from Lee Hall's corner before Harrow shot themselves in the foot.
Joe Oastler whipped in a low cross into the box from the nearside and instead of Baptiste claiming an easy catch the leggy shot stopper collided with defender Leech, allowing Flood the easiest goal he is ever likely to score.
Rangers were now in the ascendancy and should have restored parity after several superb one touch passes put Lee Brown into space but the defender blazed over from 10 yards.
Leech, who was too casual for his own good on several occasions as Rangers threatened, then tried to play off-side but to no avail. Rangers' West Ham Academy graduate Hogan Ephraim bore down on goal but Leech somehow made up ground and timed his tackle to perfection just as the 20-year-old was about to pull the trigger.
First teamer Ephraim was left in a heap by the tackle and forced off, however, prompted watching QPR boss Iain Dowie to leave his seat in the stands and assess the damage pitch-side.
When play resumed Constant saw a close range shot saved while Baptiste denied Chris Arthur at the other end.
The second half, particularly with so many changes in Boro personnel, was less eventful with chances for both sides at a premium.
Rangers, probably with a blast from Dowie and coach Gareth Ainsworth still ringing in their ears, enjoyed more control of proceedings and were a lot more composed on the ball that Howell's new-look side, who were forced into hurried passes.
However, it was the hosts who extended their lead when Ehui picked his spot after the Rangers defence afforded him too much room on the edge of the box.
QPR substitute German was twice denied by Boro keeper Gary Ross but made no mistake at the third time of asking with a blurring drive from distance to give the score-line an air of respectability. Harrow Obsever
QPR Official Site - TOUGH TEST
Iain Dowie isn't underestimating the challenge of Carlisle United in the Second Round of the Carling Cup.
After coming through the opening round with a 3-2 win at Swindon, the R's play host to the League One outfit, and Dowie told www.qpr.co.uk:
"This will be a tough test for us, make no mistake about that.
"John Ward has done an excellent job there, and they were very unlucky not to go up last season, losing out to Leeds in the Play-Off Semi Finals.
"I expect them to be pushing for promotion again this time around, so we will need to be on our mettle when we play them.
"They had a tricky match against Shrewsbury in the First Round, and to come away from New Meadow with a 1-0 victory was no mean feat."
Dowie's main hope from the Second Round draw - which saw the R's seeded, and therefore avoid the Premiership sides - was a home time, and he is pleased to get his wish.
"I always hope for a home tie," he explained, "so I'm delighted this match will be at Loftus Road.
"I want our ground to be a real fortress this season. Hopefully we can get a good crowd along to back the lads, and we'll aim to repay them with good, attractive football.
"As I showed with my team selection against Swindon on Tuesday night, I take this competition very seriously and will be approaching this match in the same manner."
QPR
Gazette and Herald/Jon Boyle - Malpas urges Town to learn from QPR
Swindon Town manager Maurice Malpas has challenged his players to aspire to reach QPR's level after seeing the big-spenders dish out a footballing masterclass at the County Ground on Tuesday.
Second half goals from Dexter Blackstock and Damien Delaney helped the Championship side come from behind to knock plucky Town out of the Carling Cup in a topsy-turvy first round clash.
Angelo Balanta's tap-in (32) had put Rangers ahead before Simon Cox's volley (34) and Billy Paynter's header (42) gave Swindon an unlikely 2-1 half-time lead.
But striker Blackstock's header just seconds after the break and skipper Delaney's 54th minute strike fired Iain Dowie's men through to the second round.
And Malpas conceded the Robins can learn much from Rangers' classy attacking play after midfielders Emmanuel Ledesma and Daniel Parejo -on loan from Genoa and Real Madrid respectively -had run the show.
"We are a wee bit away from that level -there is a gulf between League One and the Championship," he said.
"You've got a chance in a one-off game but I think over a season their level of performance will be higher than ours, and that's something we can try and achieve.
"I'm pleased with how we played, they've got some quality players, especially going forward.
"The young lad Ledesma is excellent and you can see the guy they've brought in from Madrid is quality -they will give teams a problem.
"It's just disappointing it was a couple of set-pieces that proved our downfall." Gazette and Herald
Stoke City News LOU MACARI - Former Stoke boss talks about the factors that lead to the Potters' demise in the mid 1990s.
Lou Macari bids farewell to the Victoria Ground, and supporters, as his second spell at the club came to an end
Lou Macari’s life story of triumph and tragedy, laughter and tears, is evocatively told in his autobiography ‘Football, My Life’ published today by Bantam Press (£18.99). Martin Spinks has taken a sneak preview to re-live the anguish and happiness of his public and private life in Stoke-on-Trent.
LOU Macari remains adamant that Stoke City lost their way and spent another decade in the wilderness because they opted for the Britannia Stadium over the Victoria Ground in the mid-1990s.
.... “The penny soon dropped on why he was so interested in the playing side of things – it was because the trade in players formed part of his scheme to finance the new stadium.
“He needed money to build it and he saw the sale of Stoke’s top players as a legitimate way of generating the cash.
“I got a tip-off from Stewart Houston, who was manager of Queens Park Rangers. QPR were interested in (Mike) Sheron and contact had been made between the two clubs. I knew noting about it until Stewart let the cat out of the bag.
“To break up the team that almost got us into the Premiership the season before, in order to pay for a move to a new ground that the club could not afford, seemed to me to be inviting disaster.
“Sheron duly left for QPR and Andy Griffin was sold to Newcastle, which brought in around £4m. Unsurprisingly, the club went into decline...“.” Stoke City News
Ex-QPR youth goalie, Tim Sandercombe released by Notts County:
BBC - Keeper Sandercombe leaves Magpie
otts County goalkeeper Tim Sandercombe has left Meadow Lane by mutual consent, the club has announced.
The 19-year-old has had his contract cancelled after just over a year with the Magpies.
The former Plymouth Argyle trainee made his first-team debut against Leyton Orient in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last September.
He signed a 12-month extension to his original one-year deal later that month. BBC
BBC - Jake Cole No need to panic at Oxford - Cole
Oxford goalkeeper Jake Cole believes there is no reason to panic despite the club's poor start to the season.
The U's have lost back-to-back games to Barrow and Weymouth, but on-loan Cole told BBC Oxford that the side have the quality to turn their form around.
"We just have to show the character and the quality that we have got.
"Once we win a few games we will be buzzing and flying. We have got a good enough squad but we have to put results together and get on winning ways." BBC
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