Snippets: Les Ferdinand Lauds Roy Wegerle and Ferdinand's Best Goal...Dunga in Trouble?...Ex-QPR Leon Knight Moves (Again!)...QPR Fan Interviewed

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FourFourTwo - Web Q&A WitH Les Ferdinand
Who’s the best player you’ve played with?
Ashley Adams, Greenwich
Paul Gascoigne was exceptional, as was David Ginola. Roy Wegerle was also a fantastic player. When I was at QPR, he scored a goal against Leeds that won Goal of the Season. I’ve never seen anyone go past players as easily as he did. But because, at the time, he was close to being the best footballer in the world, I’d probably say Paul Gascoigne....

You scored the 10,000th goal in Premiership history, but which was your best?
Rupert Holland, Hereford
I scored a thirty yarder against Manchester United for QPR - that’s one that always springs to mind. I’ll always remember my first goal for Newcastle, which was against Coventry. The free-kick I scored against Oldham for QPR is also up there.... FourFourTwo


Reuters - Dunga's Brazil future hangs in balance
BEIJING - Dunga's future as coach of Brazil is hanging in the balance after a crushing 3-0 defeat to Argentina in Tuesday's Olympic Games semi-final.
The feisty former World Cup captain arrived in Beijing under a cloud following a run of poor results with the senior team and will leave under an even darker one, whether or not his side beat Belgium in Friday's bronze medal match in Shanghai.
It was widely felt that Dunga could have been biting off more than he could chew when he volunteered to lead Brazil at the Olympics, an under-23 competition with three over-age players allowed per team.
Vanderlei Luxemburgo also took on both the senior and Olympic jobs eight years ago and was fired after a quarter-final defeat to Cameroon in Sydney.
Dunga's Argentine counterpart, Alfio Basile, decided not to come to Beijing and the job was handed to Sergio Batista, a midfielder in the 1986 World Cup winning team.
Dunga is likely to survive for the time being as Brazil face two World Cup qualifiers in early September -- away to Chile and at home to Bolivia -- and there would not be time for a replacement to work with the team.
But defeat in Santiago could be curtains for a man who had no senior coaching experience when he was appointed following the 2006 World Cup.
"The pressure is going to be much greater from now on," Muricy Ramalho, coach of Brazilian champions Sao Paulo, told local media in Sao Paulo.
"My opinion is that he should have just stayed with the senior team. But he preferred to have this experience."
Brazil enjoyed a long run of wins in friendlies in Dunga's early days, including a 3-0 demolition of Argentina in London.
The high point came last year when they won the Copa America in Venezuela, again beating Argentina 3-0 in the final. Since then, it has been all downhill.
A 2-0 friendly defeat by Venezuela, a team against whom Brazil had won all 17 previous meetings, was followed by a World Cup qualifying loss to Paraguay and a 0-0 draw at home to Argentina.
Dunga was lambasted for fielding an ultra-cautious team against Paraguay and the same criticism has been levelled at him following Tuesday's performance.
The coach said it just wasn't Brazil's night and added that Argentina forward Lionel Messi was unstoppable.
"You can't always score," he said. "If we could score in every game, it would be marvellous. There are days when you can mark Messi and days when you can't." Report


Reuters - Brazil defeat leaves president, media seething
Brazil's president voiced his anger over a humiliating Olympic soccer defeat to arch-rivals Argentina and newspapers called for coach Dunga's dismissal on Wednesday.
The influential Globo newspaper simply filled its front Olympic page with a tombstone and a mock obituary in a plea for an end to Dunga's two-year tenure, in which Tuesday's 3-0 loss was the latest in a series of lifeless performances.
"Brazilian football, five-time world champions, informs of the death of Dunga's team yesterday in Beijing, China," Globo said.
It said the funeral Mass would be held on Friday, referring to Brazil's bronze-medal contest against Belgium. "Don't bring flowers."
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, according to local media, told lawmakers at a meeting on Tuesday that the team were "embarrassing" and that he had "never been so angry", not even when his favourite Corinthians club team were at their worst.
Despite some unlucky moments in the semi-final, newspapers put the blame squarely on underperforming stars like Ronaldinho and on a defensive style that Dunga has imposed on a nation known for its footballing flamboyance.
'PAY DEARLY'
"Dunga could pay dearly for his proposal of pragmatic football, defensive, without brilliance," said the Estado De Sao Paulo.
Globo said Dunga, a former World Cup captain, had betrayed the Brazilian and Olympic spirit with his negative approach in the tournament for under-23s with three over-aged players allowed in each team.
It said the world was justifiably bewildered at seeing a Brazilian side play without flair, failing to mark attackers and having two players sent off for dirty play.
"In his obsession for punishing talent, the coach ended up being punished," it said.
"The disappointment of the English, the Japanese at the Brazilian performance reveals that which only the coach insists in not seeing. FourFourTwo


-EX-QPR Leon Knight released by Wycombe - Almost Five Years to the Day Since QPR Tried to "Steal" him From Brighton!
BBC - Chairboys release striker Knight
Striker Leon Knight has left Wycombe after having his contract terminated a year early by mutual consent.
Knight, 25, only joined the Chairboys from MK Dons in January, scoring five goals in 20 appearances.
He joins fellow striker John Sutton, who has joined Scottish side Motherwell, in leaving Adams Park.
Boss Peter Taylor told the club website: "We've come to an agreement with Leon and it's allowed him to look for a career elsewhere." BBC

Five Years Ago: QPR Official Site - KNIGHT REJECTS RANGERS
Chelsea striker Leon Knight has turned down a move to Loftus Road and is on the verge of signing a permanent deal with loan club Brighton.
The 20-year-old front man was at Loftus Road yesterday for talks with Ian Holloway and David Davies, but this afternoon informed the Club of his decision to sign for Brighton.
Davies expressed his disappointment but wished the player luck for the future.
"We did all we could to persuade Leon to sign but he has shown enormous loyalty to Steve Coppell - an all too rare commodity in today's game.
"We are really disappointed that we have not been able to secure the services of an impressive player, but I would like to thank him for taking time out to visit us and I wish him the very best of luck with his career.
"Ian Holloway will now continue his serach for a striker to bring in to the club."
It is understood that both Brighton and Rangers had agreed a fee with Chelsea, but having settled in at the Withdean, has decided to commit himself to the Seagulls.
Holloway will now turn his attention to other targets in an attempt to boost a squad currently shorn of strikers Kevin Gallen and Richard Pacquette through injury."

And BBC - August 21 2003 - Brighton land Chelsea striker
Leon Knight has signed for BrightonBrighton have beaten Queens Park Rangers to the signing of Chelsea striker Leon Knight.
The 20-year-old, who has been on loan with the Seagulls, turned down Rangers after both Second Division clubs agreed a deal with Chelsea.
Knight had a loan spell with QPR in 2001 and Rangers' boss Ian Holloway tried to persuade him to return.
But Knight opted to stay at the Withdean Stadium, where he scored twice against QPR on Monday.
Holloway made his move for Knight after selling midfielder Richard Langley to Cardiff last week and had hoped to have him on board by the time his side faced Steve Coppell's men.
Knight was once tipped as a future replacement for Gianfranco Zola at Chelsea.
But he has been unable to establish himself in the first-team at Stamford Bridge.
As well as his spells with Rangers and Brighton, he has been loaned to Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday. BBC

Holloway keen to sign Knight
QPR have entered the race to sign Chelsea's highly-rated striker Leon Knight.
The diminutive 20-year-old forward is currently on loan with Brighton and ironically scored a brace as the Seagulls beat QPR 2-1 on Monday evening.
Brighton are also keen to sign Knight on a permanent basis but QPR boss Ian Holloway has confirmed that he has held talks with the player.
"We witnessed first hand what this player is capable of last night and he is just the type of player we need to boost our promotion chances," he told the club's official website.
"Talks have been underway since before the game and I have to say that I am very impressed with him as a young man as well as a footballer. He's a good listener, very mature and I would love to sign him." Knight - QPR Report


Four Four Two: Four Female Football Fans, One From QPR, Interviewed
"...Our panel, from left to right:
Liz Rakowicz, 31, advertising account director, Barnet
Emma Keens, 29, account manager, Arsenal
Annika Giffard, 23, personal assistant, QPR
Rachel Sullivan, 31, journalist, Leicester City

How did you first get into football?....

Annika[QPR] My dad first started taking me to Kingstonian when I was six – I made him buy me chips and Kit Kats throughout the game because I didn’t really want to be there, but the more I went, the more I liked it, and when my dad became a director I’d go to every game, home and away. When I met my boyfriend a few years ago I started getting into QPR, because he’s a fan, and now I go about 10 times a season....

What's the best thing about being a female fan?...
...Annika The best thing is that you don’t have to queue for the toilets – and the toilets aren’t actually that bad....I also find that blokes let you queue jump when you’re at the bar...."

Have you ever feared for your safety at games?...
"...Annika When QPR played Cardiff in the play-offs, we were walking back to the coach from the stadium and these Cardiff fans were running round like madmen, carrying sticks. I was quite scared because I was with a lot of blokes, who may have been targets or might have wanted to get involved. I remember saying “Please, let’s just get out of here.”..
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Do you ever get embarrassed by other female fans shouting nonsense at games?
...Annika There was an American woman at QPR the other week who would not shut up for the whole game and she’d clearly never been to a football match in her life before. She was like, “C’mon, do this, do that”. I wanted to kill her.... Full Q&A atFour Four Two