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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Another Perspective re QPR's New Owners

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Telegraph Columnist, Jim White Blog re QPR

"...The fact is, whatever you may think about the new arrivistes in England's national pursuit, they don't half add a new dimension of interest. Money brings something to the party (generally money).
Mind, its appearance doesn't seem to be having the affect everyone predicted in one particular spot in England's game. When Lashki Mittal, the world's fourth richest man, a fellow so hugely endowed he makes those Abu Dhabi lot look merely middle class, took a stake in Queen's Park Rangers, fans of the west London club predicted huge things.
The Premiership within a year, the Champions League in five: this was the big time. There would be no wilting in Chelsea's shadow now, especially as Mittal was joining a board already populated by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, men who are hardly strangers to a well-stocked current account.
But so far it hasn't quite worked like that. The big names haven't arrived at Loftus Road, the big expansion plans are yet to be fulfilled, the big dreams remain the stuff of bedtime. So far, the only distinction brought by the new ownership to the club is that last season, with five weeks to go, of the 24 teams in the Championship, QPR were the only ones who could neither be promoted or relegated. It was stability at least, though the fans had hoped for a little more from the billions.
So far this season, whatever has been emerging from White City it has not been pyrotechnics. Currently the hoops are ninth in the Championship table, with seven points from four matches. They play Southampton at home on Sunday, a game which is not sending the national palate salivating in the way events at City are. Some QPR fans are beginning to wonder if the promised financial revolution will ever take place. Or whether their new board are in fact more interested in the real estate possibilities inherent in their stadium than in projecting the club to the top.
The fact of the matter is, it is not money that counts in this new world of football. It is what you do with it. We live in interesting times." Eurosport


Jim White Bio "An award-winning columnist with the Daily Telegraph for which he has covered all the world’s major sporting events – Jim is well known and highly regarded in all parts of the media. A long-serving contributor to Radios 4 and 5, he consistently appears on BBC television and Sky for which he has recently written, and presented, documentaries on Jose Mourinho and Sven-Goran Eriksson. Most recently he fronted coverage of Celtic’s Champions’ League campaign on STV" Eurosport

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