Dowie and Ainsworth Perspectives...One For The Future?

-
Kilburn Times
IAIN Dowie says he has 'no regrets' about his spell in charge of Coventry as he prepares to return there with QPR this weekend.
The Rangers boss was sacked by incoming Sky Blues chairman Ray Ranson in February after almost exactly a year in charge, during which he guided them to memorable cup succeses at both Manchester United and Blackburn.
But Dowie, who has reassembled his Coventry backroom team - assistant Tim Flowers and performance manager John Harbin - at Loftus Road, feels his record at the Ricoh Arena stands up to scrutiny.
"I look back on my time at Coventry with no regrets, but other people come in and they've got their own ideas, which is fair enough," Dowie observed.
"I had a great time there and I was very pleased with the job I did, given that the club were on the verge of administration a couple of times and the players weren't being paid.
"We staved off relegation, which was a real danger at one stage, and then the cup runs the following season were fantastic. To go to Manchester United in the Carling Cup and win 2-0 was incredible and we should have beaten West Ham in the next round as well.
"To have 11,000 fans shouting for us at Old Trafford was something special - and I'll be hoping for the same from the QPR fans when we go to Aston Villa next week.
"Some of the players we brought in have done really well - Leon Best, Paul Fox and Scott Dann, for instance - and I think they've got a good squad now.
"Chris Coleman's a very good friend of mine and I'm sure he'll do well there. I had a good relationship with the Coventry supporters and I'm looking forward to going there on Saturday, as we all are.
"We need to make sure we're difficult to beat and if we play with the same tenacity we showed in our last away game at Bristol City, I'm sure we'll get a result."
Defender Fitz Hall is likely to be available again after recovering from a groin strain, as is Akos Buzsaky, who returns to the squad at Norwich on Wednesday night.
The midfielder completed 90 minutes for QPR's reserve side on Monday against Reading, which leaves Rowan Vine as the only senior player still on the injured list.
But Vine has made good progress since breaking his leg towards the end of last season and Dowie revealed: "We're looking at maybe the beginning of October for Viney to play his first reserve game.
"He's doing great and he's probably a bit ahead of schedule, so it's a case of 'keep doing what you're doing' and we'll give him time to get there." Kilburn Times


Gareth Ainsworth/Kilburn Times - Step on the Gaz
MAYBE our performance on Sunday wasn't as entertaining as people had hoped, but in one sense it was phenomenal.
After each game, we go through all the stats with John Harbin, our performance manager, and in terms of fitness, passing and work-rate, everything was excellent.
That's a real improvement on last year and I think it showed in those last 10 or 15 minutes, when we got stronger and Southampton ran out of energy.
We panicked a bit when we were pulled back to 1-1 by 10 men, but in the end we were convincing winners and I have to mention the two lads who came on, Rowly and Patrick.
Both of them were itching to get on the pitch - that's what it's like at QPR these days - and they really made an impact, which is no disrespect to the players they replaced.
I think that TV jinx we used to have is well and truly buried now - and something else that's changed is to have not one, but two QPR lads high up in the scoring charts.
With Emmanuel Ledesma missing the game, Dexter's two goals moved him ahead on five and I'm really pleased for him, not just because we seem to do well whenever he scores.
People forget how young Dexter is - he's only 22, but he seems to have been around for ages.
It's sometimes hard to play on your own up top - it takes a big man, mentally rather than physically, and Dexter's really shown he's up to that job.
After Norwich, we've got another two games on the road this week and we want to start picking up some wins away from Loftus Road.
Coventry will be up for it on Saturday, I've no doubt about that. They had some troubled times at the end of last year and maybe are still recovering from those.
They haven't spent a great deal of money in the summer and, although I think they're heading in the right direction, at this stage it's a game we can win.
And I take the same view of our cup game at Aston Villa. I didn't play when we were up there a few years ago, but there might have been a few thoughts of damage limitation that time.
That isn't the way we'll be approaching this tie. We want to progress in the Carling Cup and we have to beat Villa to do that.
Of course they're favourites - if not one of the favourites to win the whole competition, as one of the better Premier League clubs who really take it seriously.
But, as with the FA Cup tie at Chelsea last season, this is a little taster of what we want to experience every week - and I'm sure we can use it as an opportunity to show how far we've come already." Kilburn Times


Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - Forrester can tear up some trees
IF he goes on to become a professional, teenage defender Adam Forrester will hope he has already used up his quota of bad luck.
Forrester is only 13, but has already spent the best part of a year sidelined by injury and is currently out of action with a broken toe.
But once the fracture heals, Forrester (pictured) can go on to achieve great things at QPR, according to Pro Touch Soccer Academy director Ash Rahman.
The youngster was one of the earliest recruits when the Westminster and Camden-based Academy was established in 2007 and was drafted into Rangers' under-14 squad earlier this summer.
"Adam's been through a very difficult time with injury," said Rahman. "He wasn't injured as such, but he was undergoing a growth spurt that caused problems with his lower back.
"From that he developed a leg injury, then a chest infection and he wasn't able to train or play for more than six months - but he kept focused and stayed positive.
"I've got a lot of expectations for Adam and I think he could be potentially an England schoolboy, that's how highly I rate him. He's certainly good enough to be at an Academy club.
"Adam's very loyal - Charlton and Reading were very keen, but once he'd said he was going to QPR, he stuck with it, even when he had a chance to go to Arsenal for a trial. As an Arsenal fan, it wasn't easy to say no to that."
Forrester, who can play at centre-back or full-back, was part of the Pro Touch squad that reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Dana Cup youth tournament in Denmark earlier in the summer.
And, although the youngster is currently wearing an air boot after an X-ray revealed he had been playing with a broken metatarsal for several months, he should return to action before the end of October.
Another two members of the PTSA squad - midfielder Keanu Williams and striker Michael Acheampong, both from Westminster, have been on trial recently with Watford and Norwich City respectively.
Pro Touch are holding their next round of trials from January 10 to 15, 2009 and anyone interested should log on to www.protouchsocceracademy.com for more details and an application form. Kilburn Times