QPR Views - Cerny, Ramage and Ainsworth

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Yann Tear/Ealing Gazette - Cerny -I'm confident I will win over Rangers fansSep 5 2008

AS DEBUTS go, it was not the most encouraging.

Barely had Radek Cerny touched the ball in the first game of the season against Barnsley than the fans were chanting the name of Lee

Camp, the player he has replaced in the team.

Camp was an ever-present last season and can consider himself mightily unlucky to have been usurped by the Czech.

Certainly that's what the fans thought and they let their feelings be known.

But to his credit, Cerny did not allow that inauspicious start get to him and maybe he began the process of winning over the fans with a fine save low to his left at Ashton Gate to deny Bristol City's Dele Adebola a late winner in Saturday's clash.

"No I was not surprised or disappointed by the reaction. I understand this football life," Cerny told the Gazette.

"The supporters know Lee Camp and they don't know me.

"I will try to do my best and change the minds of supporters so they are nice to me, but more more important is for the team to do well and it should not matter who plays, whether it is me or Lee Camp.

The former Spurs stopper continued: "I will always try to do my best and I think when we do OK and win lots of games, the supporters will start to like me, I will keep playing and everyone will be very happy."

"I'm not sure if the save I made made any difference to how they feel, all I know is that during the game, there is no time to think about this.

"I get on really well with Lee Camp and we work hard together.

"We talk to each other about everything and I have to say I've never had a problem in my football life with other goalkeepers.

"It would be very bad if I came every day to the training ground and we hated each other. It wouldn't be an enjoyable life! I think our partnership is nice."

Cerny (picture in action at Bristol City) is convinced he has made the right move, even though he was making Carling Cup semi-final appearances less than a year ago at Tottenham. It is the promise of regular football that has lured him more than anything and that suggests he won't be happy to let Camp regain the jersey.

"QPR offered me a good contract for two years and now I'm 34 it's good to come here because I have a better chance to play than at Tottenham," he said. "Tottenham are one of the biggest clubs in England - one of the top six or seven - and it's difficult for me to play every game.

"It would be nice to go back there next year playing for QPR in the Premier League."

The fact that the save was one of the few moments of alarm for Rangers during the final 40 minutes when they were down to 10 men speaks volumes of a sound defensive display.

Bristol were disappointing but Iain Dowie loved the way his side kept the home side at bay so easily, in stark contrast to their first away game of the season when they were thumped 3-0 at Sheffield United.

And the only blot was the red card received by Emmanuel Ledesma - a second yellow for a reckless tackle after a first half booking for a petulant ball-throwing reaction to a refereeing decision.

It was quite a come-down just four days after a memorable hat-trick against Carlisle in the Carling Cup. He now misses the Southampton game on September 14.

"It's a salient lesson for the young man," said Dowie, who conceded his young star still had something to learn.

"He needs to be more disciplined than that. Once he has got that first booking, which I think was unbelievably harsh, the tackle was a silly one.

"But we should be talking about a resilient performance. Our keeper's probably been the least busy person on the pitch and our defending was nothing short of courageous and sums up the spirit we've got."

"Second half, we played very organised and Bristol really didn't have too many chances, except one header at the end," was Cerny's verdict.

"I didn't have too much to do. A few crosses but not too many shots, just a few easy ones from long distance..." Ealing Gazette


Ealing Gazette/Yann Tear - Ramage: Results are helping me beat Tyne blues

PETER RAMAGE admits he has felt homesick since abandoning his native Newcastle for west London - but that the team's performances are providing the perfect antidote.

The full-back was as much a fan as a player for the Geordies and it is always hard to turn your back on a boyhood dream to play for your hometown club.

Uprooting 300 miles south after five years with the only club he has ever known has only compounded the sense of disorientation, but Ramage says he is quickly getting to grips with the upheaval.

"It's been tough for me, I'll be honest." he told the Gazette.

"It's the first time I've ever been away from family and friends and I miss them.

"But luckily I've got a few friends down here who have helped me to settle in outside of football, which has been a great help to me.

"The lads are helping too and it's easing off and hope-fully if we keep progressing as a team, that will help me even more.

"The reason I came down here though was getting the chance to play week in, week out and it's been a good decision."

Ramage is already looking a sound investment.

The 24-year-old has looked composed on the ball and tough to get past and he did another fine job on Saturday - subduing Bristol City's dangerman Michael McIndoe in the 1-1 draw with Bristol City.

"I feel I've made a decent start and been helped by the players around me," he said.

"And they are not just good players, they are good people as well.

"They are a friendly bunch. They welcomed me and it's been a lot easier to settle in.

"Without a shadow of doubt there's a lot of Premiership quality there. I think we can more than match most teams in the Premier League.

"I've been there and played there so I know what the standard is like. We've got plenty of players who have played there already.

"The core of the side are Premiership players and hopefully this core can help the lads who aren't experienced."

Ramage added: "We had a little bit of a blip at Sheffield United, but apart from that you couldn't ask for a better start.

"But it's no use doing all the hard work at the start of the season and then blowing it, we've got to keep going.


"I believe we've got the players to keep this run going on and on."

* Rangers resisted the temptation to bring any more players in before Monday's transfer deadline.

"We'll have Rowan Vine back and Akos Buzsaky back soon and if we don't get one or two in, we'll run with it," boss Iain Dowie declared on Saturday. Ealing Gazette



Ealing Gazette - Views of Ramage and Ainsworth - Rangers determined to make a go of it at Villa

BEFORE the Carling Cup draw was made, Peter Ramage was convinced Rangers would be heading up to play his old club in the third round later this month, writes Yann Tear.

But in the event, Rangers must travel up to Villa Park rather than Newcastle on September 24 for what promises to be a thrilling clash with the Premier League outfit.

The clubs met in a second round tie at the same venue four years ago when Villa won 3-1 thanks to goals from Darius Vassell, Juan Pablo Angel and Nolberto Solano - Kevin McLeod replying for the Rs.

It will be the eighth meeting in the League Cup and so far, Rangers' only success was a 1-0 home win in 1984.

In spite of those unpromising statistics, Ramage thinks the Rs can progress.

"It's a competition where we can see ourselves going far," he said.

"The manager had a good run in it at Coventry last season and he wants to progress further than he did last season when I think they got to the fourth round. He's set us the target of getting beyond that.

"There's no point in setting yourself low standards, you've got to want to go on and reach these finals.

"We saw last year the likes of Cardiff, Barnsley and west Brom going all the way to Wembley in the FA Cup and we want to do the same.

"Also winning breads confidence and so if you keep changing the line-up, you upset the balance of the team and disrupt the results, but the manager's been fair to the lads who have been playing. If you keep playing well, then you keep the shirt.

"I personally haven't done that well in the competition, - although I got to the FA Cup quarter-finals at Newcastle before we lost to Chelsea - and I'd like to put that right."

Player coach Gareth Ainsworth told the Gazette:

"In the past it's maybe been a case of resting a few players and fielding a weaker team in the competition, but now, even if we rest a couple, we will still be fielding a side that's very strong.

"There's a massive incentive for us. a cup run is something QPR have been lacking for a number of years - certainly since I've been there - and it's just as important as the league for us. We are not going to be taking it lightly and I'd rather we had 60 games a season than just 46 league games and a couple of first round knock-outs."
Ealing Gaette


Gulf Weekly - Chance to grab flight tickets to London and watch QPR in action

THREE lucky soccer-loving GulfWeekly readers have the chance to win a FREE fabulous trip to London to watch Gulf Air-sponsored Queens Park Rangers play a crucial fixture in the club's bid to win promotion to the Premier League.

All YOU have to do is predict the score of QPR's forthcoming game against Southampton on Sunday, September 14, which will be broadcast live at 6pm Bahrain time on Showtime's Show Sports 2 channel.

To celebrate this important Championship fixture Gulf Air is offering three GulfWeekly readers the chance to win a trip to London to watch the QPR v Burnley game on November 15 in the Gulf Air VIP box at Loftus Road.

Each lucky winner will be flown to the UK and provided with hotel accommodation and a special VIP pass that will allow them entry to the Gulf Air box where they can soak up the atmosphere and enjoy all the excitement of the game in executive comfort.

To have a chance of winning all you need to do is correctly guess the score of the earlier QPR v Southampton TV special. You can make as many predictions as you wish.

Everyone who predicts the score correctly will be entered into a draw and the first three names out of the hat will win the prizes.

Simply send an email to score@gulfweekly.com with your prediction in the subject line and make sure it follows the following example with 'X' being your prediction: QPR X Southampton X.

Please also give us your full name, age and mobile phone number. Deadline for submitting your entry is 9am on Sunday, September 14.

Good luck with the competition and don't forget to tune in to Show Sports 2 on the 14th to help roar QPR towards another memorable victory. Who knows, you may win the opportunity to see them in person!

The competition is not open to full time Gulf Air or GulfWeekly employees.

Tickets are non-transferrable and are for the match against Burnley on November 15 only.

Any winner requiring a visa for entry to the UK will have to secure it themselves. Entries not adhering to the above terms and conditions will be discounted. The Editor's decision is final.

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Enter now by emailing score@gulfweekly.com Gulf Weekly