Snippets: Lee Cook's Generosity to QPR Praised...Two Years Ago Today: Waddock's QPR Slump to Bottom...Four Ex-QPR Birthdays

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Nice, well-deserved snippet re Lee Cook. (Also nice to see other players, not just for themselves). And of course, always nice to see people giving to, not just taking from, QPR!

Guardian/Ben McFarland - More of the world's most philanthropic footballers ...
Hot on the heels of last week's philanthropic account of Damiano Tommasi come more altruistic examples of benevolent ballplayers. We begin at Queens Park Rangers, the second richest club in the world yet, also, possibly the nicest. In terms of selfless sacrifice, Damiano (who was signed by Iain Dowie last week) has a rival in the pint-sized shape of fans' hero Lee Cook.
When Cook, a lifelong QPR fan, moved to Fulham for £2.5m in August 2007 he donated £250,000 out of his own pocket to ease the dire financial situation at Loftus Road. "Rangers are struggling for money and, as everyone knows, I'm a boyhood Rangers fan," explained Cook. "The club were saying that not enough money had been paid for me. I said, 'I'll give you 10% of the sale.'
"It was totally my decision — there was no pressure from anyone. The transfer had been agreed but I love Rangers and I don't want to see them hard up."
Hard up is the one thing that QPR aren't anymore and the new moneyed owners re-signed Cook this summer following an injury-ravaged season at Craven Cottage. Whether he's been reimbursed for his charitable donation remains unclear but, among Rangers fans, he can do no wrong.

Paul Haynes kindly flags-up longtime Sunderland player and current chairman Niall Quinn, who famously donated the entire proceeds from his testimonial at the Stadium of Light, almost £1m, to a children's hospital charity. He also forked out around £8,000 on taxis for some stranded Black Cats in Bristol.
Elsewhere, the former Reading and Aston Villa international Ulises de la Cruz donates 20% of his earnings to fund projects in his native Ecuador. He does a lot of work for charidee and does like to talk about it: "A lot of players here have a lot of money. I respect everybody's take on life but I'm frustrated that so many players focus on their next big house or next big car."
Other diamonds in the rough include Emile Heskey who made a six-figure donation in 2002 to aid a Gary Lineker-led consortium looking to buy-out his former club Leicester City, and finally, Peter Newbitt recalls the notoriously tempestuous full-back Mauricio Taricco who, in 2004, belied his on-field persona by offering to terminate his West Ham contract after tearing his hamstring on his debut. "I came to West Ham United to be of service to the club," said the Argentinean, "and I obviously won't be able to contribute if I'm having treatment for over two months." . Guardian


Birthdays Today: Mauro Milanese...Mike Fillery...Danny Cullip...Coach Billy Bonds

Danny Cullip: Turns 32- Born September 17, 1976 - Signed on a free from Nottingham Forest. Cullip/Wikipedia

Mauro Milanese Turns 37 - Born September 17, 1971 - Milanese/QPR See Also: Milanese/Wikipedia

Mike Fillery - Turns 48 - Born September 17, 1960
Signed by Terry Venables from Chelsea in August 1983 (after QPR failed to sign Glen Hoddle and Ray Wilkins), Fillery stayed for 4 years before joining Portsmouth on a free in July 1987. Fillery/QPR See Also: Fillery/Wikipedia
Also (briefly) former Coach, and West Ham Midfielder, Billy Bonds, Turns 62. Was coach under Ray Wilkins. When Wilkins departed, Bonds resigned.
See: Bonds/Wikipedia


Remembering The Bad Old Days: Two Years Ago Today: Colchester 2 QPR 1 - QPR Bottom
QPR: Cole, Milanese, Rehman, Stewart, Rose, Cook, Ward, Bircham, Baidoo (Donnelly 79), Nygaard, Jones (Czerkas 46)- Subs: Kanyuka, Bignot, Bailey
Booked: Cook, Bircham, Milanese Scorers: Brown OG 76
Colchester: Gerken, Halford, Brown, Watson, Duguid, Cureton, Izzet, Iwelumo, Baldwin, Garcia (McLeod 67), Barker - Subs: White, Jackson, Guy, Cousins
Scorer: Iwelumo 9, Garcia 18.
BBC - QPR boss Gary Waddock:- "It was a shambles, it was a complete embarrassment of a performance. We are bottom of the table and in the first half you could see why. "There was a lack of commitment in the first half. We didn't pressurise. "I'm not happy. The players just didn't respond in the first half. They haven't shown the passion. If you know you are bottom you expect a bit more passion' BBC - Match Reports and Comments


Vital Football/QPR's Adam Boxer Interviewed by Vital Football/Norwich - Interview