Dowie Speaks - On Handling Pressure/Expectations

-
Sporting Life - DOWIE: I CAN HANDLE EXPECTATION
QPR boss Iain Dowie insists he is happy to handle the weight of expectation placed on his shoulders at Loftus Road.
Dowie's position has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks with just one win in their last six league games, against struggling Nottingham Forest.
Rangers were tipped to be among the Championship pace-setters, especially given their new-found wealth after the arrival of Flavio Briatore as chairman and shareholder Lakshmi Mittal.
Despite their recent faltering form, Dowie is refusing to press the panic button and has brushed aside the most recent round of speculation over his future, with suggestions Briatore is keen to take a more hands-on role with the team.
The former Charlton and Coventry boss believes his side are well placed in the table and has pointed to their recent Carling Cup victory at Aston Villa as evidence of their progress.
The midweek draw against Swansea has left QPR in ninth place in the table, but with the Championship so tightly packed a weekend win over Reading could see them rocket up to fourth.
Dowie told Sky Sports News: "With modern football with message boards, phone lines and the media outlets, what is an opinion often becomes a widely-held fact.
"The fact of the matter is we've not spent a great deal of money, we're one point off fourth and we're in the last 16 of the Carling Cup.
"I've said all along that I'd rather come to a club with expectation than without it. Is there a big expectation at this club? Yes, there is.
"My view is that transmits to a bit of anxiety at times. I'm not someone who subscribes to being anxious, I've got to make sure the players are relaxed.
"We've got to perform a lot better than we did the other night (against Swansea). Our performance against Forest, in the second half particularly, was very good Sporting Life