Snippets: Nugent QPR Loan?...Mancini as Manager?...Rowlands Apology to Swansea's Goalie...Ex-QPR Ben Sahar Update

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David Nugent to QPR?
--[Same names keep coming up again and again...]

Mirror/Football Spy - QPR want Portsmouth flop David Nugent to save season
QPR boss Iain Dowie is trying to sign Portsmouth's out-of-favour England hitman David Nugent for the crunch clash with Reading.
Dowie wants to take Nugent on loan with a view to a full-time move, a deal that he wants to push through as he faces growing pressure to save his job.
Nugent is out of Harry Redknapp's plans but the switch will have to be rushed through for him to face Steve Coppell's men tomorrow night.
Dowie, who also tried for Sunderland's Michael Chopra, has told his bosses that he needs more firepower. But he is also battling harder than ever to keep his post.
The Rangers chief is desperate for a result at high-flying Reading to stop tongues wagging, but that is going to be a tough test as the Royals have a 100 per cent home record. Mirror


Roberto Mancini to QPR?
- "Former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini is being lined up to replace Iain Dowie as QPR boss. (Daily Star)" - BBC Gossip
-- [Would seem rather unlikely and a little too high-level for QPR and at the same time, maybe not a good Championship "fit". Yesterday's papers had Mancini linked to Fulham and coming to London for English lessons!]


Martin Rowlands Apologises to Swansea's Goalkeeper
Swansea Evening Post - Rowlands says sorry to Swans keeper de Vries
DORUS de Vries has received a letter of apology from Martin Rowlands over the challenge which put him in hospital.
The Queens Park Rangers skipper has said sorry after leaving de Vries with a depressed fracture of the cheekbone and a fractured jaw when he caught him with a boot in Tuesday's goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea City's goalkeeper, who had still to watch footage of the incident yesterday, feels he has little choice but to accept what Rowlands says.
"He wrote a letter after the game to apologise to me," de Vries said.
"He apologised to the gaffer as well and told him he meant to play the ball.
I haven't actually seen the letter yet because I've been in hospital, but I accept the apology because there's nothing else you can do.
"I haven't seen what happened again yet so I can only go on what I remember from the pitch.
"I went for the ball, he went for the ball and unfortunately, he took me out.
"It might be one of those where as a keeper you're going in with your face and you think the other guy can just pull back a bit.
"But it's hard for me to judge until I see it again..." Swansea Evening Post


Western Mail/Chris Wathan - De Vries refuses to blame anyone for horror injury
DORUS DE VRIES has spoken for the first time on the horror injury that could leave him wearing a mask when he returns to action.
And he has refused to blame Martin Rowlands for the challenge that saw him stretchered off in midweek with sickening facial injuries.
Swansea City keeper de Vries was left nursing a broken jaw and a depressed cheekbone when the QPR midfielder smashed into him during the midweek stalemate at the Liberty.
But now he admits has no option but to move on after accepting an apology the Rangers skipper made in writing immediately after Tuesday’s Championship clash.
“I don’t blame him, things happen in football,” said de Vries, who was stretchered off just 28 minutes into the game following the incident. “I haven’t seen the replay yet and perhaps I can only judge what happened when I do.
“For now, all I remember is that I went for the ball, he went for the ball and he took me out – but that’s the life of a goalkeeper sometimes.
“It happens, everyone wants to fight for the ball, everyone wants to prove themselves so you can’t blame people.
“And, to be fair, he wrote a letter after the game to apologise to me and he also apologised to the gaffer, telling him that he was really sorry for what had happened and that he had gone to play the ball.
“So what else can you do but accept that and just stay positive?”
Rowlands’ apology comes just as Spurs defender Alan Hutton also accepted the blame for a late challenge on Thomas Sorensen, where the Stoke keeper was left bloodied during the two side’s Premier League clash last Sunday.
And, like Hutton, Eire international Rowlands was only booked for the challenge that saw many Swansea players react in anger and had manager Roberto Martinez admit the tackle was “avoidable”.
Now de Vries is facing up to two months on the sidelines, undergoing corrective surgery on Wednesday and with Swans medical staff having already discussed the possibility of preparing a “phantom” style mask to get him back playing as quick as possible.
Yet, despite the serious nature of the injury, de Vries, a former Holland youth international, admitted he was ready to carry on playing to save Martinez from a keeper crisis.
“Like I said, he went for it and I went for it and I was the unlucky one,” said the 27-year-old, who knew only centre-back Alan Tate was available to take his place in goals from the bench. “There wasn’t a lot of pain straight away, apart from a major headache.
“And, to be honest, I wanted to continue because I knew I was the only goalkeeper in the matchday squad and when Richie Evans the physio came over I told him I couldn’t come off because there was no-one on the bench.
“He just told me no way, which I couldn’t understand because all I was feeling was this headache.
“I told Richie that, but he said that wasn’t the problem and that I had broken my cheekbone because he could see the side of my face had dented in. I just said: ‘Well, that’s not good.’
“From there I was in the ambulance pretty quickly and I was lucky because I had great support at the ground and at the hospital.”
The operation saw surgeons having to cut into the hairline before elevating the cheekbone from the side of the skull, and now Swans staff are waiting to see how de Vries reacts before narrowing the current 6-7 week timeline on his return.
Yet the No 1 throughout all of last year’s promotion-winning campaign has already openly suggested wearing a Petr Cech-style headguard or the mask – worn by Gazza, John Terry and even Lee Trundle to protect cheekbone injuries – if it could help speed up a return.
And, when he does make his comeback, the ex-SPL stopper is adamant the experience won’t stop him from diving at the feet of on-rushing strikers.
“I would definitely go for it again,” he added. “That’s a goalkeeper’s life, every ball you throw your body and your life into it because that’s what you do, that’s your job.
“It’s the worst injury I’ve had and being in the face it looks more dangerous, but you have to remember it’s – hopefully – only six weeks out and guys who damage cruciate ligaments can be out for nine months.
“I feel OK, if a little tired, and we were discussing protection when we were at the hospital on Tuesday and the possibility of getting a mask done.
“And if I have to wear something like Cech wears so be it because it doesn’t bother me as long as I can do my job, that’s all I want to do and I don’t care how I do it as long as I can.
“But right now I honestly don’t know when that will be.”
As Swansea wait to find out potential comeback dates for their No 1, manager Martinez has pledged to enter the loan market to bring in goalkeeping cover before tomorrow’s game with Southampton...
.” South Wales


Flashback: One Year since Luigi De Canio's name appeared in the press as the "backup" alternative, if Guidolin turned down QPR. De Canio?


Ex-QPR Loanee Ben Sahar Not Happy?
Simon Griver/The Jewish Chronicle- "Sahar: I’ll sue over ‘sprinkler’ injury"
Furious Sahar is ready to challenge the Moldvan FA for his injury
Portsmouth striker Ben Sahar is to sue the Moldovan FA after gashing his knee on a sprinkler during Israel's 2-1 win in Chisinau in a World Cup qualifier last month.
The 19-year old Israeli, who needed 11 stitches in the wound and was unable to play for nearly a month, says that the injury could have ended his career.
"There was a water system on the pitch, a sprinkler, and I fell on it. The Israeli FA are going to sue and, to be honest, I am going to sue, too," said Sahar. "The worrying thing is it could have been even worse as it could have caused some long-term effects. In the end, I am happy it was for only three weeks. It affected my availability for the club and those two weeks out kept me away from the team I want to play for. Now I am going to sue them so we will see."
Meanwhile, Sahar scored for Portsmouth reserves in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa reserves earlier this week. It was the Israeli's first game for Portsmouth since sustaining the knee injury when playing for Israel in early September....
He reportedly told Israeli team-mates that he is angry with Chelsea for making life awkward for him at Fratton Park.
Earlier this month, Chelsea refused to let him play for Portmouth reserves against Chelsea reserves, invoking a clause in his loan contract that he cannot appear against the Blues, thus hampering his comeback after injury. Chelsea have refused to allow him to play in Portmouth's Uefa Cup campaign so he will not be cup tied if he returns to Stamford Bridge in January. Jewish Chronicle


- Also: One year since axed-by-John Gregory, Joe Gallen, was set for Millwall - Gallen-Millwall. A year later, Gallen is Assistant Manager to Kenny Jackett.


- Mark Graham Turns 34.
Born October 24, 1974,Graham made his debut exactly in September 1996, breaking into the team in the 1996-97 season, under Stuart Houston. He played 18 games that season. And that was it. His brother, Richard Graham was also on the cusp of the QPR team, but unfortuately didn't break through. - Graham Stats