-
- After some considerable negative press about him, a defender steps forward: The Mirror's Oliver Holt (The second half of the article is the QPR-relevant half.)
--- [Note: Back in January, Holt wrote a piece entitled "Bernie's In a Hurry". And last December, Holt
had a Mirror Exclusive "Ecclestone and Briatore exclusive"
--- For additional articles and views, visit the QPR Report Messageboard: --- Will QPR be Reducing Ticket or Club Shop Prices?
The Mirror/Oliver HoltTrust Flavio to get it right for promotion at QPR, with no jacket required.
Back in the 1990s, whenever the Belgian Grand Prix came around, a little group of us used to take Eddie Jordan out for dinner at a restaurant called Le Roannay in Francorchamps.
-One year, when QPR wasn't even a twinkle in their eyes, Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore came over and sat with us for a while.
- Both men, as always, were great company and much of the talk was of the feud between Briatore's star driver at Benetton, Michael Schumacher, and Damon Hill.
It was a turbulent time and Briatore was also involved in one of a series of spats with FIA president Max Mosley.
There was some mention of a letter Flavio had in his possession that was of great significance, and much jocularity about what the journalists among us would give to get a peek at it. Briatore was one of the first to leave. He got up, took a jacket off the back of a chair and bade his farewells.
I got back to my hotel, deep in the Ardennes, well into the early hours.
Soon after 7am, my phone started ringing.
I ignored it. The calls kept coming.
In the end, I picked up. It was one of Flavio's most trusted employees.
"Mr Briatore has your jacket," she said. But that wasn't what she was bothered about. Because if he had mine, the chances were I had his.
I checked the jacket I'd chucked on the floor when I'd staggered in. It was better quality than mine. Way better. And there was an envelope in the pocket with an FIA crest on it.
I went back to the phone and said I had the jacket. I said I'd bring it in to the circuit later that morning.
"That's okay," the Benetton lady said, "we'll send someone out to get it." I told her my hotel was way out in the sticks. More like a guest house, anyway. They'd never find it. "We'll find it," she said.
I didn't look inside the envelope before they arrived. Probably because it was sealed and I didn't have a steam iron handy.
But maybe also because I figured that whatever was inside it, Briatore would come out on the winning side at the end of it all.
Everything he has touched has turned to gold in F1. He built a brilliant team around him at Benetton on much scarcer resources than more established teams like Ferrari and Williams. And he built his team from scratch. More recently, he led Fernando Alonso to world titles with Renault.
- So I don't recognise the descriptions of Briatore that have been circulating for the last few weeks as some sort of megalomaniac nutter poking his nose in and ruining what's left of a lovely old club like QPR, where he and Ecclestone are now part-owners.
- He's a ruthless man, certainly, and he clearly lost confidence very quickly in the ability of Iain Dowie, who was sacked as manager last month.
But if Briatore's incredible success in Formula One has been based on anything, it's his talent for delegation.
- He wasn't an expert in Grand Prix racing when he arrived at Benetton, so he hired people who were.
- The same thing applies to football.
- He's not daft enough to think he can run QPR, pick the team and score the goals. But he will find people who can.
- I spoke to him yesterday as he was about to set off for last night's match against Charlton and he laughed at the idea he'd told Dowie who he could and couldn't pick. -
"I had a conversation with Iain Dowie after the game at Swansea where their goalkeeper was carried off," Briatore said.
- "They didn't have a goalkeeper on the bench so they had to put an outfield player in instead but we still didn't have a shot on goal. I think it's normal to talk about that. It was talking, not dictating.
- "The last thing I want to do is be a coach. I'm too busy for that.
- Nothing changes in the way I work.
- "I'm good at delegating. I'm good at giving power to my people, but I only give power when I feel the people deserve power.
- "Now I've got someone like that in our new coach, Paulo Sousa. He's intelligent and he's normal. It's difficult to find people with those two qualities in football."
- So I don't have any fears for the long-term health of QPR. The main thing about Briatore and Ecclestone is that they don't like losing.
- They find a way to win and they don't care if their methods make them unpopular along the way.
- I'd put money on them getting promoted to the Premier League by the end of next season, a year ahead of Briatore's schedule.
- When he makes a mistake, he's very good at putting it right. The jacket doesn't stay off his back for long.
- Flavio's not daft enough to think he can pick the team, score the goals. He will find people who can. The Mirror
Welcome to QPR REPORT - A completely unofficial and unaffiliated fan site focusing on G-d's Chosen Team, Queen's Park Rangers (QPR) FC. (Visit also QPR Report Messageboard and Follow on Twitter.) QPR Report accepts no sponsorship, advertising or financial contributions. In 2008, QPR Report was named as one of the top two blogs in the Football League
QPR Report Twitter Feed
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
In Defense of Flavio Briatore... Briatore Responds re His QPR Team Involvement
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(1621)
-
▼
November
(151)
- Mahon and Warnock Praise Sousa....Warnock: "What's...
- Parejo Makes a Team of the Week! ....FA Cup Draw: ...
- Brian Glanville on QPR Under Briatore...Gulf Weekl...
- QPR's Draw at Crystal Palace - Reports, Analysis a...
- Teams for Crystal Palace vs QPR....Previewing Crys...
- Snippets - "Flavio QPR Critic Unmasked"...Birmingh...
- QPR: Ten Days That Shook The World
- Megson on Helguson/QPR: "[D]eal has been on, it ha...
- Snippets: QPR Price Reductions?...Previewing Cryst...
- Ex-QPRs Warren Neil and Joe Dunbar Axed by Luton....
- FA Cup Third Round Draw: QPR's Number #31
- Snippets - Rowlands on Sousa...Borrowdale: Coventr...
- Sheila Marson Update: Supposedly Starting Legal Pr...
- Only from Bolton Learn "Helguson has finally compl...
- Confirmation: Coventry Defender Gary Borrowdale (a...
- Snippet: Football Expert David Mellor on QPR's Sit...
- League Requirement re "Home Grown" Players'?...A C...
- Helping Blackstock and Signing Borrowdale
- A Tribute to Axed QPR Club Secretary Sheila Marson
- In Defense of Flavio Briatore... Briatore Responds...
- After a Week of Sturm und Drang: Bolton's Helguson...
- QPR's Win - Additional Reports Compilation
- Ali Russell Cancelled South Africa Conference Atte...
- QPR's Charlton Victory - Reports and Managerial Co...
- Teams: QPR vs Charlton
- Next: Charlton..Football Arrests Including at QPR....
- Departure of QPR's Long-Serving Club Secretary She...
- Also Out: QPR's Chief Scout Fillipo Orlando "By Mu...
- QPR Confirm "Club Secretary Sheila Marson's Employ...
- OUT at QPR: After Numerous Years as QPR's Club Sec...
- A Positive First Impression of Sousa
- Helguson Loan Twist...Still Silence From QPR's Off...
- Bolton's Helguson Off to...Charlton!
- QPR Remembering Kiyan Prince (RIP) at the Charlton...
- Helguson Deal Breaks Down...Off to Charlton?
- Sharp Comment re Sousa Appointment...Success for G...
- QPR's Watford Disaster - "Rangers Were Utterly Use...
- Tough Mail Talk re QPR
- Charlton Guide to QPR!
- Waiting for Helguson Explanation...Sousa as the Ne...
- ALLEGEDLY: Chairman Briatore Tried to Pick a 13 Ma...
- Parejo Speaks! About QPR...About London...About Spain
- After Five Straight Losses, Watford Play QPR - and...
- Helguson's Move to QPR Off (Back at Bolton)
- Watford Beat QPR
- Helguson Returned to Bolton? (Messageboard Rumour)...
- Teams: Watford vs QPR (and Mail Mockery)
- Balanta's Swagger: "Rangers is an exciting place t...
- Will Sousa Be Given Time?...Warnock on Briatore, S...
- An (Unidentified) Inside View of QPR Chairman, Fla...
- QPR/Football Aid Charity - Play at Loftus Road and...
- Mail "Advice" to Sousa...Sousa Visits Buszaky in H...
- Sousa Comes Highly Recommended...QPR Player Out on...
- Briatore Action Evokes Memory of Jim Gregory...Les...
- Next: Watford vs QPR
- Sousa: Not Demanding Instant Promotion...Sousa's i...
- Sousa Talks to The Players: Summary of His Talk (B...
- QPR's New Assistant Coach: Bruno Oliveira
- Top 12 Playmakers - Including Stan Bowles
- Size of Championship Squads: QPR Have Smallest?......
- Helguson Finally Joins QPR on Loan and an Assessme...
- Departure of Assistant Manager, Tim Flowers - With...
- Raving About Balanta
- Helguson Today?...Sousa Snippets...Flashback: "The...
- New Caliendo Statement Regarding Briatore and QPR
- Sousa's QPR Appointment....Briatore's Continued Te...
- Sceptical About Sousa
- Sousa Second Choice?...Sousa Believes in Attacking
- Helguson Apparently Coming
- QPR Confirm Sousa is New "First Team Coach" - "The...
- "Just like his prospective new manager, it appears...
- UPDATED: Additional Sousa-to-QPR Reports
- Caliendo Asks About His QPR Payments...Ex-QPR Birt...
- Lee Cook's Claim to Knowledge about Tommasi: Champ...
- Amazing Claim: "Briatore was tempted to appoint hi...
- Sousa to Be Announced as QPR Manager (Seen at Trai...
- Being Reported it's Sousa (But NOT been announced)
- Alternatively: Roberto Donadoni as Possible QPR Ma...
- Paolo Sousa As QPR Manager - Supposedly The New Fa...
- Off to South Africa Next Week: QPR's Ali Russell a...
- QPR's Managers: Two QPR Report/Vital Football QPR ...
- Wolves Want Blackstock...Dunga Role?...Gorkss to P...
- Briatore Right. Di Canio Wrong About Mancienne...H...
- Roberto Mancini Won't Be QPR's Manager...And Been ...
- Snippets: Burnley Win Over QPR Bigger Than Chelsea...
- Man City's Elano for QPR?...Vine Surgery....QPR To...
- Ainsworth to be Named QPR Manager
- QPR's Burnley Loss - Further Reports
- QPR Snippets: Raving About Balanta...Dean Parrett....
- QPR Lose at Home to Burnley - Reports and Comments
- Team Lineups ...Clarke Carlisle Reflects...QPR Sni...
- Kevin Gallen Joins Luton...Buzsaky Recovery Confid...
- Previewing QPR vs Burnley
- QPR's Managerial Situation: "The Byzantine World o...
- Padula Update....QPR "On This Day" - The Morgan T...
- QPR Approach Juande Ramos?
- Hegulson Off?...Balanta Loaned Out...Ex-QPR Update...
- Snippets...Helguson Not Signing?... Buzsaky Out fo...
- "QPR has become a club containing huge egos off th...
- QPR Hoping for Helguson...Agyemang Hoping to Play....
-
▼
November
(151)