Pre-Season - Assessing QPR's Promotion Prospects

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Visit (and post on) the messageboard/quasi-blog that focuses solely on QPR and football: The QPR Report Messageboard . All perspectives welcome!:

Couple snippets from yesterday:

- Di Carmine Becomes a Dad (and was back in Italy)

- QPR Interest in Taglia as Manager?
- Sunday Sun/Neil Farrington - NUFC may look to Antonio Tapia as Joe's successor
- ... Malaga’s Antonio Tapia ....[W]ith his contract due to expire in June, Tapia’s agents — Bahia Internacional — are understood to have been sounded out by representatives of QPR and Newcastle about a possible move to England. And Tapia admitted: “I rejected an offer during the (January) transfer window, although I am a lover of English football. I am a professional and my commitment was to Malaga. I don’t regret the decision...."“Sunday Sun


FLASHBACK: PRE-SEASON ASSESSMENTS OF QPR PROMOTION PROSPECTS

-Sunday, August 03, 2008 Three Sunday papers look at the new QPR:

I: Nick Townsend/Independent - Dowie bounces back as QPR go up in the world

Iain Dowie is confident he can guide the bookies' favourites back into the elite

When he introduced the word "bouncebackability" to the English language, Iain Dowie can scarcely have imagined how it would come to define his own managerial career. He coined it when he was the manager of Crystal Palace – specifically as a testament to his side's response in a match against Arsenal – and it was apposite that it should be originated by a man who displays such an admirable contempt for adversity. Which is why, despite his travails on the way, he will start the new Championship season as the managerof QPR, who are the bookmakers' favourites to rejoin the elite after an absence of 12 years.

After a period of relative obscurity – QPR finishing 14th, 18th and 21st in the last three seasons – the bookies' odds may surprise many as they survey an ultra-competitive league. Particularly given a manager whose life and times sometimes remind you of a catherine wheel affected by damp. It bursts into life, spins, sometimes spectacularly, then splutters before picking up again.

Favouritism is not uncon-nected to the fact that the men who have reignited the blue touchpaper of his career, the Renault F1 team principal Flavio Briatore, the F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone, oh, and the world's fifth wealthiest man, Lakshmi Mittal, yield to few in monied might. Though that fellow a few miles across London at Stamford Bridge may just have something to say about that.

Yet does such conspicuous financial clout create a desire for instant gratification that may be impossible to satisfy? After all, when Mittal bought 20 per cent of the club in late December, a statement referred to the "ambition of the current shareholders to reach the Premier League in the near future".

"Only time will tell about that," says Dowie. "Yes, it's a high-profile appointment, but I'd much prefer to take over at a club with expectations than one that hasn't." So, no Chelsea-like ultimatums then? "No, nothing like that... though clearly this is an ambitious club. We want success and that means getting us out of this division. But if we're in and around the play-offs and it's clear that everyone's pushing the right way, then that's great."

Thus far, the only money spent has been on the Latvian international defender Kaspars Gorkss from Blackpool. The arrivals of goalkeeper Radek Cerny (from Sparta Prague) and defender Peter Ramage (from Newcastle) were both free transfers. There have also been loan deals involving a 20-year-old midfielder, Emmanuel Jorge Ledesema (from Genoa) and a 19-year-old striker, Samuel Di Carmine (from Fiorentina).

Though many other names have been mentioned, from Ben Watson (Crystal Palace) to Luis Figo (Inter Milan), Dowie maintains: "I've always said it's about evolution, not revolution. We still want to try and pick up one or two more players, but you've got to be sensible and not goout and smash the wage budget. We want to do things sensibly and build week on week, year on year."

In a 10-year career, this is his sixth appointment already, if we include QPR as caretaker back in 1998, between the stewardships of Ray Harford and Gerry Francis. That was followed by Oldham, before he joined Crystal Palace, whose play-off final triumph propelled them into the Premier League. Relegation ensued and he resigned, before joining Charlton in circumstances that led to litigation with Palace's chairman, Simon Jordan. But Dowie only lasted 15 matches at The Valley. Next came Coventry City, before he arrived back at Loftus Road in May.

One senses that success here would be a pointed reminder of his abilities to certain chairmen. "The situation at Charlton was difficult. You can accept Richard Murray's decision. I've got no animosity about that. The Coventry one's different. I left the club eight points above relegation. They finished one point above relegation. If that's an improvement, I don't know the meaning of the word. Nonetheless, I've nothing to prove to the people at Coventry." Dowie adds, with a laugh: "I'm too old [43] to get bitter and twisted. We all know what football is today. It's a very short-term business. People make decisions. It's down to them to live with that. You have got to move on."

He forecasts that the Championship "will be as tight as it was last year", and anticipates promotion challenges from Birmingham, Reading and possibly Wolves. "It wouldn't even surprise me if Swansea, Nottingham Forest or Doncaster don't come up and have a little go. Palace finished very well, under Neil [Warnock]. Sheffield United had a great end of season. And Burnley and Barnsley have spent money."

Still, most eyes will be on QPR. "We [Dowie and his assistant, Tim Flowers] have come in here, worked very hard, and the players have embraced what we're trying to do. We'll be a fit, organised unit. Though there's other teams in the division who've spent more, that doesn't alter the fact that this club is run by eminently successful people, who want the same from QPR. I'm not naïve enough to think this doesn't bring pressure." Independent


II: SUNDAY TELEGRAPH/Clive White -Iain Dowie: I'll use my own formula to kick-start QPR

"Queens Park Rangers are a club that's going places." A year ago, such talk would have induced a wince and a sharp intake of breath as the spectre of relegation from the Championship and possible liquidation sprang to mind.

Coming now from the mouth of their new manager, Iain Dowie, the phrase symbolises the quiet confidence of the west London club as they mix with the jet-set and harbour dreams of playing in the Champions League, before facing a more immediate dose of reality – hosting Barnsley next Saturday on the opening day of the Championship season.

The financial investment that arrived at Loftus Road when Formula One magnates Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone formally announced their takeover last November has seen a complete overhaul of the club.

Twenty players have arrived in the subsequent nine months while an Italian manager, Luigi De Canio, has been and gone after proving unable to match the demands of owners who have thrived in the 'Piranha Club' of motor racing.

Add in the world's fourth-richest man, Indian Lakshmi Mittal, who now owns 20 per cent of the club, and you now have a team who are the bookmakers' favourites for promotion, despite finishing 23 points and 13 places off the leaders last season.

It is a pressure that Dowie, 43, welcomes easily. After weeks of fervent speculation, with the name of Zinedine Zidane whispered breathlessly as De Canio's potential successor, the appointment of Dowie was a reality check.

However, the former Crystal Palace and Charlton manager insists his new club will rise to the challenge of matching the lofty expectations.

"It doesn't frighten me," says Dowie, undaunted by yesterday's narrow 2-1 defeat by Serie A side Chievo in a friendly at Loftus Road. "The profile the owners bring to the club is one of expectation, and far be it from me to worry about that – you have to embrace it. It's much, much better to be a club with expectations than one without.

"Is talk of being favourites premature? Yes, it probably is. I think it's more to do with the hype that surrounds the club. But I'm not going to change the fact we're favourites, so why worry about it?

"People are going to try and knock us off our perch, but we have to use that as a positive. I'm building a team to get QPR out of the Championship; talk of building a team to survive in the Premier League, that's something we will be dealing with next summer in an ideal world."

The excitement was tangible when Briatore and Ecclestone launched their assault on English football last season and made seven scatter-gun signings to save the club from League One. John Gregory was dismissed as manager, with De Canio appearing an interested bystander as an assortment of recruits arrived. The feeling that the owners were doing the deals rather than the manager persisted when the likes of Argentine midfielder Emmanuel Jorge Ledesma and Samuel Di Carmine, an Italian striker, were signed this summer.

But Dowie insists he is in control, and he has dismissed any suggestion that the club's benefactors should mirror Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and throw limitless funds his way or even interfere in team selection.

"Look," he says, "Ledesma and Di Carmine are my signings. I've never had an issue or discussion [with the board] about selection. Not once. I pick the team, tell the owner what it is and he says, 'I'm looking forward to it'. I speak to Flavio two or three times a week. He comes down here to see training and will be at every game – that's no problem. Gianni [Paladini] is the day-to-day guy, he's the chairman so I speak to him up to three or four times a day. What's good about it is I can focus on what I'm good at on the training field.

"The owners should be given a lot of credit as they haven't come in and gone absolutely bananas. They've not spent £7 million on a player and given him £70,000-a-week wages.

"I don't think it would be right to splash £50 million on players. That wouldn't give you the right environment. A lot of clubs spend more money than us on wages. It's been done properly, and that's the right way to do it. If we're in a position where, God willing, we can get in the Premier League, then we will have the backing to cope. If you look at Chelsea then I can understand some of the [transfer] deals.

''But for a parallel, what about Arsene Wenger at Arsenal? What he's done is bring through young kids, and they all play with style. I love that – it's my ideal environment.

"I've been around football long enough to know it's becoming more precarious. If you work short-term and make short-term decisions ... well, I'm not like that. We are putting systems in place, and we are doing that for a reason."

QPR are a club on the move – and this time it looks likely to be up, rather than down.

Who's Who
Flavio Briatore Chairman
Multi-millionaire managing director of Renault Formula One team~
Bought 54 per cent of shares in the club for £540,000 in August 2007 as part of the £14m takeover. Has since sold 20 per cent to Lakshmi Mittal~
Worth: £120m

Bernie Ecclestone
Shareholder
F1 president and commercial rights holder
Bought 15 per cent of the club for £150,000 in August 2007 as part of the £14m takeover
Worth: £2,400m

Lakshmi Mittal
Shareholder
Indian billionaire businessman
Bought 20 per cent of the club from Briatore in December 2007
Worth: £45 billion

Amit Bhatia
Vice-chairman
Investment banker who was given a place on the club’s board by Mittal, his father-in-law Sunday Telegraph


III - "The Sunday Times/Brian Doogan - August 3, 2008 - QPR push for promotion
Money is no object for QPR but they will not follow Chelsea’s example. -

Even as Lewis Hamilton was setting the fastest time in the final practice session at the Hungaroring on Friday ahead of today’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Flavio Briatore, the Renault Formula One team owner, was talking business with Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon. “A very good friend of mine,” Briatore said matter-of-factly inside the Renault motorhome. A powerful ally, too, because Queens Park Rangers, the west London club that Briatore part-owns with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal, the richest man in Britain and the fourth wealthiest in the world, have established a working relationship with Real that will see some of the Spanish club’s talented youngsters playing at Loftus Road on loan.

Dani Parejo, a 19-year-old striker and Spanish youth international who scored Real’s winner against Hamburg yesterday, has attracted interest from Arsenal and Barcelona and could be the first to move to Shepherd’s Bush under this agreement. “Real Madrid believe he is important for the future and they trust QPR to take him for one year or two years to assist in his development and, of course, it will be good for QPR and good for the Championship,” Briatore explained.

“For me, it is very important to deal with people you trust. I had lunch with Parejo and Ramon Calderon two months ago in Madrid and we reached an agreement. Parejo is excited and we hope to finalise the deal on Monday. It will be fantastic for QPR and for the Championship. It will make things even more interesting.”

Life at Loftus Road has been far more interesting since Briatore and Ecclestone bought the club for £1m last year. They wiped off debts of £13m and, once joined by London-based Indian steel magnate Mittal, their combined wealth of more than £30 billion, according to The Sunday Times Rich List, elevated QPR to the status of “richest club in the world” - a long way from bottom of the Championship, where the club was languishing before their takeover. They are close friends but have no prior background in football. Mittal plays badminton, enjoys cycling and cross-country skiing and is a keen sports fan. Ecclestone once said that “if there was a football match with the best players in the world taking place in my back garden, I probably wouldn’t even open the door to have a look”. Only Briatore has played the game, albeit almost 50 years ago at school in Cuneo in northern Italy. “I played on the right wing, I played a lot and I played very badly,” he recalled. “In order to uphold the honour of Italian football, I have not played very much since.”

Their business acumen, however, is doubted by nobody. New revenue streams have been established with a £20m, five-year kit deal with Lotto, the Italian sports-wear manufacturer, and a £7m, three-year sponsorship agreement with Gulf Air. Abbey, the high street bank, became an official financial partner. When asked about the possibility of moving to a new stadium with a greater crowd capacity than the current 19,100, Briatore emphasised their pragmatic approach. “First, let us fill Loftus Road,” he said. “If you have a small restaurant, you try and make sure all the tables are busy before you move to the next restaurant.”

Their ambition is to transform QPR into a Premier League club inside three years and then to strive for the Champions League. “Our vision for QPR is not to be a middle-of-the-road Premier League club,” said Amit Bhatia, the vice-chairman who is the Mittal family’s representative in the boardroom, working closely with club chairman Gianni Paladini and Briatore in the day-to-day running of affairs. “We want to be competitive and we want to strive to be a Champions League club but that’s an aspiration for a long way down the road. The way to be successful is to set achievable targets which give us enough time to get there, because our commitment to the club is long-term. We have no pressure to be promoted immediately. We want it, of course, but let’s spend time and effort to build this thing the right way.”

Their business model is their own. “Chelsea have done a great job under Roman Abramovich but everybody has their own style,” Briatore said. “When I was in charge at Benetton we made T-shirts and went from this to winning the world championship when nobody gave us a chance against Ferrari and McLaren, the big teams. Here I talk all the time to the manager of the team, Iain Dowie. He is an integral part of the structure we have in place, like the engineer and the driver working together in F1. So I speak to the players before we bring them to the club because personality is fundamental and I want everything to be correct. I want them to stay here forever, so we must be compatible. Their goals must be my goals and the manager’s goals. This is not about ego for me or Bernie or Lakshmi. We did not buy the club to be famous. We are famous already. Look, I have seen so many coaches make poor a lot of rich people, turning big fortunes into small fortunes very quickly, so we want to manage the club our way.”

The recruitment of players has been much more understated. Samuel Di Carmine, Emmanuel Jorge Ledesma and Matteo Alberti were all spotted by Dowie during a recent under21 tournament in Italy and Briatore’s contacts did the rest, Di Carmine and Ledesma arriving on loan from Fiorentina and Genoa respectively and Alberti signed from Chievo Verona for an undisclosed fee.

The owners have yet to splash the cash in a big way. More indicative of the way in 30
Combined wealth, in billions of pounds, of QPR’s three principal investors - Flavio Briatore, Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal -according to the Sunday Times 2008 Rich List which they are doing business are the free transfers of defender Peter Ramage from Newcastle and goalkeeper Radek Cerny from Slavia Prague via Tottenham. The turnover of players has been high, with the likes of Hungarian midfielder Akos Buz-saky, Latvian full-back Kaspars Gorkss, 27-year-old defender Fitz Hall, midfielder Gavin Mahon and strikers Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang replacing players who have departed with little or no transfer fee.

Ledesma was impressive yesterday on his home debut against Chievo. He showed good crossing ability and was more productive than his teammates in midfield. Overall the service to strikers Dexter Blackstock and Agyemang was too sporadic and errors at the back let the Italians claim a 2-1 victory, with substitute Alberti winning a penalty and Blackstock converting from the spot. At times QPR passed the ball well and the manager is happy with his team’s preparations before their opening match against Barnsley.

“You have to work on the underbelly of the club and bringing in young lads like Di Carmine will be great for our future,” said Dowie. “We want to be an aggressive, enthusiastic side playing high-tempo football and passing the ball. The lads have embraced the work ethic. That’s the desire we want here. Sometimes I speak to Flavio two or three times a day, so communication is not a problem. Trying to hear him over the roar of engines is the hard part.”

When even Ramon Calderon is hearing this sound, the ambitions of QPR and their powerful owners are plainly self-evident.

A crazy year in the life of Queens Park Rangers
August 2007 Teenage striker Ray Jones is killed in a car crash
September 2007 The club is bought by convicted fraudster-turned fashion retail entrepreneur-turned F1 team boss Flavio Briatore and motor racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone
October 2007 Manager John Gregory is sacked, with the club bottom of the Championship. Italian Luigi De Canio is appointed
December 2007 Lakshmi Mittal, one of the world’s richest men, takes a 20% stake and instals his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, left, to oversee his investment
January 2008 The battle of West London plutocrats sees QPR go to Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup. They lose 1-0 as fans wave banners declaring their club the richest in the world
February 2008 Briatore becomes chairman of QPR Holdings. Speculation about a move to a new stadium from Loftus Road and a flurry of new sponsors ensues
May 2008 QPR finish the Championship in 14th place. De Canio steps down to be replaced by Iain Dowie, despite claims that Zinedine Zidane would take up the post. New rumours link billionaire Vijay Mallya with an investment in the club
August 2008 QPR enter the new season with the owners committed to renovating Loftus Road and pushing for promotion in 2009


Also: + The OBSERVER Club by Club: The Verdict: The ChampionshipChampionship fans reveal the players to watch, the likely boo-boys, who'll go up and who's set for the drop
...QPR
Last season 14th
Promotion 7-4 Relegation 33-1
Manager Iain Dowie
ONES TO WATCH It's too early to say. Some of our good players from last season, like Akos Buzsaky, have stayed and should push on. Matthew Connolly and Peter Ramage have strengthened the defence. Samuel Di Carmine and the other new youngsters might be bargains or flops. BOO-BOYS I'm too old for that kind of thing.
I'm not terribly optimistic. There's been a lot of hullaballoo, high expectations, and the bookies even made us favourites, though God knows why. Despite some progress in the squad, we're still some way from challenging for the play-offs. Iain Dowie doesn't have a bad managerial record, but I was surprised when he was appointed. However, we're moving slowly in the right direction and we'll do better than last season.
WE'LL FINISH 8th.
GOING UP Birmingham, Derby and Reading.
GOING DOWN Nottingham Forest, Doncaster and Barnsley.
Ray Schomberg Observer reader Obsever QPR Report


Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Championship Prospects Preview and Current Promotion Odds
BBC- Paul Fletcher blog The charm of the Championship

Some things change, some things stay the same.
There are six new clubs in the Championship this season but, as was the case last summer, I really couldn't say with any degree of certainty what the division will look like at the end of the forthcoming season.
I have asked various people how they think their team will do this season. None of them know.
And although I'm more likely to stagger next door half asleep at three in the morning to ask my neighbour to crank up his awful European techno than feel sorry for a bookmaker, I don't for a second envy the Championship odds compilers.
For example, how many people do you reckon had a promotion treble of West Brom, Stoke and Hull last season? Frankly, I would be surprised if anybody did.
QPR are this season's favourites for promotion.
This is the same QPR who have endured seasons of off-field shenanigans, including trouble in the boardroom, while working their way through a succession of managers and managing a highest placed finish of 11th since they won promotion back to the Championship in 2004.
The R's factor this season is the millions apparently swilling around Loftus Road following the takeover of Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore.
But new boss Iain Dowie has a mixed managerial record - good at Oldham and Palace, a failure at Charlton and average at best at Coventry.
And, with a striker from Fiorentina plus a midfielder from Genoa that I've never heard of brought in over the summer, there are plenty of ifs and buts about QPR.
What's more, can anyone say with any degree of certainty that the three teams relegated from the Premier League last season will mount a sustained promotion push?
On paper both Birmingham (Marcus Bent, Kevin Phillips and Lee Carsley) and Derby (Martin Albrechtsen and Rob Hulse) have bought sensibly while Reading have retained the services of manager Steve Coppell.
But Sheffield United, Charlton and Watford all failed to bounce back at the first attempt, with only the Hornets making the play-offs.
It is the same throughout the division. Plenty of teams will feel that if their pre-season is successful and their new signings gel then anything is possible.
And the exploits of newly-promoted Bristol City in reaching last season's play-off final will provide encouragement to Doncaster, Nottingham Forest and Swansea.
Some people reckon the reason why last season's Championship was so tight - just 18 points separated the play-offs from the bottom three - was because it was such a mediocre league.
But, unlike the Premier League, the reason the Championship is such an exciting division is in part because of its sheer unpredictability.
Steve Claridge played in every tier of English professional football during his career and is in no doubt that the Championship is one of the most exciting and competitive.
"It is a great division simply because so many teams have a chance," he told me.
"There is very little to choose between all the clubs. There are plenty of sides who are probably only three or four signings away from being able to do a Stoke or a Hull."
Claridge even reckons that with a 46-game season, teams can even start the season poorly and recover to win promotion.
Crystal Palace were 19th when Dowie took over in December 2003 but went up that same season with victory over West Ham in the play-off final.
"Put a good run together at any stage and you won't be far away," is how Claridge puts it.
The Championship reminds me of the old Division One, the era just before the game became awash with cash. Some astute management, a few shrewd signings and the right team spirit can take a side a long way.
I find it refreshing and desirable when contrasted with the multi-tiered Premier League in which most teams have no chance of cracking the top four.
It is a good thing that so many clubs start the Championship season with a realistic hope of realising their dreams.
But which clubs will last the distance and be at the top of the table next May? BBC
QPR Report


Casino Beacon - 26 May 2008 - QPR Favourites For Championship
In Football Betting, newly promoted Doncaster are 4/1 to be relegated, 40/1 to win the Championship and 14/1 to be promoted to the Premiership.
Bookies William Hill offer betting odds of 6/4 that Leeds will gain promotion next year.
QPR and their moneybags are the hot favourites to win the Championship, but we expect Doncaster to struggle." said William Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.
Championship Betting Odds 08/09: 6/1 QPR, 15/2 Birmingham, 8/1 Reading, 10/1 Sheff Utd, 11/1 C Palace, 12/1 Ipswich, 14/1 Derby, 14/1 Wolves, 14/1 Charlton, 16/1 Watford, 20/1 Cardiff, 25/1 Bristol, 25/1 Nottm Forest, 25/1 Coventry, 33/1 Southampton, 33/1 Norwich, 33/1 Preston, 33/1 Swansea, 40/1 Doncaster, 40/1 Plymouth, 40/1 Burnley, 66/1 Sheff Wed, 80/1 Barnsley, 80/1 Blackpool. Casino Beacon

See Also other Championship Odds
- Odds Checker
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Best Betting Championship 2008-2009 Odds

[Prior to Leeds-Doncaster Final putting up Doncaster)
* Best Odds - * All Odds - * Historic Odds * Info
Compare Coca-Cola Championship 08/09 betting odds from all the leading Internet bookmakers and betting exchanges and always bet at the best odds! To place a bet, click on the (bold) best Coca-Cola Championship 08/09 odds of the outcome you want to bet on in the Best Odds, All Odds or Exchanges tab. For other betting events, browse the menu on the left.

Birmingham City 6 6 7 6 13/2 6 6 15/2
QPR 7 8 13/2 7 6 8 6
Reading 10 8 8 10 8 6 8 8
Crystal Palace 11 10 12 11 12 9 14 11
Derby County 14 14 16 14 16 16 9 14
Sheffield Utd 11 10 9 11 16 12 14 10
Watford 12 14 16 12 14 14 14 16
Wolves 10 16 14 10 14 14 9 14
Charlton Athletic 12 20 16 12 16 18 20 14
Ipswich Town 18 16 16 18 20 20 14 12
Cardiff City 22 20 20 22 22 18 25 20
Nottingham Forest 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
Norwich City 40 33 33 40 40 40 33 33
Southampton 33 33 40 33 33 33 33 33
Swansea 33 40 25 33 28 33 25 33
Coventry City 33 33 33 33 33 50 50 25
Preston North End 40 33 40 40 50 25 33 33
Burnley 33 66 33 33 50 66 25 40
Plymouth Argyle 33 40 40 33 66 33 50 40
Sheffield Wednesday 40 50 50 40 80 40 50 66
Blackpool 66 100 66 66 100 80 100 80
Barnsley 66 100 50 66 125 66 100 80
Best Bets


QPR Official Site - Wednesday, June 11, 2008

QPR's Vice Chair on Player Signings and Promotion Hopes
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QPR Official Site - PULLING POWER: QPR Vice Chairman, Amit Bhatia

As the countdown continues to what we all hope will be an exciting 2008/09 campaign, Amit Bhatia has revealed that he is relishing the start of the new season just as much as anyone else.
The QPR Holdings Limited Vice-Chairman told www.qpr.co.uk: "We are continuing discussions with a lot of very exciting players.
"Hopefully before the start of the season we will announce the arrival of some new faces, and everyone will be happy.
"QPR now has the ability to attract players that, in the past, might not have been as interested in coming to the Club, and that's great."
The R's have been installed by many Bookmakers as the favourites to win the league next season, and Bhatia admitted: "I can understand why that has happened.
"Someone told me recently that last season we were 160/1 to win the Championship - and now we're 6/1 to do it. [Note: Some pre-Season Odds before start of 2007-2008]
"It's flattering more than anything else, and let's just hope that we can do it justice. "What is important is that our results on the pitch justify all the hype that surrounds the Club right now."QPR QPR Report