QPR Report Sunday - Further QPR-Sheffield United Match Reports...Flashback: Lakshmi Mittal's QPR Investment Announced...QPR Birthday

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- Scroll Down For Earlier Posts re QPR. Or click on QPR Report

- Foreign Owners of English Clubs Urged to Think Long-Term

- Year-by-Year Comparison of QPR's points at Year's End and Season's End (and ten managers - six permanent, four acting - in twenty-seven months

- Paul Parker Now Lives in Austalia

- A look at Old QPR Kits

- Two Year Flashback: Lakshmi Mittal Invests in QPR

- Paul Hart at Portsmouth: Perspective

- QPR's Vice Chairman Amit Bhatia and Managing Director Ishan Saksena Play in an Exhibition Game...QPR Coaching in India

- Pointswise: QPR currently Worse off Than Last Year

- Birthday for QPR's Fitz Hall (and ex-QPR Coach, Ed DeGoey)

- 4 Year Flashback - Adam Czerkas Loan Terminated

- Homophobia in Football Continues

- Clubs' Tribute to Murdered Fans

- When Saturday Comes Recalls a Decade since West Ham Club Secretary Graham Mackrell resigned from West Ham after ineligible player played. (And recalling Mackrell arrival and departure from QPR as QPR CEO)


Dave Kidd/Sunday People
- FROM a frying pan on [...]
From a frying pan on the south coast in to a Shepherd's Bush fire. As former Portsmouth boss Paul Hart became QPR's eighth manager in 28 months, he said: "I work in an honest way and in return, I expect the same."
Expect all you like, Mr Hart, expect until the chuffing cows come home." People


ADDITIONAL QPR vs SHEFFIELD UNITED MATCH REPORTS

Sunday Times - Hart makes his point

QPR 1 Sheffield United 1 Paul Hart came agonisingly close to a winning start as QPR manager but had to settle for one point. Midfield player Ben Watson hit the crossbar in stoppage time to leave the Rangers supporters exasperated.

QPR took the lead in the second minute when Mikele Leigertwood’s shot went through a crowd of players and past goalkeeper Mark Bunn. Six minutes later, the sides were level as Toni Kallio took advantage of uncertainty in the home defence to set up an equaliser for Richard Cresswell. That was to prove the end of the scoring as both sides struggled to create clear chances until Watson’s late effort.

‘Football managers tend to have their glasses half-full, not half-empty. I’m here for six months and I’m happy with that,’ said Hart. ‘I think this is a great club and it’s a privilege to be working here.’ Sunday Times

Sunday People/Marc Isaacs - 20 December 2009 Hart ache as Blades point way

PAUL HART is no stranger to an uphill battle and he knows he has another major task on his hands after starting his QPR reign with a draw.

Hart was the shock choice to take over as manager from Jim Magilton who left the west London club last week following his dressing room bust-up with Akos Buzsaky.

Qpr co-owner Flavio Briatore is desperate for instant success and is looking for Hart to steer his club into the Premier League next season.

And Hart certainly knows about a challenge following his nightmare spell as Portsmouth boss.

He managed to keep Pompey up last season and faced nothing but turmoil off the pitch with financial troubles blighting the south coast club during his short spell at Fratton Park.

Millions With Briatore in charge at Loftus Road, Hart is facing a very different challenge off the field and many people were surprised he accepted the role of becoming the eighth manager since the Italian multi-millionaire took charge of QPR in September 2007.

Despite his so-called rags-to-riches move, Hart is adamant he will not be banging down the door of Briatore and says he would not know what to do with the millions if they are made available.

Hart said: "Some people have said it's like coming out of the frying pan into the fire, but the poison challis thing is not deep in my thoughts.

"I am one of these coaches whose glass is always half full and I am happy to be here until the end of the season.

"I would hope there is money available and there is nothing to tell me otherwise. I've never been in a position where I have had a lot of money to spend, so if they said I had £20million I don't think I would know what to do with it!" Hart sees no reason why he cannot steer QPR into the play-offs this season and is desperate to bring the glory days back to Loftus Road.

He added: "I was delighted with the way we played and there is no reason why we can't make the play-offs. I have not been given any specific targets, but I'm here to steady the ship and improve our performance.

"I was an anorak at school and used to study teams like QPR. They had players like Rodney Marsh and Stan Bowles and they were a fantastic team. It is important that we get these styles and principles back."

Qpr fans are fed up with the managerial merry-go-round at Loftus Road, but gave a warm welcome to Hart at the start of the game and must have thought he was finally the man to turn their season around when they scored after just two minutes. United failed to clear a corner and Mikele Leigertwood fired a low drive which took two deflections and flew past keeper Mark Bunn.

It was the first goal United had conceded in over four-and-a-half hours and was an extra special moment for one-time Blade Leigertwood.

But Hart was not celebrating for long as United fought their way back into the game and grabbed an equaliser on eight minutes.

Ben Watson played a horrendous back pass straight into the path of Toni Kallio who crossed the ball into Richard Cresspwell and he poked a close-range shot into the corner of the net.

United could have grabbed a second goal on the stroke of half-time when Jamie Ward volleyed inches past the post. QPR had strong claims for a penalty turned down on 65 minutes when defender Chris Morgan appeared to bring down Jay Simpson inside the box.

And Hart was denied a winning start when Ben Watson's injury-time header struck the top of the bar.

Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell said: "We knew all the talk would be about QPR and this was not the time to play them as their players would want to show the new manager what they are all about.

"Qpr have now got a strong management team, but my players showed fantastic resilience and we coped with the pressure very well."

Qpr: Cerny 7 - Ramage 6, Stewart 6, Gorkss 6, Williams 7 - Simpson 7 (Vine, 68mins, 6), *LEIGERTWOOD 8, Watson 7, Routledge 7 - Taarabt 7, Agyemang 7
SHEFFIELD UNITED: Bunn 7 - Walker 6, Morgan 7, Kilgallon 7, Kallio 7 - Ward 7, *HARPER 8, Quinn 7, Montgomery 7, Stewart 7 - Creswell 7 REFEREE: N Swarbrick 6 People


TELEGRAPH QPR 1 Sheffield United 1: match report
Read a full match report of the Championship game between QPR and Sheffield United at Loftus Road on Saturday Dec 19 2009.
-Tom Harverson at Bramall Lane [sic!]

QPR’s managerial round-a-bout had barely stopped spinning when Paul Hart arrived at Loftus Road this week but after almost a year of attempting to dodge the drop into the Championship with Portsmouth, the new QPR manager finds himself straight back under the spotlight.

Replacing the pressures of a relegation scrap, is the new weight of inspiring a stuttering side back towards the play-off places by overturning the recent slump in form that leaves QPR mid-table without a win in six outings.

Coppell wants transfer window to close as quickly as possibleAdded to that is the knowledge that his new boss, Flavio Briatore doesn’t hesitate to dispose of managers - of which Hart is the ninth since the Italian assumed ownership of Rangers in August 2007. But despite moving straight from on fight to the next, the 56-year old is adamant that he is not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

“I am here until the end of the season at the moment and I am happy with that,” he said. “As far as a poisoned chalice is concerned, it has not been deep in my thoughts.

“Some people have said that it is like going out of the frying pan into the fire but I think this is a great club and it is privilege to be working here.

“I loved my time at Portsmouth but I have got to get away from that and this is a great challenge with a chance to progress with a club that wants to progress. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I have not been given any specific targets but I am here to steady the ship and whist doing that improve our position if I can.”

It was a tough start for Hart who faced a Blades side who are themselves pushing for the play-off places and the Premier League. They also boasted a healthy defensive record, having kept a clean sheet in the four of the last five fixtures.

But barely two minutes into the new Rangers regime, Mikele Leigertwood’s deflected effort against his former club killed the run, breaching the Blades defence for the first time in four-and-a-half hours of football.

However, the mood didn’t last long as a sloppy back-pass from Ben Watson set the platform for a United recovery. Toni Kallio pounced on the loose ball to square for Richard Cresswell who tapped in.

Watson almost made up for his error in the dying minutes as he connected with Wayne Routledge’s cross, but the header slammed against the crossbar.

And United manager, Kevin Blackwell said, “We have come up against two new managers in the last seven games. It is not the time to playing teams because players have to show the manager what they about. It is quite right that the talk was all about QPR but I think the players responded well.” Telegraph

- QPR vs Sheffield United: Updated Compilation of Match Reports and Managerial Comments

- Updated League Table


News of The World/Neil Ashton - CURBISHLEY IS QPR'S PRIORITY TARGET
- ALAN CURBISHLEY is the man QPR want as their next permanent manager.
-Paul Hart took the job on Friday but his contract at Loftus Road is only until the end of the season.
- That gives Curbs the time to resolve his ongoing legal dispute with West Ham before he can consider the Rangers job.
- The ex-Hammers chief won his £3million compensation claim against chief executive Scott Duxbury last month.
- But an appeal by West Ham means Curbishley is restricted from taking another job until it is resolved.
- Rangers believe the 52-year-old, a promotion expert at Charlton, is the man to steady the ship and lead them to the Premier League.
- It means they are prepared to wait until the appeal is heard before making an official approach for him.
- Curbs has previously stated his intention to return to the Premier League - but has just built a new house in Essex and is warming to the idea of QPR.
News of The World

- Mancini Replaced Hughes at Manchester City
- QPR 1967 Cup Hero, Ron Hunt Turns Sixty-Four
- "Briatore Hits Back" (F1)
- Three Year QPR Report Flashback: "Winter Comes Early to Loftus Road"
- Cardiff City's "Watch Free if Promoted" Season Ticket Offer
- World Cup: Complete Schedule
- Freak Footballing Injuries