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Independent - Neil Warnock: Faurlin affair will be sorted by our legal team – I've got to focus on tricky Palace match
What I Learnt This WeekSaturday, 12 March 2011
You'll have read that we've been charged by the Football Association on seven counts relating to the signing, back in 2009, of our midfielder Ale Faurlin. You'll have read quite a lot else in some newspapers but I can tell you most of the articles fall into the category "never let the facts get in the way of a good story".
I can't go into any detail because the matter is sub judice, or whatever the phrase is, but having spoken to the barrister in charge of our legal team I think the situation is in good hands. They tell me they have it covered and I'm happy to leave it to them while I get on with managing the team.
The focus has to be on the football as we have a difficult derby today against a Crystal Palace team who will be buoyed by a great win over Cardiff in midweek. They've made good progress under Dougie Freedman who, being in his first job, I'm sure has really benefited from having Lennie Lawrence around to offer advice.
If it weren't for Palace and their fans I wouldn't be at QPR today. They gave me back my enthusiasm and I'll always be grateful for that. So I wish them well for the rest of the season – after today, of course.
2. Millwall referee had too much history at the New Den
This is our second derby in four days – though Millwall didn't feel very local after a two-hour drive back from the New Den to our training ground because of roadworks on the M4 and A4.
It wasn't a very happy journey as my reservations about the choice of referee proved well-founded. I think Steve Tanner is a cracking ref, one of the best, but I was somewhat dismayed the hierarchy put him in charge. Leading up to the game the local paper serving Millwall highlighted the fact that it was his first appearance at their ground in five years. On his last visit he disallowed what Millwall felt was a perfectly good goal against Sheffield Wednesday, who then rushed upfield to score the only goal of the game while Millwall's players were celebrating. The writer added: "I'm sure we'll give him a rousing reception."
Now I know he has to go back and ref a game at Millwall some time, but surely a highly charged derby is not the occasion. There must have been a less contentious match in the last five seasons he could have taken charge of. It was unfair to Steve because it put him under unnecessary pressure. In the circumstances it is human nature not to want to stir up an intimidating crowd early on so I wasn't at all surprised when Adel Taarabt was whacked in the first few minutes, and the culprit was not booked.
Then in the second half he gave Danny Shittu a red card "for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity" after Steve Morison was fouled in the box. But Morison was still able to put the ball in the back of the net so his goalscoring opportunity obviously was not denied. If only Steve had waited to see if an advantage had accrued – as he had done several times earlier in the game. As it was not only did we wrongly lose a player, Millwall would have been denied a goal if they had missed the penalty.
3. Busacca caught up in the headmaster complex
It wasn't a great week for referees. I think Massimo Busacca, who refereed the Arsenal game, is one of the best but I am sure even other referees thought it an injustice when he sent off Robin van Persie. You can't tell me you don't give a player the benefit of the doubt with 90,000 fans screaming their heads off. I thought the red card, and Busacca's attitude to Arsène Wenger at full-time, showed the worst aspect of some referees. They have an arrogance as if they are superior to anyone else on the field, the headmaster complex. Once refs get like that they are on the slippery slope.
One player who should have been sent off was Liverpool's Jamie Carragher last weekend. His tackle on Nani horrified me. Why? As a professional it is the deceitful tackles which are the worst and I wasn't surprised in the least that Nani had such a gashed leg. At the time I shouted "he'll be lucky if it's not broken". You almost have to watch in slow-motion to see how bad a tackle it is. No wonder Nani didn't want to see him after the game.
But one ref did make me smile: Peter Walton waving an imaginary card at Jordan Mutch in the Everton-Birmingham game after he realised he'd forgotten his yellow card. Obviously a good player to have on your team at charades.
4. Good luck, Chris. I know no one will fight harder
How sad to see one of my old players, Chris Armstrong, having to retire because he has multiple sclerosis, a cruel disease I know well because my mother had it, although there are many types and, encouragingly for Chris, medicine has moved on since then.
I can't speak highly enough of this young man, who I've known since he came to Bury as a teenager in 1999. I then signed him for Sheffield United. You couldn't meet a nicer lad, nor a braver one. At Sheffield he suffered a terrible knee injury and was offered a substantial sum of insurance money to retire. I thought he would never play again and was surprised he didn't take it. Instead he battled back, confounded the critics, was bought by Reading, and was their player of the season in 2008-09. A few months later he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and, though he has fought hard, he's had to accept he can't play on.
When people moan about this injury and that injury, dear me, I don't think anyone could have put up with more than Chris has. He'll continue to fight the disease with courage and everyone who knows Chris will wish him well.
5. Sharon and I get Lifted by the fabulous Family
It's been a good week for Will, who scored three tries. For the last one I watched him pick the ball up in his own half, he broke forward and dropped his shoulder to go past three tackles. Two more lads come toward him and he goes between them to dive over the line; by which time I'm hysterical. Between celebrating I wondered why it is, when I watch the under-10s, the opposition always has a player who looks six foot and 21 years old. They must eat their veg more down here than up north.
On Thursday I took Sharon to the Apollo to watch the Lighthouse Family. It was a fabulous atmosphere. Within five minutes of sitting down we were on our feet, you had to get up to see the stage as everyone was dancing. The jumping in the aisles made my behaviour in the dugout look mild-mannered, I've never seen so many crazy dancers. People have no idea how foolish they can look when they're having a good time.
6. Harry makes history, Bendtner's touch falls short
Who'd have thought we'd be raving about Tottenham getting a clean sheet? I do hope they don't get Barcelona now because against anyone else they've got a chance. It's a great achievement for Harry Redknapp to be the first English manager to make the last eight of the Champions League, another feather in his cap for the England job.
As well as Barcelona played, and as dominant as they were, if Nicklas Bendtner's first touch had been spot on Arsenal would be in the quarter-finals. Little things can make such a big difference, as will be the case in all divisions in the next few weeks.
Compared to the Champions League, the Europa League doesn't tick any boxes for me. To judge from Thursday the same applies to some of the players – Mario Balotelli's antics make Taarabt's occasional sulks at our place look small beer.
This weekend it's the FA Cup and I'm hoping to get my duties done after today's game in time to see the second half of Arsenal's game at Old Trafford. I doubt if either side will field a full-strength team, though both will be nearer first-choice than Birmingham today. They have a cup in the bag already, now they have to secure their Premier League place. It wouldn't surprise me if owner Carson Yeung pulls a shirt on.
7. Dave's fate at Rovers really was a Penney dreadful
I couldn't believe this week's sacking of Dave Penney after 13 games at Bristol Rovers. I suppose the directors will think they made the right decision as they then beat Tranmere, but 13 games? What can you do in 13 games? INDEPENDENT
MIRROR - Mirror - Brian Reade
Are Spurs merely the new Leeds United, and has Tevezgate finally come back to haunt Neil Warnock
"....Do you recall being being bored into a coma back in 2007 by Tevezgate?
West Ham broke the rules by playing a third-party owned striker whose goals kept them in the Premier League and helped send Neil Warnock's Sheffield United side down.
The Blades demanded a "level playing field" which meant a points deduction, and were so angry when it never happened, the likes of Warnock almost spontaneously combusted. And he never forgot it.
When he took over as Crystal Palace manager and was asked about his strategy he sarcastically replied: "Let's try to get a few Argentinians or Brazilians in on third-party deals and go for it."
So you'd imagine he'd be delighted with the FA charging QPR over allegedly breaking third-party ownership rules with another Argentinian, Alejandro Faurlin.
You'd guess he's be arguing that if charges are proven, QPR should face an immediate points deduction. But not a peep.
Is Warnock OK? Or is he having a lie-down on the "level playing field" of the club he now manages? A club called QPR? Mirror
MIRROR/Neil McLeman - Derry auditioning ex-factor against Eagles
Shaun Derry reckons the ex-factor will shrink the gap between leaders QPR and relegation strugglers Crystal Palace today.
Rangers, who were hit with FA charges over the ownership of Argentine Alejandro Faurlin this week, have lost only one match in 18 at Loftus Road.
While the Dougie Freedman’s Eagles have the worst away record in the Football League.
But former Palace captain, who crossed London to join Neil Warnock along with Clint Hill last summer, said the club’s shared history means this is no simple top versus bottom clash.
“It’s not just QPR versus Crystal Palace,” said Derry, who made 228 appearances in two spells for the Eagles.
“It’s a Palace manager who played under Neil Warnock along with his coaching staff. Saturday has got so many things going for it and that makes it exciting. I couldn’t call what is going to happen, you never can in this division but that is even more the case this time. We’re still taking nothing for granted. There are sides capable of going on fantastic runs and it’s so important we don’t get carried away because it would be tragic for us to lose our lead now.”
Derry, who led Palace to on-field survival last season after the club entered administration, returned to Selhurst Park when QPR won 2-1 in October.
“I didn’t enjoy that game at all,” he admitted. “It wasn’t pleasurable to take the points off Palace but that’s football and you can’t help these situations.
“Playing further down the season - when the result is really crucial for both clubs - is going to make the day even more tense. Ultimately you’ve got to get your professional head on and if the three points come to the detriment of Palace, then it is just unfortunate.”
Palace’s record of taking only six points from 18 Championship away games this season explains why they sit in 21st place.
But Freedman has no fears of taking on his former boss Warnock, who left Palace at the end of last season to join cash-rich QPR.
The Scot said: “It’s probably the least pressurised game I’ve had to manage yet because they are the favourites with a Premier League wage bill.
“They are really strong at home and our away record is terrible. Nobody expects us to win. I’m relaxed about it. We’ve got nothing to lose and my lads can just give it a right go and see what happens. I’m looking forward to it.” Mirror
