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- QPR Play Everton at Loftus Road in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup.
- Flashback: George Best's Final Game for Manchester United: Against QPR at Loftus Road
- "Exclusive" - Former Long-Serving QPR Club Secretary Ron Phillips, Recalls Stan Bowles joining - and leaving - QPR
- QPR Report Interview: A Manchester United Fan Perspective of Manchester United on and Off The Pitch
- Max Ehmer's Yeovil Loan Extended till End of Season
- Three Year Flashback: (Ipswich!) Manager Jim Magilton Walks Out on Press Conference!
JOE LEWIS NOT "DONE DEAL"
David McIntyre/West London Sport - QPR appear to cool interest in keeper Lewis
Warnock wants at least one defender
16/12/2011
by David McIntyre
QPR appear to have cooled their interest in Peterborough goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
The former England Under-21 international, whose Posh contract expires next summer, has been training with the R’s ahead of a possible move to west London.
But Rangers’ initial approach to Peterborough was made soon after Paddy Kenny was ruled out for several weeks with an injury, and since then stand-in keeper Radek Cerny’s displays have surpassed expectations.
And with Kenny having made a swift recovery, QPR manager Neil Warnock must decide whether Lewis – whose first-team chances at Loftus Road might be limited – would be a worthwhile signing.
“I spoke to Peterborough but when we agreed it, in fairness I didn’t expect Radek Cerny to play like he has done,” Warnock admitted.
“It’s a certain type that’s willing to come as a back-up. Most keepers want to come as number one.
“I like Joe but we’ll have to see what develops over the next week or so. We’re looking at a few keepers.” West London Sport
Paul Warburton/Chronicle - Keeper will have to wait to see if QPR want him
By Paul WarburtonDec 16 2011
JOE Lewis is going to have to sweat on a move to QPR after the surprising form of Radek Cerny in goal.
The Peterborough keeper (pic) has come under the Rs' microscope over the last fortnight and played in a behind closed doors friendly for Hoops against Leyton Orient.
But such is the form of Cerny, who will keep fit-again Paddy Kenny on the bench against Manchester United on Sunday, Neil Warnock is having second thoughts over signing the Posh custodian.
“We’re looking at a few keepers,” said the manager, “and I’m having a look at Joe. But when we agreed that (trial) with Barry Fry at Peterborough - we didn’t expect Raddy to play like he has done.
“You need a certain type to come and play as number two – although I do like Joe, but we’ll know more in the next week.”
Warnock is to meet the entire executive face-to-face for the first time in months on Tuesday to discus transfers in the January window – much to the manager’s relief.
“We’ve got everyone together,” he said, “and it’s better than these computer links, even if it’s the modern way. A spontaneous reaction to things will be much better than what you get with a phone delay.
“We’re looking to buy in two areas and supplement with loans.
“This is our first year in the Premiership and we need to be careful. Anyway, the best business is always done in the summer, and we don’t want to pay stupid prices as you sometimes do in January.” Fulham Chronicle
Helguson: Iceland's Player of the Year
QPR Official Site
ICE-MAN REWARDED
Heidar Helguson has been named Iceland's Player of the Year.
The in-form R's front-man was selected by a panel of more than 100 Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) officials, former national players and coaches.
Helguson, who has notched 12 goals in 55 games for his country, already has six goals to his name in the Premier League this season. QPR
Telegraph - QPR manager Neil Warnock: Don’t mention Carlos Tevez
On Sunday Neil Warnock will come face to face with Sir Alex Ferguson in a Premier League dugout for the first time since he was struck off the Scotsman’s Christmas card list because of his criticisms of Manchester United during the Carlos Tévez affair four years ago.
By Jason Burt, Deputy Football Correspondent10:00PM GMT 16 Dec 2011
“It’s been a few years since I had one,” he admits. “But when I see Cathy [Ferguson’s wife] I have a nice chat with her. I was struck off his Christmas card list, OK. But it doesn’t take away my admiration for him.”
That admiration for Ferguson is stronger than ever. “There will never be a manager as good as him ever again, make no mistake,” he says. And maybe, just maybe, the Premier League will never see a manager like Neil Warnock again, either.
“When I get down people tell me, ‘Gaffer, you are one of only four English managers in the Premier League’,” he explains, a mix of pride, humour and resilience in his distinctive voice.
“And it’s hard to think, here’s a ------ chiropodist [his chosen profession after his player career finished and before he went into management] from Sheffield, a steelworker’s son managing in the Premier League.”
The Premier League matters to Warnock. It matters a lot.
Twice during this interview he admits to having had tears in his eyes during the events of last season and the summer — when Queens Park Rangers’ promotion was threatened over the inquiry into midfielder Alejandro Faurlin’s transfer (a bitter irony through rules introduced post-Tévez) and then whether the club’s previous owners were going to sack him despite having gained that promotion.
“It was like, ‘everyone’s ganging up on me’,” he says. “I spent the whole summer with my hands tied behind my back thinking, ‘Why me?’ Not only that, I was thinking, ‘Why me — twice!’ There were a few times when I felt like crying, to be honest.”
It is evident that he remains deeply affected by his last Premier League campaign, when he took Sheffield United into the top flight only for that dream to die on the final day of the 2006-07 season. “We only went down by one goal [difference] and we had the Tévez thing,” he recalls of that traumatic May day as if it scarred his soul.
The “Tévez thing” resulted in a huge fine — but no points deduction for West Ham, who stayed up — over the issue of third-party ownership, while Warnock incurred Ferguson’s wrath after criticising United for fielding a weakened team on that final day when they lost at home to West Ham. Who else but Tévez scored the only goal.
“No, I will never get over it,” Warnock says. “But I did laugh when I saw Kia [Joorabchian, Tévez’s adviser] a while ago and I suggested he got Tévez to play for us next year as a favour to me – because he cost me millions.
"I like West Ham, I’ve no problem with West Ham. I just felt let down by the Premier League.”
That is the Premier League organisation — not the league he manages in. He loves that, craves that and is now still working, aged 63 and having promised his family he would retire by now, because he has unfinished business there.
“I wanted one more go,” he says. “I was going to retire at Sheffield United but one or two things were said when I left and because of that I was going to get another team. I was going to show them.”
That sense of grievance, too, has always driven him. “I think I was always meant to be the black sheep of football. And I don’t mind that.
"I used to love the non-League clubs in the FA Cup and when I played football [11 years as a self-styled “brainless winger” with the likes of Chesterfield, Rotherham and Hartlepool].
"I didn’t play for the big clubs. I like the underdog and I guess I’ve been that throughout my career.
“I had to do everything from the bottom upwards and I don’t regret it because it made me a better manager. Martin O’Neill did the same.”
That unfinished business took him first to Crystal Palace but the club’s financial plight meant the Premier League dream started to fade. Then QPR — after nine managers in four years — came calling. “I took it for one reason only,” he says. “Amit Bhatia.”
Bhatia is the club’s vice-chairman, and son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who, after an acrimonious split with former owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, returned to take over with the Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes.
“They are both like little kids,” Warnock says. “They both want to be supporters — they want to be the manager, they want to be a player.
"The enthusiasm rubs off on you and I have to calm them down and there are not a lot of managers who can say that about their owners. QPR are so lucky to have this ownership.”
Cash has been injected — a flurry of players arrived at the end of August and at least two more permanent deals and two loans are planned for next month — to give Warnock a fighting chance of remaining in the top flight. And a fighting chance is all he is asking for.
Warnock gained promotion last season but, he says, did not enjoy it because of the ownership uncertainty. “I was getting a bit irate,” he admits.
“Getting QPR promoted was the best job I have done my whole life. It was a remarkable achievement and yet I didn’t win manager of the year. I’m the only one that’s happened to.
“We had billionaire owners but we didn’t spend. And then I couldn’t do anything and it was by far the worst summer I have ever had. I was watching Swansea and Norwich sign players left, right and centre and people kept saying ‘no’ to me.”
Nevertheless the troubles — now thankfully over – bonded him with the QPR supporters who, he knew, were sceptical at his appointment in the first place. “Maybe they thought, ‘he’s loud’ or angry or whatever they had heard or read about me — but since I took over they have been absolutely fantastic,” Warnock says.
“It’s almost as if our fans know how far and how fast we have come.
"The highlight of probably my whole career now, apart from winning things, was when I was stood on the touchline at Fulham and we were losing 6-0 [in October] and there’s god knows how many minutes left and our fans start chanting ‘there’s only one Neil Warnock’.”
There were tears, again, Warnock admits.
“I just filled up about it, to be honest,” he says. “I will never forget that for the rest of my life. That’s how I feel about QPR and the fans and why I am there and that’s why we are all going to enjoy every game.” Telegraph
Independent - Sam Wallace - Hat-trick hero who shocked Old Trafford
Dennis Bailey led QPR to victory at United 20 years ago. He tells Sam Wallace how the feat changed his life...and how he upset Fergie
This New Year's Day will be the 20th anniversary of one of the most famous hat-tricks Old Trafford has ever witnessed and it was not scored by Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy or Wayne Rooney.
It was scored against Manchester United for Queen's Park Rangers by Dennis Bailey, who is still the last man to score three goals for the opposing team at Old Trafford and finish on the winning team.
His feat was matched 11 years later by none less than Ronaldo – the Brazilian original – who scored three for Real Madrid in the Champions League at Old Trafford but ended up on the losing side on the night. United won the game 4-3 after a memorable substitute's performance from David Beckham, although the Spanish team eliminated them 6-5 on aggregate. Two decades on, Bailey's achievement – a hat-trick at Old Trafford for the winning team – has still not been matched.
Tomorrow, United visit a rejuvenated QPR at Loftus Road for the first league game between the two clubs since 1996. From that day 20 years ago Ryan Giggs, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ferguson's assistant Mike Phelan, who was replaced at half-time by an 18-year-old Giggs, remain at the club. So too Brian McClair, United's goalscorer that day and now the club's academy director. As for Bailey, now 46, who played for 19 different professional and non-league clubs and retired only five years ago, that 4-1 win for QPR is still the occasion most people remember him for.
Sitting opposite QPR's most famous hat-trick hero yesterday at his church in Solihull you could not help but be struck by how young and strong he still looks – only the grey flecks in his beard give away his age. He still plays for the Christian Renewal Centre team in the West Midlands Christian league – "don't let the Christian part fool you, it's very competitive" – and is too modest to tell the youngsters he coaches that he once scored three at Old Trafford.
From Brixton, south London, originally he talked Watford into giving him a trial as a teenager, and was already on his seventh club when he became Gerry Francis's first signing at QPR. He scored against Arsenal at Highbury on the first day of the 1991-1992 season and recalls that when QPR went to Old Trafford on New Year's Day 1992, the day after Ferguson's 50th birthday, they were in good form.
The first QPR goal came within two minutes of the start from Andy Sinton and then Bailey scored his first three minutes later, holding off Clayton Blackmore to run on goal. "Peter Schmeichel got a hand to the shot but he couldn't quite stop it," he recalls. "We were 2-0 up and we were dreaming. That stunned the crowd and from then on we had to be on our mettle."
QPR went in at half-time 2-0 up and Ferguson brought on Giggs. "He had won Player of the Month so we were pleased he was sub when we saw the team sheet. Soon after, we got the third. I got the through ball, outpaced Steve Bruce and as Schmeichel came out I chipped it over his body. That really gave us a buffer. Then you sensed the crowd turning against United. McClair pulled one back with eight minutes to go.
"My last goal came when United were attacking full-out and we broke away. Sinton broke in his own half, ran the length of the field. He had two players on him and I was running on the right hand side, him on the left. I was screaming for it. He ignored me, drew the two players across, had a shot. Schmeichel got a hand to it, the ball hit the post and I had an open goal. I got a tap-in. I looked to see if I was offside. I was in shock for a minute."
It was after the game that Bailey made a further impression on Ferguson to the extent that he merited a whole paragraph in the United manager's best-selling autobiography of 1999, Managing, My Life. Writing seven years later, Ferguson recalled that "Bailey did push his luck a little when he danced into our dressing room full of the joys wanting our players to sign the match ball."
It is a memory that stirs a laugh and a wince from Bailey. He has brought the match ball with him, an Adidas Etrusco Unico, the 1990 World Cup finals ball, for the photographer's benefit but it is signed only by his QPR team-mates.
"I didn't get it signed by the United players. I'll tell you the story why. It was probably down to my naivety. I was a young player, I had done the TV interviews, just come off the pitch beaming and gone into the away dressing room. All my team-mates were jumping up and down and congratulating me. They were saying 'Go on, get it signed'."
Were the more experienced likes of Ray Wilkins setting him up? "I don't know to this day! It made sense at the time. So I took the ball and went in to the United dressing room, big grin on my face and asked 'Can you sign my ball, please?' All the United players were sitting down in silence. Brucey looked up at me and just put his head down again. I was stood up there and it seemed like ages. It was probably only 10 seconds. I said again 'Can you sign my ball, please?' No one said a word.
"I thought 'They aren't going to sign it, I'll walk out'. What I didn't know was that Ferguson was behind me. I hadn't seen him when I opened the door. He had been giving them the hairdryer treatment and I had come bursting in with a big grin on my face and interrupted him. It was a shame from my point of view but I didn't realise what Ferguson had been doing. Now I think about the expressions on their faces and it makes sense. It was the wrong time."
Bailey's hat-trick feels like it belongs to a different era. United were in their 24th season without the league title. The game was shown live on ITV, one of the broadcaster's last live top-flight English football matches. The 5pm kick-off on New Year's Day contributed to the drama: the nation was watching and expected United to win. Most striking is the attendance at Old Trafford that day. It was just 38,554, a world away from the 75,800-capacity stadium built on the back of Ferguson's success over the next two decades.
In the following days and weeks, Bailey received congratulatory letters from grateful Leeds United fans, whose team would go on to pip Ferguson's side to the title. But this was also an excellent QPR team who would finish fifth the next season – the first Premier League season – the highest of any London club.
Twenty years on, Bailey is a lovely man, whose Christian faith has been important to him over the years. Ferguson recalls in his autobiography that the QPR forward thanked God for his hat-trick, adding, "I don't blame him, hat-tricks by opposing players are rare enough." Bailey had been taken to church as a child but only when he was 18 did he reimmerse himself in his faith.
In the macho, occasionally narrow-minded world of 1980s and 1990s football that did lead to some bizarre reactions from managers and team-mates. "When I signed for Crystal Palace I remember Steve Coppell saying to me, 'I know you are a Christian but I don't want you Bible-bashing my players,'" he recalls. "Palace had strong characters like Jim Cannon and Ian Wright at the time and I remember thinking to myself, 'There was no way on earth I'd be preaching to them anyway!'"
The congregation at his church includes the former Portsmouth and West Bromwich defender Darren Moore, currently at Burton Albion, and Derek Jefferson, formerly of Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with whom Bailey works coaching children in schools and on housing estates with Jefferson's company Sports Pursuits.
In a career that took him all over the West Midlands, London and parts of the South and South-west, Bailey says that there are a few clubs who do not just remember him for his Old Trafford hat-trick. At Birmingham City he won the Leyland Daf trophy in 1991. At Gillingham he is remembered for his part in Tony Pulis's 1995-1996 promotion-winning team. At Cheltenham Town he won promotion to the Football League in 1999.
It is interesting to hear the reaction of some of the young people he works with today who, naturally, make the assumption that a hat-trick at Old Trafford brings with it great financial rewards. "I don't have to tell the kids I deal with [about the hat-trick], word gets around," he says. "Most of them are 13, 14 and they like Manchester United. When they know a bit more about my history they are like, 'No, that's not him'. Because they look at me as a normal person. I haven't got the big car!
"We have a good laugh. They take the mick and ask me, 'Where's all your money? Where's your Ferrari?' They are good kids. I say to them that they have to work hard no matter what they do. Whether it is at football or at school. What you put in is what you get out. There's no secret formula. It's just hard work."
Away Team Only: Old Trafford Hat-Tricks
1950 Ivan Broadis (Sunderland) 3-5
1957 Bobby Smith (Spurs) 3-4
1959 Graham Leggat (Fulham) 3-3
1960 Derek Dougan (Blackburn) 1-3
1961 Keith Ellis (Sheff Wed) 2-7
1962 John Connelly (Burnley) 2-5
1969 Ron Davies (S'hampton) 1-4
1972 Martin Peters (Tottenham) 1-4
1978 Kevin Mabbut (Bristol C) 1-3
1992 Dennis Bailey (QPR) 1-4
2003 Ronaldo (R Madrid) 4-3
The Teams From 20 Years Ago
Manchester United 1-4 Queen's Park Rangers
Teams: Man Utd: Schmeichel, Parker, Blackmore, Bruce, Pallister, Webb, Ince, Phelan, McClair, Hughes, Sharpe.
QPR: Stejskal, Bardsley, Wilson, Wilkins, Peacock, McDonald, Holloway, Barker, Sinton, Bailey, Wegerle. Substitutes: Man Utd Giggs (Phelan).
Attendance 38,554. Independent
NEIL WARNOCK WEEKLY INDEPENDENT COLUMN
The local derby against Chelsea was a great occasion; it was a terrific night when Manchester City, the league leaders, came to Loftus Road; but tomorrow lunchtime the Sky cameras return for what is probably the biggest game of all when the champions visit us.
There is something about Manchester United that gets the pulse beating faster. It's the glamour and everything to do with the club.
I'm really looking forward to the match, not least because I've rarely come face to face with United. I've managed more than 1,300 games but only four have been against Manchester United. I played them twice with Notts County, and twice with Sheffield United.
It's not many weeks since all the media were writing Man United off – don't they realise that's what spurs Sir Alex on? Yet if they beat us tomorrow they go back on top of the league, even if only for a few hours. Alex must rub his hands every time the media start on his team. He won't be alone. Just look what's happened to Wenger since the press picked on him. And now I think about it, Chelsea have picked up since AVB got some stick. So by my reckoning, if Mancini gets some stick now, they'll run away with the league – though I suppose Tottenham could catch them "now that their bubble has burst".
Enough of my riddles. I know every QPR fan tomorrow will be so looking forward to this game more than any other, many still can't believe we are eating off the top table. A whole new generation of young Hoops fans will be coming to the game, talking about seeing Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs. It's not a bad team considering all the injuries United have. That's the thing about the top teams. They have such depth, and also a few more young lads they can bring in to put on the bench who are not in the 25-man squad list. That doesn't half help.
One player who won't be playing against us is Darren Fletcher. It really is an energy-sapping illness he has picked up. The medical advice has forced him to stop playing as he tries to fight back and relaunch his career. How frustrating that must be for a top player who has so much to offer.
We have our own injury problems, with the latest blow befalling poor Kieron Dyer. In a reserve game he had a recurrence of the ankle injury he suffered on the season's opening day. All the hard work he has put in to get back to fitness over the last few months has been to no avail and he has to go in on Monday for an operation.
Life does seem cruel at times and both players will be asking 'why me?', but they are both fighters and I wouldn't write either off. Kieron, although he won't play again this season, will be staying with us because he's excellent around the club, and we still think he can have an impact when he does get fit.
2. Stop press. Xmas party passed without incident
My heart skipped a bit on Sunday morning when the phone rang and it was Paul, the press officer. The lads had stayed up in Liverpool following Luis Suarez's latest demonstration of how good he is, to have their Christmas party. So before Paul could speak I said, "Don't tell me, the players' party last night." I was so relieved when he said, "No gaffer, nothing to do with that."
Thank goodness. I think they all had a good time, and it went off without incident, but the way things are these days we had taken the precaution of hiring four security men to be with them all night. You just have to do that now.
3. I am sticking up for referees – it's official
It was an intriguing match on Monday between Chelsea and Manchester City, but I have to take issue with pundits who criticised the referee Mark Clattenburg for not awarding a penalty for the "foul" on David Silva, which would have made it 2-0 to City. I thought Mark had a cracking game and that includes the penalty. I watched the incident four times and I couldn't tell 100 per cent if it was a penalty, and I don't see how a ref can give it unless he is 100 per cent sure. I have every sympathy for him.
It reminded me when I was younger, with Burton Albion in non-League. Mossley were the top dogs and I went to see them play a Lancashire derby against Runcorn. There were tackles left, right and centre, and the young ref was handling it with common sense and not dishing cards out. As I was watching I realised a man near me was an ex-referee. I said hello and he told me he was assessing the referee. I said to him, "In such a physical local derby, and being so young, isn't he doing well?" The assessor said, "He's not running his diagonals properly, and his communication with the linesman's not good enough." It just made me think back to my dad reffing. He didn't have to worry about an assessor. He could just man-manage the game and always got the respect of the players. This young referee was in total charge of one of the most difficult games in non-League and he had earned the respect of the players. Yet I knew he would get a bad mark as he didn't adhere to the assessor's checklist. What makes me feel Mark Clattenburg will also be wrongly judged for last Monday?
4. Sharon doesn't have a Monopoly on all the fun
Sharon said to me last Sunday, "You never play anything with the kids", so I played Monopoly with William. Can you believe the modern game isn't £200 for passing Go? It's £2m and it goes on a credit card.
It turns out we have the Simpsons edition. So instead of Mayfair and Park Lane it is the Springfield Glen Country Club and Burns Manor. I'm sure the fact I couldn't get my head round what was what is why he wiped the floor with me. That and the fact that for the first time in my life I was determined not to cheat. There were so many opportunities as well, as it went on for hours.
I was feeling quite proud of myself playing fairly, until I remembered I did cheat on a remortgaged property near the end, just before I threw the towel in.
On Thursday, on my day off, I went to my chairman's Formula One factory in Norfolk where his team, now called Caterham, is based. It was absolutely amazing to see how they develop everything.
I had to rush back to pick William up from school as they had finished for Christmas. He was playing nicely with his mates so I asked if they wanted to bring a couple back for a sleepover, then go training with us on Friday. That might sound a mistake, especially as Sharon was away with Amy, but we had a great night. They played rugby in the lounge, having moved all the breakable things we could see, then a feast, a Chinese takeaway. Just like the good mum I am I did all the washing up afterwards while the lads played on the Xbox.
5. My shock at winning Sports Personality
I had some good news this week when BBC Radio London presented me with a lovely trophy for being BBC London Sports Personality of the Year 2011. I would like to thank all my family for voting well into the night for all those days. Only joking, thanks to everyone involved in the selection.
6. I'm not in my element discussing Higgs boson
Is it me, or am I just thick? I listened to every news bulletin to see if I could grasp exactly what the Higgs boson is, and I still haven't got a clue. They obviously don't do news bulletins for people with average intelligence.
Talking about TV, so what if the polar bear babies in Frozen Planet were in a zoo? Or in somebody's bath? It doesn't bother me, it's still a fantastic programme, and if they have to do something like that to get pictures they are unable to film in the Arctic, I am not bothered. The series was amazing, we should concentrate on all the good things about it. It is the only programme we've all watched as a family and you could hear a pin drop. I bet it would have been fantastic in 3D.
I have to finish on my favourite programme of the minute on Sky1 on Wednesday nights called The Café. There's nothing to it, and that's what I love. It just gets you feeling good through watching it, and how many things can you say that about? I
Enough of my riddles. I know every QPR fan tomorrow will be so looking forward to this game more than any other, many still can't believe we are eating off the top table. A whole new generation of young Hoops fans will be coming to the game, talking about seeing Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs. It's not a bad team considering all the injuries United have. That's the thing about the top teams. They have such depth, and also a few more young lads they can bring in to put on the bench who are not in the 25-man squad list. That doesn't half help.
One player who won't be playing against us is Darren Fletcher. It really is an energy-sapping illness he has picked up. The medical advice has forced him to stop playing as he tries to fight back and relaunch his career. How frustrating that must be for a top player who has so much to offer.
We have our own injury problems, with the latest blow befalling poor Kieron Dyer. In a reserve game he had a recurrence of the ankle injury he suffered on the season's opening day. All the hard work he has put in to get back to fitness over the last few months has been to no avail and he has to go in on Monday for an operation.
Life does seem cruel at times and both players will be asking 'why me?', but they are both fighters and I wouldn't write either off. Kieron, although he won't play again this season, will be staying with us because he's excellent around the club, and we still think he can have an impact when he does get fit.
2. Stop press. Xmas party passed without incident
My heart skipped a bit on Sunday morning when the phone rang and it was Paul, the press officer. The lads had stayed up in Liverpool following Luis Suarez's latest demonstration of how good he is, to have their Christmas party. So before Paul could speak I said, "Don't tell me, the players' party last night." I was so relieved when he said, "No gaffer, nothing to do with that."
Thank goodness. I think they all had a good time, and it went off without incident, but the way things are these days we had taken the precaution of hiring four security men to be with them all night. You just have to do that now.
3. I am sticking up for referees – it's official
It was an intriguing match on Monday between Chelsea and Manchester City, but I have to take issue with pundits who criticised the referee Mark Clattenburg for not awarding a penalty for the "foul" on David Silva, which would have made it 2-0 to City. I thought Mark had a cracking game and that includes the penalty. I watched the incident four times and I couldn't tell 100 per cent if it was a penalty, and I don't see how a ref can give it unless he is 100 per cent sure. I have every sympathy for him.
It reminded me when I was younger, with Burton Albion in non-League. Mossley were the top dogs and I went to see them play a Lancashire derby against Runcorn. There were tackles left, right and centre, and the young ref was handling it with common sense and not dishing cards out. As I was watching I realised a man near me was an ex-referee. I said hello and he told me he was assessing the referee. I said to him, "In such a physical local derby, and being so young, isn't he doing well?" The assessor said, "He's not running his diagonals properly, and his communication with the linesman's not good enough." It just made me think back to my dad reffing. He didn't have to worry about an assessor. He could just man-manage the game and always got the respect of the players. This young referee was in total charge of one of the most difficult games in non-League and he had earned the respect of the players. Yet I knew he would get a bad mark as he didn't adhere to the assessor's checklist. What makes me feel Mark Clattenburg will also be wrongly judged for last Monday?
4. Sharon doesn't have a Monopoly on all the fun
Sharon said to me last Sunday, "You never play anything with the kids", so I played Monopoly with William. Can you believe the modern game isn't £200 for passing Go? It's £2m and it goes on a credit card.
It turns out we have the Simpsons edition. So instead of Mayfair and Park Lane it is the Springfield Glen Country Club and Burns Manor. I'm sure the fact I couldn't get my head round what was what is why he wiped the floor with me. That and the fact that for the first time in my life I was determined not to cheat. There were so many opportunities as well, as it went on for hours.
I was feeling quite proud of myself playing fairly, until I remembered I did cheat on a remortgaged property near the end, just before I threw the towel in.
On Thursday, on my day off, I went to my chairman's Formula One factory in Norfolk where his team, now called Caterham, is based. It was absolutely amazing to see how they develop everything.
I had to rush back to pick William up from school as they had finished for Christmas. He was playing nicely with his mates so I asked if they wanted to bring a couple back for a sleepover, then go training with us on Friday. That might sound a mistake, especially as Sharon was away with Amy, but we had a great night. They played rugby in the lounge, having moved all the breakable things we could see, then a feast, a Chinese takeaway. Just like the good mum I am I did all the washing up afterwards while the lads played on the Xbox.
5. My shock at winning Sports Personality
I had some good news this week when BBC Radio London presented me with a lovely trophy for being BBC London Sports Personality of the Year 2011. I would like to thank all my family for voting well into the night for all those days. Only joking, thanks to everyone involved in the selection.
6. I'm not in my element discussing Higgs boson
Is it me, or am I just thick? I listened to every news bulletin to see if I could grasp exactly what the Higgs boson is, and I still haven't got a clue. They obviously don't do news bulletins for people with average intelligence.
Talking about TV, so what if the polar bear babies in Frozen Planet were in a zoo? Or in somebody's bath? It doesn't bother me, it's still a fantastic programme, and if they have to do something like that to get pictures they are unable to film in the Arctic, I am not bothered. The series was amazing, we should concentrate on all the good things about it. It is the only programme we've all watched as a family and you could hear a pin drop. I bet it would have been fantastic in 3D.
I have to finish on my favourite programme of the minute on Sky1 on Wednesday nights called The Café. There's nothing to it, and that's what I love. It just gets you feeling good through watching it, and how many things can you say that about?
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-i-cant-wait-for-united-but-dyer-injury-shows-life-can-be-cruel-6278230.html">ndependent
DYER OUT FOR THE SEASON
QPR Official Site - DYER INJURY SETBACK
Posted on: Fri 16 Dec 2011
Kieron Dyer is set to undergo a foot operation on Monday after he limped out of Tuesday's Reserve match against Tottenham in the opening minutes.
Dyer, 32, suffered the original injury on his debut against Bolton on the opening day of the campaign, but seemed close to making himself available for selection after a four-month spell on the sidelines.
QPR Manager Neil Warnock told www.qpr.co.uk: "This is a devastating blow for Kieron.
"I have never met a more determined pro in my career, and he really doesn't deserve this.
"The specialist said he thought Kieron could return before Christmas without the need for an operation and is disappointed that this is not the case, and he has no alternative now but to operate.
"I have absolutely no doubt that he will recover after the operation. We are going to support him as best we can because he has got such a contribution to make, both on and off the field.
"And even though he has not featured for us, he has made a vital contribution at the training ground and has been very important to have around the place."
With Warnock set to name his 25-man squad for the rest of the season at the end of January, the gaffer admitted: "We are aware that Kieron's contract can be terminated in January.
"But, having spoke to Tony Fernandes and the rest of the shareholders, we want to support Kieron in this time, even though it may mean he is not in our 25 for the rest of the season.
"I feel he has a lot to offer the Club. We will be involving him in many aspects of the Club while he rehabilitates. QPR
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