_____________________________________________________
- During the Game: Join in the QPR-Liverpool "Livechat"
- FLASHBACK: QPR's Loftus Road Ranked 42nd in the World for "Greatest Stadium for Atmosphere"
- On This Day Flashbacks: 4 Years Ago: Chairman Briatore Talking about QPR ...17 Years Ago: Nigel Quashie Makes his QPR Debut (at Old Trafford)
- Two Years Ago: QPR Announce Signed Petter Vaagan Moen
- QPR Save The Date? The Date for the 2013-14 Championship Season Kicks Off has been announced: August 3rd, 2013
Paul Warburton/Fulham Chronicle - Defender condemns QPR transfer policy
Dec 29 2012
CLINT Hill has poured scorn on the QPR transfer policy that finds the club bottom of the Premier League.
The 34-year-old defender has been given a new lease of life after expecting to leave in the summer, but insists there were far too many others in the Championship winning-side not given a fair shake.
The Liverpool-born player who faces his boyhood side today reckons Rangers should have learned a lesson from the other teams that came up with Hoops in 2011.
“Maybe things happened too fast,” said Hill. “When you look at the others that came up with us like Norwich and Swansea, they did things gradually. Stoke as well – and they’re now an established Premier League side.
“Did the Championship players that brought this side up get any trust? I don’t think so, and I’m not the only one. I think they could have done a job in this league.”
Hill (pic) knows all about football life far removed from the Champions League, but is mystified those who have won medals at the top have so far failed to revive QPR fortunes.
Jose Bosingwa refused to sit on the bench against Fulham two weeks ago, and was fined £100,000 – two weeks wages that went with being roundly condemned by his team-mates.
“Do they get taught that losing’s hard to accept? I don’t know. It’s a different mentality,” said Hill.
“If you don’t want to go on the bench – do you want to be here?
“If you don’t fancy the fight, the January transfer window is around the corner - and off you pop.”
Hill deservedly fought his way back to play alongside another unsung hero Ryan Nelsen in central defence, but is praying striker Luis Suarez has an off day at Loftus Road.
He added: “So far I’ve been lucky enough not to have played against him, but I’d love him in my team.
"There’s nothing wrong with a little nastiness that shows you want to win.” Fulham Chronicle
Ham and High/Tom Moore
QPR star offers frank ‘half-term’ report
QPR defender Clint Hill knows that his side’s first half of the season has been horrendous.
The R’s only have 10 points from their first 19 games this season and must improve if they are to extend their stay in the top flight beyond 2013.
“The first-half report has been pretty horrendous,” Hill said.
“To win one game from half the season is poor by anyone’s standards.
“With the kind of squad we’ve got, it’s been very disappointing.
“We need to have a good hard look at ourselves and show some pride.”
The 34-year-old was also frank about his performances for the R’s during the opening phase of the season.
“I thought my form wasn’t good enough for the first three-four games,” he added.
“I wasn’t quite at it from where I was last season. I’ve slowly got back into it.
“I don’t think you can be proud of yourself when you’re bottom of the league and struggling.”
And Hill is hopeful that his team-mates share the same pain that he does at Rangers’ woeful form that has seen them cut adrift at the bottom after Reading and Wigan both won on Saturday to set QPR further adrift.
“I hope so,” he added. “You’d have to ask them.
“In the upbringing I had at Tranmere, it’s always meant to be hard working in training and games.
“If you make a mistake you try and rectify it. I hope they’re hurting because, if not, they shouldn’t be here.
“I have noticed [a difference in culture].
“I’ve spent my career in the so-called lower leagues. It’s different cultures and different ways.
“Do they get taught that losing is hard to accept? I don’t know. It’s a different mentality. It should hurt everyone, no matter what the culture. Ham and High
PAUL JEWELL: HARRY REDKNAPP'S QPR TEAM WILL FAIL HIM
Ipswich boss Paul Jewell
30th December 2012 By Steve Millar
HARRY REDKNAPP is going to suffer the pain of relegation because his big-name, big-money QPR stars won’t pull their weight, says Paul Jewell.
Redknapp laid into his underperforming players before Christmas and Jewell knows all about the pressure on a manager’s shoulders.
When Jewell wakes up in the morning, the only problem facing him these days is whether to play nine or 18 holes of golf.
But life hasn’t always been that simple or stress-free for Jewell who left his post as Ipswich Town boss two months ago.
He can talk better than anyone about the rigours of relegation after suffering that fate with Derby who crashed out of the Premier League in 2008 with a record low of just 11 points.
He can still feel the pain, the humiliation, the hurt. And he is delighted that he is now analysing games for radio stations, high above the tortured souls below in the technical areas he once prowled.
Jewell doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to state that QPR and Reading look destined for the trap door with a dogfight between Southampton and Aston Villa for the dreaded third spot. And that means another reprieve for his old club Wigan who, under Roberto Martinez, he believes can rely on their battling spirit to keep them in the big time.
Jewell said: “I just can’t stop looking at the league table and at those unfortunate clubs who find themselves scrapping against relegation.
“I see the body language of the managers down there and hear their post-match interviews after another damaging defeat.
“And I can’t help feeling sorry for them. I sympathise with their plight. It’s painful down at the bottom. It hurts like hell. And there’s no escape. The Premier League eats you alive.
“It’s a horrible feeling when you’re struggling. Managers are the same as anyone else. You lose matches and might be brave and bullish in TV interviews but underneath you are sh***ing yourself.
“You start doubting yourself, too. You’re losing games and people are shouting in your ears. That’s where you need strong owners, good staff around you – and a little bit of luck.
“But you can never relax in the job. You never see other people. It’s a lonely world out there. Football consumes you. Life is played at a million miles an hour.
“Sleepless nights become the norm. Whoever stays up will deserve to have guaranteed Premier League football for another season. Those who drop out have my sympathy.
“When Harry Redknapp went to QPR I thought, yes, great. They have got as good a squad as anyone in the bottom half of the table and have spent a lot of money.
“But unfortunately for Harry, the big names he has on paper have not stood up to be counted. He has a lot of foreign players not used to the nightmare of fighting for their lives week in, week out.
“It’s different at Reading. What a fantastic club they are. If they do go down it won’t be through a lack of trying to stay safe.
“They are just suffering through a lack of quality. But they’ve got a brilliant manager in Brian McDermott and the club is run fantastically well.
“I’d like them to stay up but now we have reached the halfway stage of the season, they’ll find it near impossible to avoid the drop.
“But Wigan can survive. They will stay up because they will win enough home games.
“And I worry for Aston Villa with so many youngsters in the team, some talented young players who are facing the battle of their lives along with Southampton. Football View
TIMES OF INDIA
QPR to select two Indian talents from Mumbai
IANS | Dec 28, 2012,
MUMBAI: English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) head of academy Richard Allen will conduct a football camp for 24 boys and six girls here Monday to select two students who will train for a month at the London facility alongside its professional team.
The Indian talents will be selected from the Milind Deora Football Championship which reaches its ultimate stage.
The championship, an annual football tournament for school students, has been conducted for four consecutive years and is supported by QPR.
This year's championship witnessed participation from over 4100 students. Times of India
[Note: Don't recall Richard Allen being announced as having joined QPR, but of course there were so many incoming announcements!) Looking elsewhere, saw sometime in the last few months (before Redknapp arrived), Tottenham "Recruitment Director" was reported as having joined QPR. The Club Official Site lists Shaun Hallett as QPR's Head of Academy)
GUARDIAN/Paul Doyle
Premier League: How you rated the players in the first half of the season
Fulham's Dimitar Berbatov tops the poll so far with the Queens Park Rangers striker Djibril Cissé bottom of the pile
Guardian
Seven Year Flashback: "QPR Are Now Sailing in Safe Waters"
QPR Official Site - 29.12.2005 HAPPY NEW YEAR
Rangers Chairman Gianni Paladini and the Board of Directors would like to wish all QPR fans a Happy New Year.
After an eventful 2005, Paladini has issued the following statement to supporters of Queens Park Rangers:
"As you all know, as a club we went through difficult times and the new board had to bear quite a challenge and responsibility.
"Thanks to some huge efforts in renewing its organization and bringing in some new investments, QPR are now sailing in safe waters.
"We are optimistic when looking ahead for the New Year and for the whole of 2006, especially as we know we can always count on your continuous support.
"Our hope and aim is that QPR will never again have to struggle against organizational confusion and financial distress that have badly hit the good name of our glorious club.
"A special mention must go to Ian Holloway, who has shown his passion and devotion to the club and as someone who gives us positive hopes for promotion.
"We are proud of our players and we are confident that we can continue to strengthen our team with some new arrivals at the beginning of the next year.
"A special thanks must also go to all our colleagues and staff and of course to all our fans who, from generation to generation, continue to support the club.
"We wish to embrace them all, one by one, with our motto "We are QPR!"
"We wish you all the best for a wonderful 2006."
OUR LAST PREMIER RELEGATION - 1995-1996
QPR with NIne Wins. Six Draws and 23 Defeats - and 33 Points
POS
|
LP
|
CLUB
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
PTS
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
(1)
|
Manchester United
|
38
|
25
|
7
|
6
|
73
|
35
|
38
|
82
| |
2
|
(2)
|
Newcastle United
|
38
|
24
|
6
|
8
|
66
|
37
|
29
|
78
| |
3
|
(3)
|
Liverpool
|
38
|
20
|
11
|
7
|
70
|
34
|
36
|
71
| |
4
|
(4)
|
Aston Villa
|
38
|
18
|
9
|
11
|
52
|
35
|
17
|
63
| |
5
|
(5)
|
Arsenal
|
38
|
17
|
12
|
9
|
49
|
32
|
17
|
63
| |
6
|
(7)
|
Everton
|
38
|
17
|
10
|
11
|
64
|
44
|
20
|
61
| |
7
|
(8)
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
38
|
18
|
7
|
13
|
61
|
47
|
14
|
61
| |
8
|
(6)
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
38
|
16
|
13
|
9
|
50
|
38
|
12
|
61
| |
9
|
(9)
|
Nottingham Forest
|
38
|
15
|
13
|
10
|
50
|
54
|
-4
|
58
| |
10
|
(11)
|
West Ham United
|
38
|
14
|
9
|
15
|
43
|
52
|
-9
|
51
| |
11
|
(10)
|
Chelsea
|
38
|
12
|
14
|
12
|
46
|
44
|
2
|
50
| |
12
|
(12)
|
Middlesbrough
|
38
|
11
|
10
|
17
|
35
|
50
|
-15
|
43
| |
13
|
(13)
|
Leeds United
|
38
|
12
|
7
|
19
|
40
|
57
|
-17
|
43
| |
14
|
(14)
|
Wimbledon
|
38
|
10
|
11
|
17
|
55
|
70
|
-15
|
41
| |
15
|
(15)
|
Sheffield Wednesday
|
38
|
10
|
10
|
18
|
48
|
61
|
-13
|
40
| |
16
|
(16)
|
Coventry City
|
38
|
8
|
14
|
16
|
42
|
60
|
-18
|
38
| |
17
|
(17)
|
Southampton
|
38
|
9
|
11
|
18
|
34
|
52
|
-18
|
38
| |
18
|
(18)
|
Manchester City
|
38
|
9
|
11
|
18
|
33
|
58
|
-25
|
38
| |
19
|
(19)
|
Queens Park Rangers
|
38
|
9
|
6
|
23
|
38
|
57
|
-19
|
33
| |
20
|
(20)
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
38
|
8
|
5
|
25
|
39
|
71
|
-32
|
29
|
Premier League
Going Down? At the season half-way mark, QPR have one win and 10 Points from their first 19 Games. To stay up, QPR will need 8 or 9 wins and around 27 or more points from their next 19 games.
Going Down? At the season half-way mark, QPR have one win and 10 Points from their first 19 Games. To stay up, QPR will need 8 or 9 wins and around 27 or more points from their next 19 games.
The irony of course is that we were all so jubilant when we stayed up last season. With benefit of hindsight, the hole we'd have been in would have been a lot shallower than the hole that we're going to be in now, if (or when) we go down, this season.