QPR Report Twitter Feed

Saturday, March 31, 2012

QPR Report Saturday: Fernandes Backs Hughes & Reaffirms Warnock Axing...Hughes Backs Fernandes & Says Staying...QPR's £56 M Prem Cost...Arsenal

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- Courtesy of Designer, Haqpr1963
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- Next: Arsenal - Shared Players/Past Results
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- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!

- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere

- Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- The Answer to the Question: Will There be a QPR Player of the Year Dinner?

OTD Flashback: QPR 6 Chelsea 0 26 Years Ago Today: One of QPR's Famed Victories: QPR 6 Chelsea 0

(From Bushman Photo Archives)
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- Held Yesterday: Tony Fernandes'-supported so-called "Global March to Jerusalem"

- QPR Videos from 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s AND the Last Minute FA Cup Tie Winning Stan Bowles Free Kick from 1973/74

- Richard Langley Previews QPR vs Arsenal

- Neil Warnock's Weekly Column (Snippet re a QPR Game (Home Aston Villa Penalty re QPR)

- Remembering Dave Clement, who Died 30 years Ago Today

- National Football Museum Opens in Manchester in Less than 100 Days



Telegraph - Queens Park Rangers count £56 million cost of joining the Premier League elite


The extraordinary cost of Queens Park Rangers’ rise to the Premier League can be revealed today, with the club having run up debts of £56.1 million and average losses of almost £500,000-a-week before Tony Fernandes’s takeover last summer.

QPR - QPR count £56m cost of joining the Premier League elite
Promotion price: QPR's wage bill was £29.7m in 2011; Blackpool’s £14m
Jeremy Wilson



Telegraph Sport can also disclose that, during their Championship-winning season under Neil Warnock last year, QPR’s £29.7 million wage bill amounted to 183 per cent of their £16.2 million turnover.

Since then, the wage burden has been even further increased by the arrival of established Premier League players such as Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Djibril Cissé, Bobby Zamora, Luke Young and Nedum Onuoha.

To put QPR's £29.7 million Championship wage bill into perspective, Blackpool were paying less than £14 million on salaries last season in the Premier League.

The figures, which include an operating loss of £25.7 million, are contained in QPR’s more recent annual accounts and have been seen by Telegraph Sport.

Although the period relates to the year ending May 31, 2011 — before Fernandes became owner last August — they raise questions about the sustainability of the club’s ambitious strategy, particularly in the event of relegation back to the Championship.

As of the date of the accounts, the club had also used £4.9 million of a £5 million overdraft facility with Lloyds, contributing to an increase in the net debt to £56.1 million from £33.8 million in 2010.

The situation has changed, however, since the takeover. As part of the sale, all of the outstanding loans made to QPR by the former owners were taken on by Fernandes’s company. In addition, the bank overdraft was repaid in full.

As things stand the club do not have any external borrowing, with the outstanding debt regarded as ‘soft’ because it is in the form of loans owed to current shareholders.

“The group meets its day-to-day working capital requirements through an overdraft facility and the directors recognise that the current economic conditions create uncertainty over the availability of bank finance in the foreseeable future,” said a statement from the board.

"The report, which was personally signed off by Fernandes last month, also said that the directors have “a reasonable expectation that the company and the group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future”.

It added that the financial results were a reflection on “the focus on on-pitch success".

The accounts also reveal new detail into the vast — and mostly interest-free — funding behind QPR’s Premier League promotion.

As of May 31 last year, Santa Capital Investments, believed to be controlled by Flavio Briatore, was owed £15.8 million. Bernie Ecclestone was owed £11.4 million, with the money due in various instalments by June 2013.

Sea Dream Limited, a company owned by the billionaire Mittal family, was owed £12.3 million, which was also payable by June next year.

A further £10 million was owed, on demand, to Amulya Property Limited, a company in which Briatore and director Amit Bhatia are believed to have an interest.

Santa Capital Investment and Ecclestone subsequently reassigned loans of £19.4 million and £13.2 million to Tune QPR Sdn Bhd, a company owned by Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and Ruben Gnanalingam.

Fernandes’s company is listed as owning 66 per cent of QPR, with 33 per cent controlled by the Mittal family’s Sea Dream Limited.

QPR are also looking at options for a new stadium. Such ambition will have contributed to the confidence of Mark Hughes, the QPR manager, who said on Friday that he could retain key players even if the club are relegated.

“I’m sure those contracts wouldn’t have been offered if anybody felt it would put the future of the club at risk and I know for a fact that’s not the case and Tony Fernandes would never do that,” said Hughes.

“I’m here to build the club. I fully expect, irrespective of what happens, to be here trying to make that happen.

“If I feel players need to stay then that’s what will happen.”

Most of the spotlight has fallen on Barton, who is on £80,000 a week, and was dropped last Saturday. “He understood my point of view,” said Hughes.

“He’s going to play a part from now until the end of the season if he continues to train well.” Telegraph

[Note: The QPR Accounts were posted on QPR Report a few weeks ago]


Tony Fernandes Tells The Sun/Ben Hunt -

We have plans in case we go down
(But Hughes is still a better boss than Warnock, says Tony)


TONY FERNANDES is still convinced Mark Hughes is the right man for Queens Park Rangers — but the owner has drawn up plans for relegation.


QPR boss says his relegation-threatened players need to "stand up and be counted"

Malaysian multi-millionaire Fernandes has endured a torrid seven months since taking control at Loftus Road.

In August he bought the majority shares held by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

And a flurry of last-minute deals on deadline day raised expectations.

Then, as results took a turn for the worse, Fernandes axed boss Neil Warnock in January and replaced him with Hughes.

But their league position remains just as bad. Rangers, who are at home to in-form Arsenal today, are in the relegation zone.

But Fernandes, 47, is confident that Hughes will steer them away from the drop.

He said: "When I joined the club I thought Neil was going to be with me for a long time.

"But I just felt that the Premier League had moved on and when I started seeing what other clubs were doing, I thought we were a long way behind.

"It was a hard decision because I love Neil, I still do. We are still mates, he texts me and is a really good guy.

"I've had tremendous abuse over Neil's sacking on Twitter.

"The fans love you, then hate you, but as long as you are transparent with them, it is OK, I can deal with that.

"But you look at the analysis now since Mark has been there. All the statistical information and the training methodology — it's just a science now.

"We shouldn't be anywhere near that relegation zone. Wolves were outplayed when Djibril Cisse was sent off. Then there was the goal against Bolton that was disallowed.

"We have a huge battle ahead of us and of course there is a contingency plan. I'm not a man who will just sit there and say we are going to easily do it. You have to be prepared for it."

Fernandes, who is estimated to be worth around £300million, made his fortune turning around Air Asia.

But his countrymen could not understand why he bought QPR and not today's opponents Arsenal.

He said: "People in Malaysia only knew Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. They asked me: 'Why didn't you buy a club that is successful?'

"But my life is about building things. If I'd bought Manchester United or Arsenal, not that I could afford to, what could I have brought to them?" The Sun


MARK HUGHES STAYING

Hughes: I’ll stay even if QPR go down



30/03/2012
by David McIntyre
Mark Hughes says he will stay on as manager even if QPR are relegated.

Rangers are heading for a return to the Championship after a miserable run of results and there is sure to be speculation about the Welshman’s future should they go down.

But Hughes insists he intends to remain at Loftus Road regardless of which division Rangers are in next season.

He said: “I’m here to do a job and build a club, and to make sure that in the long term Queens Park Rangers is a healthier club both on the field and off it.

“That’s still my aim and I fully expect – irrespective of what happens – to be here. That’s my intention.” West London Sport



West London Sport/Dave McIntyre - Hughes defends QPR chairman Fernandes

Hughes faces a big decision.


Manager Mark Hughes has leapt to the defence of QPR chairman Tony Fernandes following recent claims the club will face a financial catastrophe if relegated.

A number of players were signed this season with no relegation clause in their contract, leaving Rangers facing the prospect of having to continue paying massive salaries in the Championship.

Chairman Fernandes was determined to spend big.

That has led to reports the club may be left with an unmanageable wage bill.

But Hughes said: “I know for a fact that’s not the case. Tony Fernandes would never do that to QPR. That’s not what he’s about.

“Contracts were drawn up and offered to players with the view that we wanted to stay in the Premier League and the players we targeted would help us to that end.

“Obviously there was always a risk that there would be a different outcome. But I’m sure those contracts would not have been offered if it was felt it would put the future of the club at risk. West London Sport



MIRROR - Hughes: I'm staying at QPR...even if we get relegated|

Published 22:24 30/03/12 By Neil McLeman


Mark Hughes has pledged to stay at QPR next season – even if the club is relegated.

And the Hoops boss warned the club’s big-money signings he will decide who stays if the club go down.

“It is my intention to be here next season regardless of what happens,” he said. “I’m here to build the club and make sure that long-term QPR is healthy on and off the field.”

Unfortunately for Rangers, they did not take out insurance that would have enabled them to cut the wages of high earners like Joey Barton and Djibril Cisse after relegation

Without a matching firesale, the owners will be forced to cover the losses.

But Hughes said: “If I feel players need to stay it will happen. If they’re contracted, that’s my problem.

“But I’m sure those contracts wouldn’t have been offered if anybody felt it would put the future of the club at risk” Mirror


Sporting Life

FERGUSON REMAINS BEHIND MACHEDA

Sir Alex Ferguson still has faith in Manchester United striker Federico Macheda even though the youngster has had yet another loan deal cut shot.

Macheda left for QPR in January optimistic he would prove he could cut it in the Premier League.

Unfortunately for the Italian, manager Neil Warnock was sacked within a matter of weeks and he never saw eye-to-eye with replacement Mark Hughes.

The 20-year-old had not made an appearance since coming on as a substitute at Aston Villa on February 1, although he did hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was fined £15,000 by the Football Association for a posting a homophobic Tweet.

He also used the social networking site to express his displeasure at his treatment by Hughes and has now returned to United for an ankle operation that will end his season.

"He is so unlucky," Ferguson told MUTV.

"I have complete belief in the boy. He could be an outstanding player. But he needs football.

"We put him on loan to Sampdoria last January. He was there for two weeks, they sacked the coach and he doesn't get a game.

"We put him on loan to QPR. Two weeks later they sack the coach and he doesn't get a game.

"That has been really unfortunate.

"He has been bothered with his ankle a little bit over the last few weeks, so we have done the right thing to get an operation and hopefully he will be ready for next season." Sporting Life



- Flashback: Four Humorous/Satirical Videos re QPR

- Alec Stock (RIP): Would Have been 95 Yesterday..Flashback/Video of Alec Stock Talking about QPR Promotion Prospects in 1962!

Friday, March 30, 2012

QPR's Beard on Finances, QPR and Ending Relegation?...QPR Player of the Year Dinner?...QPR: Most Red Cards in Prem...Views of Hill & Derry...Ephraim

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ALEC STOCK: Would Have Been 95 Today



- Alec Stock (RIP): Would Have been 95 Today...Flashback/Video of Alec Stock Talking about QPR Promotion Prospects in 1962!
Photo from the truly-amazing Bushman Archives. Bushman notes: Alec William Alfred Stock. Made his first appearance for the first team on 11th Feb 1939, against Swindon Town in a Division III Southern League match. Rangers won 2-1 with Bott & Mallett the goalscorers
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- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!

- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere

- Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives
-
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- The Answer to the Question: Will There be a QPR Player of the Year Dinner?

- 21 Years Ago Today: One of QPR's Finest Wins - Beating Liverpool at Anfield

- Flashback: Four Humorous/Satirical Videos re QPR


- Alec Stock (RIP): Would Have been 95 Today...Flashback/Video of Alec Stock Talking about QPR Promotion Prospects in 1962!

- Ray Wilkins: "Ray Wilkins: John Terry 'Should Have Been Kicked Out' Of England Squad By FA


- Next: Arsenal - Shared Players/Past Results

- An Arsenal Fan Perspective of Loftus Road


Bloomberg/Tariq Panja - QPR’s Beard Says Mittal’s Team Will Keep Players If Demoted

Queens Park Rangers chief executive officer Philip Beard says the Premier League team -- part owned by billionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and AirAsia Bhd (AIRA) CEO Tony Fernandes -- will keep most of its players should the club be relegated this season.

QPR is in danger of moving down to the second-division Championship. With eight games left in its season, the west London team is in the bottom three of the top English league even after spending millions on new talent and replacing its manager mid-season. It’s won just three games and lost seven since Mark Hughes replaced Neil Warnock on Jan. 10.
Fernandes led a group that in August bought a majority 66 percent stake from Formula One head Bernie Ecclestone and his partner Flavio Briatore. Since then the team’s bought eight players including strikers Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora.

“We were very active in the 10 days after the takeover in August and fairly active in January and I’ll stand behind every single one of those contracts irrespective of what happens,” Beard said during a discussion on team finance at the Soccerex conference in Manchester. QPR returned to the top division this season after 16-year absence.

“If we do not stay up, I anticipate the vast majority will stay at QPR to try and help us get back,” he said. “We’ve gone into this with our eyes wide open.”

Mittal is one of the world’s richest men. Unlike other wealthy owners in the Premier League like Roman Abramovich at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayhan of Manchester City, QPR’s owners haven’t spent lavishly on building their roster. Still, they’ve spent significantly more than Norwich and Swansea, the two other teams promoted last season. Those clubs are 14 points clear of the relegation zone after 30 games.

Stabilize

“Our aim is to find a stabilized position in the Premier League over next few years,” Beard said.
Even though Hughes’s appointment hasn’t led to improved performance, Beard said the team remained committed to the former Manchester City coach.

“I don’t regret at all the decision to change manager,” he said. “We’ve just got to focus on what we are doing and I think in Mark Hughes we have an excellent manager.”

Part of the plan is to build new training facilities and find a new stadium. Beard, who worked with Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc. earlier in his career, said he’d like to use examples learned at the Staples Center, home of basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers and ice hockey’s Los Angeles Kings.

“It has to be an entertainment destination,” he said, saying though he had a preference for teams sharing stadiums, the competitive nature of English soccer meant it probably isn’t an option for QPR.

“I do think there’s a platform where discussions would take place on success and viability of ground-sharing but at the moment that’s very emotional for football fans,” Beard said. Bloomberg


PFA Give Me Football/Nick Howson

Premier League must retain relegation
Suggestion that relegation from the Premier League is selfish and preposterous'


hillip Beard, Queens Park Rangers' chief executive, has decided to use the Soccerex European Forum to comment on a concept so ridiculous, he's likely to have been wheeled away by men wearing white coats come the end of his spiel.

While the two day event has showcased the thoughts of Rafa Benitez and Patrick Vieira among others, it's for people like Beard that this conference isn't made for. Given a pedestal, he was unlikely to hold back.

Despite downplaying the suggestion, Beard said his club would vote for the removal of the relegation system in the Premier League.

Apart from the obvious distancing the Premier League would be making from the Football League, Beard's comments are full of hypocrisy. If he were say in the position of one of those club's in the Championship, he's be hugely dismissive of such a venture.

The benefits for a club like QPR or in fact for any of the current Premier League sides is that, without the fear of dropping into the Championship, clubs would have the financial backing of the Premier League for life.

Television money could be hoarded by those lucky 20, which would lead perhaps to overwhelming spending and serial mismanagement.

From the supporter point of view, any excitement of a relegation battle, or indeed a promotion campaign from the Championship, would be nullified.

Any fans of teams in the Championship would have to quickly come to terms with the fact their team can go no further, and with finances therefore at a premium, with no Premier League aspirations likely to lead to lower crowds, the competitiveness between the 72 sides is likely to decrease. The integrity of the football league would take a major hit.

And all this to help protect the country's richest sides from falling off their perch. If this is genuinely what the people who run clubs think, then the once noted beautiful game will have it's sole eroded away. Enjoy it while it lasts. PFA Give Me Football



Jacob Murtagh/Chronicle - Defender puts future on the line for QPR cause


CLINT Hill would readily sacrifice his QPR future if the club survives a torturous relegation battle and remains in the Premier League.

The selfless hero admits he would stand a better chance of a new deal if Rangers were relegated. But as it stands, he is set to leave Loftus Road when his contract expires in the summer after twice being knocked back when asking for a new deal.

But pride and duty sees the 33-year-old putting his own career on the back burner in order to help Rs beat the dreaded drop.

He told the Chronicle: “If we stay up I can see the club spending more money and getting in another five or six players.

“I would probably have a better chance of getting a contract if we go down. I've spent most of my career in the Championship – and know it like the back of my hand.

“Everyone is desperate for the club to survive. We've worked so hard to get here and we're doing all we can to stay up.”

QPR host high-flying Arsenal tomorrow a point from safety with eight games to play.

Hill is likely to be restored to the starting XI as boss Mark Hughes looks to shore up a back four ripped to shreds at Sunderland last weekend.

The Rangers defence will be tested to the limit again facing an Arsenal side averaging more than two goals a game.

And Hill revealed his PFA vote for player of the year went to a man who can inflict even more damage on the desperate Hoops.

Premier League's leading scorer Robin Van Persie might have got Hill's nod, but the converted centre-back has warned the Gunners will be in for a tough time.

He added: “Van Persie is one of the best strikers in England, if not Europe at the moment.

“His goals to games ratio is frightening, so we've got to try and stop him.

“We need to get tight, in their faces and upset them. We have to make it as difficult for them as possible.” Fulham Chronicle


London 24/Ian Cooper - QPR star demands unity in fight for survival

Shaun Derry admits: “You only get good team spirit through winning games”

Shaun Derry believes unity among the QPR squad will be the key if they are to escape relegation.

The Rangers midfielder admits that team spirit is lacking at Loftus Road on the back of a run of one win in the last nine games which has seen Mark Hughes’s side slide to 18th in the table.

However, with QPR’s home match against Arsenal on Saturday heralding the start of a difficult run-in, Derry is calling for every player to shoulder responsibility in the fight for survival.

“Clearly the games are running out but I feel the future is in our hands,” Derry told London24.com. “We are fully aware of the situation, and of the drastic consequences if we do get relegated.

“We haven’t had time to blend the squad together quietly; that’s not making excuses, it’s just a fact. Things like new owners, the new manager, new players; it is difficult to forge bonds with players when changes are happening. It has been difficult to say the least.

“You can only really get good team spirit and togetherness when you are winning games.

“No-one can say that we don’t have the talent within the squad, because we have. We have the depth in the squad, but it has all been down to being very inconsistent.”

Derry also believes that criticism of figures such as Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips is unfair, insisting that the team as a whole has failed to live up to expectations this season.

“Joey Barton has had a difficult season, but we all have. How can one person transform a football club on their own? It’s the team that gets success, individuals do not,” added Derry.

“We have all had a bad season, every single player has under-performed, and that’s why we are where we are. On paper we should not be down here, but we are. We have eight games – Joey as well – to try to get some form going.”’s London 24


RAVING ABOUT HOGAN EPHRAIM


BRISTOL EVENING POST - Ephraim could be the answer to City's prayers


COULD Hogan Ephraim be the creative midfielder Bristol City have been crying out for since Paul Hartley made the return journey to his native Scotland in the summer of 2010?

Awash with defence-minded midfield grafters, players who are adept to putting a foot in, breaking up play and off-loading the ball to a team-mate, City have still to find an individual capable of delivering a killer pass and empowering the strikers with any regularity.

That is until Ephraim breezed into BS3 last week, having joined the Robins on loan from Premier League strugglers Queens Park Rangers for the remainder of the Championship campaign.

While it would be ridiculously premature to draw comparisons between the 23-year-old Londoner and Hartley, the former England youth international did provide a creative energy from midfield that has been conspicuous by its absence at times this season.

Not only did Ephraim demonstrate a refreshing willingness to take on defenders and provide a steady flow of possession to lone striker Jon Stead when making his debut in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, his ability to time his arrival in the penalty area to perfection enabled him to register City's first away goal in eight games since December 30.

If his performance provided a foretaste of what is to come every Saturday, then it is a crying shame Ephraim is only here until the end of the season.

But if City are to create the goal-scoring opportunities that will surely be needed if they are to avoid relegation, then they will have to utilise their latest loan signing to the maximum.

Invariably deployed on the left side of midfield in QPR's Championship-winning team, Ephraim, pictured, cut a peripheral figure at times last season and was dropped by former boss Neil Warnock.

Given that he was raised in the West Ham United academy, plying his trade in an advanced position in the middle of the park, his growing frustration with life at Loftus Road was perhaps understandable.

Derek McInnes handed him a central role on his debut and Ephraim did well enough to suggest he will line-up in a similar position against Derby County at Ashton Gate tomorrow.

"I think playing in behind the main striker is my best position and it was one I always played growing up as a youngster at West Ham," said Ephraim.

"I also played there for England in the various youth teams and it is where I feel most at home.

"Of course, I'm happy to do a job on the left wing if it means helping the team out, but I prefer to be in the middle.

"I'm comfortable in either position, but I tend to see more of the ball in the middle of the park and that role enables me to attack the penalty area more often."

Ephraim had featured on McInnes's wish-list for several months.

"It (the move to Ashton Gate) came out of the blue for me to be honest.

I had a call telling me an opportunity had arisen for me to join Bristol City and I was delighted," said the Londoner.

"I knew there was a long-standing interest there from the manager and it all got down pretty quickly after that phone call. I had no future under Neil Warnock, but the new manager (Mark Hughes) has been good to me.

"He has given me a new contract for another year and told me to go out on loan for the rest of the season and then see where I am in the summer." Bristol Evening Post


QPR OFFICIAL SITE - HEAD OF SPORTS SCIENCE APPOINTED
Posted on: Thu 29 Mar 2012

Mark Hughes has appointed Damian Roden as the Club's new Head of Sports Science.

Roden, who completed a Sports Science degree at the age of 20, spent four years working at Bolton Wanderers as First Team Fitness Coach under Sam Allardyce before teaming up with Hughes at Blackburn.

Roden followed Hughes to Manchester City where he remained for two years before being offered the opportunity to head up the Performance Department of the Australian national side.

When Gary Speed was appointed Manager of Wales, Roden was brought in as Head of Performance, but left the role following Speed's tragic death.

Hughes told www.qpr.co.uk: "Damian is acknowledged as one of the best guys in his field. Having worked with him previously I know what he offers.

"It is important that we have the right guys off the field as well as on it." QPR


- Forty-Three Years Ago Yesterday: Gerry Francis Made His QPR Debut (at Home to Liverpool)

- Flashback to 1994: Now Spurs Manager Gerry Francis Explains in a Letter to a QPR Fan Why He Left QPR


- Richard Langley, Guest-Writing for LoftForWords: "Facing the axe while beating the drop? Richard Langley guest column - ... How will Joey Barton react to being dropped? How can QPR beat relegation from the Premiership? Former QPR midfielder Richard Langley provides a player's point of view to LFW."


- Terry Venables Back in Football: Technical Advisor to Wembley FC

Four Four Two "The 20 best Premier League kits - QPR (H) 1995/96" FourFourTwo

-SOME OLD QPR VIDEO

- Video: 192 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video II: 1923 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Newport
- Video: 1948: QPR vs Derby County
- Video: 1958 QPR vs Southampton
- 1962 Video Interview with QPR Manager Alec Stock
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Hinckley
- 1948: Athlete McDonald Bailey trains for Olympic competition: Sprinter Emmanuel McDonald Bailey begins training for the 1948 London Summer Olympics with the Queens Park Rangers football club
- VIDEO: Last Kick of the Game Winner for QPR - In 1974, QPR Played Coventry in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Moving Into Injury Time, at 2-2 Stan Bowles Took the Free Kick( Parkes - Hazell Mclintock Mancini Clement - Venables Leach Francis, Thomas Bowles Givens.)
- 1981: QPR Go Plastic - The Opening Game vs Luton
- Video (Silent): A Younger Jim Gregory Talking about Selling Phil Parkes (Lip Readers Only!)
- 1962 Brentford Fans Protesting Planned Merger with QPR

- Video: Martin Allen Being Fined for Being with His Baby:

Thursday, March 29, 2012

QPR Report Thursday: QPR's 1995-96 Strip Ranked One of Premiership's Top 20...QPR Player of Year Dinner?...Venables Back in Football..CEO Beard Talks

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Four Four Two "The 20 best Premier League kits
QPR (H) 1995/96
The titular hoops have remained largely untouched, but this is our favourite iteration. The simple round blue collar and centralised badge marked a classy debut by kit manufacturers View From (who they?). Shame the team struggled without Sir Les Ferdinand and dropped out of the top flight." FourFourTwo

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- Forty-Three Years Ago Today: Gerry Francis Made His QPR Debut (at Home to Liverpool)

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- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!

- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere

- Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- No Response From The Club Whether Any QPR Player of the Year Dinner this Year?)

- 43 Years Ago Today: Gerry Francis Makes His QPR Debut

- Flashback to 1994: Now Spurs Manager Gerry Francis Explains in a Letter to a QPR Fan Why He Left QPR

- Richard Langley, Guest-Writing for LoftForWords: "Facing the axe while beating the drop? Richard Langley guest column - ... How will Joey Barton react to being dropped? How can QPR beat relegation from the Premiership? Former QPR midfielder Richard Langley provides a player's point of view to LFW."

- The Telegraph/Oliver Brown on the Italian Way of Football "Italian jobs carry serious health warning... just ask former Inter Milan manager Claudio Ranieri
In the land of Machiavelli, football's ruling elite are embracing a national tradition by softening up their managers and then cutting their figurative throats..."


- QPR CEO Philip Beard Scheduled to Speak Today at the Soccerex Forum on "The Financial Management of Clubs"

- Terry Venables Back in Football: Technical Advisor to Wembley FC

- QPR Official Site's Weekly London Call In Today

- Next: Arsenal - Shared Players/Past Results

- An Arsenal Fan Perspective of Loftus Road

- QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes and Israel


PA Sport - Bircham: QPR can establish

Former QPR midfielder Marc Bircham believes the club can become an established Barclays Premier League club but only if they survive their relegation scrap this season.

The 33-year-old ex-Canada international now works as part of the youth team set-up at Loftus Road and he believes QPR can retain their top-flight status and build upon it.

He told Press Association Sport: "I think we can definitely do it. The result against Liverpool was a massive result - not just for the three points but for the confidence and belief of not only the players but the fans as well."

Despite following their memorable 3-2 win over Liverpool with a 3-1 reverse at Sunderland, Bircham wants QPR boss Mark Hughes to follow the blueprints set out by promoted clubs in the past.

"Stoke have done it and become an established Premier League team and other than this year Bolton have done it," he said. "If we can do it (stay up) with the backing that we have got with the owners and the finances we can gradually turn round and evolve into a Premier League club and hopefully a top-half (club) and maybe a European Premier League club.

"There is no point talking about that now because we have just got to be talking about surviving into this summer."

QPR were promoted as npower Championship champions last season and were favourites to survive in the Premier League over fellow promoted sides Norwich and Swansea. It has turned out differently however as Norwich and Swansea have performed well above expectations with both managers and squads earning plaudits for their style of play.

QPR have struggled despite financing several big-money signings with off-field wranglings also deflecting from their campaign, something Bircham has become accustomed to at Loftus Road.

"I have supported QPR for 30 years and we have never done things the easy way," he said. "It hasn't probably gone as planned as it was at the start of the year but the club changed (hands) and we had the transfer window at the start of the season where we had to rush signings through.

"We know the way the club wants to go that it can be the start of a fantastic period for QPR but the first hurdle is staying in the Premier League and if we can do that the club can come on leaps and bounds." PA Sport


QPR OFFICIAL SITE - ADEL EYES BIG PERFORMANCE


Adel Taarabt has admitted that he and his team-mates are desperate to give the Loftus Road faithful another big performance against Arsenal on Saturday.

Rangers go into the contest a point from safety, following the 3-1 defeat at Sunderland last weekend.

The next task at hand for Rangers is a seemingly perilous one, with Arsene Wenger's men going into the weekend's fixture hot off the back of seven straight Premier League wins.

QPR, however, will take some heart from their last-gasp victory over Liverpool in W12 last time out - and Taarabt told www.qpr.co.uk: "We hope we can give them (the fans) another big performance.

"I'm happier when we play at home. I feel better when we play at Loftus Road than I do when we play away.

"I feel the fans are really behind me. When we played against Liverpool they were fantastic - with me and the team as well.

"We need them, that's for sure - and I hope we can stay in this league."

On paper, Rangers face the toughest of run-ins, with trips to Manchester United, City and Chelsea all still to come for Mark Hughes's men - not to mention home ties with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Taarabt, however, is choosing to look at the positives, adding: "It's a difficult run-in, but every time we play a big Club, we perform.

"Hopefully we can do the same again (in the run-in).

"It is very important for us that we take three points on Saturday."

The Moroccan added: "I think we have performed at home but we've lost so many points because of red cards.

"We've lost so many games, like Norwich and Wolves. We should have won these games, but with ten men it is difficult.

"But now we know what we have to so. It's going to be difficult but we have to give another performance." QPR


-SOME OLD QPR VIDEO


- -Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives

- Video: 192 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video II: 1923 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Newport
- Video: 1948: QPR vs Derby County
- Video: 1958 QPR vs Southampton
- 1962 Video Interview with QPR Manager Alec Stock
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Hinckley
- 1948: Athlete McDonald Bailey trains for Olympic competition: Sprinter Emmanuel McDonald Bailey begins training for the 1948 London Summer Olympics with the Queens Park Rangers football club

Also Video...
- VIDEO: Last Kick of the Game Winner for QPR - In 1974, QPR Played Coventry in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Moving Into Injury Time, at 2-2 Stan Bowles Took the Free Kick( Parkes - Hazell Mclintock Mancini Clement - Venables Leach Francis, Thomas Bowles Givens.)
- 1981: QPR Go Plastic - The Opening Game vs Luton
- Video (Silent): A Younger Jim Gregory Talking about Selling Phil Parkes (Lip Readers Only!)
- 1962 Brentford Fans Protesting Planned Merger with QPR

- Video: Martin Allen Being Fined for Being with His Baby:


Posted by QPR Fan, Jayrigg

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

QPR Report Wednesday: QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes and Israel...Old QPR Video From 1920s, 40s, 50s, 60s...Next: Arsenal

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Posted by QPR Fan, Jayrigg
-
- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!

- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere
-
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- Flashback to 1994: Now Spurs Manager Gerry Francis Explains in a Letter to a QPR Fan Why He Left QPR

- Any QPR Player of the Year Dinner this Year? (Nothing yet from the club)

- QPR CEO Philip Beard Scheduled to Speak Tomorrow on "The Financial Management of Clubs"

- Next: Arsenal - Shared Players/Past Results

- An Arsenal Fan Perspective of Loftus Road


-SOME OLD QPR VIDEO


- -Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives

- Video: 192 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video II: 1923 QPR vs Sheffield United
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Newport
- Video: 1948: QPR vs Derby County
- Video: 1958 QPR vs Southampton
- 1962 Video Interview with QPR Manager Alec Stock
- Video: 1962 QPR vs Hinckley
- 1948: Athlete McDonald Bailey trains for Olympic competition: Sprinter Emmanuel McDonald Bailey begins training for the 1948 London Summer Olympics with the Queens Park Rangers football club

Also Video...
- VIDEO: Last Kick of the Game Winner for QPR - In 1974, QPR Played Coventry in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Moving Into Injury Time, at 2-2 Stan Bowles Took the Free Kick( Parkes - Hazell Mclintock Mancini Clement - Venables Leach Francis, Thomas Bowles Givens.)
- 1981: QPR Go Plastic - The Opening Game vs Luton
- Video (Silent): A Younger Jim Gregory Talking about Selling Phil Parkes (Lip Readers Only!)
- 1962 Brentford Fans Protesting Planned Merger with QPR

- Video: Martin Allen Being Fined for Being with His Baby:


TONY FERNANDES and ISRAEL - The March 30, "Global March to Jerusalem"
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Over almost the past half-century, Queens Park Rangers (QPR) have had a number of Chairman - from the late, great Jim Gregory, and including among others: David Bulstrode, Richard Thompson, Chris Wright, Bill Power, Gianni Paladini and Flavio Briatore. Like any other club (perhaps more than most!) - and especially in recent years - QPR fans have seen their club experience various off-the-field controversies.

The current Chairman is Tony Fernandes, who took over the club in August (too late!) from Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone. While the club is seemingly headed (temporarily!) back to the Championship, as a Chairman, Fernandes remains extremely popular with QPR fans - including this fan. Fernandes may have made some mistakes in his time at QPR, but overall he has very much both "talked the talk" and "walked the walk." While QPR fans are obviously unhappy with their seeming situation, that unhappiness is not directed towards the Chairman (or the rest of his board, which includes Lakshmi Mittal's son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, who serves as Vice Chairman of QPR, and is also exceedingly popular among QPR Fans).

Among the various other hats Fernandes wears is founder and CEO of Air Asia; and running an F1 Racing Team, Caterham.

And then we come to Middle East.

As previously noted on this blog, March 17, QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes (although his QPR "affiliation" is not mentioned) serves on the "World Advisory Board" of the so-called "Global March to Jerusalem" which is scheduled to conclude, March 30. Fernandes has signed onto a joint statement (see below)"QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes and Israel: "Global March to Jerusalem" Advisory Board Member "

As March 30 approaches, Tony Fernandes ("Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes Malaysian entrepreneur; founder and CEO, Air Asia") remains one of the signatories to the statement (which has added a few names.) Anyone familiar with the views of the people signing on to this statement - not to mention the various organizations and countries (such as Iran) endorsing this March - will recognize this for what it is. And one might note that there is zero mention of any recognition or Israel or of the Jewish historical ties to Jerusalem.

Besides the Global March’s “No Israel” logo, the use of certain phrases in official March statements makes clear its view of Israel: “Zionist Enemy"..."the racist Zionist state of Israel” “Israeli apartheid,” “crime against humanity,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “the occupation of Palestine in 1948” are just some of the terms employed.

The Global March’s organizing statement declares that “[t]he March will demand freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to put an end to the Apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaisation policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem. The march will confirm that the policies and practices of the racist Zionist state of Israel against Jerusalem and its people are a crime not only against Palestinians but against all humanity.”

The Global March's Advisory Board issued a joint statement, declaring “[We] are alarmed and deeply troubled by the continuing repression of Palestinians in Jerusalem and by the deliberate and systematic attempts to expel and reduce the Christian and Muslim Palestinian population of the city as part of the policy called “Judaisation,” which is being applied to every part of historic Palestine.… "

“The people of the world have therefore taken it upon themselves to prevent this abomination, by mobilizing themselves in every part of the world and representing all religious, humanitarian, and cultural backgrounds in a global march to Jerusalem (GMJ) aimed at guarding the City of Peace from becoming a wasteland of intolerance..."

“We support the right of the Palestinian People to self-determination, to liberate their lands and to live on them in freedom and dignity like all other people on earth..."

“We support the non-negotiable & inalienable rights of the Palestinian People, including their families, to return to their homes and lands from which they were uprooted.”


To state the obvious, Tony Fernandes can adopt and support any cause he wants; and to advocate any position he choses. And this may in fact be a cause and a perspective held by many (or most) around the world; in England; and even among QPR supporters. Certainly in Malaysia, it is undoubtably an extremely popular position.

However at least for this one QPR fan, it is deeply, deeply disturbing that the Chairman of QPR should support such a position and endorse such a statement - which employs such terms and glaringly incorporates absolutely no recognition of Israel, regardless of its boundaries; and no mention that there is any Jewish historical ties to Jerusalem or to Israel.


The Complete Advisory Board Statement and Updated List of Signatories

Updated


For Immediate release:
Global March to Jerusalem gathers support
Distinguished Advisory Board includes Nobel Laureates, issues declaration


On March 30th this year, people from around the world will join Palestinians throughout the Middle East and in the Diaspora in a ground-­‐breaking initiative: the Global March to Jerusalem, a day of peaceful, nonviolent demonstrations In Palestine and surrounding countries.

Every year on March 30th Palestinians around the world remember Land Day, which commemorates a general strike and marches in 1976 against Israeli land appropriation, a pivotal event in bringing about Palestinian national unity. This year Palestinians will call attention to the dangers facing Jerusalem as a city that embodies the cultural heritage of the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

In a strategy to Judaise the holy city, the Israeli government has long denied most Palestinians – whether Muslim or Christian – access to Jerusalem, even to visit holy sites. Through methods of ethnic cleansing, Israel has been forcing Jerusalem’s remaining Palestinian inhabitants out, thus endangering the multi-­‐religious, multi-­‐ethnic character of the city that is the intended capital of Palestine.

Now a distinguished Advisory Board of political, religious, and cultural leaders as well as leading scholars from around the world is lending its weight in support of the Global March to Jerusalem. In a strongly worded declaration, the Advisory Board members state that Israeli government efforts to change the Arabic and cultural identity of the city are a crime against humanity. They urge that all of humanity actively support this peaceful Palestinian civil resistance movement.

The Palestinian coalition organizing the Global March to Jerusalem is perhaps unprecedented in its breadth and brings together virtually all political and religious perspectives among the Palestinian people. Supporters in five continents are joining them in a multi-­‐cultural, multi-­‐religious, multi-­‐lingual effort on March 30th that includes sending delegations to join the March itself and preparing local solidarity actions as well as demonstrations at Israeli Embassies in key cities. Land caravans from India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, are already making their way towards Jerusalem, and delegations from dozens of countries are expected.

On March 30th, the Palestinians and their international supporters will attempt to get as close to Jerusalem as they can: whether at the borders of Lebanon and Jordan, at checkpoints in the West Bank, or at the Erez crossing in Gaza. There will also be a demonstration in Jerusalem itself. Many of the Advisors will personally participate in the March: for example, Irish Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire will join the protests in Lebanon.

Among the Advisory Board members who signed the declaration are Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South African Nobel Peace Laureate; Swami Agnivesh, former Member of the Indian Parliament; George Galloway, former Member of the British Parliament; Dr. Cornel West, philosopher, writer and civil rights activist; Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative; Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, author and activist in the Jewish Renewal Movement; Ronnie Kasrils, South African national liberation leader and former cabinet minister; Dr. Norman Paech, former Member of the German Parliament; Marwah Daud Ibrahim, Indonesian feminist, writer and Member of Parliament; Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor Emeritus at the Trinity United Church of Christ; Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, former Prime Minister of Malaysia; Sheikh Raed Salah, founder of the Islamic Movement for ’48 Palestinians; Ahmad Obeidat, Former Jordanian Prime Minister; Bouguerra Soltani, Algerian Government Minister; Neta Golan, Co-­‐Founder of the International Solidarity Movement; and H.E. Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia, Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

During a time of upheaval throughout the Middle East, the nonviolent demonstrations on Palestinian Land Day this year could well mark a turning point in the Palestinian struggle for liberation and self-­‐determination. The declaration in support of the Global March to Jerusalem by this distinguished Advisory Board underscores the key role the international community can and must play in supporting the struggle for more just and democratic societies throughout the Middle East, and in Palestine. Indeed such strong support demonstrates to the world that "the people of the world demand freedom for Jerusalem" and all of Palestine.

For media enquiries please contact Zaher Birawi: +44 7850 896 057 /
gmj1.icc@gmail.com

Full declaration of support and a selected list of signatories

We, the Advisory Board of the Global March to Jerusalem, are alarmed and deeply troubled by the continuing repression of Palestinians in Jerusalem and by the deliberate and systematic attempts to expel and reduce the Christian and Muslim Palestinian population of the city as part of the policy called “Judaisation,” which is being applied to every part of historic Palestine.

This policy is inconsistent with all relevant United Nations resolutions on Jerusalem and contrary to the most basic principles of international law. Its purpose is plainly to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of its non-­‐Jewish population and transform a once proud symbol of international tolerance and religious and cultural diversity into an exclusionary and racist enclave.
Jerusalem is our common universal heritage. It is the centre of spirituality and ideological significance for all of the monotheistic religions, and a beacon of emancipation and hope for the downtrodden. This historic city is venerated across the world for enhancing the spiritual heritage of all humanity; it has been a symbol of unity and equality, with a message of love, mercy and compassion.

However the entire world is now witnessing a threat to the sovereignty, sanctity and inviolability of Jerusalem. The plan is not only to destroy the Muslim and Christian presence, but also to change and dismantle the social structure of Jerusalem, obliterating its indigenous Arab identity and changing the character of the city.

The people of the world have therefore taken it upon themselves to prevent this abomination, by mobilizing themselves in every part of the world and representing all religious, humanitarian, and cultural backgrounds in a global march to Jerusalem (GMJ) aimed at guarding the City of Peace from becoming a wasteland of intolerance. We therefore lend our names to support the convergence of people from all countries and continents of the world to Jerusalem, and to the nearest points to which they are able to approach, both inside Palestine and at the Palestinian borders with Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, as well as in their own countries, in a peaceful march towards Jerusalem.

We therefore support this effort, and encourage all of humanity to support it, by making the pledge set forth below, that all participants in the Global March to Jerusalem have agreed to accept.

We assert the importance of Jerusalem politically, culturally and religiously to the Palestinian people and humanity as a whole. We call for the protection of the Holy Places and all archeological sites and consider all the efforts done to change its Arabic and cultural identity as a crime against humanity. We call on all international institutions to do their duties towards the city.
The defense of Jerusalem and its liberation are a duty of all free people around the world and we call on all institutions, organizations, and individuals to participate in this duty.

We condemn the Zionist campaign of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine including all ongoing policies intended to change the demographic and geographic situation in the city and aimed at its Judaisation. We also condemn the continuation of the Zionist occupation forces in building the apartheid wall that aims to expropriate more Palestinian lands and convert the occupied areas into shrinking cantons isolated from each other.

We support the right of the Palestinian People to self-­‐determination, to liberate their lands and to live on them in freedom and dignity like all other people on earth.

We support the non-­‐negotiable & inalienable rights of the Palestinian People, including their families, to return to their homes and lands from which they were uprooted.

We reject all racist laws that distinguish between people based on ethnicity or religion and call for their cancellation and criminalization.

The Global March to Jerusalem does not represent any one faction or political party, but we call for participation of all social forces, political factions, and ideologies.

The Global March to Jerusalem is a global peaceful movement, which does not use violence to achieve its goals.

Signed,
The Advisory Board of the Global March to Jerusalem (partial listing of names)

Shaikh Dr. Abdul Ghani al-­‐Tamimi,
Poet and preacher; chairman of the Palestine Scholars Abroad

Abdul Ghaffar Aziz
Coordinator of Pakistani NGOs in Solidarity with Palestine

Abdullatif Arabiyyat
Former Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament

Swami Agnivesh
Founder, Bonded Labour Liberation Front and World Council of Arya Samaj; former Member of the Indian parliament; former Chairperson of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Ahmad Obeidat
Former Jordanian Prime Minister & Head of the National Front for Reform

Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Attia Bahar
Vice President, Palestinian Legislative Council

Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes
Malaysian entrepreneur; founder and CEO, Air Asia

Dr. Anton Shuhaiber
Gaza Christian Association

Arnold Hottinger
Swiss journalist and publicist; former Middle East correspondent for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung

H.E. Atallah Hanna
Archbishop of Sebastia, Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Bouguerra Soltani
Algerian Government Minister, party leader for the Movement of the Society for Peace

Cindy Sheehan
Anti-­‐war activist; mother of US soldier killed in Iraq; author

Dr. Cornel West
Professor of African American studies. Princeton University; philosopher, writer and civil rights activist

Datuk Yasmin Yusoff
Malaysian actress and television host

David Hartsough
Director, Peaceworkers, San Francisco

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Laureate

HE Dr. Dzukelly Ahmad
Member of the Malaysian parliament

Evelyn Hecht-­‐Galinski
Jewish German author, activist and publicist

Dr. Francis Boyle
Professor of International Law, University of Illinois

Dr. Franco Cavalli
Oncologist and former leader of the Swiss Social Democrat Party parliamentary group

George Galloway
Former Member of British Parliament and Founder of Viva Palestina

Dr. Ghada Karmi
Writer and Co-­‐Director, Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Exeter

Gretta Duisenberg
Founder and Chair, “Stop the Occupation” (Netherlands); Free Gaza Movement Board Member

Hafizullah Niazi
Prominent leader of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (Imran Khan party)

Dr. Hammam Said
Head of the Jordanian Consultative Council of the Muslim Brothers

Hilarion Capucci
Archbishop of Caesarea, Greek Melkite Church

Ibrahim Nasrallah
Jordanian-­‐Palestinian Poet & Novelist

Dr. Jeremiah Wright
Pastor Emeritus, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Prof. Judith Butler
Writer and philosopher, University of California, Berkeley

Laith Shubeilat
Former Jordanian Parliamentarian

Lalita Ramdas
Chair, Greenpeace International

Lauren Booth
Broadcaster, journalist and activist

Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas
Magsaysay Peace Award Recipient and anti-­‐nuclear advocate

Dr. Leo Gabriel
Austrian socio-­‐anthropologist, journalist and documentary filmmaker; member, World Social Forum International Council

Fr. Louis Vitale
Order of Franciscan Monks; Pace e Bene; nonviolent resistor

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Jewish Renewal Movement

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia

Mairead McGuire
Nobel Peace Laureate

Marzuki Alie
Speaker, Indonesian House of Representatives

Marwah Daud Ibrahim
Indonesian feminist, writer and Member of Parliament

Medha Patkar
Leader, National Alliance of People’s Movements; Recipient, Right Livelihood Award, Goldman Environment Prize & Amnesty International Human Rights Defenders Award

Michel Warschawski
Anti-­‐Zionist activist and journalist; co-­‐founder, Alternative Information Center

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti
Secretary General, Palestinian National Initiative; President, Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees

Neta Golan
Co-­‐Founder, International Solidarity Movement

Dr. Norman Paech
Former Member of the German Parliament; professor of law, emeritus, University of Hamburg

Sheikh Raed Salah
President of the Islamic movement within the 1949 Ceasefire Line

Raja Zafar ul Haq
Pakistani senator; Chairman, Pakistan Muslim Leaque; General Secretary, World Muslim League

Justice Rajinder Sachar
Former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court; Member, UN Sub-­‐Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities; Senior Advisor & Counsel, People’s Union for Civil Liberties

Ronnie Kasrils
South African national liberation leader and former cabinet minister

Seema Mustafa
Syndicated columnist & former political editor, Asian Age Prof. Siddique Hassan
Director, Vision 2016; Assistant Amir of the Jamat-­‐e-­‐Islami, Hind

Subhi Ghosheh
Chairman, Jordanian Beitul-­‐Maqdes Forum

Syeda Hameed
Columnist, The Indian Express; Member, Indian National Planning Commission

Dr. Tanveer Ahmad Zubairi
President, International Organization of Doctors

Tikva Honig-­‐Parnass
Author and anti-­‐Zionist activist

HE Tony Pua Kiam Wee
Member of the Malaysian parliament

Tujan Faysal
First elected woman Jordanian Parliamentarian

Uri Davis
Author and civil rights activist

Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat
Former Chief of the Naval Staff of India

Mrs. Wardina Safiyyah
Malaysian actress and television host

Dr. Yacoub Zaiadeen
Former Jerusalem Representative to the Jordanian parliament

Sheikh Yousuf Jumaa
Former Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs; former preacher of Al-­‐Aqsa Mosque

Dr. Zakaria Agha M.D.
Member, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee; former chair, Gaza Strip Medical Association

Dr. Zeenat Shaukat Ali
Author; Vice Chairman and Founder Trustee of SAGE Foundation; Professor of Islamic Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

- Global March to Jerusalem

Statement from Advisory Board Members
-

About the Global March to Jerusalem

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

QPR Report Tuesday: Compilation of Olde QPR Videos (1920s, 1940s, 1950s, Early 1960s)...Rowan Vine Costing (Gillingham) Nothing?...Harsh on Barton

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- Further Photos

-
- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!
- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere
- Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives

_______________________________________________________________________________________

- Could-have-been-QPR, Ranieri Axed

- Beyond QPR: In the World of F1 Daily Mail: "Fernandes spy row: Caterham could be kicked out of F1 in new scandal"

- QPR CEO Philip Beard Speaks Later this week at the Soccerex European Forum, in Manchester on "The Financial Management of Clubs"

- QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes View of Israel - Fernandes one the VIP Endorsers of the forthcoming "Global March to Jerusalem"
- Statement and Signatories - About the Global March to Jerusalem



-SOME OLDE QPR VIDEO

- Video: 192 QPR vs Sheffield United

- Video II: 1923 QPR vs Sheffield United

- Video: 1962 QPR vs Newport

- Video: 1948: QPR vs Derby County

- Video: 1958 QPR vs Southampton


- 1962 Video Interview with QPR Manager Alec Stock


- Video: 1962 QPR vs Hinckley


- VIDEO: Last Kick of the Game Winner for QPR - In 1974, QPR Played Coventry in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Moving Into Injury Time, at 2-2 Stan Bowles Took the Free Kick( Parkes - Hazell Mclintock Mancini Clement - Venables Leach Francis, Thomas Bowles Givens.)


- 1981: QPR Go Plastic - The Opening Game vs Luton

- 1948: Athlete McDonald Bailey trains for Olympic competition: Sprinter Emmanuel McDonald Bailey begins training for the 1948 London Summer Olympics with the Queens Park Rangers football club

- Video (Silent): A Younger Jim Gregory Talking about Selling Phil Parkes (Lip Readers Only!)


- 1962 Brentford Fans Protesting Planned Merger with QPR


- Video: Martin Allen Being Fined for Being with His Baby:

-


ROWAN VINE COST GILLINGHAM NOTHING?

Gillingham Official Site

HESS: "VINE WILL BE AN ASSET"

Posted on: Mon 26 Mar 2012

Andy Hessenthaler says Rowan Vine's presence from now until the end of the season can only have a positive effect with Danny Kedwell and Gavin Tomlin struggling for fitness.

The on-loan QPR striker came off the bench during the 2-2 draw against Bradford on Saturday, and Hess said the deal to bring him to the club was `a no brainer. `non

Following the match on Saturday he said: "Rowan isn't match fit - he has been at QPR for a while and he's still under contract there. To be fair to the lad he's just hungry to get out to try and get some games and for me it was a no brainer as there was no cost in it

"He was even prepared to pay his own way to come to us so that just shows the dedication.

"He's just hungry to get playing football again as he has had an horrendous time and was out through injury.

"We will try and get him as fit as we can over the next eight games with us and I think he will be an asset.

"He's experienced, he's one that can come on and he showed glimpses Saturday and it was difficult for him to get into the game but he's another body for us.

"We lost Kedwell with a bad back after the game Tuesday, he didn't realise it was that bad and it looks like he will be missing midweek as well so it's the same old thing with players going down injured.

"He's another body as Tomlin is out too."

As for team news going in to the game at Burton on Tuesday, the manager may bring Danny Spiller and Charlie Lee back into the action, both of whom have served their three-match bans.

He said: "We have Spills and Charlie back but Charlie hasn't done a lot of training as he's had some trouble with his ankle so whether he is fit enough to be involved Tuesday let's wait and see.

"Spills will do a session but he's had injections in his ankle too, it's a regular thing that he has to have and whether that will prevent him being involved Tuesday we are not sure.

"Both will definitely be available for the Macclesfield game."

Hess reflected on the draw against Bradford, and although he admitted the equalizer awardedto the hosts was frustrating, he is adamant his squad do what what it takes to make the play-offs.

He said: "Of course. There are eight games to go, we have had five wins, two defeats and a draw but it could easily have been another win Saturday.

"They gambled off the bits but I don't think Paulo had much to do second half shots wise so we're disappointed because the referee's decisions have cost us the game.

"We started the day in the same position that we are now. I know Crewe won but Cheltenham and Oxford drew and we were four points away from Oxford and that's still the same." Gillingham


HARSH CRITIQUE OF JOEY BARTON (Beyond the Playing Field)

MAIL/Laura Williamson - How will football cope without the spiteful rants of this humourless, angry little man?


Some joyous news from Queens Park Rangers this week, amid the gloom of a relegation battle.
After being booed off by his own fans before his team-mates staged a remarkable comeback against Liverpool, then dropped for the 3-1 defeat by Sunderland on Saturday, Joey Barton has decided to take a ‘little Twitter sabbatical’.
The midfielder tells us he is anxious to avoid saying something he’ll ‘end up regretting’. Presumably he didn’t intend this to be a joke, but it is very funny. After 4,598 tweets it’s a bit late for that, Joseph.

Shouting his mouth off: Joey Barton has earned a reputation for making his voice heard on Twitter
BARTON ON TWITTER
On Madonna at The Superbowl: Half Time show. This could be like watching ur grandmother lip syncing in her knickers and bra. I shudder at the thought.
On Beckham’s H+M underwear deal: Is there no limit to what “Brand Beckham” will endorse for a pound note. Surely they both have enough cash now.
On religion: I am very Darwinian in my thinking but there’s also a lot unknown. That’s where spirituality comes in I think. Everything starts somewhere!
On Shearer: Bad shirt, shoes and views from shearer again. Sort it out slaphead........
On politics: Hate to say this but I struggle with Ed Milliband because of his lisp. Sorry leader of the country cannot have a speech impediment
On overcoming alcoholism: I am no different because I kick a ball and am known. I have many failings. “I am a human and I need to be loved......”
We shall miss him, of course. We will pine for the incessant, sanctimonious musings of Twitter’s self-appointed sage. As Lent draws to a close, it is we who will be cast out into the wilderness without football’s unofficial spokesman and resident philosopher to show us the light.
Will the game be able to cope without born-again Barton taking a sip from his cappuccino and casting judgment on the burning issues of the day, trampling over those who disagree and basking in the unashamedly ego-stroking nonsense of it all? We may not function properly without our all-seeing overlord.
In his attack on the media, published in The Times this year, a comically oblivious Barton wrote: ‘This is the medium of Generation Y, the kids today that will become tomorrow’s leaders. These are my people… I want to be one of them.’
It was a statement of such misguided arrogance it would have been amusing if it wasn’t so scary. Joey Barton, a convicted thug, the spokesman for my generation? What a depressing thought. This is a man who wants desperately to be a football thinker, a voice of authority who speaks and people listen. But, instead of replicating the enigmatic brilliance of Eric Cantona, another footballer with a violent past, he is often just Vinnie Jones with Wi-Fi.
Barton has tried hard, too hard, to shed the skin of the man who stabbed a lit cigar into a team-mate’s face at a Christmas party, served 74 days in Manchester’s Strangeways prison for assault and left another team-mate unconscious after a training-ground attack. The fact we still give his opinions credence is itself remarkable, but also a testament to his intelligence, determination and sheer gall. But, even today, it still takes more than a username, a password and a BlackBerry to change the world — and the world’s perception of you.

Benched: Barton has struggled for form in recent weeks and was booed by QPR fans against Liverpool
Enlarge
He wrote in The Times: ‘Last year I realised no journalist was going to tell my tale truthfully. So I’m doing it myself. Anything I said, anything I did, was given an angle to fit in with the bad-boy image.
‘They projected someone who was not the real me: it was the “me” that the press wanted to project. People are now beginning to see the man I am.’
Are we, though? Is anyone capable of reflecting the ‘real me’ in 140 characters? It is doubtful. The ‘virtual’ Barton is a different beast to the one described by those who know him well.
‘Generous’, ‘thoughtful’ and ‘good fun’ were just some of the words associated with a man capable of committing little acts of kindness — a round of golf here, a bottle of champagne there — without ego or ceremony. This is so far removed from the angry, humourless little man behind @Joey7Barton that it was hard to imagine we were talking about the same person.
Yet he is a Premier League footballer who contributes a column to The Big Issue and a Liverpool-born athlete who has used his 1.3million Twitter followers to campaign passionately for justice for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. He is the capitalist with a conscience: the man who swapped a £170,000 Aston Martin DBS for a Toyota Prius, a moped and an Oyster card, allowing him to travel on London’s Underground network concealed by a pair of Harry Potter glasses and a hat. He wears a £6 plastic watch instead of £500,000 of designer bling.

In action: Barton was named QPR captain after his move from Newcastle last summer
But, just as the newspaper interviews to which Barton now seems to object reflected journalists’ interpretations of the man, his Tweets project their own self-portrait.
He may decry the ‘bad-boy image’ he considers a media fabrication, but he repeatedly enhances that negative persona. If you do not like what you read in the papers it will always be somebody else’s fault, but you have no excuse if you actively celebrate the fact it is you, unfiltered, behind the Twitter avatar.
The result is certainly not pleasant. Barton comes across as a mean, dislikeable individual; the classic playground bully who revels in snide ripostes and stamping on those with a lower profile — simply because he can.
His tweets come like bullets, one after the other. He doesn’t interact; he just spews vitriol on the screen whenever he feels like it. ‘He tweets when he wants,’ sang the QPR fans. Don’t we just know it.
Barton’s behaviour was particularly despicable when he insulted Neil Warnock earlier this year. The former QPR boss said owner Tony Fernandes had been ‘slowly poisoned from outside the club and no doubt from within the club as well’. Barton responded by telling Warnock to ‘shut it’, calling him ‘embarrassing’ and comparing him to Mike Bassett, a fictional football manager and a figure of fun.


Court dates: Barton was in trouble with the law during his spells with Manchester City and Newcastle
‘If I talked about Neil, he’d do well to get another job,’ added the player Warnock made captain of QPR after Newcastle United were so desperate to get rid of him they let him leave for free.
It was unprofessional and smacked of ingratitude, but it was typical of the way Barton responds to those who hit back. He simply dismisses them with utter contempt.
‘I don’t want or need ur advice, praise, negativity...or any other thing that u offer,’ he wrote. ‘U will never effect me. I am far to driven for u.’ Barton isn’t interested in dialogue. Monologues will do nicely, thank you very much.
‘Spineless maggots’ was the phrase he used to describe two journalists who dared to criticise him. ‘Numpty’ was another example. The fans who have paid good money to watch a string of average performances at Loftus Road from QPR’s No 17 this season are ‘bells’ and ‘trolls’.
As Barton himself has noted, form is temporary but class — or lack of it — is permanent. For all his highfalutin talk about freedom of speech and his undoubted intelligence, his responses are consistently shallow and insulting.
The anonymity of a Twitter account encourages people to pour bile on you, unacceptably so, but ignore them or argue coherently — do not retreat into a shell of abuse. We had just begun to hope you might be better than that. Mail


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Monday, March 26, 2012

QPR Report Monday: Break-Even Ticket Prices...Flashback QPR Video from Late 1950s and Early 1960s

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Daily Star/Jerry Lawton - CHARGE FOOTBALL FANS £161 A PREMIERSHIP GAME TO BREAK EVEN


PREMIER League clubs would have to increase prices by an average of £25 a ticket to break even.

Title-chasing Manchester City would need to charge every fan an extra £161 per game to wipe out giant losses.

Fellow big spenders Chelsea, with £50million Fernando Torres in their squad, would have to put £77 on their prices.

And lowly Aston Villa (£63), QPR (£49) and Bolton (£48) would also need to impose massive hikes.

The report, produced by the Financial Fair Play website, lays bare the perilous nature of top clubs’ finances.

It reveals how some have become heavily reliant on wealthy owners and income from TV and commercial deals to combat massive turnstile losses.

Only Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and Wolves make enough profit not to need to subsidise match day tickets.

The report says though big spending Manchester City’s appearance at the top of the subsidy league would “surprise few”, the level of “loss per ticket” was “shocking”.

It adds: “Perhaps more surprising are the unsustainable subsidies provided to Aston Villa and Bolton fans.”

The analysis is based on clubs’ profit before tax over the past three seasons.

The report says that if Uefa enforce financial fair play rules and start exclud- ing big loss makers from the Champions League and Europa League, financial meltdown could follow.

“The results could be disastrous,’’ the report states.

DEBT LEAGUE

Amount added to ticket to break even

Manchester City £161
Chelsea £77
Aston Villa £63
Queens Park Rangers £49
Bolton Wanderers £48
Sunderland £36
Liverpool £22
Newcastle United £18
Wigan Athletic £17
Fulham £15
Blackburn Rovers £12
Norwich City £9
Swansea City £8
Everton £7
Stoke City £7
West Bromwich Albion £2

Amount some clubs could afford to take off ticket and still break even
Wolverhampton W £4
Tottenham Hotspur £13
Manchester United £15
Arsenal £28 - Daily Star

- In Greater Detail: Club-by-Club: What Tickets Should be Priced at for Premiership Clubs (including) QPR to Break Even


- Sunderland vs QPR Match Reports & Manager/Chairman Comments

- On This Day in 1966: Rodney Made his QPR Home Debut, Scoring Twice

- Fourteen Years Ago: Vinnie Jones and Neil Ruddock (Loan) Join QPR

- QPR CEO Philip Beard Speaks Later this week at the Soccerex European Forum, in Manchester on "The Financial Management of Clubs"

- QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes View of Israel - Fernandes one the VIP Endorsers of the forthcoming "Global March to Jerusalem"
- Statement and Signatories - About the Global March to Jerusalem


OLD QPR VIDEO

.. VIDEO: Last Kick of the Game Winner for QPR - In 1974, QPR Played Coventry in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Moving Into Injury Time, at 2-2 Stan Bowles Took the Free Kick

Parkes - Hazell Mclintock Mancini Clement - Venables Leach Francis, Thomas Bowles Givens.

- Video: 1958 QPR vs Southampton

- 1962 Video Interview with QPR Manager Alec Stock

- Video: 1962 QPR vs Hinckley

- 1962 Brentford Fans Protesting Planned Merger with QPR





- Reminder: May 20 at Loftus Road 'former greats from Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and QPR take part in a four-team tournament"

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