-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post or comment on any of these posts: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- Curbishley or De Canio for QPR?
- Portsmouth's Steve Finnan for QPR?
- John Gregory Could Have been the Next Alex Ferguson
- QPR/Indian Youths Training Snippet
- Holloway Criticizes Cardiff Fans
- A Football Director's Son "Abuses" Fans (Non-QPR)
Chelsea's Jack Cork? Sunday People - Queue here for snappy Jack
HOTLINE TRANSFER WINDOW SPECIAL
QPR head the clubs interested in taking Chelsea's Under-21 utility player Jack Cork after Coventry reluctantly let him go back from loan. Cork, loaned to Watford and Southampton recently, has signed a new Chelsea contract but like most home-grown players can't get a first team break. People
Gary Waddock Profiled/Interviewed -
Irish Independent - Waddock's forward plan needed a step back
Seán Ryan hears why Gary Waddock is prepared to risk failure for the game he loves
Sunday January 10 2010
- MANAGER of a football club must be one of the most insecure occupations, with the sack or its euphemism 'resignation' the only guarantee. So why do managers, who are experiencing the good days, put themselves at further risk by moving to another club deep in trouble?
- These strange sideways moves happen all the time, and the most recent example was Owen Coyle last week as he chose to leave Burnley for relegation-threatened Bolton. In doing so, he was following the example of another former Republic of Ireland international, Gary Waddock, who left promotion-chasing Aldershot in October for relegation fodder Wycombe Wanderers.
- In both cases, they face the risk of managing in a division lower next season than the clubs they have left behind. Yet, where the average punter sees risk, they see challenge -- and challenge is always more exciting, and more welcome than the danger of slipping into a comfort zone.
- "I like a challenge," he said. "Nothing lasts forever. You make decisions and live and die by those decisions. I left Aldershot fifth in League Two and it would be fantastic if they are promoted to League One. I would look back with pride on my part in that, but my focus now is totally on keeping Wycombe in League One."
- Of Coyle's situation, he remarked: "He played at Bolton, so he has that tie. It's a difficult decision but he possibly thinks he can keep them up and he may see them as a bigger club. He has done a hell of a job at Burnley and now he is walking into a club that is low in confidence and in a relegation dogfight, similar to what I've done."
- Waddock had the experience of managing a club he played for, but it didn't end happily for him. "My time at QPR ended in disappointment, but it was also a fast learning curve. When I finished playing I had the opportunity to coach and wanted to work my way up so I would know how the club worked from schoolboy, youth to first team. I did get to manage the first team, but it didn't work out as planned."
- So what is the attraction to a job that usually ends in tears? "I always wanted to be involved in football from a young age. It's a fantastic profession as a player and the next best thing is to coach or manage. Once you're in, at some stage you'll get the sack and you have to accept that.
- "I was aware of that but also that if it works out you can go on to bigger and better things. It's a very insecure job but there are plenty of coaches and managers who are out of the game and would go straight back in if the jobs were there for them."
- Waddock's career as a manager has seen the good and the bad, from getting the sack at QPR to winning promotion with Aldershot. "After QPR I was out of the game for six months and had to rebuild my career and show that I could manage a team. The opportunity came at Aldershot, who were then in the Conference. There was only a small group of four or five under contract, so I had to bring in my own players, which is easier than inheriting a squad. That worked in my favour.
- "The club wanted their League place back and I wanted to be a League manager again and we had a fantastic first year. We were promoted to the League, won the Setanta Shield and lost in the semi-final of the FA Trophy, beaten by Liam Daish's Ebbsfleet. I was disappointed I didn't get the club to Wembley. It would have been a marvellous season if we had done that."
- Surely promotion and a trophy represented a marvellous season, I ventured? "Yes, but you are always looking to improve and push yourself," he responded. Having played in an FA Cup final at the old Wembley for QPR in 1982, he felt more keenly the disappointment of not leading his team out at the new Wembley.
- After consolidating their League place in their first season back, Waddock then had Aldershot pushing for promotion, so what were the factors that persuaded him to jump ship to a club in a relegation battle?
- "The attraction was League One. I have been at Wycombe with my team, and the stadium and facilities are very good. For my own development I wanted to challenge myself, to test myself as a manager. You can be in a comfort zone, but I don't want that. It's good for clubs like us to be pitting our wits against big clubs like Leeds, Norwich, Charlton and Southampton, all of whom were recently in the Premier League."
- When he joined Wycombe, they had won only one game from 13 in the League and had seven points. In the 12 games since, they have won three and accumulated a further 11 points, but they are still in deep trouble.
- "It's been a mixed bag so far," Waddock conceded. "We have been close in games and not got the breaks we deserved, and in other games we were totally out of it, so I'm looking for more consistency. The difference against Norwich last week was we hit the post and the ball came back into the 'keeper's arms, and in their next attack they hit the winner -- such a fine line.
- "We're not adrift by a silly amount of points so we remain positive until it's out of our hands. We need a little run again. We've got to get a couple of wins, but we are where we are for a reason. Managing is a pressurised situation and none more so than when you're at the bottom of the League. I'm very positive, win, lose or draw. You can't be fearful when you are part of a results-based game."
- Steve Hayes, the owner, who brought Waddock to Wycombe, has been very supportive. "He said he had a long-term plan, which I liked and want to be part of. Sometimes you have to go through the hard times to get where you want to be. I know I'll be better for it when we come out the other side."
- Is this idea of a long-term plan a safety net? "Well, I suppose if you lose five or six on the trot, the next one could be your long-term plan," he laughed. "Really, you never know how long you are going to be at any club."
- Waddock, who is hoping to bring in some new players during this month's transfer window, is also conscious that managers need time to get their view across -- and that in turn sometimes requires a patient owner.
- "I have got a style of play I would like to use and I won't change my philosophy on that, but you can be dictated to by the players you have and the situation you're in. In our situation it's about winning.
- "I want to do it in a certain style, but I would take anything to get a win. I wouldn't mind winning three or four and being labelled the luckiest manager in the world. You need a bit of luck."
- As a player, Waddock had an exemplary disciplinary record. He was one of the game's nice guys, so how does he handle the tough decisions when he has to tell players they are not good enough?
- "If you treat people with respect and are honest with them, they'll respect you and accept your decision," he says. "It's never personal. Making decisions is part of the job. It's also about pushing your club forward, and if you're not prepared to make those decisions, the club will never go forward."
- At 47, Waddock's love for the game is as strong as ever, matched by his desire to prove himself as a manager. Wycombe are fortunate to have him at the helm. Independent/Ireland
- Flashback Article From Two Years Ago:
The Telegraph January 10, 2008: "QPR Tycoons Hesitate on Spending Spree"
- For a club just two hours from going bust, the transformation in the financial fortunes of Queens Park Rangers is one of the most amazing stories seen in English football since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003.
- But for those QPR fans hoping that new investor Lakshmi Mittal has joined forces with Formula One tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore to bankroll an Abramovich-style spending spree at Loftus Road, there is likely to be disappointment.
- Despite being worth around £19.25 billion, Britain's richest resident has spent only £200,000 on acquiring his 20 per cent stake in the club from flamboyant Team Renault boss Briatore. He has also pledged £1 million to help cover debts and buy new players. To put that figure into context, Mittal spent £30 million on his daughter Vanisha's lavish 2004 wedding in Paris.
- All of which begs the question why the Indian steel magnate, an entrepreneur with more than enough money to buy every club in the Premier League and still have change, chose to spend a relatively tiny sum to buy into QPR, a club languishing at the wrong end of the Championship. Although Mittal has access to an executive box at Chelsea and went to the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy, he is not a big fan of the game.
- A clue to the reason for his interest may be found in the involvement of his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, himself a wealthy investment banker from a rich Delhi family. Bhatia is to take up a place on the QPR board and is said to be the one with a keen enthusiasm for football.
- Bhatia was also the driving force behind the foundation of the Mittal Champions Trust, a £4.5 million funding programme set up to boost India's Olympic team in time for the London 2012 Games.
Vinod Mehta, editor of Indian magazine Outlook, said: "Although he is very rich, Lakshmi Mitall is a very simple man. He is not a man of extravagant taste. He is not star-struck, so buying into this is not to get publicity or to elevate his status. I suspect this is just for the benefit of his son-in-law."
- Ecclestone explains Mittal's involvement in more simple terms. "I told him he should come on board and he took my advice," he said last month. The two became close after Ecclestone sold his house in Kensington Palace Gardens to Mittal for £70 million in 2003.
- Mittal is understood to be happy to remain a silent investor in the project, leaving Briatore and Ecclestone to drive the push for the Premier League. "It would be wrong to give your readers the impression that Mittal is about to become another Abramovich," said one source.
- But even if Mittal decides not to dent his considerable fortune, these are still heady times for long-suffering QPR supporters. Briatore, worth £110 million, and Ecclestone, worth £2.25 billion, have pledged to turn the club into a Premier League force within the next three years.
- The pair completed their £14 million takeover in November, spending £690,000 to acquire their 69 per cent majority stake in the club. Ecclestone spent £150,000 on his 15 per cent, while Briatore, through his British Virgin Islands registered company, Sarita Capital, bought 54 per cent for £540,000. He has since sold on 20 per cent of his stake to Mittal.
- Another 31 per cent of smaller shareholders turned down the Briatore and Ecclestone offer of 1p a share, choosing to hold on to their stake, perhaps sensing even greater profits in the future. Briatore and Ecclestone have also pledged another £5 million in convertible loan facilities to help buy players and have covered £13 million of debt, taking their total commitment to nearer £20 million.
- But so far they have made no attempt to pay off a £10 million loan to the ABC Corporation which carries a punitive £1 million annual interest charge - a massive burden on a team with an annual turnover of £10 million-£15 million a year. Another £2 million is owed to former director and major shareholder Antonio Caliendo who waived £4.5 million of loans he was owed when he sold out to Briatore and Ecclestone.
- Although the former football agent Gianni Paladini has been retained as chairman of the football club board for the time being, the business is now being overseen by the QPR Holdings chairman Alejandro Agag. Married to the daughter of Spain's former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, he has close links to the F1 business and is one of the most powerful men in his country.
- Despite talk of a property plan which would see the new owners sell Loftus Road for redevelopment and move to a new ground - perhaps on a BBC-owned site at White City - he has assured fans they have no immediate plans.
- He maintains the strategy is to build the club up slowly ahead of funding a major push for the Premier League next season. They have also vowed to refurbish the existing home and use their F1 experience to increase sponsorship revenues. A new chief executive is expected in the next few weeks.
- The owners have wasted no time in matching their words with action in the transfer market, signing five players since the window opened 10 days ago, including the £800,000 capture of Hogan Ephraim from West Ham and the £350,000 signing of Preston's Patrick Agyemang. More signings are said to be imminent.
- The question now is whether Mittal, Ecclestone and Briatore are prepared to up their investment to put the club on the same level as their Russian-owned neighbours.
Telegraph
- Independent/James Corrigan "The Last Word: Let's hope that Coyle falls flat on his two faces. Burnley fans are forgotten victims as fake declarations of loyalty sum up twisted logic of the Premier League"
- David James on Portsmouth, Football, Finances, TV
- Ex-QPR Josh Ford Joins Weston-Super-Mare
- Pellicori to Mantova?"
- Ian Holloway Criticizes Cardiff Fans
- Lee Camp Named Championship Player of The Month
- Managers of The Month Named
- QPR Football League attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down) - QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
-
Welcome to QPR REPORT - A completely unofficial and unaffiliated fan site focusing on G-d's Chosen Team, Queen's Park Rangers (QPR) FC. (Visit also QPR Report Messageboard and Follow on Twitter.) QPR Report accepts no sponsorship, advertising or financial contributions. In 2008, QPR Report was named as one of the top two blogs in the Football League
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Curbishley or De Canio for QPR?...QPR Interest in Portsmouth's Steve Finnan...John Gregory: Could Have Been Next Alex Ferguson!
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
News of the World/Garry Ward - FINNAN HOPING FOR PORTSMOUTH RESCUE
FINNAN: Keen to move to QPR
- STEVE FINNAN is praying to be rescued from his Portsmouth hell - with QPR keen to snap him up.
- The former Ireland international wants out of Fratton Park as soon as possible and hopes former boss, Paul Hart, will pick him up in the bargain-basement January sales.
- Finnan, 33, has told his advisors to shop around for a move and is prepared to drop down to the Championship to get regular first-team football as well as regular payments.
- A source said: "Steve is deeply frustrated by the mess Portsmouth are in and wants away. He knows the club is going nowhere and he is keen to get his career back on track."
- The former Liverpool defender only arrived at Fratton Park from Espanyol last July, signing a one-year deal. News of The World
Mail on Sunday - QPR to make it 12 managers in four years with summer swoop for Curbishley or De Canio
By Rob Draper, Mail on Sunday Chief Football Writer
9th January 2010
- Queens Park Rangers will make their 12th managerial change in four years this summer with Alan Curbishley and former boss Luigi De Canio the two candidates to replace Paul Hart in the hot seat.
Hart, appointed following the dismissal of Jim Magilton, is on his way out of Loftus Rroad at the end of the season with owner Flavio Briatore determined that his next appointment will herald a new stability at Loftus Road.
Curbishley still has some loose ends to sort out after a tribunal awarded him £2million from West Ham for constructive dismissal but will be available in the summer.
- The Rangers hierarchy would also welcome back De Canio, who quit after eight months in charge in 2008 for personal reasons. He is currently in charge of Lecce, who are the league leaders in Italy’s Serie B. Mail
- Ex-QPR Josh Ford Joins Weston-Super-Mare
- Pellicori to Mantova?"
- Ian Holloway Criticizes Cardiff Fans
- Lee Camp Named Championship Player of The Month
- Managers of The Month Named
- QPR Football League attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down) - QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
Mail on Sunday - I could have been the new Fergie, laments John Gregory
- John Gregory may have vanished into the footballing backwater of Israel but a jaw-dropping interview with the former Aston Villa and Derby County manager shows he is still capable of ruffling the feathers of old rivals.
- Gregory, out of English football since being sacked by QPR in 2007, admits that he once considered himself the new Sir Alex Ferguson and criticises Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who between them have won considerably more trophies than the current coach of Maccabi Ahi Nazareth.
- Gregory tells Shem Hamisehak magazine: ‘I thought I’d turn into Alex Ferguson. Once a year a thought passes through my mind: what if I had been more patient? Had I kept my mouth shut, it might have happened.’
- Of Benitez and Wenger he says: ‘He (Benitez) is lucky to still be at Liverpool. At any other club he would have been long gone. He got it wrong when he went all guns blazing at the Champions League at the expense of the Premier League. He used to play with weakened teams in the League and over experimented with the tactics. I adore the way he (Wenger) plays, but he’s making a fool of himself if he thinks his defence is good enough." Mail
- Flashback: Tommassi Leaves QPR
- Flashback: Mick Dennis on QPR (and His follow up)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
News of the World/Garry Ward - FINNAN HOPING FOR PORTSMOUTH RESCUE
FINNAN: Keen to move to QPR
- STEVE FINNAN is praying to be rescued from his Portsmouth hell - with QPR keen to snap him up.
- The former Ireland international wants out of Fratton Park as soon as possible and hopes former boss, Paul Hart, will pick him up in the bargain-basement January sales.
- Finnan, 33, has told his advisors to shop around for a move and is prepared to drop down to the Championship to get regular first-team football as well as regular payments.
- A source said: "Steve is deeply frustrated by the mess Portsmouth are in and wants away. He knows the club is going nowhere and he is keen to get his career back on track."
- The former Liverpool defender only arrived at Fratton Park from Espanyol last July, signing a one-year deal. News of The World
Mail on Sunday - QPR to make it 12 managers in four years with summer swoop for Curbishley or De Canio
By Rob Draper, Mail on Sunday Chief Football Writer
9th January 2010
- Queens Park Rangers will make their 12th managerial change in four years this summer with Alan Curbishley and former boss Luigi De Canio the two candidates to replace Paul Hart in the hot seat.
Hart, appointed following the dismissal of Jim Magilton, is on his way out of Loftus Rroad at the end of the season with owner Flavio Briatore determined that his next appointment will herald a new stability at Loftus Road.
Curbishley still has some loose ends to sort out after a tribunal awarded him £2million from West Ham for constructive dismissal but will be available in the summer.
- The Rangers hierarchy would also welcome back De Canio, who quit after eight months in charge in 2008 for personal reasons. He is currently in charge of Lecce, who are the league leaders in Italy’s Serie B. Mail
- Ex-QPR Josh Ford Joins Weston-Super-Mare
- Pellicori to Mantova?"
- Ian Holloway Criticizes Cardiff Fans
- Lee Camp Named Championship Player of The Month
- Managers of The Month Named
- QPR Football League attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down) - QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
Mail on Sunday - I could have been the new Fergie, laments John Gregory
- John Gregory may have vanished into the footballing backwater of Israel but a jaw-dropping interview with the former Aston Villa and Derby County manager shows he is still capable of ruffling the feathers of old rivals.
- Gregory, out of English football since being sacked by QPR in 2007, admits that he once considered himself the new Sir Alex Ferguson and criticises Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who between them have won considerably more trophies than the current coach of Maccabi Ahi Nazareth.
- Gregory tells Shem Hamisehak magazine: ‘I thought I’d turn into Alex Ferguson. Once a year a thought passes through my mind: what if I had been more patient? Had I kept my mouth shut, it might have happened.’
- Of Benitez and Wenger he says: ‘He (Benitez) is lucky to still be at Liverpool. At any other club he would have been long gone. He got it wrong when he went all guns blazing at the Champions League at the expense of the Premier League. He used to play with weakened teams in the League and over experimented with the tactics. I adore the way he (Wenger) plays, but he’s making a fool of himself if he thinks his defence is good enough." Mail
- Flashback: Tommassi Leaves QPR
- Flashback: Mick Dennis on QPR (and His follow up)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
Championship Player of The Month Award Goes to: Ex-QPR Goalie Lee Camp
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- Pellicori to Mantova?"
Nottingham Forest - Lee Camp Wins Award
Sat 09 Jan 2010
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Lee Camp is celebrating today after being named Coca-Cola Championship Player of the Month for December 2009.
- Camp was in outstanding form in December, conceding just a single goal to help his side record four wins and two draws from their six league fixture. The 'keeper's run of clean sheets has been instrumental in Forest's rise up the table and they now head into the New Year with an automatic promotion place in the Coca-Cola Championship firmly in their sights.
- Also short-listed for the December award were Chris Burke of Cardiff City, Billy Sharp of Doncaster Rovers and Swansea City's Darren Pratley.
- Jermaine Beckford of Leeds United won the award in League 1 and Rochdale's Craig Dawson was given the League 2 accolade.
The decision to present the Coca-Cola Championship Player of the Month award was made by the Coca-Cola Player of the Month awards panel which includes former World Cup referee Jack Taylor, on behalf of The Football League, Steve Bates, Chairman of the Football Writers' Association, Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation and Steve Watts, Marketing Assets Manager, Coca-Cola Great Britain. " Nottingham Forest
CAMP FLASHBACK
This is London - December 30, 2008
- "...- Sporting director Gianni Paladini was charged with finding an English-speaking manager who understood the Championship and Dowie appeared to tick the relevant boxes. But even before a ball was kicked in anger in August, there was friction over who should play in goal: Briatore pulled rank to insist that close-season signing Radek Cerny was preferred to the keeper in residence, Lee Camp.- The Italian said: "The coach criticised me over Cerny. I said I thought he was the best keeper in the Championship. I tried to make him understand what we wanted but it was very difficult..."
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times wrote last year
"....The window for loan transfers reopened earlier this week and Rangers will allow Camp to move on the understanding that Forest buy him at the end of the season.
It brings an end to a baffling saga in which Camp - a consistent performer and popular figure with the Loftus Road crowd throughout his three spells at the club - was frozen out on the orders of co-owner Flavio Briatore.
Briatore instructed sporting director Gianni Paladini to ship Camp out last autumn, even though former manager Iain Dowie stated that he wanted the keeper to challenge Cerny for his place between the posts.
It was made clear to Camp that he would only play for Rangers again in an emergency - and that proved to be the case when the Czech number one strained his hamstring at the end of last month."
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- QPR Football League attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down) - QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
- Flashback: Tommassi Leaves QPR
- Flashback: Mick Dennis on QPR (and His follow up)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Hamilton's Jamie McArthur Thinks Will be Joining Championship Club
- Meanwhile Watford Manager, Malky Mackay on Helguson
"I would love to keep Heidar [Helguson] and have him back here. I will be trying everything we can to get him back here. "He has been a great professional and servant to this football club for the second time and I will be trying everything I can do to get him back." Watford Observer
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- Pellicori to Mantova?"
Nottingham Forest - Lee Camp Wins Award
Sat 09 Jan 2010
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Lee Camp is celebrating today after being named Coca-Cola Championship Player of the Month for December 2009.
- Camp was in outstanding form in December, conceding just a single goal to help his side record four wins and two draws from their six league fixture. The 'keeper's run of clean sheets has been instrumental in Forest's rise up the table and they now head into the New Year with an automatic promotion place in the Coca-Cola Championship firmly in their sights.
- Also short-listed for the December award were Chris Burke of Cardiff City, Billy Sharp of Doncaster Rovers and Swansea City's Darren Pratley.
- Jermaine Beckford of Leeds United won the award in League 1 and Rochdale's Craig Dawson was given the League 2 accolade.
The decision to present the Coca-Cola Championship Player of the Month award was made by the Coca-Cola Player of the Month awards panel which includes former World Cup referee Jack Taylor, on behalf of The Football League, Steve Bates, Chairman of the Football Writers' Association, Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation and Steve Watts, Marketing Assets Manager, Coca-Cola Great Britain. " Nottingham Forest
CAMP FLASHBACK
This is London - December 30, 2008
- "...- Sporting director Gianni Paladini was charged with finding an English-speaking manager who understood the Championship and Dowie appeared to tick the relevant boxes. But even before a ball was kicked in anger in August, there was friction over who should play in goal: Briatore pulled rank to insist that close-season signing Radek Cerny was preferred to the keeper in residence, Lee Camp.- The Italian said: "The coach criticised me over Cerny. I said I thought he was the best keeper in the Championship. I tried to make him understand what we wanted but it was very difficult..."
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times wrote last year
"....The window for loan transfers reopened earlier this week and Rangers will allow Camp to move on the understanding that Forest buy him at the end of the season.
It brings an end to a baffling saga in which Camp - a consistent performer and popular figure with the Loftus Road crowd throughout his three spells at the club - was frozen out on the orders of co-owner Flavio Briatore.
Briatore instructed sporting director Gianni Paladini to ship Camp out last autumn, even though former manager Iain Dowie stated that he wanted the keeper to challenge Cerny for his place between the posts.
It was made clear to Camp that he would only play for Rangers again in an emergency - and that proved to be the case when the Czech number one strained his hamstring at the end of last month."
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- QPR Football League attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down) - QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
- Flashback: Tommassi Leaves QPR
- Flashback: Mick Dennis on QPR (and His follow up)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Hamilton's Jamie McArthur Thinks Will be Joining Championship Club
- Meanwhile Watford Manager, Malky Mackay on Helguson
"I would love to keep Heidar [Helguson] and have him back here. I will be trying everything we can to get him back here. "He has been a great professional and servant to this football club for the second time and I will be trying everything I can do to get him back." Watford Observer
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
QPR Report Saturday: Pellicori?...League Attendances Up (QPR Attendances Down)...Flashbacks: Tommasi Departs..Recalling The Mick Dennis QPR Article
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Anoher Blackstock Goal as Nottingham Forest unbeaten run goes on and on and on!...Recalling Briatore vs Lee Camp
- Hamilton's Jamie McArthur Thinks Will be Joining Championship Club
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
- "Managers Can Pay a Price for Loyalty"
[Pellicori to Mantova?"
And now also: re Pellicori [Web Translation] ".... In the market of repair, the Queen's Park Rangers player seems more willing than ever to return to Italy.. Moves very well Brescia that probed the trail rich with Catania, conducting the operation with the Parma: Budel, Cordova and Manzoni (for pay and Rispoli). Goal.com via QPR Italia
- Sensible Talk from Graham Taylor
Meanwhile Watford Manager, Malky Mackay on Helguson
"I would love to keep Heidar [Helguson] and have him back here. I will be trying everything we can to get him back here. "He has been a great professional and servant to this football club for the second time and I will be trying everything I can do to get him back." Watford Observer
Football League - LEAGUE CROWDS UP AT HALFWAY MARK
- Crowds at Coca-Cola Football League matches have risen by more than 3% during the first half of the 2009/10 season.
- More than 8.6m fans have attended matches during the first five months of the league season at an average of 10,441 fans per match, compared to 10,101 at the same stage twelve months ago.
- These encouraging figures were boosted by a December fixture programme that attracted the highest average crowd (11,411) for League matches since 1959/60 and the 19th highest of all time.
- Football League crowds are currently at their highest levels for 50 years and have topped the 16 million mark in each of the last five seasons.
- Football League Chairman, Lord Mawhinney, said: "It is very encouraging to see more and more supporters going through the turnstiles at Football League grounds.
- "The dedication they have shown towards their clubs during a challenging economic period further underlines the strength of the domestic game."
- The League's two showpiece cup competitions - the Carling Cup and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy - have also witnessed growing popularity this season. In the Carling Cup, crowds have increased by more than 3% during the competition's 50th year, whilst the Johnstone's Paint Trophy has seen attendances rocket by a massive 37%. Football League
QPR ATTENDANCES SEASON BY SEASON
2009/2010 - 13,409 (after 12 home games) (MagiltoN/Gallen-Bircham/Hart)
2008/2009 - 14,003 (Dowie/Ainsworth/Sousa/Ainsworth)
2007/2008 - 13,958 (Gregory/Harford/De Canio)
2006/2007 - 12,936 (Waddock/Gregory)
[* Or September 2007 Club takeover statement "QPR is one of the best supported football clubs in the Championship ...home games averaging approximately 20,000, in the 2006/2007 season."]
2005/2006 - 13,440 (Holloway/Waddock)
2004/2005 - 16,055 (QPR's First back in the Championship after promotion)
2003/2004 - 14,784 (QPR Promotion Season)
2002/2003 - 13,206 (QPR Playoff Season) QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
January 9, 2008 - QPR Official Site - TOMMASI LEAVES
- Damiano Tommasi has had his contract terminated by mutual consent with immediate effect.
The 34-year-old midfielder joined the R's in September 2008 on a free transfer following his release from Spanish side Levante at the end of last season.
He made seven appearances for QPR in total, including two as a substitute.
Tommasi told www.qpr.co.uk: "I have enjoyed my time here very much but I understand football, and things change. This is normal.
"Now I have the opportunity to look for another team. I want to carry on playing - I'm not sure for how long - but I feel there is more in me to give.
"I have the enthusiasm to continue.
"I now consider myself to be a QPR fan and I believe the Club is capable of winning promotion.
"They have a strong squad, and I don't think we will have to wait too long before we see them playing in the Premier League."
The Club would like to place on record its thanks to Damiano for his contribution and wish him every success for the future."
QPR Official Site - September 12, 2008 EXCLUSIVE: ITALIAN MIDFIELDER SIGNS
- Queens Park Rangers Football Club is pleased to announce the signing of former Italian international midfielder Damiano Tommasi.
The 34 year-old has put pen to paper on a deal until the end of the 2008/09 campaign, after his release from Spanish side Levante at the end of last season.
Speaking to www.qpr.co.uk, R's boss Iain Dowie revealed his delight at the arrival of the experienced midfield general.
"The signing of Damiano adds great experience to the squad," he said.
"He'll compliment what Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands provide in that area.
"He has played at the highest level for Club and country and to have a player of that calibre available can only be good for QPR.
"We've got some fantastic young talent in the squad, such as (Emmanuel) Ledesma, (Angelo) Balanta, (Daniel) Parejo and (Hogan) Ephraim, and training with someone of Damiano's stature will be of huge benefit to them I'm sure.
"In the short term, he could prove to be very useful to us."
A player with outstanding experience, Tommasi began his career at Serie B side Hellas Verona, before moving to AS Roma, for whom he won the Scudetto Championship in 2001.
He made over 250 appearances for the Italian giants, but his ten-year spell at the Stadio Olimpico came to an end in 2006, when he joined Levante.
Prior to his release from the then La Liga outfit, he made just shy of 50 appearances, scoring one goal.
On the international stage, Tommasi was part of the Italian Under-21 side that triumphed in the 1996 European Championships.
The combative central midfielder has made 25 starts for the Azzurri national side and played in all four of Italy's matches in the 2002 World Cup.
Tommasi will wear the number 18 shirt.
January 9, 2008 - Mick Dennis/Daily Express - This is no Way to Go
FITZ HALL is an unlikely harbinger of revolution. The defender has played for six clubs without getting noticed for much other than his wonderful nickname – One Size.
But Hall has just joined his seventh club, Queens Park Rangers. They have signed seven other players in the first eight days of the transfer window and are starting to restructure the football landscape.
QPR fans gloat that their club is now the richest on the planet. Formula One tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore bought control in August. Last month, they flogged a fifth of the club to Lakshmi Mittal, the wealthiest person in the UK and the fifth richest in the world.
QPR lost the war of the wads with Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea in the FA Cup, and their January purchases have been of workmanlike players, such as Hall.
Yet everybody assumes that QPR will start to climb, and we are all waiting to see whether the new rulers intend to spend enough to establish the London club near the top of the Premier League. It is a prospect which is utterly alarming and deeply depressing. The QPR deal has reshaped football's landscape.
Rich owners are not a new development. English football was shaped by them. Edwardian factory owners, who wanted their works team to beat rival factory teams, lured better players by paying them. The ground rules were set – a rich man could try to make his team better than the rest.
But the stakes were raised when Abramovich flew over London, looked down at Stamford Bridge and, like Little Britain’s Andy, said: “Want that one.”
Abramovich’s example led the world’s super-rich to the Premier League and now they are moving into the Championship.
Queen’s Park Rangers have been a shabby, shoddy little outfit for decades. You can tell a lot about a club’s ethos by the way they treat away fans, and anyone who has huddled in the dank, decrepit away end at Loftus Road will tell you how much the club has been allowed to decay.
Yet QPR could now cruise out of the Football League because of an accident of geography – Loftus Road just happens to be quite handy for Mittal’s £57million home in Kensington Palace Gardens.
At other clubs folk toil away to pay bills on time, work hard to improve stadiums and strive to get the football right. On that treadmill, you have to run to stand still, and all that drives you is the hope that your manager might piece together a sequence of results which will bring some success.
The arrival of Ecclestone, Briatore and Mittal threatens to crush that hope.
MICK DENNIS FOLLOW UP
And after the uproar, Mick Dennis did a pretty unusual thing: He responded to the criticisms of the article
Friday, January 11, 2008
Daily Express columnist, Mick Dennis wrote an article re QPR's new ownership "This is No Way to Go which elicited quite a bit of criticism on a number of QPR messageboards. Mick Dennis responded to one person who emailed him personally. Below is his response. Reprinted with permission of both the writer, Mick Dennis and the recipient.
From Mick Dennis
To:
Subject: RE: 'This is no way to go'
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008
I have been deluged with responses and will point out in next Wednesday's column that the passion of QPR supporters does them proud -- and it's not their fault the club has been allowed to rot.
Mick
From Mick Dennis
To:
Subject: RE: 'This is no way to go'
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2008
Hi
I first went to QPR in the 1960s, when I was growing up in Hounslow. I used to go to all the West London clubs -- Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham and the R's as well as Hounslow Town, who were a decent amateur team. I did not support any of them, in the conventional sense, but I certainly wanted QPR to win when I was watching them. I used to stand behind the goal at the School End, and I joined in the chant of "Henry, Henry" in awed admiration of the great Terry Mancini.
In the 70s I began work as a journalist and my first job was on the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk. I could only watch one club -- Norwich City. I became hooked, and although my route to supporting Norwich was unusual, I have been a fan ever since. When I got my first Fleet Street sports reporting job, in 1978, I moved to Hertfordshire. As well as visiting Loftus Road professionally quite often, I have taken my family there for the odd game when work has allowed and when we couldn't get to Norwich.
I have also managed to watch Norwich at your place several times in the last few years -- and yes, we've lost most of those game, but that is not why I came to view Rangers as a badly run club.
That began when, as deputy sports editor of the (London) Evening Standard, I conducted a survey of all the London clubs for ES Magazine. I took my two sons, who were both very young at the time, to every London ground for a match and looked at things like prices and facilities.
Despite feeling well-disposed to QPR, they came bottom of my survey. The unhelpful attitude of the stewards, the prices and quality of refreshments and the poor condition of the Ellerslie Road Stand were all factors, but the clincher was that the QPR match (against Liverpool) was the only time during the entire survey that my boys were frightened.
There was only one toilet we could access from the Ellerslie Road stand, and it only had one door -- for both in and out. My lads were crushed by the mob and both cried with fear. I wrote a private letter to the club about the issue of poor access to the toilet and received an astonishingly rude reply. I am sorry to say that I cannot remember what year that was, but it would have been about 89.
As I say, I have made several visits to the away end as a Norwich fan, and they have all been awful -- not because of the football (Norwich won some of them!) but because, although I have watched Norwich at more than 80 grounds, the QPR experience is among the worst.
The catering facilities are certainly among the worst. I'd say Port Vale are the only ones I have encountered where the staff care less and have worse equipment than at Loftus Road. On one visit, the kiosks were both shut until one, dispirited girl arrived ten minutes before kick-off and opened one. A huge queue formed. She fiddled about for a while and then announced: "Sorry, there's no hot water". Then she closed the kiosk again.
The School End stand IS dank. The area behind both the upper and lower tiers is completely enclosed by concrete and not properly ventilated. I've been dripped on by condensation (I hope it was condensation!) while queuing for the terribly inadequate refreshments. And, since the club was forced to put extra gangways into the seating to comply with safety requirements, there are odd dead-end arrangements and random bits of metal.
Professionally, I've had lots of dealings with QPR. I interviewed Chris Wright for the Standard when he was your chairman and, in response to my outlining some of the above to him, he said that Jim Gregory had put the stands up on the cheap and that there were all sorts of design faults.
John Gregory told me that, on his first day as manager, he was astonished to find a plank of wood, the sort you put on scaffolding, in the middle of the changing room floor at the training ground. When he asked what it was doing there, everyone just shrugged. It had been there for years, someone said. Gregory was definitely of the opinion that the club had been allowed to decay. That was his phrase.
All those accumulated experiences, plus the shambles of the gun episode, the blackmail allegations etc, led me to the view that, over the last couple of decades, QPR have become a shoddy little club. I don't expect you to agree.
Of course clubs in trouble welcome wealthy benefactors. As a Norwich fan, I am hugely appreciative of Delia Smith's efforts on our behalf. She rescued us from the brink of insolvency, but the super-rich backers (Like Abramovich and Mittal) are of an entirely different order. Abramovich's presence in the Premiership has been hugely inflationary, as other clubs have tried to keep in touch, and I think it is a terrible development if that trend is now going to spread to the Championship.
I picked my words carefully when I talked about those who "toiled to pay bills, worked hard to improve the stadiums and striven to get the football right". QPR did not always pay their bills. They went into administration, as a method of welching on debts. They did not work hard to improve the stadium. And now they are not trying to get the football right. They are just going to buy their way out of the division.
I understand your passion and it does you credit. I genuinely thank you for responding to my column.
Regards, Mick Dennis QPR Report
QPR Official Site - EXCLUSIVE: BALANTA PENS EXTENSION
08 Jan 2010 -
Angelo Balanta has put pen to paper on a new deal which runs until the summer of 2012
The young forward, who has made 27 appearances in all competitions since making his debut for the Club in December 2007, has signed a two year extension at Loftus Road.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Balanta expressed his delight at signing the deal, commenting: "I'm absolutely delighted.
"My contract was due to run out at the end of the season, but this is where I want to play my football, so I couldn't be more pleased."
Injuries have largely interrupted the 19 year-old's season so far, but Balanta is determined to make his mark between now and the end of the campaign, adding: "It's been a frustrating season, but I'm back fit now and really looking forward to playing my part.
"I feel really sharp and hopefully I can make an impact during the second half of the season." QPR
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Death of QPR Fan, Bill Duffin
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- Chelsea Claim that Chelsea Fans Not Expressing Anti-Semitism with "We Hate Yids"
- Birthdays for Iain Dowie (45) and Marc Nygaard
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- Anoher Blackstock Goal as Nottingham Forest unbeaten run goes on and on and on!...Recalling Briatore vs Lee Camp
- Hamilton's Jamie McArthur Thinks Will be Joining Championship Club
- Cardiff Statement re Tax Payment
- "Managers Can Pay a Price for Loyalty"
[Pellicori to Mantova?"
And now also: re Pellicori [Web Translation] ".... In the market of repair, the Queen's Park Rangers player seems more willing than ever to return to Italy.. Moves very well Brescia that probed the trail rich with Catania, conducting the operation with the Parma: Budel, Cordova and Manzoni (for pay and Rispoli). Goal.com via QPR Italia
- Sensible Talk from Graham Taylor
Meanwhile Watford Manager, Malky Mackay on Helguson
"I would love to keep Heidar [Helguson] and have him back here. I will be trying everything we can to get him back here. "He has been a great professional and servant to this football club for the second time and I will be trying everything I can do to get him back." Watford Observer
Football League - LEAGUE CROWDS UP AT HALFWAY MARK
- Crowds at Coca-Cola Football League matches have risen by more than 3% during the first half of the 2009/10 season.
- More than 8.6m fans have attended matches during the first five months of the league season at an average of 10,441 fans per match, compared to 10,101 at the same stage twelve months ago.
- These encouraging figures were boosted by a December fixture programme that attracted the highest average crowd (11,411) for League matches since 1959/60 and the 19th highest of all time.
- Football League crowds are currently at their highest levels for 50 years and have topped the 16 million mark in each of the last five seasons.
- Football League Chairman, Lord Mawhinney, said: "It is very encouraging to see more and more supporters going through the turnstiles at Football League grounds.
- "The dedication they have shown towards their clubs during a challenging economic period further underlines the strength of the domestic game."
- The League's two showpiece cup competitions - the Carling Cup and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy - have also witnessed growing popularity this season. In the Carling Cup, crowds have increased by more than 3% during the competition's 50th year, whilst the Johnstone's Paint Trophy has seen attendances rocket by a massive 37%. Football League
QPR ATTENDANCES SEASON BY SEASON
2009/2010 - 13,409 (after 12 home games) (MagiltoN/Gallen-Bircham/Hart)
2008/2009 - 14,003 (Dowie/Ainsworth/Sousa/Ainsworth)
2007/2008 - 13,958 (Gregory/Harford/De Canio)
2006/2007 - 12,936 (Waddock/Gregory)
[* Or September 2007 Club takeover statement "QPR is one of the best supported football clubs in the Championship ...home games averaging approximately 20,000, in the 2006/2007 season."]
2005/2006 - 13,440 (Holloway/Waddock)
2004/2005 - 16,055 (QPR's First back in the Championship after promotion)
2003/2004 - 14,784 (QPR Promotion Season)
2002/2003 - 13,206 (QPR Playoff Season) QPR Year-by-Year Attendances
January 9, 2008 - QPR Official Site - TOMMASI LEAVES
- Damiano Tommasi has had his contract terminated by mutual consent with immediate effect.
The 34-year-old midfielder joined the R's in September 2008 on a free transfer following his release from Spanish side Levante at the end of last season.
He made seven appearances for QPR in total, including two as a substitute.
Tommasi told www.qpr.co.uk: "I have enjoyed my time here very much but I understand football, and things change. This is normal.
"Now I have the opportunity to look for another team. I want to carry on playing - I'm not sure for how long - but I feel there is more in me to give.
"I have the enthusiasm to continue.
"I now consider myself to be a QPR fan and I believe the Club is capable of winning promotion.
"They have a strong squad, and I don't think we will have to wait too long before we see them playing in the Premier League."
The Club would like to place on record its thanks to Damiano for his contribution and wish him every success for the future."
QPR Official Site - September 12, 2008 EXCLUSIVE: ITALIAN MIDFIELDER SIGNS
- Queens Park Rangers Football Club is pleased to announce the signing of former Italian international midfielder Damiano Tommasi.
The 34 year-old has put pen to paper on a deal until the end of the 2008/09 campaign, after his release from Spanish side Levante at the end of last season.
Speaking to www.qpr.co.uk, R's boss Iain Dowie revealed his delight at the arrival of the experienced midfield general.
"The signing of Damiano adds great experience to the squad," he said.
"He'll compliment what Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands provide in that area.
"He has played at the highest level for Club and country and to have a player of that calibre available can only be good for QPR.
"We've got some fantastic young talent in the squad, such as (Emmanuel) Ledesma, (Angelo) Balanta, (Daniel) Parejo and (Hogan) Ephraim, and training with someone of Damiano's stature will be of huge benefit to them I'm sure.
"In the short term, he could prove to be very useful to us."
A player with outstanding experience, Tommasi began his career at Serie B side Hellas Verona, before moving to AS Roma, for whom he won the Scudetto Championship in 2001.
He made over 250 appearances for the Italian giants, but his ten-year spell at the Stadio Olimpico came to an end in 2006, when he joined Levante.
Prior to his release from the then La Liga outfit, he made just shy of 50 appearances, scoring one goal.
On the international stage, Tommasi was part of the Italian Under-21 side that triumphed in the 1996 European Championships.
The combative central midfielder has made 25 starts for the Azzurri national side and played in all four of Italy's matches in the 2002 World Cup.
Tommasi will wear the number 18 shirt.
January 9, 2008 - Mick Dennis/Daily Express - This is no Way to Go
FITZ HALL is an unlikely harbinger of revolution. The defender has played for six clubs without getting noticed for much other than his wonderful nickname – One Size.
But Hall has just joined his seventh club, Queens Park Rangers. They have signed seven other players in the first eight days of the transfer window and are starting to restructure the football landscape.
QPR fans gloat that their club is now the richest on the planet. Formula One tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore bought control in August. Last month, they flogged a fifth of the club to Lakshmi Mittal, the wealthiest person in the UK and the fifth richest in the world.
QPR lost the war of the wads with Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea in the FA Cup, and their January purchases have been of workmanlike players, such as Hall.
Yet everybody assumes that QPR will start to climb, and we are all waiting to see whether the new rulers intend to spend enough to establish the London club near the top of the Premier League. It is a prospect which is utterly alarming and deeply depressing. The QPR deal has reshaped football's landscape.
Rich owners are not a new development. English football was shaped by them. Edwardian factory owners, who wanted their works team to beat rival factory teams, lured better players by paying them. The ground rules were set – a rich man could try to make his team better than the rest.
But the stakes were raised when Abramovich flew over London, looked down at Stamford Bridge and, like Little Britain’s Andy, said: “Want that one.”
Abramovich’s example led the world’s super-rich to the Premier League and now they are moving into the Championship.
Queen’s Park Rangers have been a shabby, shoddy little outfit for decades. You can tell a lot about a club’s ethos by the way they treat away fans, and anyone who has huddled in the dank, decrepit away end at Loftus Road will tell you how much the club has been allowed to decay.
Yet QPR could now cruise out of the Football League because of an accident of geography – Loftus Road just happens to be quite handy for Mittal’s £57million home in Kensington Palace Gardens.
At other clubs folk toil away to pay bills on time, work hard to improve stadiums and strive to get the football right. On that treadmill, you have to run to stand still, and all that drives you is the hope that your manager might piece together a sequence of results which will bring some success.
The arrival of Ecclestone, Briatore and Mittal threatens to crush that hope.
MICK DENNIS FOLLOW UP
And after the uproar, Mick Dennis did a pretty unusual thing: He responded to the criticisms of the article
Friday, January 11, 2008
Daily Express columnist, Mick Dennis wrote an article re QPR's new ownership "This is No Way to Go which elicited quite a bit of criticism on a number of QPR messageboards. Mick Dennis responded to one person who emailed him personally. Below is his response. Reprinted with permission of both the writer, Mick Dennis and the recipient.
From Mick Dennis
To:
Subject: RE: 'This is no way to go'
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008
I have been deluged with responses and will point out in next Wednesday's column that the passion of QPR supporters does them proud -- and it's not their fault the club has been allowed to rot.
Mick
From Mick Dennis
To:
Subject: RE: 'This is no way to go'
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2008
Hi
I first went to QPR in the 1960s, when I was growing up in Hounslow. I used to go to all the West London clubs -- Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham and the R's as well as Hounslow Town, who were a decent amateur team. I did not support any of them, in the conventional sense, but I certainly wanted QPR to win when I was watching them. I used to stand behind the goal at the School End, and I joined in the chant of "Henry, Henry" in awed admiration of the great Terry Mancini.
In the 70s I began work as a journalist and my first job was on the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk. I could only watch one club -- Norwich City. I became hooked, and although my route to supporting Norwich was unusual, I have been a fan ever since. When I got my first Fleet Street sports reporting job, in 1978, I moved to Hertfordshire. As well as visiting Loftus Road professionally quite often, I have taken my family there for the odd game when work has allowed and when we couldn't get to Norwich.
I have also managed to watch Norwich at your place several times in the last few years -- and yes, we've lost most of those game, but that is not why I came to view Rangers as a badly run club.
That began when, as deputy sports editor of the (London) Evening Standard, I conducted a survey of all the London clubs for ES Magazine. I took my two sons, who were both very young at the time, to every London ground for a match and looked at things like prices and facilities.
Despite feeling well-disposed to QPR, they came bottom of my survey. The unhelpful attitude of the stewards, the prices and quality of refreshments and the poor condition of the Ellerslie Road Stand were all factors, but the clincher was that the QPR match (against Liverpool) was the only time during the entire survey that my boys were frightened.
There was only one toilet we could access from the Ellerslie Road stand, and it only had one door -- for both in and out. My lads were crushed by the mob and both cried with fear. I wrote a private letter to the club about the issue of poor access to the toilet and received an astonishingly rude reply. I am sorry to say that I cannot remember what year that was, but it would have been about 89.
As I say, I have made several visits to the away end as a Norwich fan, and they have all been awful -- not because of the football (Norwich won some of them!) but because, although I have watched Norwich at more than 80 grounds, the QPR experience is among the worst.
The catering facilities are certainly among the worst. I'd say Port Vale are the only ones I have encountered where the staff care less and have worse equipment than at Loftus Road. On one visit, the kiosks were both shut until one, dispirited girl arrived ten minutes before kick-off and opened one. A huge queue formed. She fiddled about for a while and then announced: "Sorry, there's no hot water". Then she closed the kiosk again.
The School End stand IS dank. The area behind both the upper and lower tiers is completely enclosed by concrete and not properly ventilated. I've been dripped on by condensation (I hope it was condensation!) while queuing for the terribly inadequate refreshments. And, since the club was forced to put extra gangways into the seating to comply with safety requirements, there are odd dead-end arrangements and random bits of metal.
Professionally, I've had lots of dealings with QPR. I interviewed Chris Wright for the Standard when he was your chairman and, in response to my outlining some of the above to him, he said that Jim Gregory had put the stands up on the cheap and that there were all sorts of design faults.
John Gregory told me that, on his first day as manager, he was astonished to find a plank of wood, the sort you put on scaffolding, in the middle of the changing room floor at the training ground. When he asked what it was doing there, everyone just shrugged. It had been there for years, someone said. Gregory was definitely of the opinion that the club had been allowed to decay. That was his phrase.
All those accumulated experiences, plus the shambles of the gun episode, the blackmail allegations etc, led me to the view that, over the last couple of decades, QPR have become a shoddy little club. I don't expect you to agree.
Of course clubs in trouble welcome wealthy benefactors. As a Norwich fan, I am hugely appreciative of Delia Smith's efforts on our behalf. She rescued us from the brink of insolvency, but the super-rich backers (Like Abramovich and Mittal) are of an entirely different order. Abramovich's presence in the Premiership has been hugely inflationary, as other clubs have tried to keep in touch, and I think it is a terrible development if that trend is now going to spread to the Championship.
I picked my words carefully when I talked about those who "toiled to pay bills, worked hard to improve the stadiums and striven to get the football right". QPR did not always pay their bills. They went into administration, as a method of welching on debts. They did not work hard to improve the stadium. And now they are not trying to get the football right. They are just going to buy their way out of the division.
I understand your passion and it does you credit. I genuinely thank you for responding to my column.
Regards, Mick Dennis QPR Report
QPR Official Site - EXCLUSIVE: BALANTA PENS EXTENSION
08 Jan 2010 -
Angelo Balanta has put pen to paper on a new deal which runs until the summer of 2012
The young forward, who has made 27 appearances in all competitions since making his debut for the Club in December 2007, has signed a two year extension at Loftus Road.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Balanta expressed his delight at signing the deal, commenting: "I'm absolutely delighted.
"My contract was due to run out at the end of the season, but this is where I want to play my football, so I couldn't be more pleased."
Injuries have largely interrupted the 19 year-old's season so far, but Balanta is determined to make his mark between now and the end of the campaign, adding: "It's been a frustrating season, but I'm back fit now and really looking forward to playing my part.
"I feel really sharp and hopefully I can make an impact during the second half of the season." QPR
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Death of QPR Fan, Bill Duffin
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
Friday, January 08, 2010
MATCH CANCELLED: QPR vs Plymouth
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
QPR VS PLYMOUTH CANCELLED
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - MATCH POSTPONED
Saturday's Coca Cola Championship fixture between Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road has been postponed.
The safety of the supporters is of paramount importance to the Club and following an inspection of the surrounding areas by the Club, local authorities and police on Friday morning, a decision was taken to postpone the fixture.
The Club can confirm that all tickets for this match will be valid for the re-arranged fixture date which will be announced in due course.
QPR
- (Growing) List of Cancelled Matches
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Sousa Comments on Being Linked to Burnley Job
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
- Two Years Ago, Rowan Vine Signs for QPR
- One Year Ago, Lee Cook (re) Signs for QPR
- (Anonymous) Portsmouth Player Blasts Club and Portsmouth Players Finally Getting Paid
- An Assessment of Coyle at Burnley and his departure (Sousa possible replacement) and Beckford at Leeds
- QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
- John Gorman on Magilton, QPR and Ipswich
- QPR interested in Ashdown.
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
QPR VS PLYMOUTH CANCELLED
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - MATCH POSTPONED
Saturday's Coca Cola Championship fixture between Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road has been postponed.
The safety of the supporters is of paramount importance to the Club and following an inspection of the surrounding areas by the Club, local authorities and police on Friday morning, a decision was taken to postpone the fixture.
The Club can confirm that all tickets for this match will be valid for the re-arranged fixture date which will be announced in due course.
QPR
- (Growing) List of Cancelled Matches
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Sousa Comments on Being Linked to Burnley Job
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
- Two Years Ago, Rowan Vine Signs for QPR
- One Year Ago, Lee Cook (re) Signs for QPR
- (Anonymous) Portsmouth Player Blasts Club and Portsmouth Players Finally Getting Paid
- An Assessment of Coyle at Burnley and his departure (Sousa possible replacement) and Beckford at Leeds
- QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
- John Gorman on Magilton, QPR and Ipswich
- QPR interested in Ashdown.
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
QPR Report Friday Snippets...QPR Form...Flasbacks...
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- (Growing) List of Cancelled Matches
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Sousa Comments on Being Linked to Burnley Job
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
- Two Years Ago, Rowan Vine Signs for QPR
- One Year Ago, Lee Cook (re) Signs for QPR
- (Anonymous) Portsmouth Player Blasts Club and Portsmouth Players Finally Getting Paid
- An Assessment of Coyle at Burnley and his departure (Sousa possible replacement) and Beckford at Leeds
Brian Glanville/World Soccer on Paul Hart, Portsmouth and QPR
"...Poor old Pompey. £60 million in debt to so many creditors, one of whom, the Inland Revenue, now threatens them with winding up. For the moment at least, Paul Hart must be relieved Pompey sacked him so foolishly, and he found a berth at Queens Park Rangers. But the F1 axe still hovers above chairman Flavio Briatore and what then?" World Soccer
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - No thoughts of fourth round just yet
- GARY Borrowdale insists there will be no complacency in the QPR camp despite earning home advantage for their FA Cup replay with Sheffield United.
- Rangers survived last Sunday's third round trip to Bramall Lane with a 1-1 draw and are back on home turf for their second attempt to beat the Blades and break their barren run of nine years without an FA Cup victory.
- Borrowdale, who recently regained his place at left-back after injury, admitted: "I don't think most of us were aware of the club's recent cup record, but records are there to be broken.
"It's certainly not 'job done' yet - in the league anyone can beat anyone and it's no different in the cup. It's probably going to be another tough scrappy game like the first one, but we'll be looking forward to it.
"It wasn't a great spectacle on Sunday, but it was one of those days when the pitch wasn't the best and the main aim was to stay in the draw. You only get one stab at the FA Cup each year.
"When you're growing up, the FA Cup's the one every boy wants to be involved in and I'm no different. Even the foreign players that come over have heard of the competition and want to get as far in it as they can.
"It can be a distraction from the league, but sometimes it's a good thing to focus on other competitions. I think you want to play as many games as you can in the season and hopefully win them all."
Rangers boss Paul Hart agreed that his side still have plenty to do before they can contemplate their first FA Cup fourth round appearance since 2001.
"Sheffield United are a tough nut to crack and not for one minute am I thinking that the job's over, but we're still there," said Hart.
"It gives us a chance of progressing in a competition which is still, I feel, great value."
Tuesday's third round replay at Loftus Road kicks off at 7.45pm, with the winners due to travel to Bolton on January 23.
Rangers have never met Bolton in any cup competition. Their last trip to the Reebok Stadium, in October 2000, ended in a 3-1 defeat. Kilburn Times
- QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
- John Gorman on Magilton, QPR and Ipswich
- QPR interested in Ashdown.
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Also check out the combined messageboard and QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! Check Back throughout the dayfor comprehensive -(obsessive!)- cutting-edge QPR-related news snippets. Feel free to post: All QPR Perspectives genuinely Welcomed
- (Growing) List of Cancelled Matches
- Holloway Rules Out Burnley Move
- Next (Hopefully!): Plymouth
TTV Team News: Italian forward Alessandro Pellicori, who has started just one match all season, is back in training after a virus." (So obviously at least as of now, not signed for Italian club Mantova)
- Championship Form Guide for Past Six Matches (QPR showing Relegation Form)
- QPR Net/Ron Norris "THE QPR CAREER OF ALEC STOCK"-
"Alec Stock masterminded our rise from the Third Division to the top flight, picking up a League Cup win along the way. We tell the story of his magnificent Rangers career through the people that lived it with him - fans, players and his family."
- Sousa Comments on Being Linked to Burnley Job
- Andrew Davies/Planet F1 "Flavio: Quit While You're Ahead"
- Caleb Folan's Linked to QPR Under Dowie and Sousa
- Flashback: Three years ago, Egutu Olisheh Departed
- Two Years Ago, Rowan Vine Signs for QPR
- One Year Ago, Lee Cook (re) Signs for QPR
- (Anonymous) Portsmouth Player Blasts Club and Portsmouth Players Finally Getting Paid
- An Assessment of Coyle at Burnley and his departure (Sousa possible replacement) and Beckford at Leeds
Brian Glanville/World Soccer on Paul Hart, Portsmouth and QPR
"...Poor old Pompey. £60 million in debt to so many creditors, one of whom, the Inland Revenue, now threatens them with winding up. For the moment at least, Paul Hart must be relieved Pompey sacked him so foolishly, and he found a berth at Queens Park Rangers. But the F1 axe still hovers above chairman Flavio Briatore and what then?" World Soccer
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - No thoughts of fourth round just yet
- GARY Borrowdale insists there will be no complacency in the QPR camp despite earning home advantage for their FA Cup replay with Sheffield United.
- Rangers survived last Sunday's third round trip to Bramall Lane with a 1-1 draw and are back on home turf for their second attempt to beat the Blades and break their barren run of nine years without an FA Cup victory.
- Borrowdale, who recently regained his place at left-back after injury, admitted: "I don't think most of us were aware of the club's recent cup record, but records are there to be broken.
"It's certainly not 'job done' yet - in the league anyone can beat anyone and it's no different in the cup. It's probably going to be another tough scrappy game like the first one, but we'll be looking forward to it.
"It wasn't a great spectacle on Sunday, but it was one of those days when the pitch wasn't the best and the main aim was to stay in the draw. You only get one stab at the FA Cup each year.
"When you're growing up, the FA Cup's the one every boy wants to be involved in and I'm no different. Even the foreign players that come over have heard of the competition and want to get as far in it as they can.
"It can be a distraction from the league, but sometimes it's a good thing to focus on other competitions. I think you want to play as many games as you can in the season and hopefully win them all."
Rangers boss Paul Hart agreed that his side still have plenty to do before they can contemplate their first FA Cup fourth round appearance since 2001.
"Sheffield United are a tough nut to crack and not for one minute am I thinking that the job's over, but we're still there," said Hart.
"It gives us a chance of progressing in a competition which is still, I feel, great value."
Tuesday's third round replay at Loftus Road kicks off at 7.45pm, with the winners due to travel to Bolton on January 23.
Rangers have never met Bolton in any cup competition. Their last trip to the Reebok Stadium, in October 2000, ended in a 3-1 defeat. Kilburn Times
- QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
- John Gorman on Magilton, QPR and Ipswich
- QPR interested in Ashdown.
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
Thursday, January 07, 2010
John Gorman Speaks...QPR Signing Hull's Caleb Folan (A QPR Target Under Dowie/Sousa!)...Portsmouth Confirm Ashdown Interest
-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- See Also QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
Green'Un24/Elvin King - Jim's a better boss after QPR job - John
- JOHN Gorman today said that former Blues boss Jim Magilton is a better manager for his Queens Park Rangers experience.
- “He was getting better and better as the season went on,” said Gorman, who was Magilton's number two at Loftus Road and followed the Northern Irishman out of the QPR door as a matter of principle.
Gorman worked under Magilton at Portman Road from last January until both were dismissed in April just two days before the appointment of current manager Roy Keane.
- They moved to Rangers in June and are now both out of work.
- “I never had any doubts that Ipswich would move up the table,” said Gorman, who is currently spending some time at his place in Spain but is looking to get back into English football as soon as possible.
- “People kept asking me what I thought when Ipswich were at the foot of the table.
- “But I had no worries and kept saying that they would move up and settle into a good position.
- “They have a manager more than capable of achieving success.”
- Magilton and Gorman are believed to be restricted in their movements while the terms of their mutual agreement departure from QPR runs its course, but the latter can see them both going back into management.
- “It was very enjoyable at QPR,” added former England coach Gorman. “We had a good working relationship with the owners and were handling the situation well.
- “We were doing a good job with the fans loving the way the team was playing and if we had beaten Coventry City at home at the end of November we would have gone third.
- “The lads played a blinder that day but such is the nature of the Championship we ended up drawing 2-2.
- “The next game we lost 5-1 at home to Middlesbrough, but that was a fluke result.”
- Magilton was involved in a dressing room scuffle with player Akos Buzsaky after a defeat at Watford on December 7 and after being suspended for a while he departed the club.
- Gorman stood by his boss, and explained: “A mountain was made out of a molehill.
- “I can't say any more.
- “I could have stayed but left as well as a matter of principle.
- “Jim did well at Ipswich and he was even better at QPR.
- “I will be very interested in linking up with him again as we work well and we have enjoyed success.
- “My enthusiasm is back, and I will also consider any lower division jobs that come along similar to the managerial position I once held at Wycombe Wanderers.” Report
SkySports - QPR interested in Ashdown
Hart turns to old club for goalkeeper
- QPR are looking to sign goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown from cash-strapped Premier League club Portsmouth.
- Rangers manager Paul Hart is looking to take the 29-year-old to Loftus Road from his former side, and with the player's contract set to run out in the summer, Pompey could be tempted to part with him for a fee.
- Chief executive Peter Storrie admitted there is interest from the Championship club, but said no decision had yet been made.
- "I admit there is interest in Jamie Ashdown and Paul Hart would like him, but we have not made a decision at this stage," he told the Portsmouth News.
- "We have already got a lot of players away without losing any more. We will know in the next few days about that one."
- Ashdown has only made three appearances for Pompey so far this season, against Stoke in the Carling Cup and the Premier League, and against Aston Villa.
- The former Reading trainee has had limited opportunities in the first team at Fratton Park since moving in 2004 and could be tempted by regular football. Sky
QPR Reportedly Set for Caleb Folan:
- Caleb Folan's Repeated Past Links to QPR
Sporting Life - AGENT: QPR AGREE FOLAN LOAN DEAL
- Caleb Folan's agent says QPR have agreed a deal to sign the Hull striker on loan.
- Folan has only recently returned from a loan spell at Middlesbrough and Hull are ready to let the Republic of Ireland international go out on loan again.
- The former Wigan player saw his time at Middlesbrough interrupted by injury with the powerful forward making just one appearance for the Teesside outfit.
- He is now back to full fitness and QPR boss Paul Hart is keen to lure him to Loftus Road as he looks to bolster his attacking options.
- Folan's agent Hayden Evans has confirmed Hull are happy to loan out the 27-year-old and a deal has been agreed between both clubs.
- "Hull have advised us they are happy to loan out Caleb," Evans told skysports.com
- "The two clubs have agreed a loan deal and now just a few details need to be finalised.
- "Caleb was unfortunate with injury at Middlesbrough, but he is now fully fit again."
- Folan could be joined by Hull team-mate Daniel Cousin at Loftus Road with Hart also keen on signing the Gabon international on loan. Sporting Life
- World's Top 350 Clubs Rankings
- QPR/India Youth Update
- Hamilton's James McArthur on Moving to England (QPR, Hull & WBA Supposedly Interested in him
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
- Three Year Flashback: QPR FA Cup Draw vs Luton
- QPR/Witney United Flashback
- Chelsea Youngster an Example Why Young Players Maybe Should Stay Put (Listening Raheem Sterling!)
- UEFA Warns Chelsea and Manchester City over Losses and Possible Future Ban
- Debt Swop is "Window Dressing"
- Portsmouth Finances/Non-Payment of Players and PFA
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- See Also QPR Report: Paul Hart's Transfer and Playing Policy...Quashie's Reported Wages...QPR and Football League on Briatore...Chelsea on QPR Loanee Experience
Green'Un24/Elvin King - Jim's a better boss after QPR job - John
- JOHN Gorman today said that former Blues boss Jim Magilton is a better manager for his Queens Park Rangers experience.
- “He was getting better and better as the season went on,” said Gorman, who was Magilton's number two at Loftus Road and followed the Northern Irishman out of the QPR door as a matter of principle.
Gorman worked under Magilton at Portman Road from last January until both were dismissed in April just two days before the appointment of current manager Roy Keane.
- They moved to Rangers in June and are now both out of work.
- “I never had any doubts that Ipswich would move up the table,” said Gorman, who is currently spending some time at his place in Spain but is looking to get back into English football as soon as possible.
- “People kept asking me what I thought when Ipswich were at the foot of the table.
- “But I had no worries and kept saying that they would move up and settle into a good position.
- “They have a manager more than capable of achieving success.”
- Magilton and Gorman are believed to be restricted in their movements while the terms of their mutual agreement departure from QPR runs its course, but the latter can see them both going back into management.
- “It was very enjoyable at QPR,” added former England coach Gorman. “We had a good working relationship with the owners and were handling the situation well.
- “We were doing a good job with the fans loving the way the team was playing and if we had beaten Coventry City at home at the end of November we would have gone third.
- “The lads played a blinder that day but such is the nature of the Championship we ended up drawing 2-2.
- “The next game we lost 5-1 at home to Middlesbrough, but that was a fluke result.”
- Magilton was involved in a dressing room scuffle with player Akos Buzsaky after a defeat at Watford on December 7 and after being suspended for a while he departed the club.
- Gorman stood by his boss, and explained: “A mountain was made out of a molehill.
- “I can't say any more.
- “I could have stayed but left as well as a matter of principle.
- “Jim did well at Ipswich and he was even better at QPR.
- “I will be very interested in linking up with him again as we work well and we have enjoyed success.
- “My enthusiasm is back, and I will also consider any lower division jobs that come along similar to the managerial position I once held at Wycombe Wanderers.” Report
SkySports - QPR interested in Ashdown
Hart turns to old club for goalkeeper
- QPR are looking to sign goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown from cash-strapped Premier League club Portsmouth.
- Rangers manager Paul Hart is looking to take the 29-year-old to Loftus Road from his former side, and with the player's contract set to run out in the summer, Pompey could be tempted to part with him for a fee.
- Chief executive Peter Storrie admitted there is interest from the Championship club, but said no decision had yet been made.
- "I admit there is interest in Jamie Ashdown and Paul Hart would like him, but we have not made a decision at this stage," he told the Portsmouth News.
- "We have already got a lot of players away without losing any more. We will know in the next few days about that one."
- Ashdown has only made three appearances for Pompey so far this season, against Stoke in the Carling Cup and the Premier League, and against Aston Villa.
- The former Reading trainee has had limited opportunities in the first team at Fratton Park since moving in 2004 and could be tempted by regular football. Sky
QPR Reportedly Set for Caleb Folan:
- Caleb Folan's Repeated Past Links to QPR
Sporting Life - AGENT: QPR AGREE FOLAN LOAN DEAL
- Caleb Folan's agent says QPR have agreed a deal to sign the Hull striker on loan.
- Folan has only recently returned from a loan spell at Middlesbrough and Hull are ready to let the Republic of Ireland international go out on loan again.
- The former Wigan player saw his time at Middlesbrough interrupted by injury with the powerful forward making just one appearance for the Teesside outfit.
- He is now back to full fitness and QPR boss Paul Hart is keen to lure him to Loftus Road as he looks to bolster his attacking options.
- Folan's agent Hayden Evans has confirmed Hull are happy to loan out the 27-year-old and a deal has been agreed between both clubs.
- "Hull have advised us they are happy to loan out Caleb," Evans told skysports.com
- "The two clubs have agreed a loan deal and now just a few details need to be finalised.
- "Caleb was unfortunate with injury at Middlesbrough, but he is now fully fit again."
- Folan could be joined by Hull team-mate Daniel Cousin at Loftus Road with Hart also keen on signing the Gabon international on loan. Sporting Life
- World's Top 350 Clubs Rankings
- QPR/India Youth Update
- Hamilton's James McArthur on Moving to England (QPR, Hull & WBA Supposedly Interested in him
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
- Three Year Flashback: QPR FA Cup Draw vs Luton
- QPR/Witney United Flashback
- Chelsea Youngster an Example Why Young Players Maybe Should Stay Put (Listening Raheem Sterling!)
- UEFA Warns Chelsea and Manchester City over Losses and Possible Future Ban
- Debt Swop is "Window Dressing"
- Portsmouth Finances/Non-Payment of Players and PFA
Paul Hart on QPR Transfers and Hart's Football Approach...Shittu Interest...Briatore...Top 350 Clubs...Chelsea on Loanee's QPR Experience
-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- World's Top 350 Clubs Rankings
- QPR/India Youth Update
- Mikele Leigertwood on Re-Signing for QPR and Managerial Changes "...It's easier to stick to 'sir' or 'gaffer' on the training ground than try and remember their names." and "There have been a few ups and downs with two new managers in 2009 and I got swine flu in October but I want to stay and put down roots"
- Hamilton's James McArthur on Moving to England (QPR, Hull & WBA Supposedly Interested in him
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
- Three Year Flashback: QPR FA Cup Draw vs Luton
- QPR/Witney United Flashback
- Chelsea Youngster an Example Why Young Players Maybe Should Stay Put (Listening Raheem Sterling!)
- UEFA Warns Chelsea and Manchester City over Losses and Possible Future Ban
- Debt Swop is "Window Dressing"
- Portsmouth Finances/Non-Payment of Players and PFA
London Informer/Yann Tear - QPR boss orders stars to get nasty
- RANGERS fans will have to get used to a more conservative approach from the team in the weeks ahead - because the boss wants no-nonsense football.
- The Rs adopted an adventurous style under former boss Jim Magilton than often left them exposed on the break and lacking much-needed clean sheets.
- Now new man Paul Hart says he wants to change all that.
"We've got to get back to basics," he said.
"I understand Queens Park Rangers' traditions, but equally, we've got to start putting some points on the board and getting some wins.
"It might not be as pretty as we would like, but we are taking a step back to basics to ensure we play in the right areas.
"The performance against Sheffield United last week was a battling one and we need more of those."
Hart insists he has not been presented with any specific goals this season.
"No targets have been set by anybody and I honestly haven't set any," he said.
"I'm going game to game, getting used to the players and trying to improve." London Informer
Yann Tear/London Informer - Paul Hart fires warning over QPR's transfer activity
- PAUL Hart insists he has the ultimate say in who comes and goes at the club - but says he has not been given limitless funds.
- The January transfer window has inevitably led to the club being linked to a host of players - including ex Ranger Nigel Quashie, who is on loan to MK Dons from West Ham, Stoke City midfielder Amdy Faye and strikers Caleb Folan of Hull and David Elm of Fulham.
There is also talk of Hart raiding former club Portsmouth for keeper Jamie Ashdown and striker Danny Webber.
The new QPR boss said: "I'm not one for discussing the actual nuts and bolts of what we need, because what I say can have an effect on the people we employ.
"There are areas where I feel we can strengthen across the board and I think if I can make the improvements I want in terms of recruitment, we can be in the top six.
"I'd also like to improve the way we do a lot of things at the club, but I and don't like talking about things until they are actually done."
Hart continued: "It's ultimately my decision who comes and goes.
"[Chairman] Flavio Briatore calls me and I've met him face to face the once before I came here, but I haven't spoken to him in a couple of weeks now. I report to [Director of Football] Gianni Paladini and that's the way we work.
"So far, Gianni hasn't put forward players. People coming in and leaving will be down to me.
But there isn't millions of pounds to spend and there's got to be a certain amount of wheeling and dealing. It's possible that players leaving has to happen first.
"It's a major problem that many people assume we have a limitless budget. There's an expectation because of the perception of the club's wealth, but the perception is wrong. It's not quite as rosy as everybody believes.
"Everybody things that QPR are splashing dough all over the place and it's not the case." London Informer
Mirror/Alan Nixon - QPR make move for Bolton defender
- Bolton's out-of-favour Danny Shittu is wanted by ambitious QPR - and wants to end his miserable spell at the Premier League club.
- The big centre half has the chance to rejoin Rangers in a bargain deal and talks are going on about getting round his major contract at the Reebok which still has over two years to run.
- Shittu was left in the cold by Gary Megson and seems unlikely to figure in the future either, so the chance to join the Rangers promotion bid may appeal to him if the terms are right.
- Sheffield United also want Shittu but he has turned down that approach and will wait for the right move to comer around. Mirror
Briatore and Football
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
- The Guardian -"The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers." Guardian
- F1/Briatore Aftermath & Possible Future Steps
Chelsea Official Site - THE YOUNG GENERATION
"There is plenty to consider in the Chelsea Academy at present, with a number of players returning from loan and an FA Youth Cup tie to prepare for in the snow..... Coach Dermot Drummy...
'Rhys Taylor has just come back from six weeks or so at QPR, and had an example of football in the real world, with the manager being sacked halfway through his loan. He's had to go through all of that, and only went there as a number two, and that won't have done him any harm but we could do with Rhys getting some games.
'He'll return to Chelsea and play in the reserves. If an opportunity comes to get league football, more or less at any level, then we'll consider, perhaps on a month to month basis. The priority is that he's on the field, either with us or somebody else.' Chelsea Official Site
- Lee Camp One of Nominees for Championship Player of The Month
- December Manager of the Month Nominees (Not Magilton, Gallen or Hart!)
Nigel Quashie's Wages
Milton Keynes Today: "Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park..." Milton Keynes Today
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- World's Top 350 Clubs Rankings
- QPR/India Youth Update
- Mikele Leigertwood on Re-Signing for QPR and Managerial Changes "...It's easier to stick to 'sir' or 'gaffer' on the training ground than try and remember their names." and "There have been a few ups and downs with two new managers in 2009 and I got swine flu in October but I want to stay and put down roots"
- Hamilton's James McArthur on Moving to England (QPR, Hull & WBA Supposedly Interested in him
- Supposed Burnley Managerial Possibility, Paulo Sousa, highly praised by Swansea
- "Postman Pete" Returns (on loan) to Linfield
- Four Year Flashback: QPR's FA Cup Loss to Blackburn - and nearing the QPR end for Ian Holloway
- Ex-QPR Ian Watson Turns Sixty-Six
- Three Year Flashback: QPR FA Cup Draw vs Luton
- QPR/Witney United Flashback
- Chelsea Youngster an Example Why Young Players Maybe Should Stay Put (Listening Raheem Sterling!)
- UEFA Warns Chelsea and Manchester City over Losses and Possible Future Ban
- Debt Swop is "Window Dressing"
- Portsmouth Finances/Non-Payment of Players and PFA
London Informer/Yann Tear - QPR boss orders stars to get nasty
- RANGERS fans will have to get used to a more conservative approach from the team in the weeks ahead - because the boss wants no-nonsense football.
- The Rs adopted an adventurous style under former boss Jim Magilton than often left them exposed on the break and lacking much-needed clean sheets.
- Now new man Paul Hart says he wants to change all that.
"We've got to get back to basics," he said.
"I understand Queens Park Rangers' traditions, but equally, we've got to start putting some points on the board and getting some wins.
"It might not be as pretty as we would like, but we are taking a step back to basics to ensure we play in the right areas.
"The performance against Sheffield United last week was a battling one and we need more of those."
Hart insists he has not been presented with any specific goals this season.
"No targets have been set by anybody and I honestly haven't set any," he said.
"I'm going game to game, getting used to the players and trying to improve." London Informer
Yann Tear/London Informer - Paul Hart fires warning over QPR's transfer activity
- PAUL Hart insists he has the ultimate say in who comes and goes at the club - but says he has not been given limitless funds.
- The January transfer window has inevitably led to the club being linked to a host of players - including ex Ranger Nigel Quashie, who is on loan to MK Dons from West Ham, Stoke City midfielder Amdy Faye and strikers Caleb Folan of Hull and David Elm of Fulham.
There is also talk of Hart raiding former club Portsmouth for keeper Jamie Ashdown and striker Danny Webber.
The new QPR boss said: "I'm not one for discussing the actual nuts and bolts of what we need, because what I say can have an effect on the people we employ.
"There are areas where I feel we can strengthen across the board and I think if I can make the improvements I want in terms of recruitment, we can be in the top six.
"I'd also like to improve the way we do a lot of things at the club, but I and don't like talking about things until they are actually done."
Hart continued: "It's ultimately my decision who comes and goes.
"[Chairman] Flavio Briatore calls me and I've met him face to face the once before I came here, but I haven't spoken to him in a couple of weeks now. I report to [Director of Football] Gianni Paladini and that's the way we work.
"So far, Gianni hasn't put forward players. People coming in and leaving will be down to me.
But there isn't millions of pounds to spend and there's got to be a certain amount of wheeling and dealing. It's possible that players leaving has to happen first.
"It's a major problem that many people assume we have a limitless budget. There's an expectation because of the perception of the club's wealth, but the perception is wrong. It's not quite as rosy as everybody believes.
"Everybody things that QPR are splashing dough all over the place and it's not the case." London Informer
Mirror/Alan Nixon - QPR make move for Bolton defender
- Bolton's out-of-favour Danny Shittu is wanted by ambitious QPR - and wants to end his miserable spell at the Premier League club.
- The big centre half has the chance to rejoin Rangers in a bargain deal and talks are going on about getting round his major contract at the Reebok which still has over two years to run.
- Shittu was left in the cold by Gary Megson and seems unlikely to figure in the future either, so the chance to join the Rangers promotion bid may appeal to him if the terms are right.
- Sheffield United also want Shittu but he has turned down that approach and will wait for the right move to comer around. Mirror
Briatore and Football
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
- The Guardian -"The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers." Guardian
- F1/Briatore Aftermath & Possible Future Steps
Chelsea Official Site - THE YOUNG GENERATION
"There is plenty to consider in the Chelsea Academy at present, with a number of players returning from loan and an FA Youth Cup tie to prepare for in the snow..... Coach Dermot Drummy...
'Rhys Taylor has just come back from six weeks or so at QPR, and had an example of football in the real world, with the manager being sacked halfway through his loan. He's had to go through all of that, and only went there as a number two, and that won't have done him any harm but we could do with Rhys getting some games.
'He'll return to Chelsea and play in the reserves. If an opportunity comes to get league football, more or less at any level, then we'll consider, perhaps on a month to month basis. The priority is that he's on the field, either with us or somebody else.' Chelsea Official Site
- Lee Camp One of Nominees for Championship Player of The Month
- December Manager of the Month Nominees (Not Magilton, Gallen or Hart!)
Nigel Quashie's Wages
Milton Keynes Today: "Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park..." Milton Keynes Today
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Briatore: Football League Waiting for "Formal Clarification"... Loan Reportedly Agreed: Hull's Daniel Cousins to QPR
-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- The Guardian -"The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers." Guardian
- Lee Camp One of Nominees for Championship Player of The Month
- December Manager of the Month Nominees (Not Magilton, Gallen or Hart!)
Skysports - QPR agree Cousin deal
Striker poised for Loftus Road move
Skysports.com can confirm Queens Park Rangers have agreed a loan deal with Hull for Daniel Cousin.
- Cousin has found himself out of favour at Hull, making just three appearances all season.
The former Rangers striker is keen on a move away in search of regular first-team football and Championship side QPR are ready to take him to Loftus Road.
Rangers boss Paul Hart is keen to bring in a new forward and he is ready to conclude a deal for Cousin, who is currently away at the African Cup of Nations with Gabon.
His agent Willie McKay has confirmed a deal has been agreed between both clubs and that Cousin is looking forward to making the switch to Loftus Road.
"The two clubs have agreed a loan deal for Daniel," McKay told skysports.com.
"Paul Hart has spoken to Daniel and he is keen to bring him to Loftus Road.
"Daniel is away with Gabon as he is captain of his country, but he is happy to make the move to QPR.
"He wants to be playing football regularly and he feels this is a good move for him as they are an ambitious club." Skysports
Nigel Quashie's Wages
Milton Keynes Today: "Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park..." Milton Keynes Today
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- The Guardian -"The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers." Guardian
- Lee Camp One of Nominees for Championship Player of The Month
- December Manager of the Month Nominees (Not Magilton, Gallen or Hart!)
Skysports - QPR agree Cousin deal
Striker poised for Loftus Road move
Skysports.com can confirm Queens Park Rangers have agreed a loan deal with Hull for Daniel Cousin.
- Cousin has found himself out of favour at Hull, making just three appearances all season.
The former Rangers striker is keen on a move away in search of regular first-team football and Championship side QPR are ready to take him to Loftus Road.
Rangers boss Paul Hart is keen to bring in a new forward and he is ready to conclude a deal for Cousin, who is currently away at the African Cup of Nations with Gabon.
His agent Willie McKay has confirmed a deal has been agreed between both clubs and that Cousin is looking forward to making the switch to Loftus Road.
"The two clubs have agreed a loan deal for Daniel," McKay told skysports.com.
"Paul Hart has spoken to Daniel and he is keen to bring him to Loftus Road.
"Daniel is away with Gabon as he is captain of his country, but he is happy to make the move to QPR.
"He wants to be playing football regularly and he feels this is a good move for him as they are an ambitious club." Skysports
Nigel Quashie's Wages
Milton Keynes Today: "Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park..." Milton Keynes Today
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
QPR Sign a Loan Goalie...Quashie's Wages?
-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
Supposed Cost of Quashie: From the Milton Keynes Citizen - "...Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park.." Milton Keynes Citizen
QPR Official Site - EXCLUSIVE: KEEPER ARRIVES
Paul Hart has swooped to bring Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme to Loftus Road.
The 23 year-old stopper, who has already spent time on loan at Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United this season, has penned a loan deal until Sunday 31st January 2010.
Ikeme progressed through the youth ranks at Molineux, and first featured for the Club during the 2003/04 season, where he provided cover in the wake of an injury to regular number one Matt Murray.
A loan spell at Accrington Stanley followed later that season, with whom he made his senior debut in October 2004.
A hand injury curtailed his next loan spell, at Stockport County, but having returned to full fitness, he made his Wanderers debut against Chester City in a 5-1 Carling Cup victory in August 2005.
Injuries restricted his appearances in 2006/07, but in September 2008 he took his chance, playing in 10 consecutive league games as the Molineux Men clinched the Championship title.
Under the terms of the deal, Ikeme is not eligible to feature for the R's in the FA Cup. QPR
- Carl Ikeme Stats
QPR Official Site - HART: 'CARL'S A GREAT ADDITION'
- R's gaffer Paul Hart believes the arrival of Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Carl Ikeme will provide great competition for places in the goalkeeping department.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Hart said: "We're very grateful to Wolves for allowing him to come out on loan to us.
"He's a young goalkeeper who I know they think a lot of and he's joining us to gain some very experience.
"He is certainly someone who I consider to be a great addition to the squad.
"He is coming here to challenge for the number one jersey, not just to warm the bench as a back-up." QPR
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Evening Standard
Supposed Cost of Quashie: From the Milton Keynes Citizen - "...Dons have said they are keen to extend the loan of Nigel Quashie, which has now expired. But it seems the West Ham man may be bound for a move to the Championship club where his career began - QPR.
QPR boss Paul Hart is said to be keen to take the midfielder to Loftus Road. They would be able to meet his wage demands, with Quashie on a reported £20,000 a week at Upton Park.." Milton Keynes Citizen
QPR Official Site - EXCLUSIVE: KEEPER ARRIVES
Paul Hart has swooped to bring Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme to Loftus Road.
The 23 year-old stopper, who has already spent time on loan at Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United this season, has penned a loan deal until Sunday 31st January 2010.
Ikeme progressed through the youth ranks at Molineux, and first featured for the Club during the 2003/04 season, where he provided cover in the wake of an injury to regular number one Matt Murray.
A loan spell at Accrington Stanley followed later that season, with whom he made his senior debut in October 2004.
A hand injury curtailed his next loan spell, at Stockport County, but having returned to full fitness, he made his Wanderers debut against Chester City in a 5-1 Carling Cup victory in August 2005.
Injuries restricted his appearances in 2006/07, but in September 2008 he took his chance, playing in 10 consecutive league games as the Molineux Men clinched the Championship title.
Under the terms of the deal, Ikeme is not eligible to feature for the R's in the FA Cup. QPR
- Carl Ikeme Stats
QPR Official Site - HART: 'CARL'S A GREAT ADDITION'
- R's gaffer Paul Hart believes the arrival of Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Carl Ikeme will provide great competition for places in the goalkeeping department.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Hart said: "We're very grateful to Wolves for allowing him to come out on loan to us.
"He's a young goalkeeper who I know they think a lot of and he's joining us to gain some very experience.
"He is certainly someone who I consider to be a great addition to the squad.
"He is coming here to challenge for the number one jersey, not just to warm the bench as a back-up." QPR
QPR Spokesman re Briatore...Briatore Comments...F1 Stands Fast
-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Standard
Standard - Flavio can keep QPR role
- Flavio Briatore has been given the green light to remain as QPR chairman by the Football League, who now consider him a fit and proper' person.
- Having had his lifetime ban from Formula One overturned by a French court yesterday, the League are not expected to investigate the Italian.
- A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”
- Meanwhile, former Rangers midfielder Martin Allen has joined Paul Hart's scouting network. Standard
- Audio of Briatore Comments and F1 Says Ban Continues
Meanwhile...
Times Live - Briatore ponders legal action against Piquet Jan 6, 2010 12:42 PM | By Reuters
- Former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said it was very probable he would take legal action against Nelson Piquet after having his life ban from Formula One overturned.
- Briatore was banned in September by the FIA after former Renault driver Piquet told the ruling body he had been ordered to crash deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso win the race.
- A French court ruled on Tuesday that the punishment was illegally imposed by the sport’s governing body.
Asked about now suing Piquet, Briatore told Wednesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport: “Very probably. I won’t forget the pain I’ve suffered in a day.”
- The FIA’s lawyer Jean-Francois Prat told Reuters the FIA would “very likely” appeal the decision to overturn the ban.
- The governing body also said the decision was not enforceable until all appeal options had been exhausted and noted the court had not reversed the finding that Briatore had conspired to cause an intentional crash.
- Despite this, Briatore said he would continue to manage F1 drivers “like always” and threatened to go to court against those who had left him.
- “Apart from Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, my relationship with the other drivers has never changed,” he said.
- “Now we will look at the situation with lawyers to see if we can take legal action against those who have broken contracts with us.”
- The flamboyant multi-millionaire, who has said he will take his time deciding on his general future in Formula One, heavily criticised former FIA president and long-time enemy Max Mosley across Italian media and said his health had suffered.
- “Champagne? No, I opened a Coca Cola because I’m on a diet. I’ve been eating rubbish for three months,” said the 59-year-old, who will become a father again soon.
- “We still haven’t agreed a name. It certainly won’t be called Max!” Timeslive
- Son of Dave Clement, Neil Clement Retires (Recalling his past nice comments re QPR)
- QPR Report re Vine Surgery, Martin Allen's Arrival, Briatore and Ecclestone Comments.
Teamtalk - Rangers eyeing Cousin deal - Report
- Championship side Queens Park Rangers are understood to be considering a move for out-of-favour Hull striker Daniel Cousin.
- QPR boss Paul Hart is keen to bolster his attacking options in this month's transfer window and he is weighing up a swoop for Cousin.
- Cousin is well down the pecking order at Hull and the club are believed to be willing to offload the former Rangers man.
- The Gabon international has made just one start and two substitute appearances this season and he could be interested in a move away in search of regular first-team action.
- Hull could consider selling Cousin if QPR firm up their interest with the Premier League strugglers aiming to trim their wage bill at the KC Stadium.
Teamtalk
- Daniel Cousins Profile
- Next: Plymouth
- QPR supposedly one of clubs interested in Hamilton's James McArthur
- Terry Venables Turns Sixty-Seven: Remembering Venables/QPR
- Gordon Jago at QPR: Thirty-Nine Years Ago, Jago Took Over and QPR's Return to the Top Began
- The Debts and Finances of Manchester United and Manchester City
- Notts County Financial Problems
- Don Rogers Remembered
- (Could-have-been-QPR) Darren Ferguson Set for Preston
- Remembering Teletext
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- "A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”" Standard
Standard - Flavio can keep QPR role
- Flavio Briatore has been given the green light to remain as QPR chairman by the Football League, who now consider him a fit and proper' person.
- Having had his lifetime ban from Formula One overturned by a French court yesterday, the League are not expected to investigate the Italian.
- A QPR spokesperson said: “There are now no issues as he has been declared a fit and proper person in his own sport.”
- Meanwhile, former Rangers midfielder Martin Allen has joined Paul Hart's scouting network. Standard
- Audio of Briatore Comments and F1 Says Ban Continues
Meanwhile...
Times Live - Briatore ponders legal action against Piquet Jan 6, 2010 12:42 PM | By Reuters
- Former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said it was very probable he would take legal action against Nelson Piquet after having his life ban from Formula One overturned.
- Briatore was banned in September by the FIA after former Renault driver Piquet told the ruling body he had been ordered to crash deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso win the race.
- A French court ruled on Tuesday that the punishment was illegally imposed by the sport’s governing body.
Asked about now suing Piquet, Briatore told Wednesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport: “Very probably. I won’t forget the pain I’ve suffered in a day.”
- The FIA’s lawyer Jean-Francois Prat told Reuters the FIA would “very likely” appeal the decision to overturn the ban.
- The governing body also said the decision was not enforceable until all appeal options had been exhausted and noted the court had not reversed the finding that Briatore had conspired to cause an intentional crash.
- Despite this, Briatore said he would continue to manage F1 drivers “like always” and threatened to go to court against those who had left him.
- “Apart from Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, my relationship with the other drivers has never changed,” he said.
- “Now we will look at the situation with lawyers to see if we can take legal action against those who have broken contracts with us.”
- The flamboyant multi-millionaire, who has said he will take his time deciding on his general future in Formula One, heavily criticised former FIA president and long-time enemy Max Mosley across Italian media and said his health had suffered.
- “Champagne? No, I opened a Coca Cola because I’m on a diet. I’ve been eating rubbish for three months,” said the 59-year-old, who will become a father again soon.
- “We still haven’t agreed a name. It certainly won’t be called Max!” Timeslive
- Son of Dave Clement, Neil Clement Retires (Recalling his past nice comments re QPR)
- QPR Report re Vine Surgery, Martin Allen's Arrival, Briatore and Ecclestone Comments.
Teamtalk - Rangers eyeing Cousin deal - Report
- Championship side Queens Park Rangers are understood to be considering a move for out-of-favour Hull striker Daniel Cousin.
- QPR boss Paul Hart is keen to bolster his attacking options in this month's transfer window and he is weighing up a swoop for Cousin.
- Cousin is well down the pecking order at Hull and the club are believed to be willing to offload the former Rangers man.
- The Gabon international has made just one start and two substitute appearances this season and he could be interested in a move away in search of regular first-team action.
- Hull could consider selling Cousin if QPR firm up their interest with the Premier League strugglers aiming to trim their wage bill at the KC Stadium.
Teamtalk
- Daniel Cousins Profile
- Next: Plymouth
- QPR supposedly one of clubs interested in Hamilton's James McArthur
- Terry Venables Turns Sixty-Seven: Remembering Venables/QPR
- Gordon Jago at QPR: Thirty-Nine Years Ago, Jago Took Over and QPR's Return to the Top Began
- The Debts and Finances of Manchester United and Manchester City
- Notts County Financial Problems
- Don Rogers Remembered
- (Could-have-been-QPR) Darren Ferguson Set for Preston
- Remembering Teletext
Dave Clement's Son, Neil Clement, Fored to Retire Through Injury
-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- QPR Report re Vine Surgery, Martin Allen's Arrival, Briatore and Ecclestone Comments.
- Next: Plymouth
- QPR supposedly one of clubs interested in Hamilton's James McArthur
- Terry Venables Turns Sixty-Seven: Remembering Venables/QPR
- Gordon Jago at QPR: Thirty-Nine Years Ago, Jago Took Over and QPR's Return to the Top Began
- The Debts and Finances of Manchester United and Manchester City
- Notts County Financial Problems
- Don Rogers Remembered
- (Could-have-been-QPR) Darren Ferguson Set for Preston
- Remembering Teletext
WBA Official Site 'Devastated' Clem forced to retire
Posted on: Wed 06 Jan 2010
NEIL Clement has been forced to retire from professional football on medical advice.
The left-sided defender has reluctantly admitted defeat in his long-running battle to recover from a right knee injury, which he suffered during pre-season some 17 months ago.
Clement, under the guidance of the club's medical staff, has left no stone unturned in his quest to regain full fitness.
He has undergone two knee operations, sought treatment from top specialists as far afield as Germany and spent countless hours in the gym.
With the injury still not fully healed, the 31-year-old made his last throw of the dice to resurrect his career by having a course of pioneering platelet injections in the joint.
However, Clement's consultant has confirmed to him the treatment has not worked and, having explored all available avenues, he has strongly advised him to hang up his boots.
The Reading-born player says he is devastated his playing career is over and claims the news hasn't properly sunk in yet.
"I knew I was struggling because I'd been out for so long but when I actually heard the consultant say those words, it was still a really bitter pill to swallow," said Clement.
"Nothing can prepare you for it. Being told your career is over is the one thing no player wants to hear.
"However, I can take real comfort from the fact I have tried absolutely everything to get back playing again.
"In years to come, it would have been an awful thing to look back and think 'why didn't I try this or that'?
"I have no regrets because, in my heart of hearts, I know I couldn't have done anymore.
"The hardest thing to take is that, when I got back into the team at the end of the 2007/08 season, I felt I was playing better than ever and coming into my prime - both physically and mentally.
"So to get this injury the following pre-season - especially on the eve of our return to the Premier League - was a devastating blow."
Clement is now weighing up his options but says he definitely wants to stay in football.
The club have offered him the chance to work within their Academy and sports science departments for the remainder of the season to help him decide his next career move - and he has jumped at the chance.
Clement added: "I'm delighted that the chairman, Dan Ashworth and Roberto Di Matteo still feel I have a lot to offer the club - as do I.
"It's going to take me some time to get over the shock of being told my playing days are over but life will go on and I've got a new challenge to look forward to.
"West Bromwich Albion have been part and parcel of my life for the past ten years and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club and, of course, the fans for all their support over the past decade."
Clement has etched his name in Hawthorns folklore by becoming the first player in Albion history to help the club win THREE promotions.
'Clem's' eventful ten-year spell with the Baggies began with a loan move from Chelsea on transfer deadline day in March 2000.
Then only 21, he played a key role in helping Albion avoid relegation to the old Division Two, which earned him a permanent £100,000 move in the summer.
Clement kicked off his first full season at the club as a left-sided centre-half in a back three and proved an instant hit, winning the club's Player-of-the-Year Award as the Baggies lost in the play-off semi-finals.
He moved to left wing-back during 2001/02 and helped Albion end their 16-year top-flight exile by winning promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
Clement's consistent performances and eye for goal from set-plays also earned him a place in the Division One PFA XI.
After figuring regularly during Albion's relegation the following term, he suffered the first real setback of his Baggies career in 2003/04 when he lost his position as first-choice left-back to new recruit Paul Robinson.
However, Clement underlined his versatility that season by serving in midfield, at centre-half and even at centre-forward on occasion as Albion immediately won promotion back to the top flight.
He played a key role in Albion's Great Escape during 2004/05 as the Baggies became the first team bottom of the Premier League at Christmas to avoid the drop.
Clement was appointed vice-captain during 2005/06 and skippered the side on several occasions in the absence of Kevin Campbell, as Albion returned to the Championship.
Unfortunately, Clement's next two seasons were hampered by a left knee problem - but he still enjoyed a glorious end to 2007/08.
After returning from a month's loan at Hull, he brought stability to the backline in a seven-match unbeaten league run which culminated in him clinching a hat-trick of promotions.
Clement also deservedly won a place in the club's starting XI for their narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat by Portsmouth at Wembley.
His latest knee injury, this time in his other leg, struck the following August and he has been sidelined ever since.
Fittingly, his last competitive game for the club was at QPR in May 2008 - the day Albion clinched their first league title for 88 years thanks to a 2-0 win.
In total, Clement has made exactly 300 appearances for Albion, scoring 26 goals.
He made three appearances for his only other permanent club, Chelsea, who he joined as a schoolboy.
While at Stamford Bridge, he enjoyed three loan spells at Reading (11 appearances, one goal), Preston (four appearances) and Brentford (eight appearances).
In total, Clement made 326 career appearances, scoring 27 times. WBA
Neil Clement Flashback
Mirror - ON THE UP.. AND UP YET AGAIN -WEST BROM DEFENDER NEIL CLEMENT
Promotion hat-tricks in football are as rare as bus passengers with the correct change, but Neil Clement is on the brink of a unique treble. By tonight, West Bromwich Albion defender Clement could be celebrating his third elevation to the PremierLeague in five years with the same club under different managers....
In a nostalgic twist, Clement could clinch the Championship title in his 300th game for Albion next Sunday at Queens Park Rangers, where Clement's late father Dave is still a Hoops legend, with his five-year-old daughter Olivia as mascot.
Dry your eyes, settle down and pay attention. The Baggies are not there yet. But even chocoholic manager Tony Mowbray knows only the crumbliest, flakiest defence would blow it now. The only player who comes close to matching Clement's achievement is Malky Mackay, who went up to the Premier League three years running with Norwich, West Ham and Watford. But Clement's feat would be something special for a footballing family in which his brother, Paul, is academy coach at beaten FA Youth Cup finalists Chelsea.
Neil, 29, said: "This time promotion would mean more to me, simply because I've had to come through a serious injury and some difficulties off the pitch. I would love to seal the title at QPR because of the emotional aspect. I hope my little girl will come out on the pitch with me because I have pictures on the wall at home of me running out at Loftus Road when I was only three years old.
"It would be nice if we could make it three generations of the Clement dynasty who have kicked a ball on that pitch. If my dad's looking down onus, I hope the last two games of the season will make him proud. He's sorely missed by the whole family, but his name lives on.
"Even 25 years later, QPR fans come up to me and say: 'Your old man was a legend' - which is a great tribute to him in itself. But what makes it even more special is when people tell me what a nice fella he was.
"People say his QPR team of 1975-6, who were pipped to the title by Liverpool, were the best side never to be champions so I'm just proud to be following in those footsteps....
Times- Neil Clement hoping to celebrate two promotions in one season
Peter Lansley
"...Talking of going back home, Clement can envisage clinching a first title medal next week away to Queens Park Rangers, for whom his father, Dave, played for 14 years before his career ended in tragic fashion. Having moved on to Wimbledon, he broke a leg and, believing that his career was over, fell into depression and committed suicide.
“Of course it would be nice to put the seal on it at QPR because of the emotional aspect,” Clement said. “I hope my little girl [Olivia, 5] will come out on the pitch with me because I have pictures on the wall at home of me running out at Loftus Road when I was only 3. It would be nice if we could make it three generations of the Clement dynasty who have kicked a ball on that pitch.
“If my dad's looking down on us, I hope the last two games of the season will make him proud. He's sorely missed by the whole family, but his name lives on. Even 25 years on, QPR fans come up to me and say ‘your old man was a legend' - which is a great tribute in itself - but what makes it even more special is when people tell me what a nice fellow he was.”
Clement is relishing playing for such high stakes again and he believes that another promotion would be all the sweeter for the period he spent out of the game. “It was a tough time,” he said. “Some days were gruelling and it was tough to stay mentally focused. I never thought I couldn't do it. The loan period at Hull really made it strong and good. I worked hard in the gym...The Times
Express and Star Clem set for emotional milestone
Neil Clement is hoping to complete a “dream” return from injury hell by making his 300th Albion appearance next week at the footballing home of his father.
And the Baggies’ longest-serving player is hoping to make next Sunday’s emotional trip to QPR a real family affair – by persuading young daughter Olivia to become a mascot.
The defender is in line to reach his Albion triple century at Loftus Road, where his father Dave spent 14 years as a player.
Tragically, Dave took his own life in 1982 believing his career was over after suffering a broken leg.
Neil was just three but he still feels the emotional ties to Loftus Road, where his last appearance coincidentally came on the 25th anniversary of his dad’s death. And he is acutely aware of the potential significance of reaching a career milestone at Loftus Road, hopefully having clinched an unprecedented third promotion with Albion and helped the club to the Championship title.“Hopefully I can make all of this come true because it is almost like a dream,” he said.
“If I stay fit and stay in the team it would be my 300th game at my old man’s old club. I am trying to get my little girl to be mascot but she is a little bit nervous at the moment. It would be a proud moment.”
Clement has played at QPR just three times before as an Albion player, and he revealed in the past how special it is to return to the former stomping ground of his father, who won five England caps.
“I love going to QPR and trying to do my best,” he said. “The fans remember my dad very well at Rangers and I hope some of that comes out whenever I play there. I’m proud of what he achieved.”
A triple-century of Albion appearance is not the only piece of history that beckons for Clement. He is on the brink of becoming the first player ever to win promotion three times in Baggies colours. And he reckons this promotion would trump his previous successes.
“This time would cap it all. The team has played some smashing football,” he added. Express and Star - QPR Report
- Death (Murder) of a QPR Fan
- PFA Divisional Player of The Month Winners for December
- Burnley Interest in Sousa as Replacement Manager?
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the combined messageboard and comprehensive QPRnews blog QPR Report Messageboard! All QPR...ALL THE TIME! All QPR Perspectives Welcome
- QPR Report re Vine Surgery, Martin Allen's Arrival, Briatore and Ecclestone Comments.
- Next: Plymouth
- QPR supposedly one of clubs interested in Hamilton's James McArthur
- Terry Venables Turns Sixty-Seven: Remembering Venables/QPR
- Gordon Jago at QPR: Thirty-Nine Years Ago, Jago Took Over and QPR's Return to the Top Began
- The Debts and Finances of Manchester United and Manchester City
- Notts County Financial Problems
- Don Rogers Remembered
- (Could-have-been-QPR) Darren Ferguson Set for Preston
- Remembering Teletext
WBA Official Site 'Devastated' Clem forced to retire
Posted on: Wed 06 Jan 2010
NEIL Clement has been forced to retire from professional football on medical advice.
The left-sided defender has reluctantly admitted defeat in his long-running battle to recover from a right knee injury, which he suffered during pre-season some 17 months ago.
Clement, under the guidance of the club's medical staff, has left no stone unturned in his quest to regain full fitness.
He has undergone two knee operations, sought treatment from top specialists as far afield as Germany and spent countless hours in the gym.
With the injury still not fully healed, the 31-year-old made his last throw of the dice to resurrect his career by having a course of pioneering platelet injections in the joint.
However, Clement's consultant has confirmed to him the treatment has not worked and, having explored all available avenues, he has strongly advised him to hang up his boots.
The Reading-born player says he is devastated his playing career is over and claims the news hasn't properly sunk in yet.
"I knew I was struggling because I'd been out for so long but when I actually heard the consultant say those words, it was still a really bitter pill to swallow," said Clement.
"Nothing can prepare you for it. Being told your career is over is the one thing no player wants to hear.
"However, I can take real comfort from the fact I have tried absolutely everything to get back playing again.
"In years to come, it would have been an awful thing to look back and think 'why didn't I try this or that'?
"I have no regrets because, in my heart of hearts, I know I couldn't have done anymore.
"The hardest thing to take is that, when I got back into the team at the end of the 2007/08 season, I felt I was playing better than ever and coming into my prime - both physically and mentally.
"So to get this injury the following pre-season - especially on the eve of our return to the Premier League - was a devastating blow."
Clement is now weighing up his options but says he definitely wants to stay in football.
The club have offered him the chance to work within their Academy and sports science departments for the remainder of the season to help him decide his next career move - and he has jumped at the chance.
Clement added: "I'm delighted that the chairman, Dan Ashworth and Roberto Di Matteo still feel I have a lot to offer the club - as do I.
"It's going to take me some time to get over the shock of being told my playing days are over but life will go on and I've got a new challenge to look forward to.
"West Bromwich Albion have been part and parcel of my life for the past ten years and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club and, of course, the fans for all their support over the past decade."
Clement has etched his name in Hawthorns folklore by becoming the first player in Albion history to help the club win THREE promotions.
'Clem's' eventful ten-year spell with the Baggies began with a loan move from Chelsea on transfer deadline day in March 2000.
Then only 21, he played a key role in helping Albion avoid relegation to the old Division Two, which earned him a permanent £100,000 move in the summer.
Clement kicked off his first full season at the club as a left-sided centre-half in a back three and proved an instant hit, winning the club's Player-of-the-Year Award as the Baggies lost in the play-off semi-finals.
He moved to left wing-back during 2001/02 and helped Albion end their 16-year top-flight exile by winning promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
Clement's consistent performances and eye for goal from set-plays also earned him a place in the Division One PFA XI.
After figuring regularly during Albion's relegation the following term, he suffered the first real setback of his Baggies career in 2003/04 when he lost his position as first-choice left-back to new recruit Paul Robinson.
However, Clement underlined his versatility that season by serving in midfield, at centre-half and even at centre-forward on occasion as Albion immediately won promotion back to the top flight.
He played a key role in Albion's Great Escape during 2004/05 as the Baggies became the first team bottom of the Premier League at Christmas to avoid the drop.
Clement was appointed vice-captain during 2005/06 and skippered the side on several occasions in the absence of Kevin Campbell, as Albion returned to the Championship.
Unfortunately, Clement's next two seasons were hampered by a left knee problem - but he still enjoyed a glorious end to 2007/08.
After returning from a month's loan at Hull, he brought stability to the backline in a seven-match unbeaten league run which culminated in him clinching a hat-trick of promotions.
Clement also deservedly won a place in the club's starting XI for their narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat by Portsmouth at Wembley.
His latest knee injury, this time in his other leg, struck the following August and he has been sidelined ever since.
Fittingly, his last competitive game for the club was at QPR in May 2008 - the day Albion clinched their first league title for 88 years thanks to a 2-0 win.
In total, Clement has made exactly 300 appearances for Albion, scoring 26 goals.
He made three appearances for his only other permanent club, Chelsea, who he joined as a schoolboy.
While at Stamford Bridge, he enjoyed three loan spells at Reading (11 appearances, one goal), Preston (four appearances) and Brentford (eight appearances).
In total, Clement made 326 career appearances, scoring 27 times. WBA
Neil Clement Flashback
Mirror - ON THE UP.. AND UP YET AGAIN -WEST BROM DEFENDER NEIL CLEMENT
Promotion hat-tricks in football are as rare as bus passengers with the correct change, but Neil Clement is on the brink of a unique treble. By tonight, West Bromwich Albion defender Clement could be celebrating his third elevation to the PremierLeague in five years with the same club under different managers....
In a nostalgic twist, Clement could clinch the Championship title in his 300th game for Albion next Sunday at Queens Park Rangers, where Clement's late father Dave is still a Hoops legend, with his five-year-old daughter Olivia as mascot.
Dry your eyes, settle down and pay attention. The Baggies are not there yet. But even chocoholic manager Tony Mowbray knows only the crumbliest, flakiest defence would blow it now. The only player who comes close to matching Clement's achievement is Malky Mackay, who went up to the Premier League three years running with Norwich, West Ham and Watford. But Clement's feat would be something special for a footballing family in which his brother, Paul, is academy coach at beaten FA Youth Cup finalists Chelsea.
Neil, 29, said: "This time promotion would mean more to me, simply because I've had to come through a serious injury and some difficulties off the pitch. I would love to seal the title at QPR because of the emotional aspect. I hope my little girl will come out on the pitch with me because I have pictures on the wall at home of me running out at Loftus Road when I was only three years old.
"It would be nice if we could make it three generations of the Clement dynasty who have kicked a ball on that pitch. If my dad's looking down onus, I hope the last two games of the season will make him proud. He's sorely missed by the whole family, but his name lives on.
"Even 25 years later, QPR fans come up to me and say: 'Your old man was a legend' - which is a great tribute to him in itself. But what makes it even more special is when people tell me what a nice fella he was.
"People say his QPR team of 1975-6, who were pipped to the title by Liverpool, were the best side never to be champions so I'm just proud to be following in those footsteps....
Times- Neil Clement hoping to celebrate two promotions in one season
Peter Lansley
"...Talking of going back home, Clement can envisage clinching a first title medal next week away to Queens Park Rangers, for whom his father, Dave, played for 14 years before his career ended in tragic fashion. Having moved on to Wimbledon, he broke a leg and, believing that his career was over, fell into depression and committed suicide.
“Of course it would be nice to put the seal on it at QPR because of the emotional aspect,” Clement said. “I hope my little girl [Olivia, 5] will come out on the pitch with me because I have pictures on the wall at home of me running out at Loftus Road when I was only 3. It would be nice if we could make it three generations of the Clement dynasty who have kicked a ball on that pitch.
“If my dad's looking down on us, I hope the last two games of the season will make him proud. He's sorely missed by the whole family, but his name lives on. Even 25 years on, QPR fans come up to me and say ‘your old man was a legend' - which is a great tribute in itself - but what makes it even more special is when people tell me what a nice fellow he was.”
Clement is relishing playing for such high stakes again and he believes that another promotion would be all the sweeter for the period he spent out of the game. “It was a tough time,” he said. “Some days were gruelling and it was tough to stay mentally focused. I never thought I couldn't do it. The loan period at Hull really made it strong and good. I worked hard in the gym...The Times
Express and Star Clem set for emotional milestone
Neil Clement is hoping to complete a “dream” return from injury hell by making his 300th Albion appearance next week at the footballing home of his father.
And the Baggies’ longest-serving player is hoping to make next Sunday’s emotional trip to QPR a real family affair – by persuading young daughter Olivia to become a mascot.
The defender is in line to reach his Albion triple century at Loftus Road, where his father Dave spent 14 years as a player.
Tragically, Dave took his own life in 1982 believing his career was over after suffering a broken leg.
Neil was just three but he still feels the emotional ties to Loftus Road, where his last appearance coincidentally came on the 25th anniversary of his dad’s death. And he is acutely aware of the potential significance of reaching a career milestone at Loftus Road, hopefully having clinched an unprecedented third promotion with Albion and helped the club to the Championship title.“Hopefully I can make all of this come true because it is almost like a dream,” he said.
“If I stay fit and stay in the team it would be my 300th game at my old man’s old club. I am trying to get my little girl to be mascot but she is a little bit nervous at the moment. It would be a proud moment.”
Clement has played at QPR just three times before as an Albion player, and he revealed in the past how special it is to return to the former stomping ground of his father, who won five England caps.
“I love going to QPR and trying to do my best,” he said. “The fans remember my dad very well at Rangers and I hope some of that comes out whenever I play there. I’m proud of what he achieved.”
A triple-century of Albion appearance is not the only piece of history that beckons for Clement. He is on the brink of becoming the first player ever to win promotion three times in Baggies colours. And he reckons this promotion would trump his previous successes.
“This time would cap it all. The team has played some smashing football,” he added. Express and Star - QPR Report
- Death (Murder) of a QPR Fan
- PFA Divisional Player of The Month Winners for December
- Burnley Interest in Sousa as Replacement Manager?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)