Warnock and Saksena Comments...Paladini on Warnock..Graham Taylor on Warnock...Rise and Rise of Liam O'Brien...Raheem Sterling Deal

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- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard

- FIFA to ban Brazilian Penalty Move?

- Sousa's Swansea Dreaming of Automatic Promotion

- Next: WBA at Loftus Road

- On This Day....1967 Triumph vs WBA (and Also Mark Kennedy's Last QPR Game: Crushing Middlesbrough)
- Ex-QPR Youth Goalie, Liam O'Brien Makes England U-19 Debut
- In Praise of Protesting Fans
- Amit Bhatia Lengthy Interview


Forty-Three Years Ago Today

Sporting Life - Sporting Life - WARNOCK AIMS FOR PREMIER LEAGUE
By Andy Sims, Press Association Sport
-Neil Warnock has set his sights on reaching the Premier League with QPR after being unveiled as the new manager at Loftus Road.
- Warnock quit Crystal Palace on Monday to move from south to west London with Rangers in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle.
- The 61-year-old becomes the club's fifth manager of the season but, following Flavio Briatore's departure as chairman, is hoping his arrival will herald a new era of stability.
- Warnock, who has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, said: "It's something I didn't envisage over the last couple of years but this has always been a great football club.
- "Although I thought the contract was three and a half weeks!
- "Stability has not been around this club for a while but it's the right challenge at the right time for me. All I want is a chance.
- "I want to stabilise this season and then take the club on. Everyone knows I want to manage in the Premier League and I don't think there are many clubs coming in for me."
- New chairman Ishan Saksena is keen to steer the club away from the revolving door of managers under Briatore.
- "QPR has a history of being a family club so I want to welcome Neil as the latest member of the QPR family," he said.
- "It is important to bring back stability - he will bring that back and lead the way in a bright future for the club.
- "He is the complete package as a manager and was always our number one choice."Sporting Life


QPR Official Site - WARNOCK CONFERENCE SOUND BITES
- After QPR Manager Neil Warnock met the press this afternoon (Thursday) for the very first time, www.qpr.co.uk brings you up to speed with what the new gaffer had to say to the local, national and international media at the Club's Harlington Training Complex.

NW on Crystal Palace departure...

"It was a special time for me at Crystal Palace, but it's another challenge for me now.

"We were very unfortunate at Palace, only one administrator came is as everybody else turned it down.

"They've got a very good compensation fee for me. There comes a time when you have to put your family first."

NW on becoming Manager of QPR...

"Becoming Manager of QPR is something that I've never envisaged over the past few years. It's always been a great, traditional Football Club.

"I wanted to come to somewhere steady, which was most important for me and my family. I've got three-and-a-half years to try and build the Club and move forward.

"It had all the ingredients for me."

NW on Loftus Road and the QPR fans...

"I've always loved the ground, the fans are right on top of you. It's my type of atmosphere and my teams seem to thrive on it.

"I'm looking forward to working with the QPR fans, whenever I've come down it's been a fantastic atmosphere at Loftus Road."

NW on the challenge ahead...

"It's an exciting prospect. When I met Ishan Saksena and Amit Bhatia, right from the start I believed these two guys knew what they wanted.

"I want to get my whole life now geared into taking the Club forward, stabilising this season and then take the Club on as best as I can - everyone knows I want to manage in the Premier League before I retire.

"It's not what's happened in the past, it's what happens in the future." QPR


Gianni Paladini Speaks! - Ealing Gazette/Paul Warburton - I call the shots, says new QPR boss Neil Warnock
- NEIL Warnock has insisted he – and he alone – will choose new recruits at Loftus Road.
- As part of the three-and-a-half year contract that brings the 61-year-old to west London, Warnock has dispensed with the services of sporting director Gianni Paladini, who last night quit the defunct role to become chairman of QPR Co Ltd.
- Paladini played the major role in signing the 100-plus players that pulled on the hoops during the last six years – but admitted he was glad to hand the reins over to Warnock.
- He said: "Neil wanted it that way, and I believe it will be good for QPR. There will be not one moment of interference from the board who have allowed him free rein to do as he wishes.
- "The buck stops with the manager, and that’s as it should be."
- Paladini was heavily criticised by fans for bringing in players that sees Rangers hovering just above the Championship drop-zone – but also took flak for being closely associated with the former regime headed by chairman Flavio Briatore that got through 11 changes of management since John Gregory was sacked in October 2007.
Ealing Gazette

- Meanwhile: Gianni Paladini a No Go Go? - Gianni Paladini till 2013? (Messageboard claims) [Flashback to the original QPR Official Site Headline: "Ugo a Go Go"


PFA/Give Me Football
Taylor questions wisdom of Warnock’s London switch
Neil Warnock has made a career out of proving people wrong
By Mark Shail March 04, 2010

Former England manager Graham Taylor believes Neil Warnock has ‘jumped straight out of one fire and into another’ by leaving Crystal Palace to join QPR.

A compensation package with the cash-strapped Eagles was agreed earlier this week and the 61-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half year deal at Loftus Road.

But Taylor wrote in his newspaper column in the Daily Express: “What is it with Neil Warnock? He is no fool but why Queens Park Rangers, who don’t have a manager’s office, more a revolving door?

“He is the 10th manager in two-and-a-half years. I like Neil and I get on with him. That will surprise a few people but it’s been the case ever since his days of manager of Burton Albion and he sold me a young Richard Jobson during my first spell at Watford some 25 years ago.

“What I did learn about him, though, was to keep out of his way when our teams met. Talk about a changed personality on match days. On match days I did put Neil on the top of my list marked – ‘Opposing managers to avoid’.

“So I ask again, why join QPR? Obviously his position at Crystal Palace has to be under threat due to the club being placed in administration. But he seems to have jumped straight out of one fire and into another.

“Neil is good at fighting a cause. In fact, I think he relishes the kind of challenge that many other managers fear in case it has an adverse effect on their CV. He reads it the other way round. That he will sort it – and the affect on his career will be a positive one.

“I read that he has signed a three-and-a-half year contract. Bearing in mind the average stay for a manager at QPR since John Gregory was dismissed in October 2007 is just short of four months, those three-and-a-half years look like an eternity.”
Find out what Neil Warnock has to say about the latest chapter in his colourful career later here on Givemefootball. Give Me Football



QPR Official Site - WARNOCK: LET’S STICK TOGETHER
Posted on: Thu 04 Mar 2010

Neil Warnock is relishing taking his place in the home dug-out at Loftus Road this Saturday afternoon and believes the R's fans willl play a pivotal role between now and the end of the season.

Speaking exclusively to 'Hoops' - in a must-read matchday programme column this weekend - the new Rangers boss issued a rallying cry to the QPR faithful.

"I know fans either love me or hate me, but all I ask of you - the QPR fan-base - is that you get behind me and the team and help make Loftus Road a fortress once again," he said.

"You really can be our twelfth man and the support of the Super Hoops will play a massive role in my time here.

"Even when the chips are down, you need to stick with us and show your undying support.

"After the turbulent times, let's try and look to the future and get everybody singing off the same hymn sheet."

*You can read more of Neil Warnock's exclusive thoughts in Saturday's Mike Keen tribute programme. Available in and around the ground for just £3, 'Hoops' really is a must-read on matchdays. QPR


South London Press - Palace boss Hart: My QPR spell has helped Warnock
Thursday, 04 March 2010 By Richard Cawley

NEW Crystal Palace boss Paul Hart says that his 28-day spell in charge at QPR has helped new Loftus Road boss Neil Warnock.

Warnock quit the Eagles on Monday to accept a three-and-a-half-year deal at Loftus Road.

And in an ironic twist, Hart has accepted a short-term deal at Palace to replace him.

[b]"My leaving QPR has finally allowed them to develop a structure which is conducive to proper management,” said Hart, who was at the west London club for just five matches.

"I blame myself because I knew before I went in what the story was - but you always think it’s going to be different. [/b]

“I’ve had difficulties at the clubs I’ve been at but I’ve still got the desire and I’m enthusiastic. I’m not as in your face as some people might like but I work hard where it counts - out on the training pitch. I try and prepare teams properly and I like winning."
Don't miss the full interview with Hart in tomorrow's South London Press. South London Press


Portsmouth News/Neil Allen - Watch out Jamo! Liam's Pompey's latest talent
FINANCIAL uncertainty continues to grip Fratton Park - but at least on the goalkeeping front there is plenty to be optimistic about.
And in terms of Pompey's future, it's a precious ray of sunshine piercing the gathered gloom.

This week Liam O'Brien became the Blues' second England international keeper.

The 18-year-old made his under-19 debut as a second-half substitute in Tuesday night's friendly in Holland.

For O'Brien, it's the culmination of two year's hard work since arriving at the club's academy via QPR.

He is from a Pompey goalkeeping pool which already contains England number one David James.

Until January, it also featured another home-grown talent in Bosnia-Herzegovina number two Asmir Begovic.

The man responsible for honing O'Br-ien and Begovic before him is Dave Coles, one of football's most highly-regarded goalkeeping coaches.

Since arriving from Southampton four-and-half-years ago, Coles has transformed the department.

The result is there for all to see, both domestically and internationally.

And he believes his latest protege O'Brien has every chance of making it right the way to the very top.

He said: 'Liam is still in the early stages of development as far as I am concerned.

'But he has a lot of attributes and is someone I think can go a long, long way.

'He's been working with me since August and his attitude has improved since coming across from the Academy.

'Basically it was decided he would be better suited to working with myself and the senior pros – Asmir Begovic, David James, Jamie Ashdown and Antti Niemi – and picking up good habits.

'We felt he had lost his way a little bit in the Academy and needed a kick up the backside to kick him into reality.

'I think he's improved no end – and obviously the England scouts also share that view.

'We've put in some hard work together. I am not saying it's been a bed of roses and we have crossed bridges a number of times, although not come to blows.

'But he's learned who is the student and who is the leader and I am pleased with the way things are going.

'He's certainly got a fantastic amount of ability but in my eyes he's still a baby and still has a long, long way to go.

'Liam is certainly going to be one for the future and it's just about making sure you dot the i's and cross the t's and ensuring he is ready to accept the challenges and show what a good prospect he is going to
be.'

O'Brien has played eight times for the Academy this season, his form also earning him two call-ups to the reserves.

In January, he lined-up for Guy Whittingham's side in the 1-1 draw at West Ham – the last time the reserves played.

Pompey are certainly well blessed in that department, with Ashdown and former Finland number one Niemi also on their books.

In addition, Jon Stewart recently returned to train with the club following a spell abroad after leaving at the end of last season.
Begovic was another training ground fixture until last month when he departed in a controversial £3.25m switch to Stoke.

Not bad for a player who initially arrived on a two-week trial six-and-a-half years ago.

Coles remains the constant, well-respected by his peers and the author of several books and DVDs on the subject of goalkeeping.

He added: 'I think the goalkeeping department this year has been one of the best I have ever worked with.

'We have two England keepers and other good keepers in Ashdown and Niemi.

'It's tremendous for Pompey and something I am really proud of in terms of what I have achieved.

'Like everyone else, I set myself goals and targets. I fulfilled the one about having England's number one a long time ago.

'David James made that dream come true.

'Now I have England's under-19 keeper too – and I'm absolutely overjoyed.' Portsmouth News

- Also: Liam O'Briend Makes England U-19 Debut


Sunday Mercury - Revealed: How Liverpool snared wonderkid
Mar 4 2010

Liverpool are giving 15-year-old sensation Raheem Sterling a stunning contract worth £300,000 to join them from QPR.

The Kop outfit have pushed out the boat for the England youth star who is already rated the 'next big thing' after his appearances for club and country.

Attacking midfielder Sterling chose to go to Anfield for football reasons, but his financial package is a stunner for a player of his age.

As a schoolboy Sterling will only be able to earn the basic low wage, but part of the Kop contract includes a three-year 'pro' contract when he turns 17.

And Sterling's 'camp' will be given a giant signing on fee, worth around £200,000 and spread over the length of his deal at Liverpool until 2014. He is going into their academy in a major coup.

Liverpool are paying QPR a guaranteed £500,000 with further installments based on the time Sterling spends with them - and his eventual breakthrough to the first team.

The deal is potentially the biggest for a player of his age and was decided without going to a tribunal. Sterling told Rangers he wanted to leave and would not sign any long contract with them.

Sterling's decision left both Manchester cubs, Arsenal and Fulham upset. All of them had tried to do a deal but found it hard to agree fees and terms with all of the parties involved.

City are fuming at the result. Their offer of £1 million was higher than any rival bidder but the youngster fancied Liverpool instead" Sunday Mercury

Warnock vs Crystal Palace...Hart re QPR...Gianni a No Go-Go?...Volz..On This Day: 1967 Triumph vs WBA...McDonald re Glentoran

-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard

- Meanwhile: Gianni a No Go Go? - Gianni Paladini till 2013? (Messageboard claims) [Flashback to the original QPR Official Site Headline: "Ugo a Go Go"

- On This Day....1967 Triumph vs WBA (and Also Mark Kennedy's Last QPR Game: Crushing Middlesbrough)

- Next: WBA at Loftus Road

- Ex-QPR Youth Goalie, Liam O'Brien Makes England U-19 Debut

- In Praise of Protesting Fans

- Amit Bhatia Lengthy Interview

South London Press/Richard Cawley - Palace boss Hart: My QPR spell has helped Warnock
- NEW Crystal Palace boss Paul Hart says that his 28-day spell in charge at QPR has helped new Loftus Road boss Neil Warnock.
- Warnock quit the Eagles on Monday to accept a three-and-a-half-year deal at Loftus Road.
- And in an ironic twist, Hart has accepted a short-term deal at Palace to replace him.
- "My leaving QPR has finally allowed them to develop a structure which is conducive to proper management,” said Hart, who was at the west London club for just five matches.
- "I blame myself because I knew before I went in what the story was - but you always think it’s going to be different.
- “I’ve had difficulties at the clubs I’ve been at but I’ve still got the desire and I’m enthusiastic. I’m not as in your face as some people might like but I work hard where it counts - out on the training pitch. I try and prepare teams properly and I like winning." South London Press.


Dave McIntyre - BBC606 re Moritz Volz
Volz has been training with Rangers for a while but I think I'm right in saying that because of the bad weather, last night was only his third reserve game and the first time he's completed 90 minutes. I think it's going to take a while for him to get back up to speed and there was never a chance he was going to be signed quickly. He's been out for a long time and had a couple of nasty injuries.
Spoke to him recently though and he seemed quite pleased with the way things were going. BBC606


- Listen Live today at 1:30 GMT Neil Warnock Press Conference (if subscribe QPR Player)


Croydon Advertiser/Daniel Jones- Warnock denies claims he lost stomach for a fight
- FORMER manager Neil Warnock has issued a ferocious parting shot at the administrators running Crystal Palace.
- The 61-year-old has rubbished claims made by Brendan Guilfoyle, of the P & A Partnership, he left the Eagles because he no longer had the stomach for a fight.
Warnock insists that Guilfoyle wanted him to go and said that he was undecided on the switch to Loftus Road until as late as Monday morning.
"It sickens me that he can say such rubbish," raged Warnock. "How can he say that I didn't have the stomach for a fight? Was he not at Doncaster? Did he not see how we scrapped for a point?
"If I haven't got the bottle, then why have I gone to Queens Park Rangers? They are in the same position, scrapping for survival.
- "There is no one more disappointed than me how this has turned out. The fans don't deserve this, they have been absolutely fantastic from day one.
"It's not been easy to leave. In the end our relationship had broken down and it's best all round that I have gone."
Guilfoyle dismissed the ex-Palace manager's claims, stressing he did everything he could to keep Warnock at the club.
"I even got in touch with Simon Jordan in the hope that he could persuade him, but Neil's mind was made up," said Guilfoyle. "He told me his heart wasn't in it anymore. So I apologise for questioning his stomach for the fight, yes I got the wrong part of the anatomy.
"But to say that I wanted him to go is absolute rubbish."
*For the full explosive interview and all the reaction to the change of regime at Selhurst Park see Friday's Croydon Advertiser. Croydon Advertiser


Palace Fansite Holmesdale - Warnock: I won't take Palace stars
March 3 2010
- New QPR manager Neil Warnock has promised not to poach Crystal Palace for any players.
- Warnock was installed as the new Rangers boss after agreeing a compensation package to leave the Eagles - against the wishes of administrator Brendan Guilfoyle.

He faces a challenge to keep the R's in the Championship but has vowed not to take any of his old playing staff at Selhurst Park to help him.

"I don't want to do anything that will disrupt Palace's challenge," said Warnock. "I want both clubs to stay up this season. It is my dream scenario.

"There are a good bunch of lads at Palace. I know them inside out. They definitely have enough mettle and commitment to stay up. I'm going to try and install the same qualities in the players I have now."

Guilfoyle claimed Warnock's "focus was no longer on securing the club's status in the Championship".

But Warnock hit back, saying: "I saw the statement put out and there is only so much I can say at the moment but I don't think the Palace fans are daft. When they see what I will say about it, they will realise what really happened.

"I'm having my first QPR press conference tomorrow so I will make one or two comments but Palace want to gag me from saying anything so I have to be careful.

"But I want to make it clear that Palace is the best club I have ever been at in terms of the supporters. I'm hoping to have the same thing at QPR." Holmesdale


Evening Standard/Simon Johnson - Neil Warnock is looking up, not down, as he moves in at QPR
Paul Hart looking forward to Crystal Palace challenge

Neil Warnock today vowed he will not only keep Queens Park Rangers in the Championship this season but aims to have them in the Premier League next year.

Warnock has become QPR's fifth manager this term after a compensation deal was finally agreed with cash-strapped Crystal Palace.

He has swapped one relegation fight for another as Rangers sit just three points ahead of his former club in the table, who themselves are only out of the drop zone on goal difference.

The 61-year-old took his first training session with his new squad yesterday and saw enough quality to be convinced they will stay in the second tier of English football come May.

But Warnock is adamant that with the right signings in the summer, he can fulfil his ambition to manage in the top flight again having experienced just two years of it at Notts County and Sheffield United.

He said: “It is a big, big club and I am really excited about it. I want to manage in the Premier League sooner rather than later and my aim is to achieve that ambition before the end of my contract, irrespective of clubs who still have the parachute payments or any of the decent sides coming down.

“I am looking to be there next year. If I was in a normal situation I would usually say it would take two full seasons, but at my age I don't want it to take that long.

“I enjoyed meeting with the chairman Ishan Saksena and the vice-chairman Amit Bhatia. I believed in what they were talking about, what their views are and how they see the future for the club.”

Warnock's QPR reign begins with the visit of second-placed West Brom and in the following four games they face play-off hopefuls Sheffield United and Swansea and relegation rivals Plymouth and Reading.

“The first priority is to get enough points to stay up,” said Warnock. “I know it will be tight at the bottom end, we have some tough fixtures. Without question, the players have a lot of ability. I am hoping to put a bit of steel in certain positions and get a happy blend.

“The first day of training went well yesterday. It went as I expected, nice and bright. I had a good talk with all of the players and it is a case of getting to know them now. I told them that if we are to get out of this relegation battle then they need to show a lot of commitment and desire. But they shouldn't worry about the position in the table, they should just go out and enjoy the games, although we can't have a much tougher start than on Saturday.

“I hope to create the same team spirit as I did at Palace, but that didn't come overnight. You have to work on that over a long time, it took me nearly 12 months to do it there.”

His departure from Palace ended in acrimony after he fell out with administrator Brendan Guilfoyle, who has run the club since it went into administration in January.

Guilfoyle issued a statement yesterday claiming he did everything to keep Warnock at Selhurst Park, but that his focus was no longer on securing the club's status in the Championship'.

Warnock has dismissed Guilfoyle's version of events and insists he still has regrets over the way his time at Palace was cut short.

He added: “I saw the statement put out and there is only so much I can say at the moment but I don't think the Palace fans are daft. When they see what I will say about it, they will realise what really happened.

“I'm having my first QPR press conference tomorrow so I will make one or two comments but Palace want to gag me from saying anything so I have to be careful.

“But I want to make it clear that Palace is the best club I have ever been at in terms of the supporters. I'm hoping to have the same thing at QPR.”

Warnock spent just under two-and-a-half-years at Palace and he has promised not to make a move for any of his former players on loan so that the club have a better chance of staying up.

“I don't want to do anything that will disrupt their challenge,” said Warnock, who will face his old side at Selhurst Park on 10 April.

“I want both clubs to stay up this season. It is my dream scenario. There are a good bunch of lads at Palace. I know them inside out. They definitely have enough mettle and commitment to stay up. I'm going to try and install the same qualities in the players I have now.”

Meanwhile, Paul Hart, Warnock's replacement at Palace, is optimistic he can keep them up in the same way he succeeded at Portsmouth in the Premier league 12 months ago.

“I get some comfort in seeing the names in the squad, experienced players and strong characters,” said Hart.

“It's very similar to Portsmouth last year, where there were strong characters who just needed a little shove.” Standard


Belfast Telegraph - McDonald bids fond farewell to pressure at Glentoran

For almost three years, in a professional capacity, I have probably spoken to Alan McDonald at least once a week, either on the telephone, or in person.

During that time I witnessed a man clearly immersed in his job, so much so that it was manifesting itself physically, with the addition of a few more grey hairs and an extra couple of lines upon his forehead.

However, yesterday, when I met him in a Bangor restaurant just a few yards from his trophy and engraving shop in the seaside town, the former Northern Ireland captain was relaxed, looking like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

It had been four days since he decided that, in his words, ‘enough is enough’ and left his job as manager of Glentoran and his demeanour was more akin to the day that he walked into the Oval and was announced as Paul Millar’s replacement.

McDonald’s appearance was certainly a far cry from the picture splashed across this newspaper on Monday as he was subjected to verbal criticism from supporters following the Glens’ 2-0 defeat to Dungannon Swifts. That was their eighth league defeat of the season and all but ended their bid to retain the league title, won just 10 months ago.

But the seeds were sown back in November when, following an embarrassing 6-0 home defeat to Coleraine, a group of supporters staged a post match protest and some even sent him sickening text messages. It hit the tough former QPR central defender hard, he was visibly shaken at the time, and he admits that neither he nor his position as the team’s figurehead recovered from that.

And such was the pressure that he was under, his health and life outside of football was suffering.

“Mentally it did hit me, it was something that I never had to deal with before and hopefully I will never have to deal with again,” he admitted.

“It really knocked my confidence and people close to me could see that. I did have a serious think about whether I could carry on because I feared my health would suffer as a result of the incessant pressure I felt under.

“But after speaking to the players, I felt I got the support I needed from them and my family too and I thought I could turn things around. For all the bad things that were said, I did get a lot of support from fans as well, which I really appreciated.

“Things changed for a while and we did see a response but soon after that we were back to the poor performances again.”

This week McDonald appeared to place the blame for his decision to stand down on the players. He felt they were underperforming and when you look at the squad that has been assembled, the champions should not be floundering in their attempts to hold onto their crown.

But the 46 year-old has accepted responsibility, too.

“I have taken a lot of criticism, some of it unfair, but I was happy to take that because that shielded the players,” he added. “As a player, when you are constantly being told you are rubbish you start to believe it.

“A manager has a much thicker skin. But I do believe the players there have not performed at their best and have let themselves down. I have paid the ultimate price for that and accept responsibility, too. I did all I could and I could do no more to turn it around and that’s why we are where we are. Yes, I made mistakes, of course I did, everyone makes mistakes, it’s a fact of life.

“I can’t really put my finger on anything in particular but what I will say is that every time something went wrong, the first person I looked to was myself. I asked myself what I should have done differently.”

It was the fans’ reaction on many occasions that without doubt had a huge bearing on the ending of McDonald’s tenure. And he feels that the fact he wasn’t ‘one of them’ probably went against him.

“I don’t think I was given a fair crack to be honest. I never felt like I could enjoy us winning the league last year. At the time yes, I did enjoy it but I never felt really able to, sort of, take the feel-good factor from it.

“The negativity came back very quickly at the beginning of this season. I don’t know, maybe it goes back to when I first got the job, after the Roy Walker debacle (Walker was appointed without the necessary UEFA licence to manage the team in Europe).

“Maybe people didn’t want me to get it. I worked out recently that maybe if I had been an ex-player or an east Belfast man then I would have been treated a bit differently. Who knows?”

So, any regrets? No. I am proud of what we achieved, in fact I think in my long term plan, we won the league a year early,” he said.

“I also put a lot of time and effort into the academy which I think the club will reap the rewards of in the future.

“People will have their own opinions but, in terms of the structure of the club and the squad that is there now, I think I can hold my head high and say that Glentoran are in a far better position now than they were when I first took over.” Belfast Telegraph

Neil Warnock on QPR Players, Survival and Promotion...Gianni Paladini Staying On (and On)?...Cipriani London Enters Administration..Raheem Sterling

-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard

- Meanwhile...Gianni Paladini till 2013?

- Warnock Quote..Raheem Sterling's Mother Speaks..Reserves Win..Sousa Nominated..England U-19 Debut For Ex-QPR Goalie, Liam O'Brien

- Ex-QPR Youth Goalie, Liam O'Brien Makes England U-19 Debut

- Ex-QPR Manager, Paulo Sousa Nominated (again) for Manager of the Month

- Amit Bhatia Lengthy Interview

- Two Year Flashback: Amit Bhatia Speaks

- Profiles of QPR's New Coaches Mick Jones and Keith Curle
- Year Flashback: Sousa Running Out Of Time?
- Three Year Flashback: Apology from Gianni Paladini - And Some of the strange Charges made at that time
- On This Day....Including AEK Athens at Loftus Road Video

- RIP: Macclesfield Manager Keith Alexander

Events Magazine/David Quainton - Cipriani London enters administration
- Cipriani London, the popular restaurant frequented by the event industry and the rich and famous, has gone into administration.
- The move comes after the venue is being forced to pay out a hefty fine following a trademark battle with the Orient-Express Hotel group. Administrator Ian Franses Associates has been brought in.
- The move will come as a blow to the Cipriani brand, which had moved into the corporate hospitality arena. In 2008 flamouyant former QPR chairman Flavio Briatore announced Cipriani would cater in its C and W12 members clubs.
- This morning a spokesperson for the club, which Briatore has now left, said the firm was still in place and worked on ‘some' hospitality events, although Azure Support Services is now also listed on the clubs website as a caterer.
- Cipriani London is still fighting the trademark ruling. EventsMagazine


Evening Standard/Simon Johnson - Neil Warnock is looking up, not down, as he moves in at QPR
- Neil Warnock today vowed he will not only keep Queens Park Rangers in the Championship this season but aims to have them in the Premier League next year.

Warnock has become QPR's fifth manager this term after a compensation deal was finally agreed with cash-strapped Crystal Palace.

He has swapped one relegation fight for another as Rangers sit just three points ahead of his former club in the table, who themselves are only out of the drop zone on goal difference.

The 61-year-old took his first training session with his new squad yesterday and saw enough quality to be convinced they will stay in the second tier of English football come May.

But Warnock is adamant that with the right signings in the summer, he can fulfil his ambition to manage in the top flight again having experienced just two years of it at Notts County and Sheffield United.

He said: “It is a big, big club and I am really excited about it. I want to manage in the Premier League sooner rather than later and my aim is to achieve that ambition before the end of my contract, irrespective of clubs who still have the parachute payments or any of the decent sides coming down.

“I am looking to be there next year. If I was in a normal situation I would usually say it would take two full seasons, but at my age I don't want it to take that long.

“I enjoyed meeting with the chairman Ishan Saksena and the vice-chairman Amit Bhatia. I believed in what they were talking about, what their views are and how they see the future for the club.”

Warnock's QPR reign begins with the visit of second-placed West Brom and in the following four games they face play-off hopefuls Sheffield United and Swansea and relegation rivals Plymouth and Reading.

“The first priority is to get enough points to stay up,” said Warnock. “I know it will be tight at the bottom end, we have some tough fixtures. Without question, the players have a lot of ability. I am hoping to put a bit of steel in certain positions and get a happy blend.

“The first day of training went well yesterday. It went as I expected, nice and bright. I had a good talk with all of the players and it is a case of getting to know them now. I told them that if we are to get out of this relegation battle then they need to show a lot of commitment and desire. But they shouldn't worry about the position in the table, they should just go out and enjoy the games, although we can't have a much tougher start than on Saturday.

“I hope to create the same team spirit as I did at Palace, but that didn't come overnight. You have to work on that over a long time, it took me nearly 12 months to do it there.”

His departure from Palace ended in acrimony after he fell out with administrator Brendan Guilfoyle, who has run the club since it went into administration in January.

Guilfoyle issued a statement yesterday claiming he did everything to keep Warnock at Selhurst Park, but that his focus was no longer on securing the club's status in the Championship'.

Warnock has dismissed Guilfoyle's version of events and insists he still has regrets over the way his time at Palace was cut short.

He added: “I saw the statement put out and there is only so much I can say at the moment but I don't think the Palace fans are daft. When they see what I will say about it, they will realise what really happened.

“I'm having my first QPR press conference tomorrow so I will make one or two comments but Palace want to gag me from saying anything so I have to be careful.

“But I want to make it clear that Palace is the best club I have ever been at in terms of the supporters. I'm hoping to have the same thing at QPR.”

Warnock spent just under two-and-a-half-years at Palace and he has promised not to make a move for any of his former players on loan so that the club have a better chance of staying up.

“I don't want to do anything that will disrupt their challenge,” said Warnock, who will face his old side at Selhurst Park on 10 April.

“I want both clubs to stay up this season. It is my dream scenario. There are a good bunch of lads at Palace. I know them inside out. They definitely have enough mettle and commitment to stay up. I'm going to try and install the same qualities in the players I have now.”

Meanwhile, Paul Hart, Warnock's replacement at Palace, is optimistic he can keep them up in the same way he succeeded at Portsmouth in the Premier league 12 months ago.

“I get some comfort in seeing the names in the squad, experienced players and strong characters,” said Hart.

“It's very similar to Portsmouth last year, where there were strong characters who just needed a little shove.” Standard


The Times Blog -Ahead of The Game: Palace will keep squad together for relegation fight
You can set the agenda by sending in a question for one of our experts to answer. E-mail aotg@thetimes.co.uk

We asked: Paul Hart has said no Crystal Palace players will follow Neil Warnock to Queens Park Rangers this season. Do you believe this will be the case?

Gary Jacob, our transfer expert, responded: "Yes, an overbearing wage bill has never been the problem at Selhurst Park and it’s very unlikely that any players will leave Palace until they have successfully avoided relegation.

"Firstly, Warnock would only want the better players such as Nathaniel Clyne and Neil Danns, and that would impact on Palace’s ability to avoid relegation, which would reduce the value of a club in administration.

"Secondly, even if survival was not an issue, selling players would send the wrong message to fans and prospective buyers of the club. The latter would want to buy a club that has retained its best assets.

"Thirdly, players have to want to move. There were deals on the table for Clyne and Danns to leave in January. Clyne rejected a move because his agent has other irons in the fire. Southampton’s offer for Danns was too low for Palace, plus the player believes that he can find another Championship club this summer.

"The administrator at Palace faces the unenviable task of raising cash to repay Agilo, the hedge fund who lent £4.5 million to the club, while trying to protect the club’s value by helping them stay in the Championship. Jose Fonte and Victor Moses were sold for a combined £3 million fee in January to help fund the club until the end of the season as well as repaying some of the debt owed to Agilo.

"There is also an added angle to all of this. QPR paid compensation of up to £600,000 for Warnock and there may be additional sums payable for the two assistants that followed him to Loftus Road. Palace might hope to receive further compensation from several other backroom staff who will want to join Warnock. Some of these people will gamble that Palace’s next permanent manager will want his own staff and therefore they may be able to negotiate a pay-off from Selhurst Park. Warnock might take a similar view, or he may want these people quickly and Palace may receive a small sum.

"On Warnock’s departure, let’s be clear. He claims that he left Palace because they entered administration, but the facts say otherwise. Only one player, Fonte, was directly sold because of administration, although his loss has been significantly felt at the heart of Palace's defence. Moses was leaving anyway.

"Warnock complained that the team had been told to travel by coach to away matches to save money, but the administrator relented and they continued to travel by train. Palace are in a relegation fight, but only because of the ten-point penalty given to them for entering administration. QPR are in a similar position in the league table. Warnock earned £750,000-a-year at Palace, making him the highest paid manager in the division. His contract at QPR until 2011 is worth £1.2 million a season." The Times


Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times - QPR's Sterling effort to keep teenager
YOUTH team boss Steve Gallen says QPR did all they could in their unsuccessful attempt to keep teenage star Raheem Sterling at Loftus Road.

The 15-year-old attacking midfielder from Neasden, already a regular member of the England under-18 squad, signed for Liverpool this week in a £500,000 deal that could eventually net Rangers £1m.

The Rs had already rejected two bids from neighbours Fulham and Gallen believes the club did everything possible to persuade Sterling, a student at Copland Community College in Wembley, to stay.

"We put him in the reserves, Jim Magilton had him training with the first team when he was 14, and Gianni Paladini offered him the best contract I've ever seen for a young player," Gallen told the Times.

"That would have been a scholarship and then a professional contract. We made it clear all along that we didn't want Raheem to go - but we knew he wanted to and realised a deal had to be done.

"Agents were putting it around that Manchester City had made a bid for Raheem, but that wasn't true and Arsenal didn't make an official offer for him either.

"Fulham and Liverpool were the only clubs who made bids and at no stage was Raheem interested in going to Fulham. When Liverpool came in, though, he jumped at it.

"Of course it's disappointing, but you can't stop a 15-year-old boy who wants to leave. Getting half a million pounds for a lad who'd come on twice for the reserves isn't a bad deal.

"I like the boy and I wish him well. I think he's an outstanding prospect with an unbelievable amount of talent and he can go to Liverpool and be an excellent player."

Gallen refutes any hint of comparison with Dean Parrett, another product of Rangers' Centre of Excellence who was sold at the age of 15 when he joined Tottenham in a £1m deal three years ago.

Like Sterling, Parrett gained England recognition at a young age and has also appeared for Spurs in the UEFA Cup - and Gallen points to another recent youth team graduate as further proof that the system at QPR can succeed.

Striker Antonio German, 18, who recently scored on his full debut for the Rs' first team against Doncaster, agreed a two-year professional contract with the club last week.

"Antonio has shown you can make it into the first team and that makes it clear there is a route to the highest level for a schoolboy at our club," added Gallen.

"He is a very good prospect - he's got enthusiasm, strength, pace and he's good in the air. It was a great decision by Mick Harford to put him in the first team.

"The Dean Parrett situation was different because QPR wanted to sell him and received a massive offer.

"No-one can say that we aren't producing players - holding on to them, it's true, is another matter."

TEENAGE forward Josh Parker is keen to end his loan spell with AFC Wimbledon and return to Loftus Road.

Parker joined the Dons on a three-month deal at the end of January, but has started only once and was omitted from the substitutes' bench altogether in recent games.

Kilburn Times

QPR Report Wednesday: Warnock Quote..Raheem Sterling Mother Speaks..Reserves Win..Sousa Nominated..England U-19 Debut For Ex-QPR Goalie, Liam O'Brien

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- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard

- Amit Bhatia Lengthy Interview

- Two Year Flashback: Amit Bhatia Speaks

- Ex-QPR Youth Goalie, Liam O'Brien Makes England U-19 Debut

- Ex-QPR Manager, Paulo Sousa Nominated (again) for Manager of the Month

- Profiles of QPR's New Coaches Mick Jones and Keith Curle

- Year Flashback: Sousa Running Out Of Time?

- Three Year Flashback: Apology from Gianni Paladini - And Some of the strange Charges made at that time

- Meanwhile...Gianni Paladini till 2013?

- On This Day....Including AEK Athens at Loftus Road Video

- European Clubs given longer (till 2015) re their Debts

- Italy: Don't Blaspheme

- Sepp Blatter Thinking re Scrapping Offside?

- "Football For Heroes" Week Being commemorated by Football League Clubs this weekend (for QPR, WBA game)


Warnock quote in The Independent
"... I'm looking forward to it...There are players with ability and I hope to channel that. The situation is the same as at Palace, a relegation battle. I know the players at Palace inside out and I know they are up for the fight, I want to see if the players at Rangers are." Independent


Oliver Holt/The Mirror -Why the newspapers aren't to blame for Terrygate, and QPR have finally got it right with Warnock
"...QPR have made plenty of mistakes in managerial appointments in the past couple of years.
- At last, they’ve got one right by giving the job to Neil Warnock.
- He’ll bring them the success their fans deserve" Mirror


Mail - Leo Spall "Leo's London" re Warnock's Departure
- When Neil Warnock became Crystal Palace manager he said it would be his last job in the game.
- When the club started suffering financial difficulties under Simon Jordan's stewardship he told everyone to rally round. But as soon as QPR came calling the manager jumped ship.
- All the goodwill and support Warnock had built up since arriving at Selhurst Park in 2007 went in that moment. And to think that Palace fans were so pleased with the way he was managing the club some compared him to Steve Coppell, the man who stayed and saw them through administration.
- Those who argue Warnock had no choice should think again. The 61-year-old has not been sitting around waiting for his big break in the game and he has not been lured away by Barcelona.
- Only two of his players were sold in the last transfer window and the others who were encouraged to stay will now be wondering why. In fact, the changes at Palace have not been as radical as some might think and the administrator wanted him to stay.
- Sure, Warnock is in a better position at QPR, who have offered assurances he will not have to put up with any boardroom interference. He will have money to spend too and will probably do a very good job.
- No-one would have begrudged him the move at the end of the season, but he left when Palace needed him most.
- If they go down after he has left them for one of their rivals in the Championship survival fight, he will be the villain of the piece. Mail


- Jamaica Gleaner/Andre LoweMarch 2, 2010- 'I'd love to see him play for Jamaica' - Mother of Liverpool signee wants son to represent country of birth
-At 15 years old, Jamaica-born footballing prodigy Raheem Sterling is already capturing the British headlines, after recently penning a contract with European giants Liverpool amid interest from some of the top clubs in England.
- Sterling, who grew up in the Queen's Park Rangers (QPR) youth system, drawing comparisons to the likes of international superstars Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott, chose the Merseyside-based team over the likes of heavyweights Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham.

The youngster, who recently made his debut for the England Under-16 team, was landed for a reported fee of £300,000, with QPR expected to receive further instalments if the one-time Maverley native breaks into the Liverpool first team.

His performances with the national team have done little to quell the hype around the winger, with several British publications hailing the speedy and skilful player as the next great English talent.

Hopes to represent JA

However, Sterling is first and foremost a Jamaican, and despite the obvious temptation of playing for England, he has not turned his back on his country of birth and still harbours thoughts of one day donning the Jamaican colours.

Sterling's mother, Nadine, is extremely proud of her son's achievement and was clear about the colours in which she would like to see his international future unfold.

Said Nadine: "I'm a true-born Jamaican and I love Jamaica so much. I always tell him that I would love to see him represent and play in my colours, his colours. So, of course, I would love to see him play for Jamaica one day."

She added: "I'm very happy for him; what makes him happy makes me happy, and I know that this is something that he is extremely happy about. He loves football and we are talking about Liverpool here, so again, I'm very happy about everything."

The youngster will travel to the club today where he will finalise some paperwork with authorities, and has already been included in the club's plans later this month for some promotional activity in Vietnam.

"He (Sterling) is in very high spirits, he is very excited about this and he is looking forward to getting started," Nadine shared.

She added that the Liverpool choice was not a difficult one, and that the club made it even easier by quickly matching QPR's evaluation of the player, while other clubs showed a reluctance to fork out the sum.

"They (Liverpool) were the only club that were really willing to pay up the money that QPR wanted for him, so Liverpool were obviously keen on getting him and they showed that they were serious," Nadine stated.

Head of development for QPR, Steve Gallen, has heaped praise on the youngster: "(Sterling) has loads of natural ability. This boy can pass, shoot, head it, score goals, tackle, defend, anything."

Liverpool's Managing Director Christian Purslow has lauded his new signing, telling the British press: "We have made clear that we will invest in outstanding young talent. Raheem is a very exciting young English player whose progress was being closely monitored by many other leading clubs and I'm delighted he's joining us." Jamaica Gleaner


QPR Official Site - IN RESERVE: MILLWALL 0, QPR 2
Max Ehmer and Sam Bewick were both on the scoresheet as a youthful looking QPR Reserve side recorded an excellent 2-0 victory last night (Tuesday) over Millwall.

The R's were ahead as early as the sixth minute, with Moritz Volz feeding Ehmer in the area, who in turn fired home from close range at the near post to give Rangers the lead.

The Lions almost levelled the scores just five minutes later. Shaun Batt's header came back off the crossbar, after he rose highest from a cross out wide.


On 15 minutes, Bewick notched what turned out to be the final goal of the affair, driving home a delicious half-volley from 12-yards out after Joe Oastler's corner wasn't fully cleared.

Bewick almost added his second and an R's third, with his rasping drive going just wide of the post.

Play soon switched to the other end, and the Lions' first effort at goal saw Ali Fuseini chest down before firing an effort wide.

Just short of the break, passes were exchanged between Fuseini, Batt and Lewis Grabban, only for the latter to blast wide of the target.

The hosts were the stronger side in terms of chances in the second period. Andy Frampton was unlucky not to pull a goal back for Millwall, stooping to head just wide of the post.

Grabban was then involved to feed Ashley Grimes, but he too could only head away from the target after rising highest to nod towards goal.

Millwall created further chances, namely when Grimes sent an effort towards goal that seemed certain to find the net before Shane McWeeney dived excellently save, but the R's held out for the victory.

Reserves Manager Keith Ryan was full of praise for his charges after the 2-0 win, and told www.qpr.co.uk: "We were excellent, especially in the first half.

"We passed the ball well against a very experienced Millwall side.

"We talked before the game about the experience of the opposition, but we played a 4-3-3 formation and that suited us.

"With a new Manager coming into the Football Club, all players are now under the microscope and you could see that in our performance.

"There was a motivation there and the players seemed driven. We deserved the win." QPR


Millwall Official Site - Millwall reserves 0 QPR reserves 2
- Millwall put up a battling second half display against QPR at Dartford on Tuesday night, but once again had no luck in front of goal and paid the price for conceding twice before the break.
The visitors took an early lead when Max Ehmer sprayed the ball out to the right finding Moritz Voltz. He in turn provided a first-time low cross that Ehmer raced forward to sweep home with aplomb at the near post to put the Hoops 1-0 ahead with six minutes on the clock.
Millwall nearly hauled themselves level five minutes later when Shaun Batt hit the bar with a firm header from a central position.
Back came the visitors and by the quarter hour mark, they had forged 2-0 ahead courtesy of Sam Bewick's crisp half-volley from 12 yards after Millwall had failed to clear Joe Oastler's corner from the right.
Bewick then sent a first-time effort fizzing wide before Ali Fuseini chested down and hooked a shot narrowly off-target as Milwall registered their first real effort on goal after 20 minutes.
Lewis Grabban blazed wide with an angled drive midway through the half following good approach-work by Fuseini and Shaun Batt, but scoring opportunities proved few and far between for either side as the game approached half-time.
That continued to be the case after the break, although The Lions came close to reducing the arrears when Pat O'Connor's close-range effort was blocked and then Andy Frampton's diving header flashed a foot wide.
Chris Hegarty replaced Jack Smith, and within seconds Grabban's inviting cross from the left was headed over by Ashley Grimes.
Another Grabban delivery from a near identical position was headed straight into keeper Shane McWeeney's hands as The Lions tried to build up a head of steam.
Grabban then combined with Adam Bolder, whose slipped through ball to Grimes was blocked for a corner and Fuseini blasted over from 14 yards and then wide with a snap-shot from Bolder's pass - as The Lions continued to be frustrated again in their attempt to score.
Hoops keeper McWeeney came to the rescue with a stupendous last-gasp save to deny Grimes goal-bound effort, as The Lions simply could not find a way through.
- Millwall: Sullivan, Smith (Hegarty 65mins), Frampton, Bolder, O'Connor, Fitzsimons, Grabban, Laird, Batt, Grimes, Fuseini. Subs not used: Drummond, Marquis, Ludford, Janneh.
- QPR: McWeeney, Voltz, Borrowdale (Waters, 70mins), Oastler, Parmenter (Bailey, 34mins) Brown Balanta (Waters, 70mins), Ehmer, Rose, Parker Bewick. Subs not used: Davenport, Bulmer, Cox. - Att: 120 Millwall

The Crystal Palace Version Confirming Warnock, Jones & Curle Join QPR (and Bios)...Hart Takes Over Crystal Palace...Bhatia on QPR

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- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard

- Amit Bhatia Lengthy Interview

- Paul Hart Appointed Manager of Crystal Palace


Crystal Palace Official Site - Trio Join QPR
Posted on: Tue 02 Mar 2010
-It is with great disappointment that I have to confirm that Neil Warnock, Keith Curle and Mick Jones have today left Crystal Palace FC to join QPR. I can assure all members of the Red and Blue Army as well as all of the Club's stakeholders that I did everything I could to persuade Neil to stay.
- However, further to an approach from QPR, Neil expressed his desire to leave and explained his focus was no longer on securing the Club's status in the Championship. At this point, along with my legal advisors, DLA Piper, a compensation package was agreed with QPR.- Brendan Guilfoyle - Administrator. Crystal Palace


QPR Official Site - JONES & CURLE JOIN
- Queens Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to confirm that Mick Jones and Keith Curle have joined the club as part of Neil Warnock's backroom team.
- Following last night's announcement confirming Warnock as the Club's new First Team Manager, Jones has joined as Assistant Manager, while Curle has been confirmed as First Team Coach.
- Jones initially teamed up with Warnock in 1989, when he worked as his No.2 at Notts. County, before also joining him at Huddersfield, Plymouth, Sheffield United and Palace.
- Meanwhile, Curle played under the new QPR Manager for two years at Sheffield United from 2000, before joining his backroom team at Selhurst Park. QPR


- Profiles of QPR's two new Coaches, Mick Jones and Keith Curle (The Crystal Palace profiles and the QPR Official Site profiles are more than similar!)

Premature Jubiliation! Crystal Palace Say Warnock Not Yet Done Deal

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Crystal Palace Official Site - Statement From Administrator.
Posted on: Tue 02 Mar 2010
- The club is aware of the statement issued by Queens Park Rangers last night. The club believes that this is somewhat premature.
- Discussions are ongoing regarding the release of Neil Warnock and members of his management team but these remain subject to agreement of relevant documentation.
- A further announcement will be made in due course." Crystal Palace

Just to note previously posted:
South London Press
Palace administrator "disappointed" at Warnock's QPR switch
Tuesday, 02 March 2010
- CRYSTAL Palace administrator Brendan Guilfoyle has expressed his "great disappointment" that Neil Warnock has left the club.
- The 61-year-old manager ended his three-year spell in charge of the Eagles yesterday when he joined QPR.
- And Guilfoyle has released the following statement: "It is with great disappointment that I have to confirm that Neil Warnock, Keith Curle and Mick Jones have left Crystal Palace FC to join QPR.
- "I can assure all members of the red and blue army as well as all of the club's stakeholders that I did everything I could to persuade Neil to stay. However, further to an approach from QPR, Neil expressed his desire to leave and explained his focus was no longer on securing the club's status in the Championship.
- "At this point, along with my legal advisors, DLA Piper, a compensation package was agreed with QPR." South London Press

QPR's Amit Bhatia Offers His Views

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- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- For QPR news and perspectives also visit the growing QPR Report Messageboard


Evening Standard/Mihir Bose - The big interview: Amit Bhatia

Amit Bhatia is the sort of owner any football supporter would want. The Queens Park Rangers vice-chairman does not believe owners should load debt on to their clubs. He believes clubs should live within their means and he supports a salary cap for Championship clubs.

As for QPR, Bhatia and his father-in-law, Lakshmi Mittal, the third richest man in the world, feel: “We have never seen a sport as a business and we have this great passion for football. QPR are not a trophy asset. If we had wanted a trophy asset there were more glamorous clubs we could have bought.”

Yet it is not easy to get Bhatia to talk about QPR — a club who were finally given financial stability in 2007 only for affairs on the pitch to be destabilised by an incredible turnover of managers.

Neil Warnock is the latest man to test out the Loftus Road hot-seat but on the day I met Bhatia his sensitivities were all the greater for he was in the middle of negotiations with Flavio Briatore, whose future as chairman had been in doubt since his life ban from motorsport for his role in Formula One's Crashgate scandal.

Although a French court overturned that punishment, a few days after I met Bhatia, Briatore had resigned. The Italian and Bernie Eccelstone still have shares in the club but the Mittal family are now the major player, having increased their stake from the original 20 per cent.

The total Mittal investment, including lending money to run the club, is now believed to be £15million. Bhatia will not be more specific but says: “It is enormous.”

Describing spending on a football club these days as “enormous” requires much more than £15m, though.

Last year's FourFourTwo football rich list put Mittal at No1 with £18.4billion — a billion and a half more than Manchester City's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.

However, the £7m City spent on signing Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough last month brought transfer spending under Sheikh Mansour in 16 months to almost £250m, which really does justify the enormous tag

Bhatia has come a long way since the day in 2007 when, as he was leaving his Berkeley Square office he looked up on the giant television screen in the reception to see an announcement, which was to signal a new chapter in his life and that of Rangers.

We are sitting in the same office and, as he glances out at the reception, he says: “I saw on Sky News that Flavio and Bernie had bought QPR. I shot a text message to Flavio: Congratulations, I hope you have lots of success with the club.'”

A few days later Briatore and Bhatia met at his father-in-law's home in Kensington Place Gardens, the house which Bernie had sold to Mittal.

Briatore did not have to work hard to sell QPR to the Mittals.

“The idea of being involved in English football had existed for many years. We had been approached by many Premier League clubs. QPR were the only Championship side we looked at.”

QPR's London location was an advantage. Bhatia had memories of watching them as a teenager but, before committing the Mittal money, he did what he calls due diligence. “I went to a lot more games, sat in the stands, tried to speak to the people to understand the club,” he says. “It felt to me like it was a family club. That was more important than having a big glamour club.”

In the past the Mittals have turned down owning IPL franchises because they are not in India enough. “It takes me 10 minutes to get to QPR for every home game. I take my son, Armand aged one, my wife goes, so do my friends and the family.

“It is not just about owning a club, you must experience it. This is a family shareholding. It belongs to the family and I represent the family.”

Right from the beginning there was shared labour in the QPR boardroom. Bhatia, who runs the family's financial services company, told Flavio and Bernie, “My expertise is running businesses. This is where I can make a contribution.”

He had his work cut out. It meant appointing a new chief executive, a new finance officer and giving a much needed overhaul to the business side.

“When we took over there were outstanding debts which we paid off,” he says. “But we found leakages everywhere. Everybody should be accountable, everything should be invoiced.”

The efficiency was combined with a simple principle that QPR should not have external debt.

Although he will not talk about other clubs, Bhatia's message is clear. “The only debt QPR have we've given as shareholders. We could be loading the club with debt for tax reasons but that would be very dangerous. The club are on a sound financial footing.”

For football to get its finances in order Bhatia believes a salary cap must come. Many prominent people in the game support the idea and he says: “Having a salary cap in the Championship will make for fewer clubs going under and for potentially even more competitive football.”

Portsmouth last week became the first Premier League club to go into administration with excessive wages being blamed in part for the club's demise. Bhatia, though, does not think salary restriction would work in the top flight.

He said: “Premier League football is like gold dust. It adds to some of the sensationalism and excitement to have a Manchester City or a Chelsea with people who are able to spend so much money and do these exciting things. That has its own commercial benefit for football.”

Seeingv QPR in the Premier League is a goal for Bhatia. “I have a burning desire for the club to play at the highest level,” he says. But he will not set a target date, adding: “Let us make the club financially secure, get everything in place, have a firm foundation and then become a Premier League club.”

But with QPR just three points above the relegation zone, if the club are to leave the Championship this season it will be into League One not the Premier League.

Under Briatore Rangers finished 14th and 11th in the Championship and the dug-out was never a place anyone could feel settled: 10 managers, including caretakers, trooped in and out during his reign, with 47 new players coming in as well. Bhatia refuses to talk much about it except sighing and saying, “Yes there have been a lot of managerial changes.”

With Briatore now gone Bhatia will be more involved on the playing side with his first major decision being the appointment of Warnock.

Bhatia is a long-term admirer of the former Crystal Palace manager and with his man now in place he wants some stability at Loftus Road.

Bhatia is a very unusual owner in the English game. His heart is in Indian sport and he recalls with sorrow how he and his father-in-law felt at the

Athens Olympics.”We watched a variety of disciplines but there were very few Indians to support. We were very disappointed.”

On their return to London, prompted by a suggestion by Mahesh Bhupati, the Indian tennis player and an old friend, Bhatia set up the Mittal Champions Trust. The idea, says Bhatia, was to help “sports nobody cares about in India — Olympic sports”.

The initial aim is for more medals at London 2012. Bhatia is realistic enough to know India cannot aim to own the podium. Perhaps if the odd Indian got on the podium that would be something.

It was only in Beijing, thanks to the Mittal Trust, that India won its first Olympic individual gold in shooting. The trust has also hosted a football tournament for kids in Mumbai.

And this summer Loftus Road, says Bhatia, will be the venue of football's equivalent of Slumdog Millionaire. “We will have two kids coming to QPR to play with our youth side. It is a wonderful story of a child from the slums of India coming to England.”

So does he not fail the Norman Tebbitt cricket test?

For the first time in our conversation the 31-year-old becomes a bit tetchy, “What do you mean?”

“I mean you support India not Britain.”

“I have a British passport but the rest of my family have Indian passports and I am Indian.”

Bhatia is a Punjabi Hindu, whose family hail from Lahore. He was born in England but went back to India to study at Delhi's St Columbas School before cricket brought him back to England for his A levels.

“I made the junior Indian team that was touring at that time and was offered scholarships by a couple of schools to play cricket. I came to Dulwich and played for a year here.”

In the end it was work not play that claimed him and he graduated from America's Cornell University.

His time in England also meant a friendship with Vanisha, Mittal's daughter and, although the Mittals are from a different Indian community, this was not a barrier. The wedding in a French chateau saw father Lakshmi spend an estimated £35m.

Many QPR fans would love Bhatia to commit a fraction of that on the team in the summer but he says: “I don't feel any pressure to spend money on the club. I do feel a responsibility to take good decisions.”

The history of QPR is littered with owners who took the wrong turning. Fans will be hoping that Bhatia's cautious approach puts them on the road to sustainable success.

Evening Standard

Meanwhile Joining Warnock at QPR: Coaches Keith Curle & Mick Jones

-
Crystal Palace Official Site - Statement From Administrator.
Posted on: Tue 02 Mar 2010
- The club is aware of the statement issued by Queens Park Rangers last night. The club believes that this is somewhat premature.
- Discussions are ongoing regarding the release of Neil Warnock and members of his management team but these remain subject to agreement of relevant documentation.
- A further announcement will be made in due course." Crystal Palace


South London Press
Palace administrator "disappointed" at Warnock's QPR switch
Tuesday, 02 March 2010
- CRYSTAL Palace administrator Brendan Guilfoyle has expressed his "great disappointment" that Neil Warnock has left the club.
- The 61-year-old manager ended his three-year spell in charge of the Eagles yesterday when he joined QPR.
- And Guilfoyle has released the following statement: "It is with great disappointment that I have to confirm that Neil Warnock, Keith Curle and Mick Jones have left Crystal Palace FC to join QPR.
- "I can assure all members of the red and blue army as well as all of the club's stakeholders that I did everything I could to persuade Neil to stay. However, further to an approach from QPR, Neil expressed his desire to leave and explained his focus was no longer on securing the club's status in the Championship.
- "At this point, along with my legal advisors, DLA Piper, a compensation package was agreed with QPR." South London Press

Warnock Speaks...Trenchant Analysis of the Warnock Appointment....QPR's Mike Keen Remembered: 1967 Players Returning...Watson on Warnock

-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- The growing QPR Report Messageboard: For comprehensive and latest QPR news-related pieces and discussion, visit the football-only, somewhat-different QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR Perspectives genuinely welcomed! Or comment on any of the articles posted below

- The Twenty Richest Clubs in Europe in 2008-2009

- The Vast Spending of West Ham

- Alan McDonald Exits Glentoran


- The Warnock to QPR Official Announcement

Independent - Neil Warnock: Leaving Palace for QPR was really tough
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
- You will know by now I am making the short trip (only about two hours by car) across London from Crystal Palace to QPR.
- Leaving a club in administration for one with huge potential must look an easy decision but it has been one of the most difficult of my career, and there's been a few. The reason I am sad, as well as excited, is that of all the clubs I have been at the fans at Crystal Palace have been the best.
- It's easy to say, but I'm not just saying it because I'm leaving. The support they have given me and the players during a very difficult few months, and beforehand, has been fantastic and it is something I will never forget. As everyone knows, I'm a northerner, and we all think that's the only hotbed of football, but after managing Palace I know better.
- It is hardly a secret that QPR have been after me for a while. It's nice to be wanted and they made it clear I was their only choice which is a fantastic vote of confidence. They would not take "no" for an answer. But although I had been advised I could have just walked out on Palace I did not want to sell them short and the reason this has gone on so long is that I wanted both clubs to be in agreement before I moved.
- I owe a lot to Palace. They have rekindled my enthusiasm for management. If it was not for Simon Jordan there is no way I would have come to London (and realised it's not such a bad place after all) and regained my desire to get back in to the Premier League.
- QPR is a great challenge, the type I revel in. It has been a poisoned chalice for many managers recently but with new people taking over I feel I can give them the stability I know the fans and players have been craving. It is a club with a great tradition and a ground I’ve always enjoyed going to. All I can promise is all I ever promise: I’ll do my best. Independent


Dave McIntyre/BBC606 - Warnock is Perfect for QPR
- The appointment of a manager should be - and usually is - a reflection of a board’s aims and objectives.
- And in Neil Warnock, QPR’s owners have installed someone whose targets match theirs perfectly.
- It’s a quick fix. And at any other club, it would be considered a short-term move.
- Not so at QPR, where only one manager has lasted a year since Ian Holloway left in 2006, and none have lasted longer than seven months since the Flavio Briatore-led takeover.
- Warnock should easily buck that trend, but to all intents and purposes his is a short-term appointment by a board hell-bent on short-term success.
- Amit Bhatia has taken the baton from Briatore when it comes to talking about long-term planning and building sensibly.
- Bhatia is very different in terms of style, and may turn out to be different in terms of substance too.
- But after the recent ’takeover’ or moving of chairs on deck, depending on how you see it, it seems there will still be a big difference between the owners’ words and actions.
- It also seems that the general ethos of the club will remain unchanged.
- The ‘new’ regime’s first managerial appointment - its first real statement of intent - suggests they are still focused on little more than trying to get into the Premier League as quickly as possible.
- Forget the immediate task of keeping QPR up. Warnock’s arrival is all about trying to win promotion from the Championship next season.
- The threat of relegation is real. But the perception that Briatore has departed will have increased the managerial options open to the board, so finding someone else to keep Rangers up would not have been difficult.
- Warnock, who is 61 and admits he is approaching retirement, wants another crack at the Premier League. He is, like QPR’s owners, driven by short-term ambition. It’s a perfect match.
- In the week when Rangers - for the third time in three years and second time since Briatore’s takeover - lost a promising youngster before he even made a first-team appearance, the hiring of Warnock speaks volumes.
- Raheem Sterling's move to Liverpool is yet another consequence of QPR not having Academy status.
- Restoring it, which would be an expensive and meaningful sign of the owners’ long-term commitment, may well be on their radar.
- But no board looks to Neil Warnock at this stage of his career if long-term improvements to the club’s infrastructure are in any way a priority.
- After brief spells in the top flight with Notts County and Sheffield United, he wants to get back there before he retires. It’s that simple.
- He was quietly confident of doing so with Crystal Palace before they went into administration and were deducted 10 points.
- At Palace, his reputation has been further enhanced.
- But there he benefited from a good youth system; something he won’t have at QPR.
- Instead he will be able to spend on players, and he certainly signed plenty of them in order to get Sheffield United promoted.
- It’s a great job for Warnock; a cash-rich club chasing immediate success, that can’t stop signing players and is now likely to give a manager total control having been criticised for not doing so previously.
- A manager in Warnock’s position may not want his transfer budget affected by things like spending on a youth set-up he is unlikely to be at the club long enough to benefit from.
- After all, Gerry Francis felt the academy system was uneconomical when he was in charge and championed the switch to a centre of excellence.
- And an improved scouting system that builds a squad for the future by picking up potential gems is of little use to Warnock’s specific short-term ambition.
- If longer-term foundations were the name of the game, the likes of Gary Johnson and George Burley would have at least been considered.
- These are managers who, as well as producing attractive, promotion-winning teams, have shown at more than one club that they can actually build something.
- With the players and money at his disposal, Warnock is easily capable of getting QPR to at least the play-offs next season if he is allowed to do his job, although I believe the same is true of many managers - including most of those Rangers have had since 2007.
- But for what the Rangers board want, Warnock is a very good choice.
- He is underrated, has got better with age, and deserves another go at the Premier League, where lesser managers than him have carved out a reputation.
- He knows the game inside out and despite his no-nonsense approach, there is no reason to think he won’t also get the best out of Rangers' most talented players.
- Despite his reputation, Warnock has tended to accommodate matchwinners. He did so at Palace and at previous clubs he nurtured the likes of Michael Tonge and Tommy Johnson.
- Warnock will also galvanise players and fans alike, which is desperately needed at such a fractured and troubled club.
- With his ‘them and us’ mentality, he could restore unity and pride at QPR in the way Holloway did so successfully.
- But his ability to do that will largely depend on season ticket and admission prices for next season.
- That will be the second major test of the board and another important statement of its intent. BBC606

- Flashback: April 2009: QPR Contemplated Warnock as Manager

- Past QPR Managers Arrival and Departure Statements

- Ben Watson Highly Praises Neil Warnock


QPR Official Site - MIKE KEEN REMEMBERED
- The R's will be paying tribute to our legendary League Cup winning captain Mike Keen this weekend when we host West Bromwich Albion at Loftus Road.
- Keen sadly passed away on 12th April last year, aged 69, but the Club are eager to remember what an important role he played in our history.
- Having started his career with the R's, Keen spent ten years at Loftus Road, famously lifting the League Cup aloft after an incredible 3-2 win over the Baggies at Wembley Stadium.
- His inspirational leadership was pivotal as the R's came back from 2-0 down to triumph.
- On Saturday, as we welcome West Brom to W12, we will be holding a minute's applause prior to kick off in memory of Keen.
- At half-time, a number of the victorious Cup-winning side from '67 will be introduced to the crowd, while we are also paying homage to Keen in a commemorative matchday programme.
- To book your tickets for the Championship clash, contact the Box Office on 08444 777 007. QPR



- See also: Memories of Mike Keen


WBA Official Site - Watson wary of Warnock factor
- BEN Watson says his former boss Neil Warnock will have new charges QPR fired up for Albion's visit to Loftus Road on Saturday (ko 3pm) - but insists the Baggies must focus on their own job.
- Warnock was appointed Hoops manager last night and Watson knows all about the manager he believes he played his best football under when the duo were together at Crystal Palace.

The on-loan Wigan midfielder will also be back in familiar surroundings as he returns to the club where he spent four months on loan before the turn of the year.

"I played for Neil Warnock for over 18 months," he said.
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"Until you've played under him then you don't realise what he's like but I had 18 fantastic months under him and played my best football under him.

"It's not ideal timing him being appointed QPR boss because he will get the lads up for it.

"But it's not about Neil Warnock or QPR, it's about West Bromwich Albion."

Watson admitted his spell with Rangers was a rollercoaster ride as he watched three managers come and go in four months.

And he reckons without all the disruptions the West London club would have been pushing at the top end of the table instead of languishing just three points above the relegation zone in 20th place.

"They've got some quality players, which they've proven this season," he added.

"When I was there we looked like contenders at one stage.

"Things behind closed doors go on and it does affect players.

"They need stability.

"I had Jim Magilton, duo Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham, and Paul Hart - three managers in just a few months.

"As a player you don't know from one day to the next who the manager is going to be.

"As much as they say it doesn't affect players, it does affect players.

"It's probably a big reason why they're not up at the top of the table.

"I went there from Wigan and the plan was to go back to Wigan in January.

"I would have stayed there but Wigan recalled me and I believe they were one of the teams who were in for me this year."

Watson got off to a winning start on his Albion debut as he helped Roberto Di Matteo's side come from behind to seal a 3-1 victory on Saturday and move back up to second in the table.

And he enjoyed the added bonus of getting 81 minutes under his belt after only chalking up just over half-an-hour on the pitch in the past two months at the DW Stadium.

"I was very tired," he said.

"It had been a while since I'd played properly, about eight weeks, so it was nice to be back out there on the pitch.

"My legs felt heavy towards the end but that's to be expected.

"I enjoyed the game and we deserved to win.

"They had a little spell where they were on top but once we got a goal there was only going to be one winner.

"I've played everywhere in midfield and I probably prefer to get forward and get in the box to try and score goals - but the gaffer asked me to do a job and you can't argue with the boss." WBA

OFFICIAL: Warnock Appointed QPR Manager

-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- The growing QPR Report Messageboard: For comprehensive and latest QPR news-related pieces and discussion, visit the football-only, somewhat-different QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR Perspectives genuinely welcomed! Or comment on any of the articles posted below


QPR Official Site - EXCLUSIVE: WARNOCK CONFIRMED
- Queens Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Warnock as First Team Manager with immediate effect.- Warnock has today signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at Loftus Road after a compensation agreement was reached with his former club, Crystal Palace FC.
- Warnock, who guided Sheffield United to the Premier League in 2006, said: "I am delighted to be joining a club with the history that QPR has.
- "As a manager, Loftus Road is always a place I loved because of the fantastic atmosphere there.
- "Looking from afar I believe this is the perfect time for me to come in, with the new structure and chairman in place.
- "Together we can give the club the stability that it needs.
- "I am really looking forward to the challenge that's in front of me."
- QPR Chairman Ishan Saksena said: "Neil was always our number one target and so we are delighted to announce him as our manager.
- "He has great experience in English football and a phenomenal track record. I believe he is the right man to help QPR achieve its ambitions.
- "Neil will be given the full support of the Board, and I know our fans will give him their full backing as well."
- Caretaker manager Mick Harford and his assistant Tony Coton have stepped down from their respective roles.
- Harford said: "I was more than happy to help the club out when they asked me, and I did the best I could during my time in caretaker charge.
- "The club needs an experienced manager in order to move forward, and I wish Neil every success.
- "He has joined a fantastic football club with brilliant supporters, and I sincerely hope he does well.
- "The club is in good hands now with the new structure, Ishan Saksena and Gianni Paladini, and I believe QPR has a very bright future." QPR


Crystal Palace official Site - Warnock Departs
- Crystal Palace Football Club announce that manager Neil Warnock has left the club with immediate effect.
- The 61 year old joined Palace in October 2007 and immediately took the club to the play offs, just failing to gain a final place at Wembley after a defeat over two legs against Bristol City.
- He managed the club in 129 games, winning 47 of those during his tenure in SE25
- Further information from the administrator, Brendan Guilfoyle will follow on www.cpfc.co.uk. Crystal Palace

- Flashback: April 2009: QPR Contemplated Warnock as Manager

- Past QPR Managers Arrival and Departure Statements


- Update: Former QPR Chairman Bill Power (BP) is back home from the hospital after his heart surgery

re Raheem Sterling:

- Supposed Contract for Raheem Sterling

- Supposed Cost of Raheem Sterling (and what other clubs offered)

- The QPR and Liverpool Announcements re Raheem Sterling Transfer

- Ben Watson Highly Praises Neil Warnock

- QPR 2 Middlesbrough 0 - Compilation of Match Reports and Managerial Comments

Stat from The Sunday Times "QPR have now gone 21 games without keeping a clean sheet, the longest record in all four top divisions" Sunday Times [QPR's scoreless game: Over four months ago, as the team beat Preston 4-0. QPR's results this season.

- Two Year Flashback: Briatore Behind The Scenes at Loftus Road and Briatore Interview re QPR

- On This Day in Football: March 1

- The Bhatia/QPR Three Part Interview

- Flashbacks: Amit Bhatia talking two years ago...The Briatore/Ecclestone Takeover completed two and half-years ago

- This Coming Week? The Latest Report on Football Agents Fees

- Video Snippet from 1948: QPR Players Training
-

QPR Report Monday Snippets...Raheem Sterling's Supposed Liverpool Contract...Warnock's Coyness...BP's Recovery

-
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- The growing QPR Report Messageboard: For comprehensive and latest QPR news-related pieces and discussion, visit the football-only, somewhat-different QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR Perspectives genuinely welcomed! Or comment on any of the articles posted below

- Update: Former QPR Chairman Bill Power (BP) is back home from the hospital after his heart surgery

- Video of a potential future QPR Star (in about 2030)

Mirror/Alan Nixon - Liverpool land wonderkid with stunning £300,000 contract offer
- Liverpool are giving 15-year-old sensation Raheem Sterling a stunning contract worth £300,000 to join them from QPR.
- The Kop outfit have pushed out the boat for the England youth star who is already rated the 'next big thing' after his appearances for club and country.
- Attacking midfielder Sterling chose to go to Anfield for football reasons, but his financial package is a stunner for a player of his age.
- As a schoolboy Sterling will only be able to earn the basic low wage, but part of the Kop contract includes a three-year 'pro' contract when he turns 17.
- And Sterling's 'camp' will be given a giant signing on fee, worth around £200,000 and spread over the length of his deal at Liverpool until 2014. He is going into their academy in a major coup.
- Liverpool are paying QPR a guaranteed £500,000 with further installments based on the time Sterling spends with them - and his eventual breakthrough to the first team.
- The deal is potentially the biggest for a player of his age and was decided without going to a tribunal. Sterling told Rangers he wanted to leave and would not sign any long contract with them.
- Sterling's decision left both Manchester cubs, Arsenal and Fulham upset. All of them had tried to do a deal but found it hard to agree fees and terms with all of the parties involved.
- City are fuming at the result. Their offer of £1 million was higher than any rival bidder but the youngster fancied Liverpool instead." Mirror

Also re Raheem Sterling:

- Supposed Cost of Raheem Sterling (and what other clubs offered)

- The QPR and Liverpool Announcements re Raheem Sterling Transfer


NEIL WARNOCK
- Neil Warnock Quoted in The Times: "...Queens Park Rangers will be only part way to securing Neil Warnock as their new manager if they agree a compensation deal with Crystal Palace. “Nothing is cut and dried,” the Palace manager said. “If and when they reach [an] agreement, it doesn’t mean that anything automatically follows. I would still have a decision to make.” Times

- Ben Watson Highly Praises Neil Warnock

- QPR 2 Middlesbrough 0 - Compilation of Match Reports and Managerial Comments

Stat from The Sunday Times "QPR have now gone 21 games without keeping a clean sheet, the longest record in all four top divisions" Sunday Times [QPR's scoreless game: Over four months ago, as the team beat Preston 4-0. QPR's results this season.

- Two Year Flashback: Briatore Behind The Scenes at Loftus Road and Briatore Interview re QPR

- On This Day in Football: March 1

- The Bhatia/QPR Three Part Interview

- Flashbacks: Amit Bhatia talking two years ago...The Briatore/Ecclestone Takeover completed two and half-years ago

- The State of Football Finances: Analyses and Debts of Each Premier Club

- This Coming Week? The Latest Report on Football Agents Fees

- Video Snippet from 1948: QPR Players Training
-