Steve Lomas & Richard Langley on the Waddock Era (Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times)

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From castoff to captain in no time
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times 08 November 2006

ONE minute your name's on the transfer list, the next it's pencilled on the team sheet with the word 'captain' alongside it in brackets.
It's certainly an unusual scenario for any player - but there are two midfield men at QPR who have experienced exactly that sudden upturn in fortune this season.
Marc Bircham was handed the skipper's armband when John Gregory took over as manager and, with Bircham ruled out by a hamstring injury, the responsibility passed to Steve Lomas.
That represented a remarkable turnaround for the former Northern Ireland international who, like Bircham, was made available for transfer in April by Gary Waddock, then Rangers' caretaker manager.
"John Gregory's come in and made me feel wanted, now I'm starting to get fitter and I'm enjoying it for a change," said Lomas, "Also, we're getting a few results, which always helps.
"I wasn't enjoying it under Gary Waddock. For whatever reason, he thought the players he'd brought in were better - and it seems obvious that they weren't.
"The strange thing was I was put on the transfer list, then totally bombed out for the summer and two days before the start of the season he asked me to play and I was involved for the first six or seven games.
"Then I was basically bombed out again and I felt somewhat mistreated. I'm wise enough to understand it was one man's opinion, but at the end of the day he got sacked and that says it all."
Lomas is no stranger to that situation, having been frozen out by Alan Pardew at West Ham for several months leading up to his switch across London in August 2005.
Before then, the 32-year-old had led both his club and country on several occasions and his natural leadership and organisational skills on the pitch made him an obvious choice to wear the armband at Loftus Road.
A skipper who leads by example, Lomas even chipped in with a rare goal - his first since scoring for the Hammers at Plymouth two years ago - in Saturday's win over Crystal Palace.
He added: "Being captain shows how things can turn around, but I'm not changing anything, it's about going out and playing the best you can.
"I believe I've been totally professional since I've been at QPR, I trained right and didn't mess about. If you keep your head down, you can get a little bit of luck.
"Coming in and out of the team is no good at my age - you've got to be playing regularly - but I've had six games in a row now. Hopefully I can play 30-plus games this season and I'd be delighted with that."
Ironically, though, Lomas is certain to be out of the side again when the Rs travel to Luton this weekend, having collected his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Palace.
Bircham is the likely candidate to replace him, both in central midfield and as captain - and which way the wheel will turn for the rest of the season is anyone's guess...
Ben Kosky

Langley relishing Rangers reunion
Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times 08 November 2006
FORMER QPR star Richard Langley predicts his old team will face an uphill task when they chase three points at Luton this weekend.
Langley, who left Loftus Road for the second time last summer, has been part of a Hatters side that are mounting a solid challenge for the play-offs and, until last week, were unbeaten at home.
The ex-Rangers midfielder said: "When I played for QPR, we always struggled at Kenilworth Road because Luton were such a resilient, well-organised team and that was one of the things that attracted me here.
"This is a hard place for people to come and play their football and we've tried to exploit that to the maximum. We've taken a lot of teams by surprise this season and I think it'll be difficult for QPR on Saturday.
"With that said, they've got some talented players, especially Lee Cook, and it'll be an interesting match, because I've still got a lot of mates at QPR.
"Marc Bircham is the ultimate wind-up merchant, but I won't let it have any effect. There's also Stew Peas [Damion Stewart], who I know from the Jamaica squad, so I'm looking forward to facing both of them."
Having come through the ranks at QPR and made nearly 150 appearances for the first team, Langley was sold to Cardiff in 2003, but returned to the Rs two years later.
His second spell with Rangers was short-lived, though, as caretaker boss Gary Waddock showed him the door when his nine-month contract ran out in May.
"Things hadn't been going well at the end of last season," recalled the 26-year-old. "There were a lot of strange decisions being made, with certain players being put on the transfer list - and I wasn't enjoying it there.
"But I've always got a lot of time for the Rangers fans and I'm sure there will be some kind-hearted banter on Saturday."...
Ben Kosky