QPR's Year in Review: Part I - December (2005)

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A look Back at QPR's (13-month!)Year

Between now and the end of the year, a month-by-month look back at QPR's Year: Especially with regards to off-the-field developments.

DECEMBER 2005

ON THE FIELD During December
The month began with QPR's 2-1 win at Stoke STOKE REPORT(where Royce was attacked by a fan & QPR players responded). There followed a 2-2 draw at Ipswich IPSWICH REPORT..Then came 0-1 defeats at home to Coventry COVENTRY REPORT and a Boxing Day defeat at Brighton BRIGHTON REPORT. The month and year ended with a 1-0 win home win against a Cardiff CARDIFF REPORT and a New Years' even 3-4 loss at Crewe CREWE REPORT

OFF THE FIELD:
Chairman Paladini spoke QPR "now sailing in safe waters" and proclaimed his love of and support for Ian Holloway. Paladini gave a couple of Q&As with fan sites. The media "reported" on Jim Smith coming to QPR. Holloway spoke about not knowing what's going on. There was even that true rarity: An article about QPR in the New York Times/International Herald Tribune - Dec 21, 2005 "Fans Bewildered as Agents Run Club By ROB HUGHES International Herald Tribune -
New York Times

CHAIRMAN SPEAKS- QPR Official Site December 6, 2005

Gianni Paladini has spoken about comments made by Harold Winton about Ian Holloway in the press last week.
The honorary Life President made his feelings towards the Rangers manager known in a national newspaper last week, but Paladini has staunchly defended Holloway.
He said: "Harold is QPR through and through and he is entitled to his opinion but he shouldn't have gone to the press. Harold is not part of the board, he is not involved in the running of the club."
The QPR Chairman is only too pleased with the manager who has taken Rangers to within four points of the play-off places.
"Ian Holloway has got two and a half years left on his contract and we are talking about extending it.
"He is the most fantastic human being I have met in my life. He has had a very difficult time with everything going behind the scenes.
"I was at the training ground with Ian the other day sorting out our new scouting system. We are looking to get the best young players from the UK, France, Spain and all over the world."
Paladini was also pleased to confirm a new member to the board.
"We are delighted to announce that Franco Zanotti has now joined the board and he is representing Wanlock. He joins myself, Antonio Caliendo, Carlos Dunga and Olga Paladini."
The Rangers chairman this afternoon also spoke about season ticket prices for next season.
"We are looking at the financial viability of various season tickets prices for next season. We will pay particular attention to junior and student prices. I have members of staff working on this now and we will present proposals to the board in January."
YOU CAN SEE PALADINI'S WHOLE INTERVIEW ON QPR WORLD
QPR World


CHAIRMAN PALADINI'S Q&A December 2005 -QPR OFFICIAL SITE

What made you want to invest in Queens Park Rangers, even though we are best team in London and the Championship?
I was initially interested in Port Vale but that fell through. I first heard about QPR through my accountant and I went to the game against Wycombe where it was very windy and we came back from 2-0 down. I met Bill Power at the game and I got hooked. The club then asked me to help out and I did.

How much money will Holloway have in the transfer window and will we buy Lloyd Dyer?
If we are in a promising position in January then we will try and give Ian Holloway as much help as we can. We are looking at sorting out a new scouting set up, so hopefully we can bring some more players in January. Ian really likes Lloyd Dyer and we are talking to his people.

Do you think that Ian Holloway has taken the club as far as he can, and do we need a manager that will be able to take us to the next level?
I think Ian is the man to take us forward, that's why we gave him a three year contract. Ian is a very good manager and I think he is the man to take us forward.
Our relationship is very good, we speak everyday. I have commented on our relationship very often. I love Ian.

How much truth was there in the rumour of Ramon Diaz coming to Rangers?
When I first joined I didn't know Ian Holloway. My friend Ramon Diaz came to watch our matches but he couldn't work for us anyway due to work permits. But once I got to know Ian then I knew he was the man for the job.

Where do you see QPR in three years time?
First of all we need to clear our debts; we only took over from the October 1 and we found out we owed more than we originally thought. You need solid foundations, I'd love us to go up this year or next year, but we have to be realistic and budget accordingly.
When we first took over there was a big outstanding tax bill and Caliendo and I had to go down to Brighton to stop us going into Liquidation. We had to give our personal guarantee that the bill would be paid.
When we found out you can imagine our panic. The first thing you have to do as a company is pay the tax man as they can wind you up.

Regarding the loan - it appears to me very easy and without access to the financial side at QPR, I guess I can only make assumptions. Are there negotiations taking place with solicitors, lenders and ABC in order to either re-negotiate with ABC or a high street lender?
We are arranging a new loan with the Lloyds TSB. The directors will give their personal guarantee on the loan. We hope to get an interest rate between 5.75% to 6%. Depending on the final interest rate we will save between £400-425k per year.

Can you please explain how the club are aiming to (re)attract fans after Christmas or next season? In view of our average gates going down by a couple of thousand, how are you going to get fans back and especially the younger ones?
It was a mistake to raise the children's season tickets prices so high. We are currently preparing our prices for next season and I am speaking to fans' groups. The main areas we will look at are children's prices. But I want to stress that these are only discussions we are having and it is still at an early stage.

What is the truth behind the stories that you signed players over the head of Holloway?
My background is an agent and I know many players. We couldn't afford many players in England so we looked abroad. I brought over Milanese, Nygaard and Ukah. Ian Holloway was able to look at them before they were signed.

An awful lot of people seem to have left the Rangers behind the scenes staff. Are you sure that the club can function with so few behind the scenes?
We have reduced the staff wage bill. You need to balance your income with your overheads.
QPR is a great club but it is not a massive one. We only have 20 odd big events a year - our home games. During the week we have a small number of staff working very hard. Much of what we do now is online anyway, such as ticket sales.

You are on record as saying that QPR are looking to build a new stadium on the pitches in South Africa Road. How can QPR afford this?
A new 30,000 seater stadium would probably cost over £40m and the combination of what you might get for the existing site and the debt you could (safely) raise against the extra seat income doesn't look to me to be anything like enough to pay for it.
Every day I get people offering me things. Six months ago we were approached by a company that built Leyton Orient's ground. They wanted to build us a new ground next to Loftus Road. I told them to investigate it as it was not costing the club any money just to have a look.
If you own a Jaguar and someone offers you a Rolls-Royce for free you'd be silly not to look. The deal would mean a 30,000 all-seater stadium, our £10 million loan would be paid off and we'd also have £5 million in cash. I think you would agree we'd be silly not to look at it. But I don't want fans to get too excited, this is just one of many offers I get everyday.
I was also approached by Brian Rowe who heads up a group of people. He thinks a new ground can be built in Shepherds Bush, so I told him to have a look. Once again it isn't costing the club any money just to investigate.
If something ever does materialise then we wouldn't leave Loftus Road until the new stadium was built. I'd also like to investigate the possibility of upgrading the current stadium but until we have paid off our debt we just cannot afford to do it.

Are there firm plans to invest more money in QPR so that we can be more of a challenge in this Division?
Firstly none of the investors are a new Roman Abramovich. We need to raise more revenue by improving on current deals, for example we want to increase the amount we get from sponsorship. We are bringing the loss down every year and within a few years we hope to break even. Then we can really move forward.

At the beginning of this season, season ticket prices went up massively despite the fact that match ticket prices stayed the same. For my full season ticket in the Lower Loft I pay £19.22 per game. Now, in the run up to Christmas you are offering half season tickets at a cost of £18.00 per game for the same area of the ground.
It appears to me that loyal full season ticket holder supporters are getting 'stung' in every way possible.
Can you explain why Season ticket holders are getting treated like this, because I am sure I am not the only person getting disillusioned with the club we love?
I hold my hands up to that. I am very sorry about that as it is not a good message to send out to our fans. But we are trying to rectify a mistake.

There are many Premiership London clubs with good players who can not make it into the first team. Why do they go to on loan to teams out of London when we should be getting them like we used to in the older days from teams like Chelsea and Arsenal.
We do try. But they have to be good enough to get into our first team. There's no point spending money on someone who is going to sit on the bench. We have already taken Matthew Hislop, Dominic Shimmin and Shabazz Baidoo from Arsenal.

What are your expectations on the pitch this season?
At the start of the season I thought we were good enough for the play-offs. But we have had a terrible time with injuries. I don't think I have ever seen so many hamstring injuries! I do not think this is the fault of our medical staff, it's just bad luck. If we can have a bit of luck with injuries I hope we may be able to push for a play-off spot.

I am surprised and shocked to see it mentioned that QPR are considering Barbados/ Trinidad & Tobago for a pre season tour. Not that I have anything against that part of the world, but I believe a trip nearer home (ie Ireland) would be more beneficial to the club and rewarding to the faithful supporters.

There is a possibility of an end of season tour to Trinidad and Tobago. But I hope it doesn't go ahead because it is at the same time as the play-offs. This is still a long way from being confirmed though.
For pre-season we are looking to take the team to Italy as I have many contacts there. Once again though, this is in a very early stage.

Is it true we are behind with our payments?
We are paying people. In October we paid out £1.2 million. When we took over we found that many of our suppliers hadn't been paid since May. There is a backlog but we are putting a new structure in place. Instead of writing cheques out every day of the week, we will pay our suppliers on the 30th of every month. Therefore they know when they will get paid and we can also budget better.

Will Dan Shittu be sold in January?
We chased after his signature all summer and he signed a three year deal. I certainly don't want to sell Dan Shittu.

I'm still smarting over the fact that I paid out a lot of money (according to my budget) so I could bring my two daughters to the Coventry game, which I now cannot due to it being moved to the Monday for Sky.
Decisions like this, as well as the fact it meant we go the whole of December without a Saturday home game are exceptionally disappointing, and I'm sure aren't taken lightly, but do the club really hope to gain anything by receiving only £60,000 from Sky, against further disenfranchising loyal supporters?
It is good to get on TV, you get £60,000 plus you get exposure for your sponsors. In our current situation it is very hard to say no to that. We could say no but that is a lot of extra fans we need to get in to make up that money plus we'd have to pay for extra policing for the extra fans.
But I do also understand that our fans are the most important thing to this club. I understand your concern and we will look at this carefully in the future.

People have been talking in the press on your behalf? Why can't you do it yourself?
I don't ask anyone to talk on my behalf. I don't use e-mail so I always talk with people on the phone. I have many people talk to me and ask my opinions. Perhaps that's why sometimes people post things and think it is me talking.
QPR

HAPPY NEW YEAR GREETINGS - December 29, 2005 QPR OFFICIAL SITE
Rangers Chairman Gianni Paladini and the Board of Directors would like to wish all QPR fans a Happy New Year.
After an eventful 2005, Paladini has issued the following statement to supporters of Queens Park Rangers:
"As you all know, as a club we went through difficult times and the new board had to bear quite a challenge and responsibility.
"Thanks to some huge efforts in renewing its organization and bringing in some new investments, QPR are now sailing in safe waters.
"We are optimistic when looking ahead for the New Year and for the whole of 2006, especially as we know we can always count on your continuous support.
"Our hope and aim is that QPR will never again have to struggle against organizational confusion and financial distress that have badly hit the good name of our glorious club.
"A special mention must go to Ian Holloway, who has shown his passion and devotion to the club and as someone who gives us positive hopes for promotion.
"We are proud of our players and we are confident that we can continue to strengthen our team with some new arrivals at the beginning of the next year.
"A special thanks must also go to all our colleagues and staff and of course to all our fans who, from generation to generation, continue to support the club.
"We wish to embrace them all, one by one, with our motto "We are QPR!"
"We wish you all the best for a wonderful 2006."
QPR

At the end of December, QPRNet's Ron Norris interviewed Paladini - Interview can be read at QPRNET

QPR NET
QPRnet.com: How close are we to going into administration?
GP: We are not and it is impossible for us to allow that to happen because administration leads to liquidation and if we decide to do that then the moment it happens we destroy ourselves. As directors, myself, Caliendo, Dunga and Zanotti will be finished, we’ll be disqualified. Zanotti’s company is massive, Dunga is a prestigious name around the world, Antonio has his successful business in Monte Carlo, I haven’t been a bad businessman myself either and we’re not going to lose all that. So as long as we’re involved in QPR there is no way we will go into liquidation or administration, simple as that.
We try to the do the best we can for the club, I don’t want to talk about the past anymore, the past has gone and the future is here now, so from now on I’m only looking forward.

QPRnet.com: So the clubs finances are stable right now then?
GP: Very much stable, in the month we took over we paid the taxman £1,000,000 in VAT and we paid that ourselves. Now we have got some more payments to make which have been spread over two years but as long as we pay our ongoing tax bills and the extra £25,000 a month that we have agreed to repay the last £500,000 owed then there is no problem.
I think what I said about the bill was a bit misunderstood. The tax up to the month of March was OK, we paid it with the money we all invested into the club originally. The problems started because no tax was paid from April, I have a letter that will prove that to you, hold on one minute.
Gianni disappears for ten minutes and returns with the letter regarding the unpaid tax bill which says exactly what he is stating.
We took over at the end of September and we got this letter threatening a winding up order on the club for unpaid tax. There is no way this happened over night, you don’t just send out a winding up order without warning a company before hand so someone at the club must have known about it.
Gianni reads from the letter
“…..as the company has failed to make payment on the amount due for the period of 6th April to 5th August 2005 ….”
Everything was fine up to March this is what I’m saying, it was all hunky dory but the fact is £1,580,000 wasn’t paid between those dates. Now unless we paid it we would have had a winding up order against us. We would have been forced into administration and been deducted ten points so we had to come up with the cash and we did.

QPRnet.com: If we miss one payment going forward can the winding up order then be enforced?
GP: No, that’s finished now because we’ve met their terms for the bulk of the repayments so threat of the winding up order has gone.
Gianni reads from the letter again
“Queens Park Rangers Football and Athletic Club may be wound up by the court ….. if the amount of money due is not paid”
But it is paid, so there is no problem.
When I came to this club they couldn’t find anyone to invest as much as one pence into the place. I didn’t want to be in the position I am now, that was never my plan but I found myself in this position because we had no choice, unless we had come up with the money we’d be finished. We came up with the money, it’s paid and the club is fine.

QPRnet.com: Is it true that we are behind on our payments to many suppliers?
GP: Like every football club we have to pay the creditors but the only difference now is Antonio and I will insist on every expense being justified before we pay it. Where is the invoice? Why did we spend it? Who made that order? This is the way I’m running the company.
People talk about the payments to agents but this is my money in the club, if we have to pay an agent then it is coming out of my pocket. I try to deal with agents to get the best deal for QPR and for us. Most of the players in the list of agents fees they were talking about were Shittu, Rowlands, Gallen, Furlong etc, players who were already here. Wait till you see the figures next year, it will be much lower. However somebody who has their own agenda issues all this misleading information. I ask you what have I done wrong for this club since I’ve been here? I’ve bought in people that can back me with money otherwise we’d have been finished a long time ago. In total we’ve invested over £6,500,000 between us. How did we do that? I’ll tell you, it’s very simple.
£650,000 was from Moorbound for my investment, £550,000 from the investment from Barnaby and then there was £1,200,000 from Wanlock when they came in. All this money went to pay tax by the way! Then there was £1,200,000 to Bill Power to buy his shares, another £1,000,000 to pay the tax bill and last year in January myself and Antonio put another £250,000 in each because the club was struggling a little. To finish the season we need £1,500,000 more cash flow so that’s another £500,000 each of the three investors will put in.
This is the actual figures and you can add it up, it comes to £6,600,000. That’s the total we would have invested from the time we joined this club to the end of this season. Now you tell me who else out there is going to come up with that kind of money to invest in this club. There’s nobody out there who can, they tried for years and years and couldn’t even get half a million. We’ll invest more and more as well to keep this club moving forward, we will not let this club go.
I tried to renegotiate the ABC loan and then some rubbish goes in the paper saying I was this and I was that, saying I was robbing the club and then they say we are going to go into liquidation. If while this is all going on you go to the bank to borrow ten million pounds that doesn’t do you any favours. I got an email from the bank and they didn’t want to take it any further because of these rumours. Never mind, we’ll carry on and eventually we’ll get rid of the ABC loan.
All I want to know is what have I done at this club that is so dishonest? I played football for Naples when I was thirteen years of age, I kicked a few balls. Sure I never made it to the top but I was registered to play for them but what difference does that make to QPR today? Will that pay the taxman? No, they just want to say I am a liar. People can take me however they want, they can have their own agenda, they can like me or dislike me but what upsets me is that some QPR fans try everything possible to disrupt what we are doing, it’s like they want us to fail and that makes me feel let down.
I know some people have sympathy for the previous people and I understand that but that is done now, lets stick together for the sake of this club and move forward. So are there some bills not paid? Possibly but do you really think one little bill will take us into administration when the taxman didn’t? No I just want to know what every penny is being spent on. So much money in the past has just been wasted and that is all finished now, this club is now run professionally. When I came here there were sixty four staff, totally unnecessary so we made changes.
Next month I’m at the AGM, we will send the letter out soon and it will be held in February. I have to sit down with all the shareholders face to face and tell them what we’ve done and show them the books, the actual books, not the rubbish that people who think they know more than me come up with. The books will show that since I’ve been here the loss will go down from £4.5 million to £2.5 million. Next year it will go down again to £1.5 million and that’ll be with better players earning better wages. Don’t judge me now, wait till you see it because it will all be there in black and white. Everyone is taking a shot at the moment but they are people who have their own agenda. They want us to fail, but if we fail then QPR fail.
I don’t blame Bill for all this by the way, Bill is a good man and we have a good relationship, I don’t think Bill knew himself about the tax bill, nor did Kevin McGrath it was the Chief Executive’s job was to run the company. I’ve never been a Chief Executive but I will run this business in the best way I can and save as much money as possible. I promise you this every deal I do for this club will compare favourably with the past. If an old deal was worth say £60,000 I will guarantee that at least I will double that. I will not do any deal unless we make double or treble what we made in the past.
Antonio and I have been involved in football for thirty five years you won’t find many people better than us to run a football club.

QPRnet.com: Will season tickets be increased again next season and will the child prices be decreased?
GP: I can assure you that I will massively reduce the season tickets for the children, massively. The adults are done unfortunately and they were very cheap in the past which was a mistake so they won’t go down but neither will they go up, in fact no season tickets will go up at all there will only be reductions on the children’s and I promise you that.

QPRnet.com: We heard a lot about moving to a new ground in the future, is that a serious possibility?
GP: Somebody came to me and said if we had a chance of building a new ground over there would you be interested? It would be foolish of me not to look at it. As long it doesn’t cost me any money then come with your plans, show me you have permission from the council and I will put it to fans. If someone had come and said I have an idea to move to Heathrow then I would have said no thanks, not interested we are happy here
Personally I don’t think we’ll ever move, I hope we will be in a position one day where can rebuild one stand at a time, build on what we have and create a lovely football stadium here because this is the place to be. Like I say I don’t think we’ll move but if we do it wont be my decision anyway, any decision like that can only be made by the fans.

QPRnet.com: If other investors came along is there room to include them in the current set up or would someone have to sell their shares to allow them in?
GP: If somebody comes along and they got a lot of money, they want to buy us out and they can do a better job then yeh I’m happy. I would leave the club in a better position than it was before, better team, higher league. The last thing I want is to not feel welcome here.

QPRnet.com: What were your expectations for the first team at the start of this season and what are they now?
GP: I was hoping we would get into the play offs, now it’s a case of lets see what happens. We need to get points and we must stay in this division whatever it takes. I’m confident and the players are confident that they are better than the last two games (Brighton and Coventry). That’s not the type of football I like at all.

QPRnet.com: Do you target Ian Holloway before each season as to a league finish?
GP: At the beginning of the season I targeted him to finish in the play offs and to improve on last season as a minimum. Anything less than that is disappointing, we have to improve, there is no other way, so let’s see what happens

QPRnet.com: Is getting to the Premier League something that’s really realistic in the short term.
GP: Look at someone like Sheffield United they have had three or four really good cracks at it and this season it looks like they nailed it. That’s the sort of thing we’re looking at doing. We’ve had a lot of bad injuries to be fair to Ian, that’s a fact, if your major players are not playing and you have to play with the medium players then you will be very weak and that showed against Coventry and Brighton. They were the two worst sides I’ve seen in this league and they beat us 1-0. That showed how much we need the first choice players back. Tonight (against Cardiff) will be a good indication for me because if we lose tonight with key players back then I will be worried.

QPRnet.com: Is it true that Marc Bircham and Danny Shittu will be sold in January?
GP: No way Bircham or Shittu will leave, I promise you that. Well not unless we get something silly for them. If somebody bids more than five million for Danny then it is up to the player because that clause is in his contract but these players are very important to the club.

QPRnet.com: Is there any budget left for Ian Holloway to strengthen the squad in January?
GP: We are targeting three or four players for next season and the best thing for Ian right now is to have all the players back from injury like Lomas, Doherty, Nygaard, Bircham, Gallen and Rose, that will be like new signings for him.

QPRnet.com: Without going into specifics is our playing budget reflective of our league position?
GP: We are increasing more on that side but we still have a budget to stick to. Our budget is nothing like Sheffield United for example. This year we have gone a little over the budget and we’re struggling in the league.

QPRnet.com: How important is it to you to develop our own players through the youth team department?
GP: It is the most important thing for me to see our own kids come through. We have about ten new ones we’d like to take on and we need to build for the future. We got Dominic Shimmin for ten thousand pounds and that’s nothing really because potentially he could be one of the best we got. I don’t mind investing in this area, I’d rather spend £200,000 brining in several young players than getting one 33 year old.
There are so many good players you can get and our contacts in the game help. For example Roberto Baggio was a client of Antonio’s so we tell him we’re looking for a tall striker and he recommends Marc Nygaard to us. Unfortunately he’s been injured but he’s 28, no transfer fee and whatever the agents fee is I think he’ll be worth it. Agents are here to stay, there’s no way you can run a decent football club without paying agents and anyone who thinks different doesn’t know football, you find me one player who doesn’t have an agent, they have them from the age of thirteen.

QPRnet.com: What were your thoughts on our Club President calling for Ian Holloway to be sacked recently?
GP: He’s been a supporter of QPR for years and years and years has Harold. He’s a very passionate man, lovely fella and he’s helped the club many times. He has his own ideas and they haven’t changed, he was like this ever since I’ve known him. He’s not on the board and he doesn’t interfere but he’s entitled to his opinion and I’ve no problem with that. I said to Ian that I take stick as well and you have to get on with it.

QPRnet.com: So what about you? You said recently that you loved Ian and wanted him to be the man who builds the clubs future – do you stand by that?
GP: I like Ian as a man, he’s been very close to me over the years but at the end of the day we all know in football you forget about the good times very quickly. There’s a time span for everyone in football for me and for Ian but it won’t be me that ever sacks him it will be the fans, they will decide what’s right.
If it comes to that then it doesn’t matter how much you love somebody, you have to make a decision you don’t want to. At the end of the day, Ian knows his job as a football manager is to be successful and I know my job is to run this football club and make sure the finances are sound and if either of us don’t do that then we have to go. It’s OK being a lovely friendly person but if you are not a success then you can only be a failure.
QPRnet.com: Are you and Ian both aware that the fan base is split over his future?
GP: Of course but that happens at every football club, you can be the most successful manager in the world but the moment things don’t go right you get moved on. Look at the pressure Alex Ferguson is under after everything he has done.

QPRnet.com: How does the club work day to day, do you make all the decisions or does everything have to run past the Monaco consortiums?
GP: I control everything, no one can take a decision without consulting me. Myself and Antonio are here most of the time and together we are running the club the best possible way we can without throwing money around. Simple as that.

QPRnet.com: Many fans feel the Monaco investors are not open enough as regards their intentions towards the club, do you see this as an issue?
GP: It’s very simple we want to be successful, myself, Antonio and Dunga are all football people. If we are successful we will get a lot of pleasure out of it because we would have done it ourselves. I think with our knowledge of football we can do a good job. This club has been in turmoil all the bloody time and that’s gone now, we are in charge and it’s our responsibility to be successful but please lets stop talking about the gang of three or Davies and Blackburn they’ve gone, they’re history, lets look forward. The future is here and now outside this door, every minute that goes by is our future so why waste it talking about the past.

QPRnet.com: Most fans would say the atmosphere around the club hasn’t been as good this year so if we’re looking to the future what can you tell us about how you’re going to change that?
GP: The message is please be patient with us, give us a chance to see where we take this club, see what we do and what progress we make. There is no division in the board, all the arguments are in the past. We’ve invested heavily in the club, we believe in what we’re doing and now we want to take it forward. Back us, stay behind the team and concentrate on the football. The finances are something we have to look after because no one else can. If we do anything wrong I’m open to anyone coming to see me and talk to me about it but talk to me in facts, not rumours and hearsay. If we talk in ifs and buts we can talk forever and I don’t want to waste any time. Like today I was told we can’t play the match because we haven’t paid the groundsman and the grass is knee high, have a look at the pitch it’s lovely! Sometimes I think QPR is like a hairdresser’s shop where everyone gossips about each other! So I just say, please, concentrate on the football and if you really are worried about something then my door is open.


HOLLOWAY ON BEHIND THE SCENES AT QPR
The Times December 22, 2005
Holloway puzzled - Ian Holloway, the Queens Park Rangers manager, has said that he is “in the dark” about events at the troubled Coca-Cola Championship club. QPR paid £500,000 to the Inland Revenue this week to prevent the club facing a winding-up order and going into administration. “I don’t know what is happening,” Holloway said. The Times Holloway on Not Knowing What's Going on at QPR
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Sporting Life QPR manager Ian Holloway has hinted he will not be allowed to sign the players he wants next month.
Holloway is keen to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window - but indicated his hands might be tied by the club's off-the-field difficulties.
Earlier this week, Rangers made an emergency payment of £500,000 to the Inland Revenue to prevent the club facing a winding up order and going into administration.
"It's too early to say anything about whether I can get any players in, but usually I would ask myself as manager," Holloway said. Sometimes you don't get the control you need as a football manager." Sporting Life

HOLLOWAY -"Ding, Dang, Doo..." Holloway on Defending his Job-
Holloway on Defending His Job
Holloway... he is "sick and tired" of speculation linking other managers with his job. ...."We already have more points than we did at this exact point this time last year with a game in hand...But that doesn't seem to be good enough for some people... "I'm sick and tired of every Tom, Dick and Harry getting linked with my job every day. Well, ding, dang, doo. It's my job, I own it and it's up to anyone else to take it off me. I'm proud of my players, of what we are doing here and what we are trying to achieve and that's all that matters..." Guardian

JIM SMITH RUMOURS
Telegraph: Jim Smith Set to Become QPR's Director of Football
"Jim Smith, the much-travelled manager, is poised to return to former club Queens Park Rangers as director of football. The appointment, which he is expected to take up early next month, will increase pressure on Rangers manager Ian Holloway, under fire from disgruntled supporters. - Telegraph

SMITH RETURNING TO R's David McIntyre Gazette Newspaper
"QPR want Jim Smith to return to Loftus Road as director of football.
Smith, who managed Rangers from 1985 to 1988, has been approached by Rs chairman Gianni Paladini. The two are friends and Smith has been linked with a return before, but this time an agreement is close to being reached.
Smith is expected to watch Rangers' match at Crewe tomorrow with a view to taking up his post early in the new year. It is not yet clear how his possible arrival would affect manager Ian Holloway and his coaching set-up.
...... Paladini is keen to make the structural change after a difficult spell of behind-the-scenes problems and some poor performances on the pitch. Smith

[At the beginning of Januar 2006y, QPR Official Site said no Jim Smith to QPR QPR OFFICIAL SITE
"...Paladini has also rubbished claims that Jim Smith is to come to Rangers as Director of Football
Smith

SEE: QPR Report's December 2005 Postings QPR Report - December 2005