QPR's World Youth Tournament Draw/Dates...Dagenham/Arsenal's Tony Roberts Reflects...35 Years Since QPR Gave Chelsea Cup Exit!...Ex-QPR Walton

-
- Visit the football-only, QPR Report Messageboard for additional articles, old video, posters' opinions. All perspectives welcome! (Instead of posting views on this blog: Perhaps post them on the Messageboard! - For new posters: There's an extremely brief and simple, one-time Registration required.).

-- A fascinating/embarrassing non-QPR piece about a non-existent player included in The Times' "Football's top 50 rising stars" - The Youth Who Never Was!

- Impact of Credit Crunch on Transfers and Crowds

- Thirty-Five Years ago: Stan Bowles Knocked Chelsea Out of the FA Cup! (Any memories about this game welcomed!)


QPR's Games in World Soccer Youth Tournament: The Viareggio Cup - World Football Tournement - Coppa Carnevale (9-23 February):

Monday, 9 February 2009 - Inter - QPR (opening match of the tournament)

Wednesday, 11 February 2009: QPR - A.P.I.A. Tigers

Friday 13 February 2009 - QPR vs Palermo
Schedule

- See also:

- See QPR Italia Blog

- "QPR's Involvement in February Italian World Youth Tournament"


Football League - Tony Roberts - ONY'S GUNNER DO THE DAGGERS PROUD
Dagenham & Redbridge goalkeeper Tony Roberts has had the perfect preparation for Saturday's Coca-Cola League 2 meeting with Barnet - the veteran keeper has been facing the might of Arsenal's attack in some intense training sessions.
Former Queens Park Rangers stopper Roberts, who turns 40 this year, coaches the Arsenal Academy youngsters Monday through Thursday while maintaining his own training programme ahead of Daggers' matches.
But also, when called on, he takes part in training routines with the senior players of the Premiership giants. "I join in their session when I'm needed to," he explains, "and the pace those guys play at is unbelievable.
"I played in the Premier League for QPR, but that was more than 10 years ago and the game at the top level has become so much quicker. The movement of players like Van Persie and Adebayor is just fantastic.
"But it certainly keeps me sharp and benefits me come Saturday afternoons with Dagenham. It benefits Dagenham as well though, because although I'm nearly 40 I feel very sharp, very fit and don't get many niggling injuries despite my age."
Roberts has in fact played in all but one of Dagenham's League and Cup games this season and missed only three outings - through suspension - as the Daggers made their Football League bow last term following promotion from the Blue Square Premier.
Remarkably, the keeper's record of consistent appearances has come after he was forced to retire from the professional game through a serious hand injury which he sustained while with QPR over a decade ago.
He eventually started playing again at non-League level, joining Dagenham in 2000, and the rest as they say is history. "I thought I was finished," says Roberts, "but I love football so much that I persevered, kept myself fit and eventually got back into the game.
"I've been pretty happy with my form over the last few years, in fact I won the Player of the Year award at Dagenham last season - on the one hand that showed I'd had a busy season, but hopefully it also showed I could still do the business."
Roberts was indeed busy at times last season, the Daggers finishing 20th in the table after scrapping throughout the campaign to retain their new-won League status. The hard work has paid off, however, as this time round they are battling at the other end of the table.
As they prepare to face Barnet they sit fifth in the table, two points behind the automatic promotion places and with a game in hand on third-placed Bradford City. Now it's not survival but the possibility of promotion that's occupying Dagenham minds.
"When we played our first match last season," recalls Roberts, "there was only me and two other players in the team who had played in The League before. So it was a massive learning curve for the squad, but the lessons have been learned well.
"This season we've had good home form and picked up good away results, we've had three wins and two draws in our last five matches so confidence is high going into the new year. Promotion? We're capable - and we know exactly what we have to do."
Football League


Plymouth Herald - Walton is not out of first-team reckoning
Friday, January 16, 2009
MANAGER Paul Sturrock has not ruled out a return to first-team action at some stage for transfer-listed Argyle midfielder Simon Walton.
But Sturrock admitted the 21-year-old summer signing from Queens Park Rangers had to 'build a few bridges' before he would consider recalling him.
Walton was sent-off for violent conduct in only the 28th minute of the Pilgrims' 2-0 defeat away to Barnsley before Christmas.
He had to serve a three-match suspension, which has now been completed, after kicking out at Barnsley midfielder Anderson de Silva.
Walton was fined two weeks' wages by Sturrock – the maximum allowed – in addition to being put on the transfer list.
There have not been any inquiries for Walton yet, and Sturrock seems prepared to give him another chance to make a success of his move to Home Park.
Sturrock said: "Simon has got to build a few bridges with everybody involved with the football club. I think that's his job over the next two or three weeks.
"Also, we have had him tested vigorously by specialists, with regards to his body fat content, his strength and his diet.
"We have come up with a regime that he's going to go under now, under the supervision of the physio (Paul Maxwell) and ourselves, to make sure we get him leaner and meaner."
Asked whether that meant Walton would not be considered for the first team squad during this period, Sturrock replied: "He's going to try to do both at the same time.
"He has got to be competitive for selection but, obviously, appreciate that he's going to have to follow the stringent rules and regulations I have put him under."
Walton was signed on a four-year contract from QPR at the start of August for a transfer fee which could eventually rise to £750,000.
However, it is thought Argyle have paid only around a quarter of that figure for the midfielder so far.
Walton was part of a strong Argyle side which drew 3-3 with Cardiff City in a behind-closed-doors game in south Wales on Monday.
He scored one of the visitors' goals from the penalty spot, after he had been fouled by former Pilgrims' left-back Tony Capaldi..." Plymouth Herald