Richard Langley - Give Sousa Time to Succeed as QPR Manager

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Richard Langley/Kilburn Times on Sousa as Manager
- SITTING in my car over the weekend, I happened to be listening to the radio and a barrage of unhappy Arsenal supporters calling up to complain about the so-called 'has-been' Arsene Wenger.
- The man, in my opinion, has single-handedly transformed Arsenal.
- Not only has he won the double twice and got them to the Champions League final, along with many other achievements, he has also introduced some of the Premier League's best ever players - who were relatively unknown before their arrival at Highbury.
- If you watch any game from the youth team through to the first team, you will notice Wenger's DNA running through them, all playing with the same fluent passing game that true football fans have come to love. This didn't happen overnight - it was an extremely long transition.
- When thinking about this, I couldn't help but liken it to the current situation at QPR, where pressure seems to be mounting on the manager. He has a team that on recent form are under-performing.
- We as Rangers fans have to be realistic. We are currently in a good position to improve on last year's standing and it is this improvement we should be grateful for.
- I know results in this day and age seem to be paramount but, if we look at the bigger picture, managers need time to build something special.
- Speaking to some of the players down at QPR, I know they regard Paulo Sousa as a special manager who has his own ideas on playing football.- He's not rigid in his thoughts but up to date with what is required to be successful in today's game.
- It may take another season for his ambitions to be realised and for his print to be stamped all over QPR.
- I sincerely hope that the board and fans will give him time and put their trust in his hopes of building a solid foundation, not just for now but for the future.
- For me, this is the way to progress. There isn't a quick fix to the situation at QPR, but being loyal to this manager could prove to be Rangers' most likely chance of long- term happiness." Kilburn Times


Kilburn Times/Ben Kosky - Liam Miller: Players to blame, not system
- MIDFIELDER Liam Miller dismissed suggestions that QPR's change of formation could have played a part in their downfall at Barnsley on Saturday.
- Rangers adopted a more conventional four-man midfield at Oakwell for the first time since Miller joined the club, sacrificing Gavin Mahon from their regular central trio to accommodate a second striker.
- Asked if the players had struggled to adapt to that change, Miller declared: "No, I don't think so - in general everyone should be comfortable with whatever formation we play and the team knew the system beforehand.
- "You can train for it, but on the day we weren't good enough and that's the bottom line. We gave away two bad goals, got punished for them and didn't play as well as we could.
- "Everyone's disappointed and I don't know if you can pinpoint why the performance wasn't there, but I know we can play a lot better. The games come thick and fast now and we've got to pick ourselves up."
- Next up in QPR's crowded schedule is Saturday's clash with one of the leading play-off contenders, Sheffield United - whose manager Kevin Blackwell watched the Rs' defeat at Oakwell last weekend.
- Miller played under Blackwell during a spell on loan at Leeds three years ago and knows the experience of the Blades boss - who guided the Elland Road club to the play-off final that season - could prove significant in the run-in.
- "I'm sure he'll know what's required," said Miller, whose contract at Rangers will take him up to the end of the current campaign. "But there are a lot of teams up there challenging and Sheffield United are just one of them.
- "It'll be a big game, but we're at home and we've got to make that count. If we play to our qualities we're a match for any team in the division."
- Once again, the Republic of Ireland international was the fall guy when Rs boss Paulo Sousa opted to shuffle his pack on Saturday, making way for youngster Romone Rose early in the second half.
- In fact, Miller has so far completed only one of his seven matches in a Rangers shirt to date, although the midfielder insists there is no question of a stamina problem.
- "Fitness-wise I feel fine," he added. "You'd have to ask the manager whether it's been a tactical thing or whatever. Kilburn Times