Sousa's Future Reportedly to Be Discussed in May

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["In Case You Missed it:" - Bernie Ecclestone Talking About Buying QPR, Football Finances and Going to Watch Chelsea....The photo in Sousa's Office.

Re Sousa's Future: Hopefully just tabloid "speculation" - or just a normal post-season assessment

- Update: The author of this article (which was also published in the Ealing Gazette) turns out to be Dave McIntyre, who goes beyond just "tabloid" reporting in his knowledge of QPR Developments. The article was also published in the Ealing Gazette
"...A run of nine games without a win recently led to the coach's position coming under scrutiny after just four months at Loftus Road.
Rangers' Flavio Briatore-led board will discuss Sousa's future in May and the former Portugal star may need a barnstorming finish to the season to keep his job..." Ealing Gazette


Mirror - RAMAGE'S OVER THE TOON FOR RANGERS 23/03/2009
- QPR 2 BRISTOL C 1
- Peter Ramage is desperate to play against his beloved Newcastle next season - in the Premier League.
- Ramage, who left St James' Park to join QPR last summer, still reckons the London side can sneak into the play-offs.
- And the Geordie defender is backing his former club to escape the drop.
- He said: "It was always my dream to play for Newcastle. If I play against them I want it to be in the Premier League, not the Championship."
- Ramage dashed home after QPR's victory on Saturday to watch Newcastle's defeat against Arsenal on television.
- Luckily for the 25-year-old, his current club had a better day, with on-loan Tottenham forward Adel Taarabt's late winner keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.
- Rangers are 11th in the table and need a miracle to finish in the top six.
- But Ramage declared: "We can definitely still make the play-offs. If we keep winning games we'll be right up there.
- "I know we're seven points off them now but if we keep plugging away then we can do it. A play-off place was our target at the start of the season and it's still our target now.
- "Just because we're a little bit behind at the moment doesn't mean we shouldn't still feel we can achieve it.
- "It would be nice to get a bit of help with the teams around us losing, but we've just got to concentrate on winning games and see where it takes us.
- "And if we don't do it this season then the way things are going here I'm very confident we can put a charge on next season."
- Spanish midfielder Jordi Lopez put Rangers ahead with a brilliant free-kick beyond goalkeeper Adriano Basso in the 65th minute, before Ivan Sproule crossed for Michael McIndoe to volley home a 77thminute equaliser.
- That looked like rescuing a point for City, but teenager Taarabt tucked away Damien Delaney's left-wing cross nine minutes from time to ease the pressure on QPR boss Paulo Sousa.
- A run of nine games without a win recently led to the coach's position coming under scrutiny after just four months in the job.
- But two wins in four days over fellow play-off chasers Swansea and now City have put a better gloss on the statistics.
- Rangers' Flavio Briatore-led board will discuss Sousa's future in May and the former Portugal star may need a barnstorming finish to the season to keep his job.
- Sousa insisted: "I don't have a doubt I will succeed. The players believe in me and we are building something here.
- "There have been a lot of critics, but now we have had two good results.
- "During a season, every team has a moment where results are not good. We had that but the important thing is to show spirit and unity, which we did."
- The City players were quick to quit the ground for their club coach and boss Gary Johnson moaned: "We didn't do ourselves justice and didn't deserve anything from the game.
- For some reason we kept lumping the ball forward. I didn't recognise what we were doing.
- "The pitch wasn't great and it wasn't easy to play good football on it, but it's the same for both teams.
- "The work rate was there but it was a bit misdirected at times.
- Qpr were solid at the back and deserved this win in my opinion.
- "This result has dented our hopes, but we've got to look to the next game, try to win it and then see how the other teams around us do. Every week it changes in this division."
COMPUTER
QPR BRISTOL CITY SOUSA'S SIDE LEAVE IT LATE
BALL POSSESSION
49% 51%
FACE TO FACE
4 Corners 6
2 Offside 3
14 Fouls 19
1 Cards 2
SHOTS
8 off target 2
8 on target 2
NEXT THREE GAMES
QPR
Sat Apr 4: Palace (h) Champ
Sat Apr 11: Burnley (a) Champ
Mon Apr 13: Sheff Utd (h) Champ
BRISTOL CITY
Sat Apr 4: Preston (h) Champ
Sat Apr 11: Forest (a) Champ
Mon Apr 13: Ipswich (h) Champ
MAN OF THE MATCH Adel Taarabt (QPR)
8 Great display from the loan star and deserved late winner
VILLAIN OF THE MATCH Alberti (QPR) 5 Looked out of his depth and was subbed at half tim
ANORAK Paulo Sousa has a win percentage of just 28 per cent as Rangers boss.
- Qpr: Cerny 6, Ramage 6, Connolly 6 (Helguson 61, 6), Gorkss 7, Delaney 6, Lopez 7, Leigertwood 7, Alberti 5 (Routledge 45, 7), Ephraim 7, Taarabt 8, Di Carmine 6 (Cook 72).
- Goals: Lopez 65, Taarabt 81
- Bristol City: Basso 7, Orr 7, McCombe 7, Fontaine 7, McAllister 6, Johnson 6 (Elliott 86), Sproule 6 (Styvar 85), Skuse 6, McIndoe 7, Maynard 5, Adebola 6. Goal: McIndoe 77
- Referee: G Hegley 6 ATTENDANCE: 14,059 Mirror