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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

QPR Report Wednesday: Vine Pledge...QPR Fan Arrests...Portsmouth Players Interest?...New Leigertwood Contract...Length of Various QPR Player Contracts

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- For a combination of cutting-edge, continually-updated, QPR-related news and also a broader football focus: Visit (and feel to post!) the QPR Report Messageboard!

- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

- Nice Southampton Gesture to Fans

- Next: Bristol City at Loftus Road on Boxing Day

- Article Examining Impact of Managerial Changes (Bottom Line: Rarely Improves Results)

- Colchester's CEO Resigns Over Drink/Driving

- Sepp Blatter Beats Out Bernie Ecclestone and Others

- Stockport on the Brink: The (Costly) Financial Costs of Administration

- The Worldwide of Football: "...Players and managers, whose income and lifestyle now placed them in a different world from the fans, came to be seen as fickle mercenaries whose relationship with the club was contractual and transitory. Directors and officials were venal, corrupt or both and clearly inadequate custodians of club identity. Only the fans were faithful to the colours..." [From "The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer" By David Goldblatt, page 803 talking about football ('soccer" in Argentina during the 1990s)]

- Nominate Your Sports Fan of The Year


- Home Office Report: STATISTICS ON FOOTBALL-RELATED ARRESTS & BANNING ORDERS SEASON 2008-09 -


QPR-related figures (QPR: 33 total arrests).
33 Total Arrests: 11 made at Home Matches - 22 Made at Away Matches
- 4 Violent Disorder - 16 Public Disorder - 3 Pitch Incursion - 8 Alcohol Offences
2 Possesion of Offensive Weapons

[Kudos to Charlton, Watford and Reading for having the least arrests in the Championship. And to Yeovil for having absolutely no arrests. Among the worst clubs last season in the Championship: Cardiff! Then, The two Sheffield Clubs, Birmingham, Nott F & Derby & Swansea, Bristol C Burnley, Wolves]

London Informer/Chris Slavin - Vine vows to get QPR career back on track- ROWAN Vine is determined to finally shrug off the injury problems that have dogged his QPR career and become a first-team regular under new manager Paul Hart.
- The 27-year-old has endured an injury-plagued season and only recently returned to action after undergoing a hernia operation last month.
- And after missing virtually the whole of last season with a broken leg, the former Birmingham City forward, who joined QPR in January 2008, is desperate to show the Loftus Road faithful what he is made of by re-launching his career and helping his club compete for a play-off spot.
- "I have been very frustrated with niggling injuries this season. It has been good just to get back out there again," Vine said.
- "Hopefully in the next few weeks I can prove to the new manager that I am worth a place in the team.
- "The past year or so has been very stop-start for me, with the bad injury that I suffered. I hope I can get regular football now and try and help the club get into the Premier League.
- "I don’t think it’s in question whether the ability is there in our squad, it is just a question of us kicking on from here.
- "It will be tough to get into the top six and get into the position we *want, but that is the aim and we are capable of doing it. London Informer


Mirror/James Nursey - QPR hand Mikele Leigertwood bumper new deal
- QPR have given their captain Mikele Leigertwood a bumper new deal.
Midfielder Leigertwood, 27, was out of contract next summer.
But he has agreed a new three-year deal to put him up with the club’s top earners on more than £10,000-a-week. Mirror

- Length of Various QPR Player Contracts


The Sun - - QPR boss Paul Hart is ready to raid old club Portsmouth for defender Mike Williamson and striker Tommy Smith.
Cash-strapped Pompey are willing to offload the pair. The Sun
- Profiles: Mike Williamson and Tommy Smith (who QPR have been linked to on the messageboards at least, in the past)


Bristol Evening Post - Bristol City boss struggling to make Boxing Day trip to QPR
- Gary Johnson could be a surprise doubt for Bristol City's big Boxing Day trip to Queens Park Rangers.
Assistant boss Keith Millen revealed the Robins manager has missed training for the last two days.
"He is not well – he is not good at all," admitted the former centre- half. "He has got a chest infection and a cold and the last couple of days he has been in bed.
"He is seeing the doc and hopefully he will be with us to travel down to London on Christmas Day."
If Millen is in charge it will not be the first time he has been at the helm on a matchday.
After Brian Tinnion left the club in 2005, Millen, who was the Geordie's No 2, led City for a 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool and a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.
And the following season Johnson was ill when Bristol City went to Rotherham and Millen managed the Reds to another 1-1 draw.
Bristol City, who trained on the artificial pitch at Filton College yesterday because of the snowy conditions, will assess the fitness of central midfielder Marvin Elliott tomorrow. The former Millwall man limped out of the 1-1 draw at home to Reading with a dead leg.
But whoever is representing the Robins at Loftus Road, Millen is underlining the importance of the game and the home fixture with Watford that follows just two days later for a City side that is ninth in the Championship.
"Two games in three days really can turn the tables any way you want to go," said the former Hornets skipper.
"If you win both you are definitely in the play-offs and if you don't get any points you are in the bottom half.
"Last Boxing Day we won at Watford and I think we won something like six on the spin after that. It's a big weekend and we have to get back to winning ways.
"Six points would make me happy. Bristol Evening Post



QPR Official Site - HART'S 'THUMBS UP' FOR FAMILY FUN DAY
- R's boss Paul Hart praised the R's supporters after another successful festive Family Fun Day at Loftus Road.
- Despite the freezing conditions, Rangers fans came out in great numbers to watch their heroes train, as well as taking part in a series of fun activities at the back of the Lower Loft and in the Blue and White Bar.
- Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Hart said: "They braved the elements and they were absolutely frozen stiff, but they looked like they all had a fantastic time.
- "I think they all had a great time - they were brilliant."
- Hart added: "Days like today are really important for the Club.
- "These young fans are the future and I'm delighted we've been able to give them something back, because they deserve it."
- *We'll be bringing you exclusive photos and interviews from the Family Fun Day over the next 24 hours on www.qpr.co.uk! QPR


BBC - Patrick Agyemang targets QPR play-off success
- Agyemang has scored 3 goals in 16 appearances this season
- Queens Park Rangers striker Patrick Agyemang is backing the team and their new manager Paul Hart to achieve promotion this season.
Hart last week replaced Jim Magilton as manager but Agyemang says the team will not be distracted by the change.
Agyemang, 29, told BBC London 94.9: "It doesn't help, but we're professionals and need to get on with it.
"We've been unlucky in the past few seasons, but this season I feel like we can really get there."
The club, who parted company with Magilton after an alleged altercation with midfielder Akos Buzsacky, have not won in six matches but Agyemang is confident that run will come to an end on Saturday.
"We've had a few bad results and a few unlucky results as well, so we're desperate to get a win now to push our season on again," he said.
"The team has been playing well, it's just that the results haven't been going for us. We've been letting in sloppy goals, which happens in every team, but we're trying to get rid of that and get back to winning ways."
Rangers, who are four points off the play-offs in the Championship, held a festive family fun day at Loftus Road on Tuesday to give season ticket holders and members the chance to watch the squad train ahead of the Boxing Day visit of Bristol City. BBC


- Past Chistmas Greetings From The Club