- RODNEY MARSH LOFTUS ROAD BOOK SIGNING, SATURDAY-
- For QPR and Football Updates and perspectives throughout the day, visit the QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR and football perspective welcome...Also Follow: QPR REPORT ON TWITTER
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- QPR's Norwegian "signing" Petter Vaagan Moen Again Says he's signed and Coming to QPR
Mr and Mrs Paladini
- The reports first appeared over the weekend on the We Are The Rangers Boys Fan Site from several QPR fans close to QPR FC Chairman Paladini. The reports which recounted that the Chairman's wife was attacked in her home on Friday, have elicited universal condemnation from all QPR Fans who have posted in response. From the Chairman's strongest defenders to the Chairman's strong critics: All have responded to the reports with universal and unequivocal condemnation; and send all best wishes to Mrs and Mr. Paladini.
- Original Thread: A couple of Posters recount reports of an Attack on Chairman's Paladini's Wife......Update: And a reported Message from Chairman Paladini
- Josh Parker Joins Wycombe on a three months loan
- Two Year Flashback: Very-Long Serving Club Secretary Sheila Marson Axed by QPR
- Two Year Flashback: First Team Scout Filippo Orlando Departs
- The Changing Face of QPR: OFF-The-Field Staff/Board Changes over Past Few Years. "Who Was Who"
- According to Messageboarders, QPR's Deputy Managing Director (and also Commercial & Marketing Director, Ali Russell Has Departed the Club...Update: There has been no QPR announcement and Ali Russell is Still Listed on the Official Site (Flashback: Ali Russell Joins QPR)
- The FA Third Round Cup Draw is being made on Sunday: The Club Numbers for the Draw (QPR are number 32)
- David Conn on Sheffield Wednesday's Decline and Financial Situation...Also the Finances at Plymouth
- Next: Cardiff - Previews, Stats, Flashbacks
- West Ham's "Save Our Season" Game
- Scottish FA May Bring in Foreign Refs
David McIntyre Blog - My 'sponging off QPR' shame
November 23, 2010 http://wp.me/pFeRV-6N
I am no better than a sleazy politician who preaches family values and then gets caught with his pants down.
After many years standing in pious, self-righteous judgement of others, I am facing up to the reality that I'm just as guilty as them. In fact, I’m worse.
Let me explain.
Relations between myself and QPR have often been strained, which is putting it very mildly indeed. As a result, I’ve always been reluctant to do or agree to anything that could be construed as help or a favour.
It’s just how it should be. As civil as things usually are, we are still on different sides as far as I’m concerned. So certain rules should apply.
Even during times when relations have been good, and people I count as friends have worked at the club, as far as I’m concerned even a car park ticket on matchdays is a no-no. It’s seemed irrational, even insulting, to various people down the years. But that’s how it has to be.
Take the food at Loftus Road. Since the Briatore-led takeover, people have often asked me what the grub in the press room at QPR is like.
The answer is that I don’t know, because I won’t touch it. Same as I wouldn’t eat any of the food at Rangers in the years before Cipriani’s.
Yes it’s there, and yes it smells and looks flippin lovely, but in my book that would count as a non-essential freebie. And why should I take a non-essential freebie from QPR? For much of the last 11 years I’ve been slagging them off.
I wasn’t in favour of his takeover and have written or contributed to most of the negative stories associated with his ownership of QPR, so why should I have lunch on Flavio?
At other clubs, I eat whatever I can get my hands on. And virtually any favour from a club is gratefully received. I have no shame. But when it comes to QPR, I am – or at least I was – a man of principle.
And from my position on the moral high ground, I have condemned others. I have called them spongers, hypocrites and worse. In fact the word ponce has been uttered on more than a few occasions.
So it was with tail between legs and a sick feeling in my stomach when I realised that a laptop and phone disaster at a game, the type of which I’d overcome many times in the past without asking for help, had beaten me into submission. I had no choice but to ask the enemy – the QPR press team – to dig me out of a hole.
I had to ask if, on the off-chance, they had a spare laptop lying around as I was in the brown stuff and no mistake. I assumed they wouldn’t have one.
What was particularly galling about this episode was that the said QPR official couldn’t do enough to help. There was no hesitation. No mickey taking. A laptop was produced within a couple of minutes.
It worked perfectly too. And it had wi-fi. Of course, Mr Perfect from QPR just had to have a perfect laptop with perfect wi-fi. He probably designed and built it himself.
And afterwards, as I was the last man left in the press room, he waited patiently and even, get this, told me not to worry about the time as it was not a problem.
I had no pride left. A hypocritical sponger incapable of meeting his deadlines. Attracting sympathy from the kind of man he used to go to war against on an almost daily basis.
I'll get this bit out of the way: there is no getting away from the fact that this sorry episode was testament to the professionalism and decency of more than one member of staff at QPR. But enough of that.
So, whatever happens throughout the rest of my life and career, I sponged off QPR. That is the awful truth. I stood there typing away on a club laptop while a club official went beyond the call of duty to help me finish what I had to do.
He oozed decency and professional integrity, while I felt like a child struggling with their homework – fitting for a man whose maths gremlins (the bane of my life) struck yet again over Tommy Smith’s loan.
I couldn’t figure out why people were asking whether Smith could play against Preston, as I was beyond sure it was the Cardiff game he was likely to miss because of the way his loan deals are structured. It was Friday evening, when someone took me through it all for the umpteenth time, that the penny finally dropped.
Mr Goody Two Shoes from QPR doesn’t struggle with basic arithmetic. You can be sure of that" - Dave McIntyre Blog
Reading Official Site - Mikele ready for action
Mikele Leigertwood was delighted to be training with his new teammates at Hogwood Park - even though it meant swapping the Caribbean heat for a nippy Berkshire morning.
"I was away playing for Antigua in the Carribbean Cup - and it was a lot warmer there than it is here.
"So I'm certainly still adapting to the cold weather again - I heard there's some snow scheduled for later this week so that should be fun!"
Leigertwood, who signed on loan from QPR this week, is settling in well at his new club - and it has helped having a friendly face to greet him.
"I went to school with Jobi - so we played together in the same school team. And then we played together in the youth team and the senior team at Wimbledon...and we were at Palace together too!
"So this is the third or fourth time we've played alongside each other.
"But I know a few of the other players from playing against them and they've all been first class to me.
"I've settled in really well. The manager, the players and the staff have all been really welcoming and I'm just looking forward to getting out there, getting my boots on and preparing for Saturday's game."
"I wanted to come to a club who were looking to push on, and I saw Reading as a perfect opportunity to do that.
"I've come here to play. I've come here as a midfielder but there's the option that I can play at the back too. Obvioulsy I'd prefer to stay in one position, but if I'm needed to play anywhere else it's no problem.
"And I know there'll be competition for places - there always will be in a good squad like this. So I know I've got to perform.
"I like to get in the mix and get up and down. And I'll just try to offer a bit of experience as well.
"I've been in this league a little while now, so I know what it's all about. I just want to get in amongst it and ruffle a few feathers against the teams we play.
"We're not far off the play-offs so hopefully we can kick on and give it a real go."
On Saturday Antigua take on Jamaica, but Mikele will be gunning for his Royals debut against Leeds United in a hotly-anticipated Madejski Stadium fixture.
"Leeds are going to bring a lot of fans down and I know the supporters here are first class. They'll come out in their thousands and we know it's going to be a massive game.
"We've just got to make sure we keep calm and fight hard for the win. I'm looking forward to it." Reading
Npower and the Football League Promotional- There are the Three QPR options to choose between:
RESPECT: Queens Park Rangers striker Heidar Helguson thinks we should put 1,200 young people through a Respect training workshop
PLAYGROUND: Queens Park Rangers wide midfielder Hogan Ephraim wants us to transform a local park or playground into a sport training zone
COACHING:Queens Park Rangers striker Jamie Mackie would rather we run a new skills coaching session for 4–6 year olds - VOTE HERE
- Vote to Select the 2011/2012 Football League Charity
- Marking Exactly 1,300+ Days: QPR's Last Fan Forum......QPR's Last Club/Fan 'Reps' Meeting approching 250 Days Ago
- Donate to QPR GIRLS ONLINE