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QPR 1st Statement
QPR1st Supporters Trust: Paladini and the FA
QPR1st Supporters Trust wishes to congratulate our players for achieving promotion to the premiership. Neil Warnock has done an amazing job in transforming the squad he inherited into a band of brothers that play with such tremendous passion, pride and skill. Our owners also deserve credit for giving Neil their full support and providing the much needed financial stability the Club required to prosper. We welcome the denial by both Bernie Ecclestone and the Mittal family regarding persistent news stories that they are looking to replace Warnock.
Above all we wish to recognise the dedication and commitment shown by loyal fans who stuck with the Club through thick and thin, who were willing to give whatever it took to keep the Club alive.
The return to top flight football is our reward. It is a great shame that the build up to Saturday's Promotion Party was tainted by the FA enquiry with an initial mood of unease being whipped up by irresponsible media speculation into an increasing sense of anxiety and despair.
Questions remain regarding the FA's handling of the affair. If investigations had been carried out into the Faulin transfer since September 2010, was it really not possible to ensure a resolution well before the end of the playing season and not 45 minutes before the last match (with the playoffs being thrown into total chaos if points had been deducted and QPR had launched an appeal)? If the FA's evidence that QPR entered into a third-party contract was so weak as not to stand scrunity by an independent commission, would the FA have been wiser not to proceed in the first place?
There is little sign that the interests of players and fans not just of QPR but other promotion hopefuls were taken into account and we believe the case adds weight to increasing calls for legislative reform of the FA. The irony of an organisation that has been described by the Minister of Sport as turning football into the 'worst governed sport' in the UK passing judgement on others for bringing the game into disrepute will be lost on no-one.
The Supporters Trust is delighted that the Club was not found guilty of entering into a third party agreement but QPR does not remain entirely vindicating with two charges of improper conduct proven. Until further information is provided, QPR1st will not follow the example of the media and speculate further on the detail regarding these charges. Nevertheless it would appear safe to say that they relate primarily to the conduct of Mr Gianni Paladini.
Paladini has always been a controversial figure amongst QPR fans. Since he joined QPR, so many claims and counter-claims have been made about his behaviour and actions that it is perhaps impossible to state where the truth lies. But even Paladini's staunchest allies would have to accept that his idiosyncratic way of conducting business has led fans to question his professional integrity and competence.The FA has made it clear that it will be closely monitoring QPR in the future and we can expect the media will also be placing us under a much closer spotlight than before. Any business transition carried out by QPR, especially related to the transfer of players will have to be dealt with in a manner which is strictly above board and beyond challenge. Whether Paladini is the right man to ensure this is the case, is surely now open to question. Certainly if the club sees some advantages in retaining his services, enough checks and balances have to be put in place to ensure that a situation like this never arises again.
The reception that Paladini received from fans at both the last match of the season and the Player of the Year Awards should also leave the Club's directors in no doubt that the majority of supporters no longer wish Paladini to present himself to the media as speaking on behalf of the Club or its fans.
Above all the Club needs to operate with greater transparency and accountability. QPR1st reiterate the request it has made in the past for the Club to bring back Fans Forums and Shareholders AGMs. We would also like to see a greater partnership being established between the Board of Directors and independent democratic Supporters Groups. A more open approach will we believe help protect the Club from further accusations of wrong doing and ensure that QPR's success in the Premier League will be determined as it should be by what happens on the pitch. QPR1st
POSTED EARLIER TODAY
Ben Kosky/Willesden & Brent Times - QPR must learn lessons of lucky escape
IT’S something of an understatement to point out that QPR fans have had their emotions fed through the wringer in recent weeks.
Anxiety lingered almost until kick-off on the final day that their team’s astonishing, relentless advance to the Football League title might yet be nullified.
It’s not surprising that an outpouring of relief and joy, held in check for the previous week, greeted the FA’s timely announcement that the club would face no points deduction.
And, although euphoria is still at a high level, sooner or later the Rangers faithful might want to reflect on why this uncomfortable, embarrassing episode ever came to pass.
So far, many supporters have lashed out at the FA who – while their handling of this matter leaves a good deal to be desired – have actually displayed extreme leniency in the sentence they handed down.
A total fine of £875,000 and a warning? Hardly worth mentioning when QPR are guaranteed somewhere in the region of £60m as members of the Premier League next season.
All credit to the club’s legal team that they ensured Rangers escaped with such a minimal punishment. Yet the fact remains that they were found guilty on two counts – seeking to use an unauthorised agent and bringing the game into disrepute.
Not for the first time, the name of Queens Park Rangers has been dragged through the mud. And mud sticks.
Who is responsible for that? Not the FA. Not the media, as some seem to think.
It’s well past time that the Loftus Road board learned some lessons, took responsibility for restoring QPR’s reputation and ensured that the club are never involved in this kind of murky affair again.
That means insisting that transfers are the province of the manager, NOT chairman Gianni Paladini.
Maybe when Luigi de Canio, a coach with no knowledge of the English league, was in charge, it made sense for Paladini to recruit players, but it’s a very different matter now.
Not only is Neil Warnock one of the most experienced managers in the English game, he even appointed a QPR chief scout for the first time in years.
Getting the players Warnock wants has been key to Rangers’ success this season, but they have still continued to sign others he doesn’t particularly want. Pascal Chimbonda and Giorgios Tofas come to mind.
Yes, there have been some Paladini signings that have worked – but those are dwarfed by a lengthy list of disasters including Zesh Rehman, Nick Ward, Matteo Alberti, Alessandro Pellicori and literally dozens more.
How much more expensive could those blunders be at Premier League level? Make no mistake, it will be the manager, rather than Paladini, who shoulders the blame when things go wrong.
And let’s not forget who decided that the club could afford to dispense with their long-serving, well-respected secretary Sheila Marson – on whose watch the Faurlin fiasco would surely never have happened.
Incredibly, Paladini still seems to think he did nothing wrong. But the findings of the independent regulatory commission suggest otherwise – and have given QPR a second chance to put their house in order.
The club’s owners should be grateful for that. Now they are dining at the top table, they need to smarten up their act – and that means sidelining Paladini right now. Willesdon & Brent Times
re PARADE: Dave McIntyre Tweets:Council say very keen indeed for #QPR to have parade but club weren't.
QPR Official Statement - CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT (No Parade)
Posted on: Wed 11 May 2011
- Regrettably, the Club can confirm that, for a number of reasons, we will not be holding an end of season parade following our promotion to the Premier League.
- We know this will be a huge disappointment to our fans who have been fantastic this season and everyone at the Club shares this view.
- The Club had held discussions about putting such a celebration on going back over a number of weeks but, unfortunately, the on-going FA inquiry, coupled with other factors beyond our control, prevent this from happening.
- However, plans are already afoot for a pre-season celebration, once the players return to training in July.
- We will, of course, keep you - our supporters - updated with any developments in due course. QPR
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