2004 Victory Parade and link to further photos-
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- Four Year Flashback: Flavio Briatore on QPR as a Global Brand
- Twenty-Seven Years Ago Today: Terry Venables Final Game in Charge of QPR - The End of a Dream
- Video Flashback - and Preparing for Next Season! QPR 4 Manchester United 0
- QPR Celebration "Wallpaper" for your computer
- QPR Player Contracts Length
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- Fifty Footballers Who Served in Wartime
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Re Players Ostensibly...Players Ostensibly being Let Go...and "Explanation" Why No Victory Parade
Daily Mail/Sami Mokbel
EXCLUSIVE: Warnock plots summer raid to take Cole and Jenas to Loftus Road
Queens Park Rangers are considering a sensational double swoop for Joe Cole and Jermaine Jenas as they look forward to life in the Barclays Premier League.
Neil Warnock meets with the club's hierarchy on Thursday to discuss plans for the summer and moves for the England pair are high among his priorities.
Liverpool forward Cole has endured a nightmare first season at Anfield after his free transfer from Chelsea last summer.
The 29-year-old is likely to be allowed to leave this summer and Warnock is ready to explore the option of bringing him back to London on loan.
Speculation over Adel Taarabt's future continues to linger and Cole is seen as a potential like-for-like replacement for the Morocco forward - though any deal would depend on Liverpool taking on a portion of his £90,000-per-week wages.
Like Cole, Tottenham star Jenas, 28, has not been a consistent starter this season and Warnock is keen to sign the midfielder on loan.
Warnock wants to add top-flight experience to his squad next season and Jenas, as is the case with Cole, fits the bill.
Ipswich midfielder Jimmy Bullard and Spurs right back Kyle Naughton are also targets for Warnock.
The QPR manager held one-to-one meetings with his squad on Tuesday and, as predicted by Sportsmail, bit-part players Patrick Agyemang, Akos Buzsaky, Fitz Hall, Rob Hulse, Martin Rowlands, Rowan Vine and Danny Shittu have been told they can find new clubs ahead of the new season.
But Warnock has generally kept faith with the players who won promotion, with the majority of his first-team starters given a chance to be part of the club's Premier League plans.
[THE NO PARADE EXPLANATION]
Meanwhile, Rangers confirmed they would not be holding a parade to celebrate their Championship-winning season. And Sportsmail can reveal one of the key reasons behind the decision is that the event would have cost close to £600,000.
The cost of policing, hiring an event management firm and paying for road closures sent the price soaring.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council would also have required a notice period of 21 days before the event and because of the FA hearing into Alejandro Faurlin's ownership, which could have cost Rangers promotion, it is understood the club decided against contacting the local authority about the parade in advance of last Saturday's decision not to dock points.
A council spokesman said: 'We are overjoyed QPR were promoted and we were keen on a parade but the club turned down the opportunity. We invited them to a civic reception.'
Rangers plan to have a celebration once the players return to pre-season training. Mail
re the "No Parade" - This posted on Hammersmith Council SiteLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Website
"Cllr Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Residents'' Services, said: "The council was very keen on a parade but Queens Park Rangers turned down this opportunity. We will however be inviting them to a civic reception with the Mayor of the borough."
From H&F Council on 11/05/2011 at 11:58 - HF Council
[Hopefully pure Tabloid, although of course, Ranieri, both recently and in the past, have been linked to QPR]
Mirror - Martin Lipton - QPR want Ranieri to replace Warnock
EXCLUSIVE
Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri is being lined up to replace Neil Warnock at Championship winners QPR.
The Loftus Road club's millionaire owners want their fellow countryman to take their side back into the Premier League.
Ranieri, out of work since being sacked by Roma in February, knows Rangers chief Gianni Paladini well and is expected in London in the next few days to discuss a return to English football.
That comes despite the QPR chairman describing the prospect of Warnock being sacked as "nonsense" .
Warnock had questioned his own position publicly following the confirmation the club would not have points deducted over the signing of Alejandro Faurlin.
Ranieri spent four years at Stamford Bridge after replacing Gianluca Vialli in 2000, and has since been at Valencia, Parma, Juventus and his first love, Roma.
The 59-year-old, the first man to suffer from the death by a thousand cuts under Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, has never hidden a desire to come back to English football.
Pressed on the possibility of taking charge at Loftus Road, he said: "I don't know anything about QPR.
"But I love English football and if something happened I'd think about it." Mirror
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
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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