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MONDAY REPORTING RE QPR, The Leak, The Fan, The Site
[QPR Report Messageboard Discussion re this issue]
Guardian/Paul Doyle
Neil Warnock demands unity as Joey Barton criticises Adel Taarabt
• Barton criticises QPR's Taarabt for sulking
• A mole has been leaking QPR's team news
Neil Warnock's attempt to keep Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League has been complicated by a double outbreak of dressing-room discontent, as Joey Barton publicly criticised the attitude of his team‑mate Adel Taarabt while Warnock called for help to catch a mole who is leaking team secrets.
Barton, speaking on live radio, said that Taarabt should have apologised for his reaction to being substituted during the 6-0 defeat by Fulham this month when he walked straight out of the stadium and took a bus home. Barton also indicated that the Moroccan only had himself to blame for his poor performances so far this season.
"At the end of the day this is the top level of world football, and if you're not prepared to work hard you'll come up massively short," Barton told Rock 'N' Roll Football on Absolute Radio Extra. "If I was Adel and I had Adel's ability I'd not be wanting to come up short having not worked hard enough. He was told he was a genius; I've yet to see it, and I don't know whether that's because he doesn't work hard enough or whether he tends to sulk. I'm happy that he's upset really because it shows he does care, but there's a way of doing it. He wouldn't like to come in and apologise for doing that, and maybe didn't think he needed to, but to a lot of the senior players maybe he should have."
The relationship between Barton and Taarabt – both forceful, idiosyncratic characters – was always likely to be fraught but Warnock will know that the club will have a better chance of staying in the top flight if he can get both of them playing together to their full potential. He will also know that may not be possible.
Taarabt, who was the inspiration behind the club's promotion last term, has struggled to make an impact so far this season. He was dropped against Blackburn and only came on in the 64th minute, after which he missed his team's best chance of the game, scuffing wide when clean through on goal.
Christopher Samba's 24th-minute header from a corner followed Heidar Helguson's 16th-minute strike for the hosts to share the points. Taarabt reportedly told journalists in Morocco last week that he wants to leave QPR in January. Warnock claimed to be unconcerned and declined to reveal whether he dropped Taarabt against Blackburn for disciplinary or performance reasons. The manager did, however, vent his fury at that decision being leaked, along with the rest of his line-up, the day before the match on the QPR fans' website WeAreTheRangersBoys.com. He believes that was another symptom of dressing room dissent, suggesting that the person who posted the information – under the pseudonym RicRoc – must be close to one of the club's disgruntled players. He vowed to publish RicRoc's email address and encourage QPR fans to "bombard him with rubbish."
"Things like that should be kept in-house," said Warnock. "It's possibly a player contributing that's probably not wanted. I hope our loyal fans get hold of him – I'll definitely put it on our website – and bombard him with rubbish. It's disappointing when it comes from the dressing room. That's the only place it could have come from. Obviously the person has got some good inside information. We'll have to tighten things up."
The Guardian emailed RicRoc, who refused to reveal the source of his information, but did reply thus: "Neil Warnock can say what he wants, he is merely deflecting away from the fact QPR performed poorly for the third game running I am his biggest supporter and will remain so regardless.
"I know the line-up every week but have never ever posted it online. I made a post yesterday concerning DJ Campbell's injury and Jamie Mackie's return. It was info that national media report on 24/7 so thought no more of it. When I realised this wasn't the case in this instance I personally asked the owner of watrb to remove it. At the same time I was contacted by the club and asked pretty much the same as you have asked me. The post was not removed, why? Hits? Site traffic? Hmmm. If NW wants to talk to me personally, you know where I am. Guardian
TELEGRAPH/Ben Findon
QPR manager Neil Warnock in the hunt for dressing room whistle blower
Careless talk costs points. Neil Warnock has uncovered enemies within at Queens Park Rangers and the manager is taking immediate action after some unerringly accurate team news for Saturday’s match was posted in advance on a website.
Warnock’s plans to give Heidar Helguson and Jamie Mackie their first starts of the season and leave Adel Taraabt on the subsitutes’ bench, along with news of DJ Campbell’s training ground injury on Thursday, were blown wide open by a supporter, and the QPR manager was in withering mood after his revamped side were held by struggling Blackburn.
“I hope our loyal fans get hold of the person as I will definitely put it on our website so that they can bombard him,” Warnock said. “They are lower than the low. They can’t be a QPR fan, that is for certain.”
Warnock is hot on the trail of the source of the story. “It is disappointing as it has come from the dressing room. I’ve got ideas but you can’t start pointing fingers, can you? We will have to tighten things up.”
The QPR manager also has a leak to plug in his defence, who were unable to deal with the aerial menace of Blackburn’s Christopher Samba and paid the price when the ironclad defender thumped home a header eight minutes after Helguson had given QPR the lead.
Warnock was on the warpath again over Campbell’s broken metatarsal, blaming his training footwear. “If you see the yellow boots they wear, they are like carpet slippers.”
QPR look short in attack, but that will be addressed in January, according to chairman Tony Fernandes, who said: “We may end up with five [new] players.
"We definitely have to strengthen the squad, there are no two ways about it. Up front, we could do with a little more depth.”
Down in the Blackburn bunker, it was not fully apparent just how useful Friday’s intelligence from west London had been, particularly with manager Steve Kean admitting he had set up his team, with Jason Lowe in a deep holding role, especially to counter the threat of Taarabt.
In any case it’s a case of keeping calm and carrying on for Kean, whose side slipped to the bottom of the table through results elsewhere. He could at least be encouraged by his side’s application.... Telegraph
INDEPENDENT
Barton reveals the bad blood caused by Taarabt's walkout
Queen's Park Rangers 1 Blackburn Rovers 1
By Jack Pitt-Brooke at Loftus Road
Monday, 17 October 2011
After only a second home goal of the season and with the wait for a top-flight win here now extending to 15-and-a-half years, Queen's Park Rangers' troubles were added to late on Saturday when Joey Barton launched into team-mate Adel Taarabt. The Moroccan stormed out of Craven Cottage at half-time a fortnight ago with his side halfway toward a 6-0 defeat, posing for photographs with fans at a bus stop outside the ground.
Barton was less than sympathetic, revealing Taarabt has yet to apologise for his actions at Fulham. "He should be getting a lot [of criticism]," Barton told Talksport. "He wouldn't like to come in and apologise for doing that, and he didn't think he needed to. That game, he told me he was a genius; I've yet to see it, and I don't know whether that's because he doesn't work hard enough or tends to sulk. This is the top level of world football, and if you're not prepared to work hard, you'll come up massively short.
"If I had Adel's ability I'd be not wanting to come up short, having not worked hard enough. There'll be times when players come in and out, but their reaction, their attitude to it is going to be most important, not getting the bus home with fans and storming off."
Other events hardly lifted the mood either, QPR manager Neil Warnock left furious that his starting XI had been leaked online prior to a dour 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers. A fans forum carried a post on Friday full of sensitive team news: Taarabt's relegation to the bench and DJ Campbell's suspected broken metatarsal, which has ruled him out for up to two months.
"I think it's a disgrace, with an alleged supporter trying to get kudos" Warnock said. "He's definitely not a supporter, he's trying to get us beat."
The nature of the information points to its source being a disgruntled player. "It's disappointing when it comes from the dressing room. That's the only place it could have come from."
Warnock need not have worried. The rogue communications were not intercepted at Ewood Park. Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, admitted after the game that he arranged his team with the intent of stopping Taarabt. It was not until the midfielder came on in the second half that there was a chance made from open play. Both goals, which came within eight first-half minutes, were down to preventable failures of marking from corner-kicks – Heidar Helguson opening the scoring for the home side before Chris Samba's headed equaliser. Neither side played with any imagination, trust or fluency. Neither side made a particularly strong case that they will be in the Premier League next season.
Kean revealed after the game that Junior Hoilett, his brightest attacker on Saturday, is on the brink of signing a new deal.
Scorers: Queen's Park Rangers Helguson 16. Blackburn Rovers Samba 24.
Substitutes: QPR Taarabt 6 (Mackie, 64), Smith (Wright-Phillips, 83). Blackburn Goodwillie 6 (Roberts, 67).
Booked: QPR Hall, Traore, Wright-Phillips. Blackburn Nzonzi, Lowe
Man of the match Lowe.
Match rating 2/10.
Possession: QPR 51% Blackburn 49%.
Attempts on target: QPR 6 Blackburn 9.
Referee M Clattenburg (Co Durham). Attendance 16,487 INDEPENDENT
Furious Warnock blasts 'mole' who posted QPR team selection on fans forum
By Sami Mokbel
Neil Warnock has accused a ‘mole’ in the Queens Park Rangers camp of leaking team secrets.
The Loftus Road manager was furious when details of his team selection ahead of Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against Blackburn were posted on a fans forum website on Friday afternoon.
Warnock said: ‘So, this supporter puts on this website that DJ Campbell has broken his foot, Heidar Helguson is playing, Jamie Mackie is playing and Adel Taarabt is out.
‘I think it is a disgrace that a supporter tried to get kudos like that. That should be kept in house - it is disappointing.
‘It is possibly a player contributing that is probably not wanted, but that is life. I hope our loyal fans get hold of the person as I will definitely put it on our website so that they can bombard him.
‘I am not bothered who it is. It is the low of the low. They can’t be a QPR fan that is a cert.’ Warnock now says he will have to keep his wits about him in the future to avoid a repeat of last week’s scenario.
‘I can’t pull my staff and tell them, you have to trust them,’ said Warnock. ‘But unfortunately, apart from the team that are playing, we will have to let the other lads train in the afternoon on a Friday.
‘That is the best thing. You can’t start pointing fingers, can you? You have to start just having the team in and everyone else come away from it.
‘It is disappointing as it has come from the dressing room. That is the only place that it could have come from because the person who put it out has good inside information.
On level terms: Chris Samba watches his header loop into the goal
On level terms: Chris Samba watches his header loop into the goal
‘Helguson gave QPR a 16th minute lead before Chris Samba’s towering header eight minutes later earned Rovers a point.
Nevertheless, the result left Blackburn bottom of the table and Kean said: ‘You have to use any point to gain some type of momentum - overall it’s a decent point.
‘I thought we did enough to get three points and the lads are disappointed. But I think that is a good sign when you come from a goal behind and you are still disappointed when you get a point on the road Mail
EXPRESS
QPR 1 - BLACKBURN 1: NEIL WARNOCK’S WAIL OVER LEAKY DRESSING ROOM
Neil Warnock was furious that his team selection was leaked by a fan
Monday October 17,2011
By Simon Yeend
NEIL WARNOCK has gone all twitchy about one of his players tipping a fan on team selection and the news ending up on a forum website.
QPR are still waiting for their first home win and their manager’s anger probably stems as much from that as leaks in the dressing room.
Warnock said: “It’s a disgrace. The supporter is obviously trying to get us beaten and I hope our loyal fans get hold of him, as I will definitely put it on our website so they can bombard him.
“It is disappointing as it has come from the dressing room. That is the only place it could have come from. It is possibly a player who is probably not wanted.” Warnock was forced into his reshuffle after DJ Campbell suffered a suspected broken metatarsal in training.
Heidar Helguson took Campbell’s place and scored his first Premier League goal since February 2008 to put QPR in front. But sloppy defending allowed Chris Samba a free header from a corner to equalise.
Blackburn went bottom, but boss Steve Kean is delighted that they look to be close to agreeing a new contract with midfielder Junior Hoilett. He said: “We are desperate to keep him.” Express
POSTED SUNDAY: A QPR REPORT PERSEPCTIVE RE THE CLUB AND A FAN
On Friday a poster on a QPR messageboard posted information about a player's injury and team selection against Blackburn. (Many fans on various QPR Boards (including on the QPR Report messageboard) derided the "In The Know" Information.)
However as became evident, it turned out that this fan indeed had "In The Know" information.
After the Blackburn match which resulted in a 1-1 draw, QPR manager Neil Warnock berated the QPR Fan and showed a piece of paper with the fan's email address. Taking it a step further, the QPR Official Site then posted under Warnock's comments, this fan's email address.
As posted on the QPR Official Site re Warnock's Post-Match Comments "...The QPR boss was also keen to have his say on a leak that appeared on an internet fans forum on Friday, which revealed intimate details regarding his team selection.
Showing a piece of paper with an e-mail address which read *******@**** [Email address deleted by QPR Report], he said: "It's disappointing that a 'so-called' QPR fan leaks confidential information about the team the day before a big match. "I can't get my head around things like this. As a QPR fan, he certainly didn't do me any favours." QPR Official Site
The QPR Report perspective:
- The club has a leaker...The club should deal with him (or her).
- The Club Posted a fan's email on their official site...Bad enough for Warnock to show a piece of paper with the email...Wrong. Very wrong. But that might be viewed as heat of the moment. (Bad enough to even name him, which I think Holloway did once with another QPR . But this is worse). Even worse is the Club Official Site posting the Email...as part of Warnock's comments (As if the club always posts everything said by the manager!)
- Now many messageboard posters, including the named fan himself, are speculating as to how the club obtained this fan's private email address: If it should turn out to have been passed on to the club by someone running that messageboard, that would be, to put it mildly, rather unfortunate!
- As for the actual poster who posted his "In the Know" Information: Should he have done it? Well sometimes one does something without fully thinking it through. Or not considering possible negatives.
- But the fan says he heard from the club...And then he requested directly to the owner of the messageboard to remove the post. It was. And then was put back on by the owner supposedly at the request of the club. (That of course makes manager Warnock's outburst a little harder to fathom - assuming he knew all the ins and outs.)
- It also raises questions of how the club should interact with fans messageboards (and the rest of Social media). And how messageboards should interact with the club.
- But the bottom line and the central issue. The club should never have listed that poster's contact details. Doesn't matter the ins and out of what that poster might have done. The club went a "Bridge too far" and if they haven't done so yet, they should blank out the name and email (as the mainstream media did.)