Stoke vs QPR
Stoke: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Pennant, Delap, Whitehead, Etherington, Crouch, Walters. Subs: Begovic, Whelan, Jones, Fuller, Wilson, Upson, Palacios.
QPR: Kenny, Young, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Hill; Wright-Phillips, Barton, Faurlin, Traore, Mackie, Helguson. Subs: Murphy, Orr, Derry, Buzsaky, Smith, Hewitt.
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- Decade Flashback: "The Fall and Fall of QPR"
- Three Ex-QPR Birthdays today: Seaman, Channing and Evatt
- Six Year Flashback: QPR Had NINE Players Booked in a Game
- Manchester City's almost 200 Million Pound Loss in one year
- Today: STOKE City- Past Results...Played for Both Clubs
- Three Year Ago Flashback: Paulo Sousa Appointed Manager of QPR
Neil Warnock's Weekly Column in The Independent
Mostly about the Grand Prix...But again thanks Gianni...Also re Stoke...Players he wants to loan out...and Blatter
QPR Official Site
NW: QPR HAPPIEST CLUB YOU'LL FIND
Posted on: Fri 18 Nov 2011
Neil Warnock says he is delighted with the direction the Club is heading in since the arrival of Tony Fernandes as Chairman.
The QPR Manager was speaking at his weekly Press Conference this morning ahead of Saturday's trip to Stoke City, and he revealed: "On and off the field, since Tony Fernandes came in, I think we are one of the happiest Clubs you'll ever get."
And in reference to the January transfer window, he added: "We have got loads of targets.
"The Board are businessmen and they are very enthusiastic. In fact, sometimes they want players more than me, and you can't kill that enthusiasm.
"But we are still trying to get value for money and we are not going to throw money away stupidly. So we are looking at different targets and we are looking at the Asian market too - not necessarily for First Team players, but for players who we think will develop.
"And that's the word we are using at QPR at the minute because we are developing the Club.
"There is so much that needs doing here, and everybody wants to do it yesterday! But we have got to get the foundations right.
"That's the exciting part. There's been a lot going on behind the scenes and we are moving in the right direction, but we've still got a long way to go."
On all-important team news for the Britannia Stadium trip, Warnock admitted it was unlikely Adel Taarabt would feature.
The Moroccan missed our last Premier League outing against Manchester City with a stomach bug, and Warnock said: "Adel has been with Morocco all this week so he possibly won't be involved on Saturday.
"But it's nothing untoward, and I am sure he will be back to full training with us next week.
"The pleasing thing for us this week has been Kieron Dyer (foot) running out on the field now with Matt Connolly (ankle), and Akos Buzsaky (Achilles) is back in the frame.
"The lads on the fringes injury-wise have all come through and had a good week, and I hope they can continue in that mould.
"DJ Campbell (foot) has had his protective boot removed, and it will probably still be two or three weeks before he can return to full training.
"He's obviously been disappointed with the injury because he, like Kieron, wanted to be right at the forefront of what we're doing.
"But it's one of those things that they have to overcome. And when you come through periods like that, you become better people.
"And if anyone can overcome it, it's the lads we're talking about. As Jamie Mackie has done after nine months out."
The R's visit a Stoke side who have scored 75% of their goals this season from dead-ball situations, and Warnock said: "They are fantastic at set pieces and we have looked at that all week.
"You can't do anything about them, you've just got to have a bit of luck on the day. They are going to get opportunities but we have just got to try and play when we can, and score goals. That's the answer, it's not rocket science.
"I have had my spats with Tony Pulis over the years but I really admire what he has done, to stabilise a Club like Stoke and become almost a regular Premier League team, and do it in the right way.
"They have added good players every year they have stayed up, and they play a lot more football than people give them credit for."
Don't forget you can listen to LIVE COVERAGE of our match against Stoke City with QPR Player.
Our Live Matchday Show starts at 2pm for unrivalled QPR build-up.
http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~2520019,00.html
QPR manager hails ‘shining light’ Paladini
West London Sport
18/11/2011
by Lyall Thomas
QPR manager Neil Warnock has hailed former chairman Gianni Paladini as a “shining light” during some dark days at Loftus Road.
Paladini acquired a stake in the club in 2004 and won a boardroom battle that led to the ousting of lifelong Rangers supporter Bill Power the following year, before continuing as chairman under the unpopular ownership of Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore.
Rangers confirmed on Wednesday that the Italian’s involvement with the club was over – 90 days after he was removed as chairman following the Tony Fernandes-led takeover.
“There have been times when it would have been very difficult without Gianni,” Warnock said. “Yes we had problems but we overcame them and now we are where we are – in the Premier League.
“He’s been the shining light for me through one or two grey days during previous ownerships. He’s really helped me and I would like to say a big thank you to him for that. I’ve had such a good time with him.”
Manager Warnock had a close relationship with Paladini
He added: “I’m sure he’ll have a part to play in football over the months and years because you won’t keep him out. I’ll miss his Italian accent and I just hope we will still get to go to Italy on pre-season tours.”
Rangers travel to Stoke on Saturday after positive performances against Tottenham and Manchester City both ended in defeat before the international break.
But striker Jay Bothroyd, who scored in both matches, says the R’s will be looking to take the momentum gained up to the Britannia Stadium in search of a third away win of the season.
Bothroyd said: “Stoke are a very good side and tough to beat away, but we look at this as a game we can impose ourselves on.
“Hopefully we can get some points from the next three games because we’ve come together – we believe in ourselves now.” West London Sport
SKY - Warnock would listen to offers
QPR manager realises former star has been tested by top flight
Last Updated: November 18, 2011
Adel Taarabt: PSG were thought to be close to signing the forward in the summer
Neil Warnock admits his relationship with Adel Taarabt has been tested by the Premier League and the QPR boss would not think twice about accepting a £20million offer for the forward.
Taarabt, who has been linked with a move away to Paris St Germain, is set to miss QPR's trip to Stoke on Saturday after spending the week away on international duty with Morocco.
The 22-year-old was brought off at half-time in QPR's 3-1 defeat at Tottenham and was then left out of the starting line-up for the home defeat by Manchester City.
Warnock admitted Taarabt has not fitted in as well this season as QPR adapted to cope with the heightened demands of the Premier League.
Asked specifically whether QPR would sell if PSG hardened their reported interest in Taarabt, Warnock said: "I would drive him over if they offered us £20million.
System
"You are never going to change Adel. I don't think we have ever been hunky-dory in our relationship. It is just a different culture that some players have.
"You have to try and fit it into the team situation. We did that quite well last year. It has not worked as well this year because we are playing at a different level.
"We have had to adjust the system that we play so it has been very difficult to get Adel into our system at the moment."
Warnock also paid tribute to former chairman Gianni Paladini, who has left QPR by mutual consent after eight years at Loftus Road.
"I have had such a good time with Gianni," said Warnock. "He has probably been the shining light for me through quite a few grey nights with one or two previous ownerships, should we say, and there have been times where it would have been very difficult without Gianni.
.I would like to say a big thank you to him. We had a great time. Last year we had problems but we overcame them and I am sure he will have a part to play in football because you will not keep him out of that."
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11711/7315325/
Bothroyd Speaks
Sky - I'm proud of my race'
"There is always going to be racism in football" - Jay Bothroyd speaks exclusively about prejudice, life at QPR and Joey Barton's part-time philosophy
By Peter Fraser -
England ambition: Jay Bothroyd hopes he will earn a recall to Fabio Capello's squad
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is facing calls to resign after shocking Britain by stating racism does not exist in football. Jay Bothroyd knows that is not the case and fears the discrimination will never be eradicated.
The Queens Park Rangers striker has previously described himself as being of a 'mixed-race background' and he has experienced prejudice first-hand. He admitted in October a case was ongoing from the two years he spent at Italian club Perugia between 2003 and 2005.
Bothroyd has also now revealed he has been the subject of racist abuse on Twitter, which follows a concerning pattern. Two teenagers were arrested earlier in November before later being released on bail for sending Newcastle United's Sammy Ameobi a racist message on the social networking site. Police are also investigating a separate case in which insults were sent via Twitter to Sunderland's Fraizer Campbell.
The Football Association is attempting to combat racism through campaigns such as Kick It Out, and on Wednesday the governing body charged Liverpool's Luis Suarez with verbally abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. An FA and police investigation is also taking place after England captain John Terry was alleged to have made racist remarks towards Bothroyd's QPR team-mate, Anton Ferdinand."I have been in football a long time now and I have lots of experiences. I have worked with different managers and I have learnt you do not waste your time. "
Jay Bothroyd
Quotes of the week
Blatter's out-of-touch comments suggested a cure to on-field racism could be post-match handshakes. This is ludicrous and Bothroyd, with a saddening acceptance, does not think there will ever be a solution to an institutionalised problem.
"There is always going to be racism in football, because there is always that one narrow-minded person, from a fan's point of view, in the crowd," QPR's former Cardiff forward told skysports.com. "What can you do about that? There is nothing you can do. Obviously you can punish him once you have caught him, but you can't say anything to him before.
"There is going to be racist people, but they are narrow-minded. The way I react is you don't let them get to you. I have been racially abused on Twitter. I have been racially abused on the pitch. You just don't reply, you block it out. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of my race. That is the way I look at it. I look at things in a positive way."
The FA is still considering what action, if any, to take regarding the accusations of Terry comments to Ferdinand, which are alleged to have taken place in QPR's 1-0 win over Chelsea at Loftus Road on 23rd October.
Terry and Chelsea have come under intense scrutiny as a result. But Bothroyd, who was an unused substitute in the match, does not believe QPR, last season's Championship winners, have lost their focus.
Choice
"It hasn't affected QPR and it hasn't affected Anton," he explained. "He has been very professional. He has said all he has to say. I think everyone has given their statements now and it is down to the FA to deal with it how they see fit."
QPR have not allowed the racism row to make an impact and neither has Bothroyd. Having left Cardiff as a free agent in the summer after three successful years in Wales, the former Arsenal trainee is enjoying life back in London.
It was a difficult start to the season, as Bothroyd struggled to find the form which saw him score 20 goals in all competitions in his final campaign for Cardiff. The goalscoring talents which earned him an England debut against France in November 2010 appeared to have disappeared.
Neil Warnock consequently decided to drop Bothroyd from his starting line-up and had a heart-to-heart with the ex-Coventry, Blackburn, Charlton, Wolves and Stoke player. The discussions appear to have worked, with two goals scored in as many matches, albeit in the most-recent defeats to Tottenham and Manchester City.
"I am really settled," Bothroyd said of life at QPR. "The first six games, the gaffer said to me, 'you have been doing everything, but you haven't scored'. So he left me out for a couple of games and I worked hard in training and got back in. My hard work has paid off with the goals of late.
"It is a little bit difficult coming from a club where I played 4-4-2 for three years and a lot of things went through me. Now it is a bit different and I guess it is very much a team. I wasn't a one-man team last year at Cardiff by any stretch of any means. But a lot of the play came through me at Cardiff.
"Now there are a lot of talented players in the ranks of QPR. We have got Shaun Wright-Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Joey Barton is in there, Alejandro Faurlin. There are really good players. Now it is different, a different formation, which I had to adapt to. Of late, my hard work, my extra sessions and finishing practice, it has been paying off."
A factor in Bothroyd's acclimatisation at Loftus Road has been the excellent camaraderie. After being given the choice while on a pre-season tour of singing a song or dancing on a bar as part of his induction - "my voice isn't the best, so I did a little two-step" - he has been made to feel welcome.
"There are a lot of characters at QPR, to be honest, and the banter is very good," he said. "On away trips, there is always banter. It is really enjoyable. The way the manager has the training ground and training area is very much a relaxed environment. That is credit to the manager. Everyone likes playing for him and working for him. He has a bit of banter. He winds a few of the boys up, disses people about their clothes, their gear and their hair. He gets a bit of stick back. He is a lovely guy."
Jay Bothroyd: The striker scored 20 goals for Cardiff last season before joining QPR in the summer
Twitter, although Bothroyd has experienced the negative sides of the networking tool, has also proved effective in the settling process at QPR. Bothroyd is himself a keen tweeter, but he has no plans to follow the lead of team-mate, captain and part-time theorist Joey Barton.
"That's not me," laughed Bothroyd. "I don't want to be a philosopher. Joey likes to think he knows it all and he tries to comment on everything and talk to high-profile people. I just use Twitter for speaking to the fans, interacting with the fans and giving them feedback. They are there for us through thick and thin, away and at home, and if I can help people, that is what I use it for."
Perspective
Returning to the Premier League at the age of 29 means Bothroyd is back in the big time at what should be a peak stage of his career. He needs to prove his ability and attitude to some critics at the highest level. He also hopes goals in England's leading division will earn him a recall for his country.
Bothroyd spent the recent international break training with his club, while also relaxing along with team-mates Wright-Phillips and Heidar Helguson at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi courtesy of QPR owner and Team Lotus principal Tony Fernandes.
Bothroyd would rather have been playing for England in the wins over Spain and Sweden. But he took encouragement after talking with members of Fabio Capello's staff who also work for Manchester City after they watched him score in City's 3-2 win two weeks ago.
"The international break is always a bit of a bummer, because if you are not called up with the national squad then there are a very small number of players who are training with you," reflected Bothroyd. "But we deal with it as best we can.
"Obviously I want to be involved (with England). The only way I can be involved is by playing well for my club. That is what I am continuing to do and, fingers crossed, I get a recall. I am very proud of my one cap. There are not many people in football who can say they have an England cap, so I am very privileged that I have that and I want to have more."
Bothroyd will hope to carry his rediscovered goalscoring form into Saturday afternoon's trip to former club Stoke. He knows it will be a tricky 90 minutes against the team of Tony Pulis, who he held transfer talks with in the summer, but QPR need to end a two-game losing run ahead of winnable matches with Norwich and West Brom.
"The fans are really good at Stoke - very loud and very vocal," said Bothroyd. "The stadium is very intimidating and we know it is going to be a tough game. We know it is going to be physical. But Tony Pulis has done well. They are an established Premier League side now and it is a game we look at and know it is going to be a test.
"But we want to get maximum points. These next three games are very important. No disrespect to the likes of West Brom, but they are in the same pool as us, so we are looking to get maximum points."
That QPR consider themselves to be 'in the same pool' as experienced Premier League sides is helped by the influence of Fernandes. After buying out Bernie Ecclestone in August, the Malaysian entrepreneur has brought realism to Loftus Road.
The likes of Ferdinand, Wright-Phillips and Barton have all matched Bothroyd in being convinced to join QPR, but there have not been any of the brash promises which can often follow takeovers.
"He has brought stability to the club," Bothroyd said of Fernandes. "He has brought money (laughing). He is a very genuine person and a very nice guy, very down to earth, very humble. I speak to him pretty regularly. When we are playing, he says, 'well done'. He has a very good relationship with the manager. The manager is very happy that there is now new ownership and the gaffer has signed a few players, like he said he would in the summer when I spoke to him. I feel we are going in the right direction."
And, for Bothroyd, the time is perfect to be making forward progress in a varied professional life which has already taken in eight clubs in an 11-year senior career.
"I feel like I am still 22-years-old," he said. "I go out and I still lash balls before training before stretching and all of that stuff. I am happy I am back in the Premiership. I am enjoying every minute of it. It is all about the Premiership. There is no better league. Barring (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi, I honestly think the best players are in England and I am sure there will be more imports as well."
Bothroyd added with a personal perspective: "There are lots of experiences throughout a career. I have been in football a long time now and I have lots of experiences. I went to Italy. I was at Wolves. I went to Blackburn. I have worked with different managers and I have learnt you do not waste your time.
"You go in and train every day, put everything you have into training and hopefully you get your rewards. Over the last three or four years, I have got rewards. I have represented my country. I scored 20 goals last year and this year it has started off well. Hopefully it can continue. I will continue working hard and we will see what has happened at the end of the season."
Jay Bothroyd was playing Need for Speed: The Run, OUT NOW on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and 3DS. Visit www.uk.needforspeed.com for more information or go to www.hmv.com to order your copy now. #NFSTheRun Sky
Jay: My son was signed up at QPR before I arrived .
JAY BOTHROYD has negotiated a new goal bonus at QPR.
Not for himself — but for his eight-year-old son Mace.
Bothroyd followed in his boy's footsteps by joining Rangers in the summer.
The England striker signed for the Hoops just a few weeks after his lad was snapped up by the West London club.
He said: "He joined the Academy shortly before I came to the club.
"He was really pleased when I signed for QPR as well.
FAMILY AFFAIR ... Jay 'n Mace
"He's enjoying his football and learning fast. He came up to me last week and said he wanted a goal bonus. So I agreed to give him £1 for every goal he scored.
"Then he went out the following week and scored a hat-trick!"
Islington-born Bothroyd, 29, snubbed a new deal at Cardiff to return to London.
He said: "My son is here and he is at an age where I want to spend a lot of time with him. I want to do the things other dads do and really be there for him."
That means standing on the touchline watching him play in defence or midfield for Rangers' Under-9s.
He said: "While some of the other parents are shouting encouragement and instructions at their kids, I just stand quietly.
"As a player, I know there is no point me putting pressure on him when he is so young.
"I just want him to enjoy his football and progress slowly.
"I might occasionally give him some advice after training and matches and point out where he could have done better. But I certainly don't moan at him and put it across that way. He doesn't need that kind of pressure.
"But he criticises me. He said to me after the Manchester City game, 'You should have scored that header — I would've scored it'.
"But he's a good boy. He's enjoying his football and that's the main thing. As a dad, you don't want to push your son into something he doesn't want to do.
"He has to find his own way. I'm glad he likes football and I give him advice. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I made."
Bothroyd was kicked out of Arsenal as a teen, throwing his shirt at Don Howe after being substituted in a youth cup final. He was sold to Coventry for £1million and also had spells with Perugia, Charlton and Wolves as well as loan stints at Blackburn and Stoke.
He said: "Everyone knows about the mistake I made at Arsenal.
"It was 11 years ago but people still ask me about it all the time. I still don't know if I'll ever be allowed to forget it. It was a big mistake but you have to learn from your mistakes. I was just a boy. It was a moment of madness. I shouldn't have done it and maybe they should have handled it in a different way. I think even Arsene Wenger has said that since.
"He also said I was one of the most talented youngsters he has worked with and was very happy when I got an England call-up.
"That compliment meant a lot to me because he's one of the best managers in the world and produces lots of good players."
So what would he do if Mace reacted the same way to being taken off? The doting dad admitted: "I would be really angry with him."
But right now Bothroyd Snr is Daddy Cool after having a PlayStation installed in the back of his £60,000 Range Rover. The star, who has been playing EA's new game Need For Speed: The Run, said: "My son and his friends play on it all the time — they think I'm the coolest dad in town."
Bothroyd will be looking to score for the third match running when he leads the newly-promoted R's attack at Stoke today.
He said: "Tony Pulis was one of the managers I spoke with in the summer. He is a really nice guy and has assembled a very good squad.
"They lost 5-0 to Bolton in their last game which was highly unexpected and probably the last thing we wanted.
"We know it's going to be a tough game but we have to go there and work hard and play as a team.
"The only way for us is up. We just want to keep improving." The Sun
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- The QPR Poppy Shirts for Charity: When are they/will they be put on sale
- The QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC): Is that still in "limbo' almost six months later?
