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Paul Warburton/Ealing Gazette
No-go for QPR ground site
Jan 20 2012 By Paul Warburton
QPR and Chelsea hopes of moving to a new ground in Hammersmith & Fulham turned to rubble this week when owners of one of the last available sites slapped a prohibitive £220 million price tag on it.
That would be the cost of the bare land – never mind building the stadium needed to develop the former Dairy Crest site at the end of South Africa Road in White City.
The 10.7acre site is just a hefty goalkick from outdated Loftus Road. But just as important, the land is also due a second public consultation next month over plans to turn into houses and flat that will kill Rangers chances of a move down the road stone dead.
In fact, owners Helical Bar reckon any switch within the borough for either club is nigh on impossible, and after a total 202 years demands a departure from H&F if they are to find new homes.
The property developers beat Fulham to the punch when they bought the White City land in 2002, and although the Whites made an attempt to buy it a second time soon after, quickly lost interest when they tried and failed to sell Craven Cottage for residential use.
Chelsea have likewise tested the water on ditching the restrictive 41,000 Stamford Bridge but not only ran into the same problems – they also got outvoted by Chelsea Pitch Owners who have power of veto over the Bridge’s sale.
Rangers’ priority is a training ground with Warren Farm in Osterley the favoured choice as exclusively revealed here last week. The Park Club in Acton is the back-up plan – but new boss Mark Hughes was likewise sold on a new stadium as part of the club's ambitious plans.
It won’t be in Hammersmith & Fulham, according to Helical Bar director Matthew Bonning-Snook.
“Prime land earmarked for residential use in west London might cost anything up to £20m an acre,” he said. “You not only need billionaire owners, but an ability to persuade the council and the Greater London Authority the land would be better served as a football stadium.” Gazette
AMIT BHATIA TWEETING THURSDAY RE TRANSFER ACTIVITY
Amit_Bhatia99 Amit Bhatia
So many moving parts to each deal that can only hope to conclude as soon as possible. I'm as keen as anyone to bring in sooner than later.
I'm hopeful we'll bring in good players before the end of the window. Would have liked to bring in before Saturday but may not be possible.
Have to balance our desire of bringing in players with what's realistic to pay for them. Rest assured everyone is working hard though....
Everyone is working hard behind the scenes to add quality and strength to the squad. Its difficult to do business this window but we at it..
BBC
Neil Warnock says his reputation was 'slowly poisoned' at QPR
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Page last updated at 19:57 GMT, Thursday, 19 January 2012
E-mail this to a friendPrintable version Warnock was sacked after a run of eight Premier League games without a win Neil Warnock says he lost his Queens Park Rangers job as his reputation was 'slowly poisoned' by critics from within and outside the club.
He claimed a "lack of football experience" in the hierarchy left QPR open to "manipulative" people.
The 63-year-old said he was unhappy fans and players were able to talk to owner Tony Fernandes through Twitter.
Warnock told BBC Sport his achievements at the club were "almost a miracle" given what "I've had to contend with".
"Even the owner Tony...I know the influence he'll have had from certain people over the past few weeks," Warnock said.
QPR'S RECENT LEAGUE FORMContinue reading the main story
•2 Jan: QPR 1-2 Norwich City
•31 Dec: Arsenal 1-0 QPR
•27 Dec: Swansea 1-1 QPR
•21 Dec: QPR 2-3 Sunderland
•18 Dec: QPR 0-2 Man Utd
•10 Dec: Liverpool 1-0 QPR
•3 Dec: QPR 1-1 West Brom
•26 Nov: Norwich 2-1 QPR
"It would have been difficult to resist because people get on the phone and tweet and it's almost like slowly poisoning somebody from outside the club and no doubt from within the club as well.
"It's a dangerous precedent if you let players talk to the chairman but, you know, you can't stop tweeting."
QPR sacked Warnock 11 days ago and he has spoken about his dismissal at length for the first time, saying:
•he was disappointed Fernandes did not sack him face-to-face - instead chief executive Philip Beard delivered the news;
•he was surprised at the decision but has no bitterness towards QPR;
•his successor Mark Hughes is a "good manager", but Warnock "wished he had [Hughes's] agent";
•football had become "immoral" because of players' wages, and the manager's role was not as enjoyable anymore;
•he did not want to discuss midfielder Joey Barton as he "just wants to talk about positive things at the club".
After guiding the London club to the Premier League during the 2010-11 season, the former Sheffield United and Crystal Palace boss was initially backed by Fernandes.
But despite a poor run of results, Warnock says that "he didn't see [being sacked] coming," and believes the Caterham F1 team boss should have told him personally.
"I received a text saying the owners had been talking long into the night and Phil Beard, the new chief executive, asked if he could come and see me so I told him to come to our house and when I saw him I felt sorry for him and said, 'don't worry - it's nothing to do with you, this'.
NEIL WARNOCK FACTFILEContinue reading the main story
•1948: Born 1 December, in Sheffield
•1967: Begins playing career at Chesterfield aged 19
•1981: First full-time managerial job with Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity
•1987: Leads non-league Scarborough into Football League
•1993: Guides Huddersfield to Autoglass Trophy final at Wembley in his first season
•1999: Appointed Sheffield United boss after spells with Notts County, Plymouth, Oldham and Bury
•2003: Reaches FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals with the Blades
•2006: Manages in Premier League for the first time after the Blades win promotion
•May 2007: Leaves Bramall Lane after Premier League relegation
•October 2007: Joins cash-strapped Crystal Palace
•March 2010: With Palace in administration, Warnock crosses London to take over QPR
•May 2011: Takes the Hoops into the Premier League
•February 2012: Leaves Loftus Road with QPR sitting 17th in the Premier League.
"I think you get used to a certain way of doing things but he [Fernandes] is so far away, all over the world. I'm not a communicator by tweet, I'm afraid, so I was always going to be the last to know," he added.
"I know the influence he'll have had from certain people from outside, and no doubt inside the club, over the past few weeks and it would have been difficult to resist because people get on the phone and tweet and it's almost slowly poisoning somebody. It's a dangerous precedent."
Warnock believes luck was not on his side during the 22 months that he spent at Loftus Road, saying: "You look back and think 'nine points that we dropped in matches we should have won and we'd have been in the top 10'.
"But I love this club and always will. It's been a big part of my life even though it has only been 22 months and it's been the biggest career success I have had in my life."
He also went on to rue the fact he "wished I'd had [Hughes's] agent at times over the last few years," referring to Hughes's representative Kia Joorabchian - who also represents Rangers targets Alex of Chelsea and Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha.
"I want Mark to do well. He's got a good agent too, and between them they'll bring some good players into the club," Warnock said.
However, the Yorkshireman does not envy young managers coming into the game and said that, from a manager's point of view, the game was no longer enjoyable because "players are the ones with all the power now".
I've coped with things nobody else could have - Warnock
He added: "My chairman tweets a lot and some of my players tweet and players only look after themselves so it's quite easy to start rumours with this new modern media and I don't think it helps anybody."
When asked about the influence of captain Barton on the team, Warnock would not be drawn: "I don't think I want to get into talking about Joey Barton. Joey talks about himself enough and I think we'll let Joey talk about Joey.
"I just want to talk about positive things about the club and I think there are too many positive things to talk about without going into detail on individual players."
When asked about his future, Warnock talked only of spending time with friends and family but he did reveal that he did "like the idea of saying what I want to say - but we'll have to wait and see". BBC
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