________________________________________________________________________________
To all in the United States of America: Happy Thanksgiving!
- Next: QPR at Manchester United: Past Results/"Shared" Players and old Photos
- Redknapp Deadline
- QPR London Call In Tonight
- Buzsaky Joins Barnsley on Loan from Portsmouth
- Redknapp Deadline
- QPR London Call In Tonight
- Buzsaky Joins Barnsley on Loan from Portsmouth
- Birthday for Peter Ramage (29)...and On This Day in 1958, Brentford Win at Loftus Road
- Two Year Flashback: A Message from Chairman Paladini after the Reported Home Invasion
Bloomberg - QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes Says ‘Confident’ Can Sort Problems
By Barry Porter and Susan Li - Nov 21, 2012
Tony Fernandes, chairman of Queens Park Rangers Football Club, said he was “confident” he can turn things around at the English soccer club which has failed to win a league game this season.
“I’ve been in worse situations before,” Fernandes said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in Kuala Lumpur. “Let’s wait and see. We remain confident that things can be sorted.”
Fernandes declined to comment on the fate of the club’s manager Mark Hughes.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Barry Porter at bporter10@bloomberg.net
Bloomberg
- Very Brief Video of Tony Fernandes laughing at being asked re Mark Hughes
Nelsen/QPR Official Site
NELSEN: WE HAVE TO EARN THE RIGHT
Stand-in skipper looks ahead to United test
STAND-IN skipper Ryan Nelsen insists Rangers have to ‘earn the
right to play,’ as the focus switches to Saturday’s clash against
Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The R’s head north without a win to their name so far this season in the Premier League and Nelsen has laid it on the line ahead of the showdown against Sir Alex Ferguson’s high-flying side.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, the Kiwi defender said: “When the pressure is on, players have to take responsibility.
“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, the Premier League is just unforgiving. You’ve got to earn your right to play and win.
“You’ve got to be strong mentally and have the confidence to do something in the game at both ends of the park.”
Nelsen readily accepts that QPR were not mentally strong enough in the 3-1 defeat to Southampton at Loftus Road last weekend.
Despite clawing a goal back at the start of the second half – via Junior Hoilett’s 49th minute header – the R’s were punished for their lack of confidence at both ends of the pitch.
Nelsen added: “I thought we were poor in both boxes to be honest.
“We were all extremely disappointed. You get punished no matter who you’re playing in this league.
“The players have to hold complete responsibility for last weekend. When it mattered most, we just didn’t stand up.
“You’ve got to defend and attack the ball and we just didn’t get on the end of anything.”
R’s boss Mark Hughes admitted Rangers fans were ‘well within their rights’ to voice their displeasure against the Saints last weekend and Nelsen admits he can understand their frustrations.
“I’m not a big fan of talking about talent amongst a squad, it doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
“In this league, it’s all about mental and characteristic strength.
“When the pressure is on, you can be the most talented players in the world but when the microscope goes on you, talent goes out the window.
“I believe we need more mental strength and hopefully we can then showcase the talent to go on to win games.”
He added: “Every game from now until the end of the season is a ‘stand up and be counted’ game.
“Every player’s got to hold their hands up and do everything they can for this club to get out of where we are.”
Despite the R’s lowly league position, support from the QPR faithful has been magnificent both home and away so far this term.
“I can 100 per-cent understand the fans’ frustration but please stay with us,” concluded the 34 year-old.
“There is a real unity in the dressing room to try and get out of this and do everything we can.
“Just stay with us and we will do our best.” QPR
Cardiff's Bargain Buy: Matt Connolly from QPR!
South Wales Echo/Steve Tucker- Connolly was a real bargain buy for us, says City boss Malky Mackay
FORGET the big names, Bluebirds’ boss Malky Mackay believes that signing defender Matthew Connolly might just be the best bit of business he’s done this year.
Cardiff City head for the first of two away games on the bounce on Saturday with a trip to Barnsley followed up by a visit to Derby on Tuesday.
Mackay finds himself hit by an injury crisis in defence with Ben Turner, Andrew Taylor and Kevin McNaughton all set to miss out on at least the clash at Oakwell.
Mackay has been searching to bring in at least one defender on loan and yesterday secured the services of Norwich City’s Simon Lappin on loan until the end of the year.
But, as always in times of crisis, the Cardiff manager has found himself valuing what he has just that little bit more.
“As the season goes on, signing Matt Connolly looks like a better and better piece of business,” said Mackay.
“His versatility has really been an asset for us. We have needed that and his attitude has been spot-on since he came here.
“The best thing really has been that he has been very consistent for us. Whether he has played at centre-half or full-back there has been no drop in standards and that’s what we needed from him.”
A trainee at Arsenal, 25-year-old Connolly was a mainstay of the QPR side which ran away with the Championship under then Hoops’ boss Neil Warnock.
He also had a loan spell at Reading last season as they too made it up to the top flight.
Deemed superfluous to requirements under current QPR boss, Mark Hughes, Connolly was allowed to head to the Welsh capital on a three-year deal for a transfer fee reportedly in the region of £500,000.
To say the Barnet-born defender was thrown in and the deep end at the Bluebirds would be something of an understatement.
Within 48 hours of putting pen to paper he was straight into the starting XI as Mackay’s side headed to Bristol City for an usually intense Severnside derby.
With centre-half Turner out with a foot injury, Connolly was brought in at the heart of defence to partner skipper mark Hudson.
And to say it was a baptism of fire for Connolly would be an understatement as the Bluebirds leaked four goals to lose out 4-2.
But Connolly soon knuckled down to the task and by the time Turner, last year’s break-out player under Mackay, was fit he could not find a route back into the side.
Indeed, even when after a 3-1 defeat at Forest last month Mackay was minded to make changes, it was full-back Kevin McNaughton who hit the bench with Connolly slipped out to right-back.
Since arriving Connolly has missed just one game for his new club, the home win over Hull, and that was due to injury.
One added bonus of Connolly’s presence has been a little glut of rather uncharacteristic goals. He has four so far this season, just one away from the total number he has managed in his entire career to date.
He grabbed two in the 3-0 win over Blackpool, one in the 4-0 dismissal of Burnley and the winner in Mackay and his men’s 1-0 win over high-flying Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Mackay said he had been looking to get Connolly in more positions where goals might follow.
“Perhaps the lack of goals before he arrived was due to the fact he was not put in the right positions,” said Mackay.
“We are encouraging Matt to get forward for set-pieces and get into positions.
“He’s proved very good at that and scored some important goals for us this campaign already.
Connolly himself has been full of praise for the service has been getting each time he has found the back of the net.
In particular it has been Peter Whittingham, perhaps the best striker of the dead-ball in the whole Championship, who has supplied Connolly with the ammunition to convert.
Three of Connolly’s goals this term have come from corners fired in by Whittingham.
Most recently, it was the midfielder’s stunning corner to the back-post against Boro which Connolly was on hand to head home from point-blank range.
“I’d love to score more this season and if Whitts keeps putting balls in like he has been I will have every chance,” said Connolly.
“We are a threat from set-pieces. Ben Turner gets in there and Mark Hudson and myself. It’s really just all about the quality of the delivery from Peter Whittingham.
“A few of the goals I’ve scored have been at the back post. He puts it in with great quality and it is very hard for the goalkeeper and defenders to defend it. I just edge out to the back post and it’s worked so far.
“Whitts just has one hell of a left foot and he can do whatever he wants with it.
“We know with the way he crosses we are going to be able to get on the end of things.”
With the Bluebirds now sitting second in the division and with those trips to Barnsley and Derby beckoning, Mackay will be hoping his ‘top deal’ defender will be keeping things tight at the back and popping up with the odd goal, too, throughout the rest of the season
- Wales on Line
- League Managers Association (LMA) - Guardian: Howard Wilkinson's LMA survey reveals depth of managers' dedication 72% of the respondents admitted they were 'obsessed' by football while 59% admitted they struggled to lead a balanced lifestyle because of the pressures of the job
- Complete LMA Survey of Managers
