_____________________________________________________
Harry Redknapp comments notwithstanding, it sure looks bleak for QPR. As I analogied earlier: QPR are like Sisyphus - We painstakingly push the club up the Hill...Slowly, surely, with much effort, we finally reach near the peak of the Hill and The Promised Land. And then, it all comes tumbling down around us.
Needless to say, a relegated QPR after this season, will be in far WORSE shape, than if we'd gone down, last season.
- Next: QPR at Chelsea - Past Results & Photos and Players who Played (or managed) for both Clubs
- Note: The 2013-14 Championship Season Kicks Off August 3rd, 2013
LIVERPOOL AFTERMATH
- PHOTOS FROM QPR vs Liverpool
Tony Fernandes @tonyfernandes
- No excuse. Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performace.
- When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess.not over yet though.
GUARDIAN - Harry Redknapp backs QPR to survive despite hammering by Liverpool
• QPR manager rails against 'miserable faces' in squad
• 'I only want positive players around me'
Dominic Fifield at Loftus RoadThe Guardian, Sunday 30 December 2012 15.16 EST
Harry Redknapp said his QPR substitutes were not in the starting lineup 'because they're no good'. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images
A defiant Harry Redknapp has claimed Queens Park Rangers will retain their Premier League status this season despite seeing his side thrashed at home by Liverpool to leave them eight points from safety and bottom at the turn of the year.
QPR shipped three goals in the opening half-hour to a visiting team denied the presence of their own manager, Brendan Rodgers, by a bout of the norovirus, with Luis Suárez running riot. Redknapp admitted afterwards that certain members of his squad had "miserable faces too often" with José Bosingwa, who refused to sit on the bench in the recent derby against Fulham, now apparently "injured".
Attempts will be made to move on disaffected players though, if reinforcements can be added, the manager is convinced QPR will survive. "I still think we'll stay up," said Redknapp. "People will think I'm mad, but I think we will. I only want positive players around me. I said that in the dressing room after the match. Those who are moping around … the subs are not playing because they're no good. If they were any good, I'd be picking them. I don't need miserable faces, I don't need them around me. I need people who are upbeat because the next two games are unbelievable, Chelsea away and Tottenham at home … two of the best teams in the country. But we've got to keep going and I still think we'll do it.
"I know what the problems are. You need to have everyone working as a team together. If one or two don't buy into it, you have a problem. A few have miserable faces too often for some reason. If there are people who don't want to be here, as soon as the window opens we'll see if we can fix something up for them if we can, but it's not easy moving people on. Bosingwa's injured, he has been ever since the day he wasn't on the bench [against Fulham]. Not fit to train. But I've had a good chat with the players, a meeting, and they'll be in on Monday and we start again. You don't give up."
QPR have games at West Ham United and against Manchester City after the two daunting derbies to come – they visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday – with only one win to show from 20 league games. The owner, Tony Fernandes, took to Twitter on Sunday evening in his post-match despair as the soul-searching continued: "No excuse. Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performance. When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess. Not over yet though."
Yet the reality was that Rangers were outclassed by Suárez and Liverpool – who lost José Enrique to a slight hamstring tear before the end – with Redknapp's team well beaten for the first time under his stewardship. "You look at the quality of their players, and they're a club who've spent £200m on their players and we couldn't get near them," said the manager. "They ran us ragged. Suarez has been doing that against everyone this year, he's one of the top half dozen strikers in the world, and my centre-halves – both 35 – gave everything they've got."
Asked about strengthening in the mid-winter window, Redknapp added: "Well, if we can find the right players, get one or two in to make the difference, get Bobby Zamora fit to give us a target up there … he could make a difference, Bobby. This was the first time we've had a 'doing' but I just believe we will [stay up]. I just feel we can still turn it round, if we can get one or two in now. It can still make the difference and we can do that." Guardian
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
West London Sport - Dave Mcintyre
QPR boss explains Cisse substitution
30/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp said his decision to substitute Djibril Cisse at half-time against Liverpool was about “damage limitation” because QPR were already 3-0 down.
Rangers boss Redknapp replaced the striker with Shaun Derry, who helped prevent the visitors adding to their goal tally after the break.
“Did you think we were going to win 4-3? Nor did I,” said Redknapp.
“You have to be realistic in football. Do you want to get beaten 8-0 or are you going to come out, keep a bit of pride intact and work hard in the second half?
“Damage limitation it’s called. It’s not a nice situation, but that was the situation I was in and it’s what I had to do.
“I had to change how we played and try to shut up shop. Maybe I should have done that from the start.
“You look at it at 3-0 and think ‘hang on, it’s going to be seven or eight here if we’re not careful’.”
But Redknapp did hint at problems involving the unsettled Cisse, who was ineffective once again and may well leave during the transfer window.
Redknapp said: “I know what the problems are but I don’t want to say publicly with one or two.
“You have to have everybody who works as a team if you’re going to get out of trouble. You only need one or two who don’t buy into that, or can’t do that, and you have a problem.
“Second half, we worked much harder. We pushed Jamie Mackie up front and he worked hard. We put people under pressure and worked harder.” West London Sport
WEST LONDON SPORT
Redknapp still believes QPR will stay up
30/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp insists he still believes QPR will stay up despite their mauling against Liverpool.
Rangers’ 3-0 defeat means they head into the new year bottom of the table and seemingly with little chance of escaping the drop.
But manager Redknapp is convinced the arrival of new signings during the transfer window will make a huge difference – and enable him to phase out players he does not feel have the right attitude.
“I think we’ll stay up. You’ll all think I’m mad. We’ve got to keep going. I still think we’ll do it,” Redknapp declared.
“I only want positive people around me. I said that in the dressing room. Those moping around because they’re not playing aren’t playing because they’ve been no good.
“I still feel if we get one or two in who can make a difference, then we can still do it.”
Striker Luis Suarez scored two of Liverpool’s goals in an embarrassingly one-sided first half at Loftus Road, where the home team were barracked by frustrated Rangers fans.
Redknapp said: “The first half was disappointing. In the second we were okay, but it’s hard – they had more quality than we had. It was a very difficult game.
“You look at the quality of the players. One club’s probably spent around £200m on players.
“We couldn’t get near them. They were all over us and ran us ragged in the first half-hour.
“My centre-backs Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen give everything they’ve got – everything – but they’re both 35.
“Suarez is what he is – one of the half-a-dozen best strikers in the world, without a doubt. What can you do?
“It’s not a case of lack of effort. We just couldn’t get near them. I’m afraid Liverpool had too many quality players for us.” West London Sport
QPR Official Site- HARRY: WE WON’T GIVE U
Redknapp insists QPR will avoid the drop despite loss to Liverpool this afternoon ...
I still think it’s possible for us to stay up. That’s my belief."
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp defiantly predicted QPR will avoid relegation this season, despite seeing the R’s lose 3-0 to Liverpool at Loftus Road today.
Two goals from Luis Suarez and a Daniel Agger header before the break proved the difference between the sides, but the Rangers boss told www.qpr.co.uk: “I still think we’ll get out of trouble because I will get one or two in, and there are some good lads here as well.
“I still think it’s possible for us to stay up. That’s my belief.
“We’re not kidding ourselves. We’ve got some hard games to come. We go to Chelsea and then we’ve got Tottenham, two fantastic teams, but there’s a long way to go.
“There can be ten games left and you could need 20 points, but it can be done. You can still do it. You don’t give up.
“We mustn’t give up. We’ve got to keep believing and keep going.”
Rangers find themselves eight points adrift of safety following this afternoon’s defeat, and Redknapp admitted: “It was a difficult day today.
“Liverpool have got real quality. You look at some of their players like Suarez, Steven Gerard. They’re fantastic players.
“I thought we worked hard enough and in the second half we changed how we played and I thought we did much better, but it’s difficult.
“On the first day of the season we got beat here by five against Swansea. It’s difficult. You can only get what you can out of what you’ve got.
“You look at their team today – it’s probably cost in excess of £150 million. They’ve got quality players, top players. And that’s the difference.
“We are bottom of the league because, over the course of the season, that’s where we deserve to be. You don’t go 17 games without a win if you’re that good. But we’ve got to do something about it. Improve a little bit, get the best out of what we’ve got.”
With Rangers three behind at the break, Redknapp brought on the combative Shaun Derry, and he admitted: “In the second half it became a case of damage limitation.
“You can’t be stupid about it. What can you do, open up and say you’re going to score four goals in the second half against a side like that?
“Sometimes you’ve got to be realistic. No one wants to attack more than I do but when you’re up against a team that can cut through you like we were today, you have to be realistic.
“I thought we had some good movement in the second half and created a couple of good opportunities, played some decent stuff, but it’s not easy.”
Redknapp confirmed he will be active in the upcoming transfer market, but he knows he faces a difficult task adding new additions to his ranks.
“It’s not easy getting players in at this stage of the season when you’re bottom of the league but if someone’s up for the challenge and it’s the players I want, there’s a great chance for someone to come in and have a go,” he said.
“We need some new faces and that’s what we’re trying to do. If we get a couple of the right players in I think we can have a real go.
“Those that are with us, are with us. Those that are not, well hopefully we can do something with them in January.
“I genuinely believe we will get out of trouble and not be relegated.” QPR Official Site
GUARDIAN - Dominic Fifield
Luis Suárez scores twice as Liverpool inflict more misery on QPR
Harry Redknapp puffed out his cheeks, muttered an expression of disbelief to Joe Jordan at his side, then slumped back against the dugout with a shake of his head in disgust. This mismatch was less than half an hour old and Queens Park Rangers were already embarrassed having just conceded a third goal, a thumping header by Daniel Agger. The centre-half was unmarked, though that was not surprising. Rangers' attempts at resistance had long since disintegrated. This team are sinking without trace.
The QPR manager offered something approaching bullish optimism afterwards, saying his team can still survive, but recovery from a defensive display this shambolic seems improbable even with January and another potential transfer frenzy only a couple of days away. Their solitary league success, against Fulham earlier this month, generated hope that appears cruel in the context of a third successive defeat, form that better sums up Rangers' campaign to date. Three clubs have survived having been bottom on New Year's Day in the 20 years of the Premier League but there has to be a spark to instigate a revival and there was simply no real sign of progress to be seen.
The prerequisite for a struggling side, principally tightening up at the back, had been abandoned here amid the desperation to register a victory. Redknapp acknowledged that, having belatedly hauled off Djibril Cissé with the game lost to avoid suffering a drubbing from which confidence might never have been restored. "We were never going to win 4-3, so I shut up shop," he said, explaining the half-time substitution. "Maybe I should have done that from the start, but we wanted the win and had been open and attacking." Luis Suárez had already torn the home side to shreds by then with the Uruguayan's team-mates revelling in the wide open spaces at his back.
Even when trying to be upbeat, Redknapp could only describe this as "a doing", the first time his side have been truly overrun and outclassed over his six weeks in charge. The eight-point gap from 17th place is a gulf, with this performance arguably every bit as abject as the surrender to Southampton in Mark Hughes' last game in charge in November. Redknapp has not had a chance to wheel and deal as yet but he will be the third successive QPR manager to survey a transfer window with a sense of desperation, players stacking up at the training ground, though the reality is reinforcements are required.
Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen are seasoned professionals and utterly committed but, at 35, slippery forwards such as Suárez can and will humiliate them. Both full-backs selected here, Armand Traoré and Nedum Onuoha, looked like broken men defensively. José Bosingwa, a European Cup winner in May, is now "injured" and has been since he refused to sit on the bench against Fulham. Fabio da Silva, on loan from Manchester United, was cast on late but is unfamiliar with relegation scraps. As, indeed, are a number of a party recruited from Real Madrid and Internazionale. One of those, Julio César – recalled for Rob Green, who wallowed miserably on the bench – cannot perform heroics alone. There is imbalance all around, and a trip to third-placed Chelsea to come on Wednesday. They scored eight the last time they trotted out at Stamford Bridge.
It feels ridiculous to have originally considered this contest an opportunity to kickstart the recovery, as Rangers had against this opposition so memorably last term. Liverpool had arrived mid-table and with the norovirus apparently festering in their midst; the manager, Brendan Rodgers, and No2 goalkeeper, Brad Jones, were quarantined and sent back to Merseyside earlier in the day at risk of infecting the entire party. The assistant, Colin Pascoe, also under the weather, was not allowed into the changing room either pre-match or at half-time by the club's medical staff in case he spread the bug and yet they still ran riot.
Suárez, a forward scouted heavily by Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur while at Ajax, rejoiced in the freedom of Loftus Road. His clever drift away from Hill 10 minutes in to collect Stewart Downing's pass, before tearing at and beyond the back-pedalling centre-half, set the tone. The finish was precise and the hosts already looked in pieces. Within six minutes he had wriggled to the byline, cutting back towards Raheem Sterling in the centre. Onuoha's lunge denied the former QPR youngster but merely set up Suárez to thrash in a second. "He's a magician," said Steven Gerrard, even if an apprentice might have prospered against these opponents.
Agger's header as QPR dawdled at another short-corner routine completed the scoring, though Nelsen twice cleared attempts from his goalline, with the visitors content in their superiority. They will unveil Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, and most likely Blackpool's Thomas Ince once the window opens this week. Rangers will not have the same leeway in the market but whatever additions they do secure must make an immediate impact before this miserable campaign unravels entirely.
Man of the match Luis Suárez (Liverpool) GUARDIAN
TELEGRAPH
QPR were 'woeful' against Liverpool, admits chairman Tony Fernandes but still hopeful of surviving drop
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes insists it is "not over yet" for the bottom-placed side despite saying their performance against Liverpool was 'woeful'.
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Liverpool ran Queens Park Rangers ragged at Loftus Road, with Luis Suarez's brace and a Daniel Agger header earning the visitors a deserved 3-0 win.
The defeat means QPR end 2012 bottom of the Premier League and eight points adrift of safety.
Few could have predicted such a dire season for the west Londoners after a summer of high-profile acquisitions and, while thoroughly disappointed, chairman Fernandes believes survival is still possible.
"No excuse," he said via his Twitter account, @tonyfernandes. "Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performance.
"When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess.not over yet though."
Those comments echoed the sentiments of manager Harry Redknapp, who still believes QPR can stay up.
"I think we'll stay up still," Redknapp said. "You'll think we're mad, but I think we will stay up.
"I only want positive people around me, I said that in the dressing room.
"Those that are moping around, the subs that are not playing, are not playing because they're no good.
"If they had been any good, I'd be picking them. I don't need miserable faces, I don't need them around me.
"I need people who are upbeat. The next two games are unbelievable, Chelsea away and Tottenham at home - two of the best teams in the country.
"They are difficult games, but we've got to keep going and I still think we'll do it."
As poor as QPR were yesterday, Liverpool deserve credit for a fine performance, particularly in the first half.
The comprehensive win was made all the more impressive by the fact that manager Brendan Rodgers missed the game through illness.
"They were fantastic, absolutely awesome today," said assistant manager Colin Pascoe, who led the side with coach Mike Marsh in Rodgers' absence.
"The way they played, the way they conducted themselves, the way they controlled the game. It was brilliant.
"The back four were great and you could go through the whole team. It was just a fantastic performance today, with Luis creating chances and scoring."
The only negative from the win in west London was an injury to Jose Enrique.
The left-back limped off in the second half, leaving the club to sweat on the severity of his hamstring injury.
"Unfortunately, it looks as if he's got a little tear in his hamstring," Pascoe added.
"He was terrific today, absolutely superb, and he's been a joy to watch in the last few months, so hopefully he's not out for too long." Telegraph
END OF THE YEAR TABLE
Club Pld Pts
Man Utd 20 49
Man City 20 42
Chelsea 19 38
Tottenham 20 36
Arsenal 19 33
Everton 20 33
West Brom 20 33
Stoke 20 29
Liverpool 20 28
Swansea 20 28
Norwich 20 25
West Ham 19 23
Sunderland 20 22
Fulham 20 21
Newcastle 20 20
Wigan 20 18
Aston Villa 20 18
Southampton 19 17
Reading 20 13
QPR 20 10
MIRROR
Speculate to disintegrate: QPR have spent their way into the Championship!
31 Dec 2012 07:00Neil McLeman peers into the crisis at Loftus Road - and doubts there's ANYTHING that Harry can do
After the great escape on the final day of last season, Mark Hughes vowed: “We will never be in this position again”.
The ex-QPR boss is being proved right. At this rate, his former club’s time in the Premier League will be up – and down – before the clocks go forward.
In the first 45 minutes against Liverpool, Harry Redknapp’s side were stunningly bad. Luis Suarez needs no help but Rangers also made Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson look like world-beaters.
Rangers, seven points adrift and counting, really are in The Thick Of It. Loftus Road resembles a malfunctioning government department where the more money is spent, the worse the problems become.
You can imagine Redknapp’s Malcolm Tucker-style discourse at half-time of his 600th Premier League match. The damage had been done.
By last New Year’s Eve, Neil Warnock’s team had amassed 17 points from 19 games. He was gone after one more Premier League defeat and Hughes started his Supermarket-Sweep style spending spree.
A year on they have a lot more players on bigger wages and seven fewer points. Genius.
Redknapp’s short-term solution has been to lean on the veterans who brought the West London club up from the Championship.
Clint Hill against Luis Suarez? What could possibly go wrong? And Adel Taarabt is over-valued if you call him a poor man’s Suarez.
One furious QPR fan threw his club jacket on the pitch in disgust and walked out after the third goal. Unless Redknapp does a Hughes and buys a whole new team in January, there seems little hope. One win in 20 must be followed by nine in the final 18.
Among Hughes’ mistakes was to bring in expensive players more used to playing in the Champions League, like Jose Bosingwa, rather than solid pros who could establish the club as a mid-table Premier League team.
There is Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City to come for Redknapp’s side in January.
Still having a chance of survival by the end of March might be an achievement. Mirror
The Table a Year Ago after 20 Games
- Birthday Today for Former QPR Chairman Gianni Paladini. Gianni Turns 67
- Update: Gianni Paladini Still in for Birmingham - Interview with Birmingham City's Acting Chairman on the Paladini Bid
- Update: Gianni Paladini Still in for Birmingham - Interview with Birmingham City's Acting Chairman on the Paladini Bid
LIVERPOOL AFTERMATH
- PHOTOS FROM QPR vs Liverpool
Tony Fernandes @tonyfernandes
- No excuse. Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performace.
- When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess.not over yet though.
GUARDIAN - Harry Redknapp backs QPR to survive despite hammering by Liverpool
• QPR manager rails against 'miserable faces' in squad
• 'I only want positive players around me'
Dominic Fifield at Loftus RoadThe Guardian, Sunday 30 December 2012 15.16 EST
Harry Redknapp said his QPR substitutes were not in the starting lineup 'because they're no good'. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images
A defiant Harry Redknapp has claimed Queens Park Rangers will retain their Premier League status this season despite seeing his side thrashed at home by Liverpool to leave them eight points from safety and bottom at the turn of the year.
QPR shipped three goals in the opening half-hour to a visiting team denied the presence of their own manager, Brendan Rodgers, by a bout of the norovirus, with Luis Suárez running riot. Redknapp admitted afterwards that certain members of his squad had "miserable faces too often" with José Bosingwa, who refused to sit on the bench in the recent derby against Fulham, now apparently "injured".
Attempts will be made to move on disaffected players though, if reinforcements can be added, the manager is convinced QPR will survive. "I still think we'll stay up," said Redknapp. "People will think I'm mad, but I think we will. I only want positive players around me. I said that in the dressing room after the match. Those who are moping around … the subs are not playing because they're no good. If they were any good, I'd be picking them. I don't need miserable faces, I don't need them around me. I need people who are upbeat because the next two games are unbelievable, Chelsea away and Tottenham at home … two of the best teams in the country. But we've got to keep going and I still think we'll do it.
"I know what the problems are. You need to have everyone working as a team together. If one or two don't buy into it, you have a problem. A few have miserable faces too often for some reason. If there are people who don't want to be here, as soon as the window opens we'll see if we can fix something up for them if we can, but it's not easy moving people on. Bosingwa's injured, he has been ever since the day he wasn't on the bench [against Fulham]. Not fit to train. But I've had a good chat with the players, a meeting, and they'll be in on Monday and we start again. You don't give up."
QPR have games at West Ham United and against Manchester City after the two daunting derbies to come – they visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday – with only one win to show from 20 league games. The owner, Tony Fernandes, took to Twitter on Sunday evening in his post-match despair as the soul-searching continued: "No excuse. Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performance. When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess. Not over yet though."
Yet the reality was that Rangers were outclassed by Suárez and Liverpool – who lost José Enrique to a slight hamstring tear before the end – with Redknapp's team well beaten for the first time under his stewardship. "You look at the quality of their players, and they're a club who've spent £200m on their players and we couldn't get near them," said the manager. "They ran us ragged. Suarez has been doing that against everyone this year, he's one of the top half dozen strikers in the world, and my centre-halves – both 35 – gave everything they've got."
Asked about strengthening in the mid-winter window, Redknapp added: "Well, if we can find the right players, get one or two in to make the difference, get Bobby Zamora fit to give us a target up there … he could make a difference, Bobby. This was the first time we've had a 'doing' but I just believe we will [stay up]. I just feel we can still turn it round, if we can get one or two in now. It can still make the difference and we can do that." Guardian
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
West London Sport - Dave Mcintyre
QPR boss explains Cisse substitution
30/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp said his decision to substitute Djibril Cisse at half-time against Liverpool was about “damage limitation” because QPR were already 3-0 down.
Rangers boss Redknapp replaced the striker with Shaun Derry, who helped prevent the visitors adding to their goal tally after the break.
“Did you think we were going to win 4-3? Nor did I,” said Redknapp.
“You have to be realistic in football. Do you want to get beaten 8-0 or are you going to come out, keep a bit of pride intact and work hard in the second half?
“Damage limitation it’s called. It’s not a nice situation, but that was the situation I was in and it’s what I had to do.
“I had to change how we played and try to shut up shop. Maybe I should have done that from the start.
“You look at it at 3-0 and think ‘hang on, it’s going to be seven or eight here if we’re not careful’.”
But Redknapp did hint at problems involving the unsettled Cisse, who was ineffective once again and may well leave during the transfer window.
Redknapp said: “I know what the problems are but I don’t want to say publicly with one or two.
“You have to have everybody who works as a team if you’re going to get out of trouble. You only need one or two who don’t buy into that, or can’t do that, and you have a problem.
“Second half, we worked much harder. We pushed Jamie Mackie up front and he worked hard. We put people under pressure and worked harder.” West London Sport
WEST LONDON SPORT
Redknapp still believes QPR will stay up
30/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp insists he still believes QPR will stay up despite their mauling against Liverpool.
Rangers’ 3-0 defeat means they head into the new year bottom of the table and seemingly with little chance of escaping the drop.
But manager Redknapp is convinced the arrival of new signings during the transfer window will make a huge difference – and enable him to phase out players he does not feel have the right attitude.
“I think we’ll stay up. You’ll all think I’m mad. We’ve got to keep going. I still think we’ll do it,” Redknapp declared.
“I only want positive people around me. I said that in the dressing room. Those moping around because they’re not playing aren’t playing because they’ve been no good.
“I still feel if we get one or two in who can make a difference, then we can still do it.”
Striker Luis Suarez scored two of Liverpool’s goals in an embarrassingly one-sided first half at Loftus Road, where the home team were barracked by frustrated Rangers fans.
Redknapp said: “The first half was disappointing. In the second we were okay, but it’s hard – they had more quality than we had. It was a very difficult game.
“You look at the quality of the players. One club’s probably spent around £200m on players.
“We couldn’t get near them. They were all over us and ran us ragged in the first half-hour.
“My centre-backs Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen give everything they’ve got – everything – but they’re both 35.
“Suarez is what he is – one of the half-a-dozen best strikers in the world, without a doubt. What can you do?
“It’s not a case of lack of effort. We just couldn’t get near them. I’m afraid Liverpool had too many quality players for us.” West London Sport
QPR Official Site- HARRY: WE WON’T GIVE U
Redknapp insists QPR will avoid the drop despite loss to Liverpool this afternoon ...
I still think it’s possible for us to stay up. That’s my belief."
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp defiantly predicted QPR will avoid relegation this season, despite seeing the R’s lose 3-0 to Liverpool at Loftus Road today.
Two goals from Luis Suarez and a Daniel Agger header before the break proved the difference between the sides, but the Rangers boss told www.qpr.co.uk: “I still think we’ll get out of trouble because I will get one or two in, and there are some good lads here as well.
“I still think it’s possible for us to stay up. That’s my belief.
“We’re not kidding ourselves. We’ve got some hard games to come. We go to Chelsea and then we’ve got Tottenham, two fantastic teams, but there’s a long way to go.
“There can be ten games left and you could need 20 points, but it can be done. You can still do it. You don’t give up.
“We mustn’t give up. We’ve got to keep believing and keep going.”
Rangers find themselves eight points adrift of safety following this afternoon’s defeat, and Redknapp admitted: “It was a difficult day today.
“Liverpool have got real quality. You look at some of their players like Suarez, Steven Gerard. They’re fantastic players.
“I thought we worked hard enough and in the second half we changed how we played and I thought we did much better, but it’s difficult.
“On the first day of the season we got beat here by five against Swansea. It’s difficult. You can only get what you can out of what you’ve got.
“You look at their team today – it’s probably cost in excess of £150 million. They’ve got quality players, top players. And that’s the difference.
“We are bottom of the league because, over the course of the season, that’s where we deserve to be. You don’t go 17 games without a win if you’re that good. But we’ve got to do something about it. Improve a little bit, get the best out of what we’ve got.”
With Rangers three behind at the break, Redknapp brought on the combative Shaun Derry, and he admitted: “In the second half it became a case of damage limitation.
“You can’t be stupid about it. What can you do, open up and say you’re going to score four goals in the second half against a side like that?
“Sometimes you’ve got to be realistic. No one wants to attack more than I do but when you’re up against a team that can cut through you like we were today, you have to be realistic.
“I thought we had some good movement in the second half and created a couple of good opportunities, played some decent stuff, but it’s not easy.”
Redknapp confirmed he will be active in the upcoming transfer market, but he knows he faces a difficult task adding new additions to his ranks.
“It’s not easy getting players in at this stage of the season when you’re bottom of the league but if someone’s up for the challenge and it’s the players I want, there’s a great chance for someone to come in and have a go,” he said.
“We need some new faces and that’s what we’re trying to do. If we get a couple of the right players in I think we can have a real go.
“Those that are with us, are with us. Those that are not, well hopefully we can do something with them in January.
“I genuinely believe we will get out of trouble and not be relegated.” QPR Official Site
GUARDIAN - Dominic Fifield
Luis Suárez scores twice as Liverpool inflict more misery on QPR
Harry Redknapp puffed out his cheeks, muttered an expression of disbelief to Joe Jordan at his side, then slumped back against the dugout with a shake of his head in disgust. This mismatch was less than half an hour old and Queens Park Rangers were already embarrassed having just conceded a third goal, a thumping header by Daniel Agger. The centre-half was unmarked, though that was not surprising. Rangers' attempts at resistance had long since disintegrated. This team are sinking without trace.
The QPR manager offered something approaching bullish optimism afterwards, saying his team can still survive, but recovery from a defensive display this shambolic seems improbable even with January and another potential transfer frenzy only a couple of days away. Their solitary league success, against Fulham earlier this month, generated hope that appears cruel in the context of a third successive defeat, form that better sums up Rangers' campaign to date. Three clubs have survived having been bottom on New Year's Day in the 20 years of the Premier League but there has to be a spark to instigate a revival and there was simply no real sign of progress to be seen.
The prerequisite for a struggling side, principally tightening up at the back, had been abandoned here amid the desperation to register a victory. Redknapp acknowledged that, having belatedly hauled off Djibril Cissé with the game lost to avoid suffering a drubbing from which confidence might never have been restored. "We were never going to win 4-3, so I shut up shop," he said, explaining the half-time substitution. "Maybe I should have done that from the start, but we wanted the win and had been open and attacking." Luis Suárez had already torn the home side to shreds by then with the Uruguayan's team-mates revelling in the wide open spaces at his back.
Even when trying to be upbeat, Redknapp could only describe this as "a doing", the first time his side have been truly overrun and outclassed over his six weeks in charge. The eight-point gap from 17th place is a gulf, with this performance arguably every bit as abject as the surrender to Southampton in Mark Hughes' last game in charge in November. Redknapp has not had a chance to wheel and deal as yet but he will be the third successive QPR manager to survey a transfer window with a sense of desperation, players stacking up at the training ground, though the reality is reinforcements are required.
Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen are seasoned professionals and utterly committed but, at 35, slippery forwards such as Suárez can and will humiliate them. Both full-backs selected here, Armand Traoré and Nedum Onuoha, looked like broken men defensively. José Bosingwa, a European Cup winner in May, is now "injured" and has been since he refused to sit on the bench against Fulham. Fabio da Silva, on loan from Manchester United, was cast on late but is unfamiliar with relegation scraps. As, indeed, are a number of a party recruited from Real Madrid and Internazionale. One of those, Julio César – recalled for Rob Green, who wallowed miserably on the bench – cannot perform heroics alone. There is imbalance all around, and a trip to third-placed Chelsea to come on Wednesday. They scored eight the last time they trotted out at Stamford Bridge.
It feels ridiculous to have originally considered this contest an opportunity to kickstart the recovery, as Rangers had against this opposition so memorably last term. Liverpool had arrived mid-table and with the norovirus apparently festering in their midst; the manager, Brendan Rodgers, and No2 goalkeeper, Brad Jones, were quarantined and sent back to Merseyside earlier in the day at risk of infecting the entire party. The assistant, Colin Pascoe, also under the weather, was not allowed into the changing room either pre-match or at half-time by the club's medical staff in case he spread the bug and yet they still ran riot.
Suárez, a forward scouted heavily by Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur while at Ajax, rejoiced in the freedom of Loftus Road. His clever drift away from Hill 10 minutes in to collect Stewart Downing's pass, before tearing at and beyond the back-pedalling centre-half, set the tone. The finish was precise and the hosts already looked in pieces. Within six minutes he had wriggled to the byline, cutting back towards Raheem Sterling in the centre. Onuoha's lunge denied the former QPR youngster but merely set up Suárez to thrash in a second. "He's a magician," said Steven Gerrard, even if an apprentice might have prospered against these opponents.
Agger's header as QPR dawdled at another short-corner routine completed the scoring, though Nelsen twice cleared attempts from his goalline, with the visitors content in their superiority. They will unveil Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, and most likely Blackpool's Thomas Ince once the window opens this week. Rangers will not have the same leeway in the market but whatever additions they do secure must make an immediate impact before this miserable campaign unravels entirely.
Man of the match Luis Suárez (Liverpool) GUARDIAN
TELEGRAPH
QPR were 'woeful' against Liverpool, admits chairman Tony Fernandes but still hopeful of surviving drop
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes insists it is "not over yet" for the bottom-placed side despite saying their performance against Liverpool was 'woeful'.
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Liverpool ran Queens Park Rangers ragged at Loftus Road, with Luis Suarez's brace and a Daniel Agger header earning the visitors a deserved 3-0 win.
The defeat means QPR end 2012 bottom of the Premier League and eight points adrift of safety.
Few could have predicted such a dire season for the west Londoners after a summer of high-profile acquisitions and, while thoroughly disappointed, chairman Fernandes believes survival is still possible.
"No excuse," he said via his Twitter account, @tonyfernandes. "Lost for words. Back to the drawing board. Woeful performance.
"When we signed all those players. Everyone was full of praise. No one thought we would be in such a mess.not over yet though."
Those comments echoed the sentiments of manager Harry Redknapp, who still believes QPR can stay up.
"I think we'll stay up still," Redknapp said. "You'll think we're mad, but I think we will stay up.
"I only want positive people around me, I said that in the dressing room.
"Those that are moping around, the subs that are not playing, are not playing because they're no good.
"If they had been any good, I'd be picking them. I don't need miserable faces, I don't need them around me.
"I need people who are upbeat. The next two games are unbelievable, Chelsea away and Tottenham at home - two of the best teams in the country.
"They are difficult games, but we've got to keep going and I still think we'll do it."
As poor as QPR were yesterday, Liverpool deserve credit for a fine performance, particularly in the first half.
The comprehensive win was made all the more impressive by the fact that manager Brendan Rodgers missed the game through illness.
"They were fantastic, absolutely awesome today," said assistant manager Colin Pascoe, who led the side with coach Mike Marsh in Rodgers' absence.
"The way they played, the way they conducted themselves, the way they controlled the game. It was brilliant.
"The back four were great and you could go through the whole team. It was just a fantastic performance today, with Luis creating chances and scoring."
The only negative from the win in west London was an injury to Jose Enrique.
The left-back limped off in the second half, leaving the club to sweat on the severity of his hamstring injury.
"Unfortunately, it looks as if he's got a little tear in his hamstring," Pascoe added.
"He was terrific today, absolutely superb, and he's been a joy to watch in the last few months, so hopefully he's not out for too long." Telegraph
END OF THE YEAR TABLE
Club Pld Pts
Man Utd 20 49
Man City 20 42
Chelsea 19 38
Tottenham 20 36
Arsenal 19 33
Everton 20 33
West Brom 20 33
Stoke 20 29
Liverpool 20 28
Swansea 20 28
Norwich 20 25
West Ham 19 23
Sunderland 20 22
Fulham 20 21
Newcastle 20 20
Wigan 20 18
Aston Villa 20 18
Southampton 19 17
Reading 20 13
QPR 20 10
MIRROR
Speculate to disintegrate: QPR have spent their way into the Championship!
31 Dec 2012 07:00Neil McLeman peers into the crisis at Loftus Road - and doubts there's ANYTHING that Harry can do
After the great escape on the final day of last season, Mark Hughes vowed: “We will never be in this position again”.
The ex-QPR boss is being proved right. At this rate, his former club’s time in the Premier League will be up – and down – before the clocks go forward.
In the first 45 minutes against Liverpool, Harry Redknapp’s side were stunningly bad. Luis Suarez needs no help but Rangers also made Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson look like world-beaters.
Rangers, seven points adrift and counting, really are in The Thick Of It. Loftus Road resembles a malfunctioning government department where the more money is spent, the worse the problems become.
You can imagine Redknapp’s Malcolm Tucker-style discourse at half-time of his 600th Premier League match. The damage had been done.
By last New Year’s Eve, Neil Warnock’s team had amassed 17 points from 19 games. He was gone after one more Premier League defeat and Hughes started his Supermarket-Sweep style spending spree.
A year on they have a lot more players on bigger wages and seven fewer points. Genius.
Redknapp’s short-term solution has been to lean on the veterans who brought the West London club up from the Championship.
Clint Hill against Luis Suarez? What could possibly go wrong? And Adel Taarabt is over-valued if you call him a poor man’s Suarez.
One furious QPR fan threw his club jacket on the pitch in disgust and walked out after the third goal. Unless Redknapp does a Hughes and buys a whole new team in January, there seems little hope. One win in 20 must be followed by nine in the final 18.
Among Hughes’ mistakes was to bring in expensive players more used to playing in the Champions League, like Jose Bosingwa, rather than solid pros who could establish the club as a mid-table Premier League team.
There is Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City to come for Redknapp’s side in January.
Still having a chance of survival by the end of March might be an achievement. Mirror
The Table a Year Ago after 20 Games
| POS | LP | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
(1) | Manchester City | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 53 | 16 | 37 | 45 |
| 2 | |
(2) | Manchester United | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 17 | 32 | 45 |
| 3 | |
(3) | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 35 | 20 | 15 | 39 |
| 4 | |
(5) | Chelsea | 20 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 37 |
| 5 | |
(4) | Arsenal | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 36 |
| 6 | |
(6) | Liverpool | 19 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 34 |
| 7 | |
(7) | Newcastle United | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 30 |
| 8 | |
(8) | Stoke City | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 31 | -9 | 29 |
| 9 | |
(11) | Norwich City | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 30 | 35 | -5 | 25 |
| 10 | |
(9) | Everton | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 24 |
| 11 | |
(15) | Swansea City | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 23 | -3 | 23 |
| 12 | |
(10) | Aston Villa | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | |
(14) | Fulham | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 23 |
| 14 | |
(12) | West Bromwich Albion | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 27 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | |
(13) | Sunderland | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| 16 | |
(16) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 36 | -14 | 17 |
| 17 | |
(17) | Queens Park Rangers | 20 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 35 | -16 | 17 |
| 18 | |
(18) | Wigan Athletic | 19 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 37 | -20 | 15 |
| 19 | |
(19) | Blackburn Rovers | 20 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 29 | 43 | -14 | 14 |
| 20 | |
(20) | Bolton Wanderers | 19 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 13 |
TIMES OF INDIA - QPR to select two Indian talents from Mumbai Times of India
- FLASHBACK: QPR's Loftus Road Ranked 42nd in the World for "Greatest Stadium for Atmosphere"
- On This Day Flashbacks: 4 Years Ago: Chairman Briatore Talking about QPR ...17 Years Ago: Nigel Quashie Makes his QPR Debut (at Old Trafford)
- Two Years Ago: QPR Announce Signed Petter Vaagan Moen
- On This Day Flashbacks: 4 Years Ago: Chairman Briatore Talking about QPR ...17 Years Ago: Nigel Quashie Makes his QPR Debut (at Old Trafford)
- Two Years Ago: QPR Announce Signed Petter Vaagan Moen
OUR LAST PREMIER RELEGATION - 1995-1996
QPR with NIne Wins. Six Draws and 23 Defeats - and 33 Points
POS
|
LP
|
CLUB
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
PTS
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
| |
(1)
|
Manchester United
|
38
|
25
|
7
|
6
|
73
|
35
|
38
|
82
|
2
| |
(2)
|
Newcastle United
|
38
|
24
|
6
|
8
|
66
|
37
|
29
|
78
|
3
| |
(3)
|
Liverpool
|
38
|
20
|
11
|
7
|
70
|
34
|
36
|
71
|
4
| |
(4)
|
Aston Villa
|
38
|
18
|
9
|
11
|
52
|
35
|
17
|
63
|
5
| |
(5)
|
Arsenal
|
38
|
17
|
12
|
9
|
49
|
32
|
17
|
63
|
6
| |
(7)
|
Everton
|
38
|
17
|
10
|
11
|
64
|
44
|
20
|
61
|
7
| |
(8)
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
38
|
18
|
7
|
13
|
61
|
47
|
14
|
61
|
8
| |
(6)
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
38
|
16
|
13
|
9
|
50
|
38
|
12
|
61
|
9
| |
(9)
|
Nottingham Forest
|
38
|
15
|
13
|
10
|
50
|
54
|
-4
|
58
|
10
| |
(11)
|
West Ham United
|
38
|
14
|
9
|
15
|
43
|
52
|
-9
|
51
|
11
| |
(10)
|
Chelsea
|
38
|
12
|
14
|
12
|
46
|
44
|
2
|
50
|
12
| |
(12)
|
Middlesbrough
|
38
|
11
|
10
|
17
|
35
|
50
|
-15
|
43
|
13
| |
(13)
|
Leeds United
|
38
|
12
|
7
|
19
|
40
|
57
|
-17
|
43
|
14
| |
(14)
|
Wimbledon
|
38
|
10
|
11
|
17
|
55
|
70
|
-15
|
41
|
15
| |
(15)
|
Sheffield Wednesday
|
38
|
10
|
10
|
18
|
48
|
61
|
-13
|
40
|
16
| |
(16)
|
Coventry City
|
38
|
8
|
14
|
16
|
42
|
60
|
-18
|
38
|
17
| |
(17)
|
Southampton
|
38
|
9
|
11
|
18
|
34
|
52
|
-18
|
38
|
18
| |
(18)
|
Manchester City
|
38
|
9
|
11
|
18
|
33
|
58
|
-25
|
38
|
19
| |
(19)
|
Queens Park Rangers
|
38
|
9
|
6
|
23
|
38
|
57
|
-19
|
33
|
20
| |
(20)
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
38
|
8
|
5
|
25
|
39
|
71
|
-32
|
29
|
Premier League
Going Down? At the season half-way mark, QPR have one win and 10 Points from their first 20 Games. To stay up, QPR will need 8 or 9 wins and around 27 or more points from their next 18 games.
Going Down? At the season half-way mark, QPR have one win and 10 Points from their first 20 Games. To stay up, QPR will need 8 or 9 wins and around 27 or more points from their next 18 games.
The irony of course is that we were all so jubilant when we stayed up last season. With benefit of hindsight, the hole we'd have been in would have been a lot shallower than the hole that we're going to be in now, if (or when) we go down, this season.