_____________________________________________________
- Transcript of WBA's Steve Clarke talking about Peter Odenwingie and QPR
- Repeating twice "“At boardroom level there is absolute clarity.”
Excerpts:
You said you won’t name someone else’s player. How much responsibility have QPR and Harry Redknapp got in this whole scenario?
“I don’t discuss other clubs’ business. My job is to work for West Bromwich Albion.
“Other managers have their way of working, I have my way of working.”
But what do you think of the way it’s been done elsewhere, down in West London?
“I know that I wouldn’t work that way. I know that I would conduct myself differently. That’s all I can say.”
You said it was clear at boardroom level. Does that mean lower levels at QPR there was confusion?
“I don't know how QPR conduct their business. I know my technical directors and chairman kept me fully informed of the process all the way through.”
So is there a chance that some of the confusion in Peter’s mind could have stemmed from QPR?
“If you say that it's possible. It certainly didn't come from this end.”
Culkin, Forbes, Shittu, Palmer, Padula, Gallen, Bircham, Burgess, Walshe, Angell, Pacquette. Subs: Day, Plummer, Bean, Thomson, Furlong
The QPR Squad of 25 as announced yesterday:
Goalkeepers: Cesar, Green, Murphy
Defenders: Ben Haim, Bosingwa, Fabio, Hill, Onouha, Samba, Traore, Yun
Midfielders: Diakite, Derry, Granero, Hoilett, Jenas, Mackie, Mbia, Park, Wright-Phillips
Strikers: Bothroyd, Campbell, Remy, Taarabt, Zamora
1 Kenny, Patrick
2 Traore, Armand
3 Hill, Clinton Scott
4 Derry, Shaun Peter
5 Hall, Fitz
6 Taarabt, Adel
7 Zamora, Robert Lester
8 Hulse, Robert William
9 Campbell, Dudley Junior
10 Bothroyd, Jay
11 Diakite, Samba
12 Mackie, James Charles
13 Gabbidon, Daniel Leon
14 Buzsaky, Akos
15 Taiwo, Taye Ismaila
16 Onuoha, Chinedum
17 Barton, Joseph
18 Young, Luke Paul
19 Smith, Thomas William
20 Helguson, Heidar
21 Cerny, Radek
22 Murphy, Brian
23 Wright-Phillips, Shaun Cameron
24 Ferdinand, Anton Julian
25 Cisse, Djibril
- As await the latest QPR Accounts (in March?) - Reminder of Last Year's QPR Accounts
2 Traore, Armand
3 Hill, Clinton Scott
4 Derry, Shaun Peter
5 Hall, Fitz
6 Taarabt, Adel
7 Zamora, Robert Lester
8 Hulse, Robert William
9 Campbell, Dudley Junior
10 Bothroyd, Jay
11 Diakite, Samba
12 Mackie, James Charles
13 Gabbidon, Daniel Leon
14 Buzsaky, Akos
15 Taiwo, Taye Ismaila
16 Onuoha, Chinedum
17 Barton, Joseph
18 Young, Luke Paul
19 Smith, Thomas William
20 Helguson, Heidar
21 Cerny, Radek
22 Murphy, Brian
23 Wright-Phillips, Shaun Cameron
24 Ferdinand, Anton Julian
25 Cisse, Djibril
- As await the latest QPR Accounts (in March?) - Reminder of Last Year's QPR Accounts
MIRROR
Samba bleat: Massive £34m lay-out on big Chris wasn't my doing insists Redknapp
1 Feb 2013 22:29
“It’s the board's decision. It wasn’t a case of me telling them to" protests manager amid talk of financial meltdown if QPR get relegated regardless
Hoops and stick: Redknapp called criticism of Rangers' spending "nonsense"
Getty
Harry Redknapp bristled at the suggestion his monster £34million deal for Chris Samba has mortgaged Queens Park Rangers to the hilt.
More comfortable leaning out of a car window than confronting the arithmetic of Rangers’ record signing, ’Arry insisted the colossal numbers involved in bringing Samba to Loftus Road were down to chairman Tony Fernandes.
And Redknapp softened the blow of a transfer which would require Rangers to sell out 30 home games just to pay for one player by shrugging: “Look at the board here. They are not exactly paupers, are they?”
Samba, who will be pitched straight into QPR’s relegation battle in the lunchtime date with Norwich, joined the Rs for a £12.5million fee and is on a four-and-a-half year contract worth an eye-watering £100,000 a week.
In transfer fees and wages, the deal will cost Rangers £34m, burning a large hole in the finances of a club whose ground capacity is only 18,000.
Samba’s deal is not thought to include a clause requiring him to take a pay cut if QPR are relegated, but Redknapp claimed he was not leading them towards financial meltdown.
He scoffed: “That perception is nonsense, really – how am I personally responsible for mortgaging QPR?
“I’ve brought in Jermaine Jenas on a free and Andros Townsend on loan from Spurs, the chairman brought in Chris Samba and did a deal with Loic Remy. He will sell Remy if needs be.
“If it’s big money for Samba, that’s up to the chairman and the shareholders.
“It’s their decision to spend the money. It wasn’t a case of me telling them to go out and buy Samba. I don’t think he is coming for anywhere near £100,000 a week, but whatever he is earning, it’s their decision to spend the money.
“I’m just doing my best to keep this club in the Premier League and if we stay up, fantastic.
“If we don’t, I’ve done my best and the board have tried hard.”
Norwich will have the Beccs Factor in their favour at Loftus Road.
Manager Chris Hughton will pitch £3million signing Luciano Becchio, from Leeds, straight into the action.
And Hughton said of the striker: “I wanted someone to freshen things up and Becchio will definitely do that.” Mirror
LONDON 24/Tom Moore
QPR boss hits back at financial accusations
QPR manager Harry Redknapp reacted angrily to suggestions that the club’s transfer dealings were placing the club in jeopardy.
The R’s made two club record signings in Chris Samba and Loic Remy, for a combined fee in the region of £20million.
And there have been suggestions that the club will not be able to survive if they are relegated and Redknapp has been accused in some circles of mortgaging the club.
He reacted angrily by saying: “How am I mortgaging QPR? The chairman brought Chris Samba in and he did the deal on (Loic) Remy, he brought Remy in.
“He will sell Remy if need be. That is such nonsense really.”
It is unclear whether the new signings have relegation clauses and Redknapp is confident that the club is sustainable.
“I don’t know that,” he said. “It is up to the chairman and the board.
“I think it is sustainable. That was the decision of the chairman and the shareholders, it wasn’t me.
“Chris Samba has come here for no where near 100 grand a week. The chairman came to me and said I have got you Chris Samba. What can you do!”
Redknapp insisted that he wouldn’t have moved for the Congo defender if he hadn’t lost Ryan Nelsen, who has left to go to Toronto.
“It doesn’t mean we are going to stay up just because we have bought Samba,” he explained.
“It is a top centre-half replacing a top-centre half. If Ryan Nelsen had stayed here then I wouldn’t have had to buy Samba.
“Other clubs spend money down there; Villa have spent big money down there.
“People think they have bought just kids, go back to Darren Bent, you can go through a list of players there and they have spent good money as well.
“Richard Dunne and other players have all cost good money London 24
MIRROR/KENNY DALGLISH
Spin the wheel: Harry's big-money transfer gambles will be worth it.. IF Queens Park Rangers avoid relegation
If Aston Villa go down and QPR stay up, then the money Rangers spent in January will look like financial prudence
Risky business: Redknapp has been accused of setting Rs up to 'do a Portsmouth'
QPR have endured a lot of criticism in the last 24 hours.
They have been accused of treating the transfer window like a supermarket dash.
Charged with putting the future of the club at risk and becoming another Portsmouth.
They have been told they have taken a huge gamble on avoiding relegation and that, if it doesn’t work, they will be in trouble.
Well, they have taken a gamble and if it pays off, no one will be criticising QPR owner Tony Fernandes then.
Anyway, other clubs are gambling in different ways. Aston Villa are gambling by doing very little to improve a struggling squad.
They have got scant experience in their team and have chosen not to alter that situation.
If Villa go down and QPR stay up, then the money Rangers spent in January will look like financial prudence.
The transfer fees they spent on Loic Remy and Chris Samba will be more than offset by the television revenue and prize money they will reap from another season in the Premier League.
So I’m not going to criticise Fernandes for backing his manager.
He has got an experienced boss in Harry Redknapp, one who knows what it takes to keep a team up. If you gave most supporters a choice between an owner who will spend to try to save the team from relegation and an owner who won’t, they would choose the guy who puts his hand in his pocket every time.
QPR had to buy a centre-half anyway. The departure of Ryan Nelsen to coach FC Toronto in the MLS didn’t give them much choice.
Nelsen’s performances were one of the main reasons why QPR’s results have stabilised recently.
And there is little doubt that in Samba, they have a top-class replacement who was coveted by a lot of teams while he was at Blackburn.
What critics are right to point out, though, is that if QPR go down, they will have a player on very big wages that they will probably be unable to move on.
His wages, if they have been reported correctly, will have added about £15million to his transfer fee. That’s part of the gamble, too. Come May, we’ll see whose gamble paid off – QPR’s by doing something or Villa’s by doing nothing...." Mirror
Samba bleat: Massive £34m lay-out on big Chris wasn't my doing insists Redknapp
1 Feb 2013 22:29
“It’s the board's decision. It wasn’t a case of me telling them to" protests manager amid talk of financial meltdown if QPR get relegated regardless
Hoops and stick: Redknapp called criticism of Rangers' spending "nonsense"
Getty
Harry Redknapp bristled at the suggestion his monster £34million deal for Chris Samba has mortgaged Queens Park Rangers to the hilt.
More comfortable leaning out of a car window than confronting the arithmetic of Rangers’ record signing, ’Arry insisted the colossal numbers involved in bringing Samba to Loftus Road were down to chairman Tony Fernandes.
And Redknapp softened the blow of a transfer which would require Rangers to sell out 30 home games just to pay for one player by shrugging: “Look at the board here. They are not exactly paupers, are they?”
Samba, who will be pitched straight into QPR’s relegation battle in the lunchtime date with Norwich, joined the Rs for a £12.5million fee and is on a four-and-a-half year contract worth an eye-watering £100,000 a week.
In transfer fees and wages, the deal will cost Rangers £34m, burning a large hole in the finances of a club whose ground capacity is only 18,000.
Samba’s deal is not thought to include a clause requiring him to take a pay cut if QPR are relegated, but Redknapp claimed he was not leading them towards financial meltdown.
He scoffed: “That perception is nonsense, really – how am I personally responsible for mortgaging QPR?
“I’ve brought in Jermaine Jenas on a free and Andros Townsend on loan from Spurs, the chairman brought in Chris Samba and did a deal with Loic Remy. He will sell Remy if needs be.
“If it’s big money for Samba, that’s up to the chairman and the shareholders.
“It’s their decision to spend the money. It wasn’t a case of me telling them to go out and buy Samba. I don’t think he is coming for anywhere near £100,000 a week, but whatever he is earning, it’s their decision to spend the money.
“I’m just doing my best to keep this club in the Premier League and if we stay up, fantastic.
“If we don’t, I’ve done my best and the board have tried hard.”
Norwich will have the Beccs Factor in their favour at Loftus Road.
Manager Chris Hughton will pitch £3million signing Luciano Becchio, from Leeds, straight into the action.
And Hughton said of the striker: “I wanted someone to freshen things up and Becchio will definitely do that.” Mirror
LONDON 24/Tom Moore
QPR boss hits back at financial accusations
QPR manager Harry Redknapp reacted angrily to suggestions that the club’s transfer dealings were placing the club in jeopardy.
The R’s made two club record signings in Chris Samba and Loic Remy, for a combined fee in the region of £20million.
And there have been suggestions that the club will not be able to survive if they are relegated and Redknapp has been accused in some circles of mortgaging the club.
He reacted angrily by saying: “How am I mortgaging QPR? The chairman brought Chris Samba in and he did the deal on (Loic) Remy, he brought Remy in.
“He will sell Remy if need be. That is such nonsense really.”
It is unclear whether the new signings have relegation clauses and Redknapp is confident that the club is sustainable.
“I don’t know that,” he said. “It is up to the chairman and the board.
“I think it is sustainable. That was the decision of the chairman and the shareholders, it wasn’t me.
“Chris Samba has come here for no where near 100 grand a week. The chairman came to me and said I have got you Chris Samba. What can you do!”
Redknapp insisted that he wouldn’t have moved for the Congo defender if he hadn’t lost Ryan Nelsen, who has left to go to Toronto.
“It doesn’t mean we are going to stay up just because we have bought Samba,” he explained.
“It is a top centre-half replacing a top-centre half. If Ryan Nelsen had stayed here then I wouldn’t have had to buy Samba.
“Other clubs spend money down there; Villa have spent big money down there.
“People think they have bought just kids, go back to Darren Bent, you can go through a list of players there and they have spent good money as well.
“Richard Dunne and other players have all cost good money London 24
MIRROR/KENNY DALGLISH
Spin the wheel: Harry's big-money transfer gambles will be worth it.. IF Queens Park Rangers avoid relegation
If Aston Villa go down and QPR stay up, then the money Rangers spent in January will look like financial prudence
Risky business: Redknapp has been accused of setting Rs up to 'do a Portsmouth'
QPR have endured a lot of criticism in the last 24 hours.
They have been accused of treating the transfer window like a supermarket dash.
Charged with putting the future of the club at risk and becoming another Portsmouth.
They have been told they have taken a huge gamble on avoiding relegation and that, if it doesn’t work, they will be in trouble.
Well, they have taken a gamble and if it pays off, no one will be criticising QPR owner Tony Fernandes then.
Anyway, other clubs are gambling in different ways. Aston Villa are gambling by doing very little to improve a struggling squad.
They have got scant experience in their team and have chosen not to alter that situation.
If Villa go down and QPR stay up, then the money Rangers spent in January will look like financial prudence.
The transfer fees they spent on Loic Remy and Chris Samba will be more than offset by the television revenue and prize money they will reap from another season in the Premier League.
So I’m not going to criticise Fernandes for backing his manager.
He has got an experienced boss in Harry Redknapp, one who knows what it takes to keep a team up. If you gave most supporters a choice between an owner who will spend to try to save the team from relegation and an owner who won’t, they would choose the guy who puts his hand in his pocket every time.
QPR had to buy a centre-half anyway. The departure of Ryan Nelsen to coach FC Toronto in the MLS didn’t give them much choice.
Nelsen’s performances were one of the main reasons why QPR’s results have stabilised recently.
And there is little doubt that in Samba, they have a top-class replacement who was coveted by a lot of teams while he was at Blackburn.
What critics are right to point out, though, is that if QPR go down, they will have a player on very big wages that they will probably be unable to move on.
His wages, if they have been reported correctly, will have added about £15million to his transfer fee. That’s part of the gamble, too. Come May, we’ll see whose gamble paid off – QPR’s by doing something or Villa’s by doing nothing...." Mirror
Hull Daily Mail - Steve Bruce: DJ Campbell treated Hull City with contempt
STEVE Bruce has launched a scathing attack on DJ Campbell and his agent, claiming the pair treated Hull City with “utter contempt” when snubbing their offer to join on deadline day.
QPR forward Campbell had looked all set to join the Tigers on Thursday morning when travelling to the KC Stadium to iron out the final details of a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Hull City boss Steve Bruce has said DJ Campbell and his agent treated the club with contempt after snubbing a deadline day move to the Tigers.
A lucrative offer from Blackburn Rovers then saw Campbell flee East Yorkshire without warning and although a move to Ewood Park fell through when failing to hit an 11pm deadline, the forward’s actions have incensed Bruce.
“Nothing surprises me in football anymore but the way certain individuals behaved on DJ Campbell’s behalf was nothing short of disgraceful,” Bruce told the Mail ahead of today’s Millwall clash.
“The utter contempt they showed us after speaking to them for the best part of two weeks was incredible.
“I had texts and phone calls saying he was desperate to sign, so to see them abuse us the way they did has left a very sour taste.
“I can understand someone choosing Blackburn over us. I’ve not got a problem with that one little bit if someone offers you a better deal.
“You can still do things the right way, though, and on Thursday DJ and his agent couldn’t manage that.
“There was a total lack of respect shown to me personally and the whole football club. We felt badly let down.”
Bruce’s anger was clear as he recounted a dramatic final day in the January transfer window.
Having made Campbell his number one attacking target over the last fortnight, City believed a deal had been struck when QPR agreed a nominal fee for the 31-year-old.
After staying in a Hull hotel and travelling to the KC on Thursday morning, Campbell and his agent interrupted talks to go for lunch.
However, the pair never returned and failed to answer calls from City officials. A response finally came late in the evening when they asked City if Blackburn’s contract offer could be matched.
“I can understand anyone driven by ambition,” Bruce added.
“I can put myself in their shoes because when I was younger I can remember tearing down the chairman’s door to go to Manchester United.
“But when it comes down to money and greed, that’s when there’s a problem. There’s a need to show a bit of respect too. I always try to show people respect.
“We even met them in the hotel to make sure they were all right and then they turn around and behave like they did. It was horrendous.
“If they’d picked up the phone to my chief executive and said they were sorry but they’d had a wonderful offer, I’d have accepted it. To just disappear and leave us wondering where they had gone, was out of order. There was no integrity at all.”
City’s failure to land Campbell leaves them short of attacking options, but Bruce has hinted towards action in the emergency loan window next week.
Football League clubs are free to trade in 93-day loans from February 8 and City may yet move before next week’s trip to Brighton. This is Hull
GUARDIAN/STUART JAMES
Peter Odemwingie's drive to QPR was 'total lunacy', says Steve Clarke
• West Brom head coach says striker will be disciplined
• 'Odemwingie didn't have permission to be at QPR'
• 'Odemwingie didn't have permission to be at QPR'
Steve Clarke has described Peter Odemwingie's decision to drive
to Queens Park Rangers on transfer deadline day as "total lunacy" and
said the West Bromwich Albion forward was never granted permission to speak to the London club.
After a bizarre chain of events that culminated in Odemwingie returning to Albion's training ground on Friday morning, 24 hours after he had packed his bags and set off for Loftus Road only for a proposed move to QPR to collapse, Clarke accused the Nigerian of "jumping the gun".
Albion's head coach confirmed that the Midlands club will be taking disciplinary action against Odemwingie in light of "a number of things that have happened this week", which was a reference to the player's outspoken comments on Twitter, as well as his extraordinary behaviour on Thursday night. The 31-year-old will almost certainly be fined the maximum two weeks' wages.
Clarke admitted there was a point on Thursday when Albion were close to reaching an agreement with QPR, only for the deal to collapse when Junior Hoilett made it clear that he was not interested in moving to The Hawthorns on loan. Albion would not countenance allowing Odemwingie to leave without finding a replacement. Despite the transfer being at an advanced stage, Clarke said Odemwingie had no right to head to QPR. "It is total lunacy because he didn't have permission to be at QPR," he said. "That's why QPR turned him away.
"I think it's obvious that there must have been some form of misunderstanding on the part of Peter and his agents, otherwise why would they turn up at Loftus Road without permission to be there? But there is no misunderstanding on the part of the clubs. At boardroom level there is absolute clarity."
Despite that last comment, Clarke suggested he was unimpressed with the way QPR had handled things at times. "I know that I wouldn't work that way. I know that I would conduct myself differently. That's all I can say," he said.
Clarke said Odemwingie had showed remorse for his actions when he held talks with the player on Friday morning. After also meeting with Dan Ashworth, Albion's technical director, and Richard Garlick, the club's legal director, Odemwingie was sent home and told he would not be involved in Sunday's game against Tottenham Hotspur. Although Clarke has refused to put a timescale on when Odemwingie will return to training, he left the door open to the possibility of the player featuring for the club again this season.
"I think Peter has been very, very badly advised. And I think if I was Peter, I would be looking for new agents," Clarke said. "I've never seen a situation like this. I've seen situations where players have tried to engineer a move out of a club, of course, but never to the extent with the media coverage this whole episode has attracted. Hopefully there is a way back for Peter. It's always disappointing if there is no way back from mistakes. I'm sure over the coming days and weeks Peter can do many things. Maybe he has to apologise. First of all he has to get picked and show his team-mates that he's willing to help them. And then, if he's selected in matches, he has to play well."
Earlier in the day Odemwingie suggested that he was under the impression from Dan Ashworth, Albion's technical director, that his move to QPR had been sanctioned. He also accused Albion of double standards in relation to their conduct when he joined the club. "We will find a way forward which is suitable for everyone," Odemwingie said.
"The truth is we all went wrong somewhere. A few days ago [Jeremy Peace, the Albion chairman] told me himself we could have handled it differently. I agreed. I said we have burned some bridges. It was never out of money, it was my professional desire. I was ready to give up my bonus of £300,000 already earned and I offered it back to the club.
"I don't know really what happened. Whatever path we have to take, we need to sit down and iron this issue out. I came to this club in a wholly unprofessional way. I wasn't given any permission by Lokomotiv Moscow. I'm saying these things don't matter so much when adults are dealing with each other." Guardian
After a bizarre chain of events that culminated in Odemwingie returning to Albion's training ground on Friday morning, 24 hours after he had packed his bags and set off for Loftus Road only for a proposed move to QPR to collapse, Clarke accused the Nigerian of "jumping the gun".
Albion's head coach confirmed that the Midlands club will be taking disciplinary action against Odemwingie in light of "a number of things that have happened this week", which was a reference to the player's outspoken comments on Twitter, as well as his extraordinary behaviour on Thursday night. The 31-year-old will almost certainly be fined the maximum two weeks' wages.
Clarke admitted there was a point on Thursday when Albion were close to reaching an agreement with QPR, only for the deal to collapse when Junior Hoilett made it clear that he was not interested in moving to The Hawthorns on loan. Albion would not countenance allowing Odemwingie to leave without finding a replacement. Despite the transfer being at an advanced stage, Clarke said Odemwingie had no right to head to QPR. "It is total lunacy because he didn't have permission to be at QPR," he said. "That's why QPR turned him away.
"I think it's obvious that there must have been some form of misunderstanding on the part of Peter and his agents, otherwise why would they turn up at Loftus Road without permission to be there? But there is no misunderstanding on the part of the clubs. At boardroom level there is absolute clarity."
Despite that last comment, Clarke suggested he was unimpressed with the way QPR had handled things at times. "I know that I wouldn't work that way. I know that I would conduct myself differently. That's all I can say," he said.
Clarke said Odemwingie had showed remorse for his actions when he held talks with the player on Friday morning. After also meeting with Dan Ashworth, Albion's technical director, and Richard Garlick, the club's legal director, Odemwingie was sent home and told he would not be involved in Sunday's game against Tottenham Hotspur. Although Clarke has refused to put a timescale on when Odemwingie will return to training, he left the door open to the possibility of the player featuring for the club again this season.
"I think Peter has been very, very badly advised. And I think if I was Peter, I would be looking for new agents," Clarke said. "I've never seen a situation like this. I've seen situations where players have tried to engineer a move out of a club, of course, but never to the extent with the media coverage this whole episode has attracted. Hopefully there is a way back for Peter. It's always disappointing if there is no way back from mistakes. I'm sure over the coming days and weeks Peter can do many things. Maybe he has to apologise. First of all he has to get picked and show his team-mates that he's willing to help them. And then, if he's selected in matches, he has to play well."
Earlier in the day Odemwingie suggested that he was under the impression from Dan Ashworth, Albion's technical director, that his move to QPR had been sanctioned. He also accused Albion of double standards in relation to their conduct when he joined the club. "We will find a way forward which is suitable for everyone," Odemwingie said.
"The truth is we all went wrong somewhere. A few days ago [Jeremy Peace, the Albion chairman] told me himself we could have handled it differently. I agreed. I said we have burned some bridges. It was never out of money, it was my professional desire. I was ready to give up my bonus of £300,000 already earned and I offered it back to the club.
"I don't know really what happened. Whatever path we have to take, we need to sit down and iron this issue out. I came to this club in a wholly unprofessional way. I wasn't given any permission by Lokomotiv Moscow. I'm saying these things don't matter so much when adults are dealing with each other." Guardian
A QPR REPORT PERSPECTIVE - CLUB RESPONSE AWAITED
The Club and its "Associations"
An ongoing matter of continued "regret" to at least this blogger: That Queen's Park Rangers FC continue to provide a forum on its Official Match Day broadcast show to "QBlockPete" - Pete Davies.
Ultimately, obviously the owners and senior management of Queen's Park Rangers Football determine who they want to employ or utilize. But equally, QPR supporters - quite a few of whom have been supporting QPR a lot longer than any of the current QPR owners, employees, or "Associates" - retain the freedom to express their views (whether supportive or critical) and concerns on matters pertaining to QPR.
If you want to express any views on this matter either privately or publicly, pm me on the QPR Report Messageboard or email at qprreport@hotmail.com