Stupid Stu Leaves Out Dex

Michael Mancienne came on as a sub for England U21s tonight, but Stuart Pearce did not allow Dexter Blackstock to leave the subs bench, instead opting for Theo Walcott.

What a joke, Walcott is fast but by no means a proven goalscorer at first team level... unlike Dexter Blackstock.

Blackstock scored shed loads of goals last season, and considering it was for a team that was struggling all season, his achievement is all the greater.

GIVE HIM A CHANCE.

Almost there....

From the Daily Mail:

Renault chief Flavio Briatore will complete his takeover of Queens Park Rangers within the next 24 hours. And Michael Mancienne, who is on a season's loan at QPR from Chelsea, believes the arrival of new funds could ensure Rangers get back in the Premier League next season.

Three of Rangers' four main shareholders have signed documents selling their shares to Briatore and the fourth, Franco Zanotti, is expected to follow suit this evening.

Club chairman Gianni Paladini, plc chairman Antonio Caliendo and Brazil manager Dunga, who with Zanotti make up the Monaco-based consortium that own 62 per cent of the club, have sold their holdings to the Italian businessman over the past few days.

"There is only Zanotti left and then the deal is complete," said Paladini. "It will either be tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest."

A press conference is likely to be scheduled for early next week to unveil Briatore, who is in Istanbul preparing for Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.

Briatore will clear Rangers' £17million debt and will hand manager John Gregory around £10m, which will allow him to strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes.

David McIntyre on the takeover

The Ealing Gazette reporter on the new regime...


Caliendo paves way for new Italian regime

Aug 20 2007

Rangers all set for change of ownership

By David McIntyre

MAJOR shareholder Antonio Caliendo has finally agreed to sell his stake in QPR to a group that includes Renault Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore. The proposed deal ran into serious trouble last week when Caliendo released a statement saying the club was not for sale following a furious row with Rangers chairman Gianni Paladini prior to Tuesday night’s Carling Cup game against Leyton Orient. Talks resumed the next day and the buy-out looked to be back on. Yet even as Paladini and his allies were celebrating, Caliendo was talking to other interested parties about a possible alternative deal. But Caliendo is now ready to sell to the new Italian regime and is due to formally sign over his shares on Tuesday. Paladini, who is selling most of his share, is to stay on as chairman but - at the request of the incoming new owners – the rest of the QPR board of directors have resigned. Kevin Steele, who did much of the work to secure the takeover, is stepping down along with Nick De Marco and recently-appointed director James Ferrary. Caliendo and his Monaco-based backers have been involved with QPR since 2004. Former Brazil captain Dunga was part of the group as were a number of other individuals, including former Argentina international Ramon Diaz. At one stage, Diaz was in line to take over as manager before a winning run saw Ian Holloway cling onto the job. Paladini and the Monaco-based groups collectively owned a majority of shares in QPR under the guise of companies Moorbound, Barnaby and Wanlock. Three new companies will now similarly own a majority stake as part of the takeover agreement. One of the first tasks facing the new owners will be to rid Rangers of the troublesome £10million loan arranged prior to the club coming out of administration in 2002. The interest rate of around 11 per cent has been a major burden and the terms of that deal were changed when a recent additional £1.3million loan was agreed. ABC Corporation can now acquire the freehold on Loftus Road if the original £10million loan is not resolved by August next year. The new owners plan to take on this loan themselves at a much more favourable interest rate – probably around 6.5 per cent.

QPR Board Resigns!!!

Things seem to be moving in the right direction...

From the official site:

BOARD CHANGES
Posted on: Mon 20 Aug 2007

The Board of Directors of QPR Holdings Ltd have tendered their
resignations with immediate effect ahead of potential new investment.

Speaking to www.qpr.co.uk earlier today, out-going Board members Nick
De Marco, James Ferrary and Kevin Steele issued the following
statement.

"We are delighted to be able to tender our resignations from the Board
of Queens Park Rangers Football Club in order to assist in the changes
set to take place this week.

We believe the new investment coming into the Club will be the most
important for years; will save QPR from the perilous financial
position we have found ourselves in over the past years; and should
put the Club in an excellent position to move forward.

We would like to thank Gianni Paladini in particular for attracting
this important new investment and we are delighted he will stay on as
Chairman of the Club. Gianni has had a difficult job keeping the Club
going but he has pulled off a master-stroke in bringing in this new
investment.

We are also deeply grateful to Antonio Caliendo and Franco Zanotti for
both financing the Club over the past years and for the terms upon
which they have agreed to assist with the new investment.

We are certain the new investors and the new board will get behind
John Gregory and give him the support he needs. We are also positive
that the fans can get behind a new board and continue in their loyal
and unrivalled support for the team.

It has been an honour for all of us to serve this great Club, and we
are grateful to all the staff and supporters we have had the pleasure
to work with."

*The Club will be making no further comment at this stage.

Here we go again... QPR 0 Cardiff 2

New season, same old Rangers.

Cardiff played well, but the R's barely played at all. The defense was
ineffective, the midfield non-existent and the attackers simply didn't
receive any service. It was a bizarre starting eleven that John
Gregory named, notably for the inclusion of Zesh Rehman at right back,
even though the previous season proved Zesh to be shaky at best at
Championship level.

Simply, there were no positives from this game.

This is what The Mirror thought:

QPR 0-2 Cardiff City

Birthday Boy Paul Parry showed Cardiff's new stellar recruits Robbie
Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank that they won't be gifted a starting
place.

Parry, who turned 27 yesterday, swopped his normal midfield habitat
for a striking role. And he kicked off his celebrations by making the
first goal and scoring the second to seal a well-deserved win against
hapless Rangers.

Parry's first league start of the season left boss David Jones
promising to make top billers Robbie and Jimmy wait their turn.

"It's not my position - the boss asked me on Friday if I was willing
to play there and I jumped at the chance," said Parry after Cardiff
had picked up their first league win of the season.

"I think I did pretty well, I felt right at home but overall I'm just
happy to be on the team sheet." He may also have made Wales boss John
Toshack choke on his cornflakes after the decision to overlook him for
Wednesday's friendly against Bulgaria.

First Parry cleverly flicked on a Trevor Sinclair corner for Steve
MacLean to sweep the ball home in the 29th minute, then he bulleted in
a 56th minute header.

But Parry isn't convinced he'll quickly add to his six caps. "Toshack
seems to have his squad settled, so I am just going to have to
concentrate on Cardiff City and hope to fight my way back in," he
added.

Unless QPR are quickly rescued from the financial precipice by
Renault's Formula One boss Flavio Briatore, John Gregory's men could
be facing a fight of their own ... to stay in the Championship.

Billionaire Briatore is in takeover talks which could wipe out the
club's £17million debt along with the threat of administration.

There is also talk of a further £100m investment.

But defender Michael Mancienne - on a season's loan from Chelsea -
insists there is already enough quality in the Rangers team to avoid
another hairraising flirtation with relegation.

"We'll bounce back from this," said Mancienne, whose disappointment
was tempered by his call-up for the England Under-21 squad to face
Romania tomorrow.

"It was just one of those games. We'll do well this season.

"Coming here isn't a step back for me, it was a step forward. I
certainly see myself as a Premiership player in the future."

England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce was at Loftus Road and the
19-year-old added: "It was an aim of mine to get a call-up but it's
come earlier than expected.

"If I get the chance I'm sure I can do a job for England."

And The Sun reports its a done deal also

"F1 chief Flavio is a Ranger" - From The Sun

By PAUL JIGGINS
August 17, 2007

FORMULA ONE chief Flavio Briatore has won the race to buy QPR.

The Renault boss will complete a £22million deal for the Londoners
early next week.

It follows three months of negotiations between the Italian tycoon and
Rangers chairman Gianni Paladini.

Billionaire Briatore has agreed to wipe out Rangers' £17m debt —
saving the club from going bust.

He is also expected to give boss John Gregory cash to splash in
January's transfer window.

Paladini will stay on as chairman at Loftus Road.

And last night he said: "It's a dream come true for QPR fans and saves
this club from liquidation.

"Mr Briatore wants to do for QPR what Mohamed Fayed has for Fulham and
turn us into a Premier League club."

Flamboyant Briatore, 57, is renowned for having a shrewd business brain.

He transformed the US operations of fashion firm Benetton and turned
just five stores into 800.

In 1989 Luciano Benetton asked him to work his magic on his F 1 outfit
— and two years later Briatore signed Michael Schumacher.

And in 2003 he promoted reigning Formula One champ Fernando Alonso —
who was then Renault's test driver — to the team.

Briatore has a lavish home in London and last night his spokesman
said: "Mr Briatore is looking forward to being involved with English
football.

"QPR is a club with a rich history and fine future now."

Italian news site confirms that Briatore has bought QPR

From: http://www.duemotori.com

Flavio Briatore buys football club - confirmed

A matter of days after the west London football club denied the story,
it now appears certain that Renault boss Flavio Briatore has bought
Queens Park Rangers.

Widespread reports last week said the 57-year-old Italian was in talks
about a $50m deal.

British tabloid The Sun on Friday quotes QPR chairman Gianni Paladini
and a spokesman for Briatore as confirming the news, with the deal set
to be completed early next week.

"It's a dream come true for QPR fans and saves this club from
liquidation," Paladini said.

"Mr Briatore wants to do for QPR what Mohamed Fayed has for Fulham and
turn us into a Premier League club."

Briatore's spokesman said: "Mr Briatore is looking forward to being
involved with English football.

"QPR is a club with a rich history and fine future now."

What the hell is going on?

It's difficult to work out exactly what's going on at Loftus Road.

- First Gianni Paladini tells us the the club is for sale.
- Then we're told that a deal is very close, and it will include
millions to help us claw our way back to the Premiership. The man
behind the deal is Flavio Briatore.
- Then the club's largest shareholder, Antonio Caliendo, instructs the
official website to post a statement that says "QPR is not for sale".
- Then the Paladini says that the club is in trouble, needs £1.3
million to pay an Inland Revenue bill and its quite possible we'll go
into administration.

So where does that leave us?

- No news from the Official Site.
- No real news from the press.
- Internet message boards going into overdrive about everything.

But, despite all that, we've still got a game to win on saturday.

COME ON YOU R'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Administration looming

From The Mirror (therefore to be taken with a big pinch of salt):

Threat to QPR

Gianni Paladini has warned QPR will be forced into administration in
two weeks unless a rescue package is agreed.

The cash-strapped club need to pay a £1.3million bill to the Inland
Revenue by September 1.

Rangers could otherwise face a 10-point deduction and be plunged into
a desperate relegation battle.
Advertisement

Chairman Paladini is furious with his fellow board members after talks
with F1 racing boss Flavio Briatore over a £30m takeover stalled.

Paladini said: "There is now a huge concern over the club's future."

Bill Power speaks

Former QPR Chairman Bill Power has given his thoughts on the latest
goings on at Loftus Road by posting on popular QPR Forum, Independent
R's, found here:

http://www.indyrs.co.uk/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2045

Below is a transcript of what he wrote. (nb - this was written after
the QPR official site posted a note saying the club is NOT for sale).

"ok

The glib curt statement on the offish site seems to have some lines
missing. Because it was for sale for the last month.

GP has been to see me several times each month. More, very kindly, to
discuss my health rather than that of our club.

During those get togethers' it became obvious that new money and
impetus was needed.

I spoke to some friends [all qpr] who said they were willing to buy
out AC at the price he bought in at. To be honest against my advice
which was to argue the shares were not worth what he had paid, but....

A plan was put in action by them. ABC would have been gone and sort
out what was needed to repay any loans AC had outstanding which would
have meant he waited for several years to be repaid in full but would
receive 2.5mill up front and monthly payments, heaven forbid we got to
the promised land and he would receive whatever was then o/s and a
bonus to show gratitude for helping our club. In principle I believed
the deal was done, everyone will be glad to know it did not involve me
returning as anything other than in an honorary position.

Before the Celtic game I met Gianni to shake on the deal, but found
that another option had risen and to make this absolutely clear.
Gianni said he was willing still to accept the offer I had proposed if
I insisted.

He gave me the briefest details of another offer, that we both agreed
he need expand no more to me on.

For the good of our club it was obvious that no one needed to look any
further. FULL STOP. I was happy to wish Gianni and his other bid every
possible success. My group disbanded and went on to something else and
I sat back then and began to dream.

From my limited knowledge of the clubs finances we will either go into
administration by the end of the month or we will survive because
someone..

A. puts in a minimum 5 million immediately.

or

B. gambles the survival of our club in the belief that they can sweet
talk several football clubs and the tax man to wait for installments
of the installments we have as a club been offering installments offor
years!!!.

I don't doubt prominent 'QPR' people will ask, what do I know and why
didn't i do things differently. I wonder if anyone will see the irony
of those comments when they come from whoever.

If anyone thinks this is not the 59th minute of the 11th hour let me
warn, this is not Fulham P.R. again or some kind of MK Rs it will be
the end of our club.

I hate writing this because I am aware this sort of statement does
nothing to help the side so would ask that no matter what happens over
the next few days you show 100% support to John Gregory and the team
and by all means vent your anger at me for not achieving more and in
as constructive a way as is possible at this time anyone else you feel
is or has let the club down.

To the the people who think they have a better plan than the takeover
we so nearly had prior to the statement last night come out and tell
us about it.

Tell us you are paying off ABC.

Tell us you are paying off other football clubs.

Tell us you are paying off the taxman.

Tell us our club is debt free.

Tell us about your plans to improve the ground.

There is no need to be coy, the club is not for sale. You will not be
giving away trade secrets that anyone else can use against us. You
will just be confirming you can pay our debts and improve our club.
Think how happy we will all be to hear that.

Bill"

QPR lose at home to Leyton Orient in yet another early Cup exit

From: The Sun
QPR 1 Leyton Orient 2

By BEN KINSELLA
August 15, 2007

ORIENT were last night left dreaming of a Carling Cup windfall — while
QPR were on the brink of administration.

Goals from Jason Demetriou and Adam Boyd took the League One O's into
the second round, where boss Martin Ling is hoping to face a Premier
League club.

Ling, whose side beat Southend on the opening day of the league
season, declared: "The Cup is all about money, which could help us
bring in new players.

"There's no doubt that the money we got from playing Fulham and
Charlton in the FA Cup helped us get promoted a couple of seasons ago.

"So it's very pleasing to get through to the next round and, overall,
we've made a good start to the season."

But the outlook for Rangers is bleak to say the least.

Their Monaco-based owners dropped a bombshell before kick-off by
refusing to relinquish control — wrecking chairman Gianni Paladini's
hopes of a takeover by mega-rich Renault chief Flavio Briatore.

It leaves Paladini at war with his fellow major shareholders and the
cash-strapped Championship club struggling to make ends meet.

Striker Demetriou rubbed salt into their wounds by grabbing a
55th-minute opener.

Boyd beat the Rangers offside trap and, in miscontrolling the ball,
ended up laying it into the path of Demetriou, who found the corner of
the net.

QPR keeper Lee Camp then did brilliantly to push Wayne Gray's
close-range effort on to the bar six minutes later.

But Camp was unable to keep out Boyd's coolly-taken penalty after
Danny Cullip pulled down Gray in the area in the 64th-minute.

Rangers were given hope midway through the second half when Martin
Rowlands slammed home the loose ball, following Tamika Mkandawire's
last-ditch challenge on Nick Ward.

But Orient held out for a deserved victory, while the hosts left the
field to their fans chanting: "What a load of rubbish."

Furious R's boss John Gregory moaned: "This was a game we should have won.

"I really wanted to be in that hat for the next round and am bitterly
disappointed that we're not.

"There are no excuses. Fair play to Orient — they were better than us
and deserved to win. We didn't use the ball well and we gave it away
too easily."

QPR is NOT for sale!!!!!

The club's official website posted this message from the Chairman of QPR Holdings, the company which owns QPR FC and Loftus Road:

"Antonio Caliendo, Chairman of QPR Holdings Ltd, has made the following announcement:

There have been many rumours spread in the newspapers recently about QPR.

The Club is not for sale.

Antonio Caliendo
Chairman, QPR Holdings Ltd

*The Club will be making no further comment at this stage."

New QPR website (well, new network anyway)

The QPR Rivals site, run by NorthernR, has been moved to here: Loft For Words.

This was due to a lack of investment / support from Rivals new owners, BSkyB.

New site looks good.... Come on you R's!!!

Time for a decent Cup Run?

Martin Rowlands told QPR's official website that it's 'about time' Rangers enjoyed a decent run in the Carling Cup.

The R's midfielder is eager to avoid a similar disappointment to last year, when Rangers bowed out at the second round stage at the hands of League One outfit Port Vale.

"Cup competitions are very important, it's about time we did something in the knockout competitions and that starts tomorrow against Leyton Orient."

"Since I've been here we've really struggled in the Cup competitions and I don't want to be saying that again this time next season!"

Speaking ahead of the Leyton Orient tie, Rowlands added: "It's important for the fans and players alike.

"A good Cup run breeds confidence and that can only be good for our League programme."

QPR World

I couldn't afford the trip to Bristol City as I had neither the time
nor the money.
In fact, very rarely can I make an away game.

So I, like many others, have taken out a subscription to QPR World
which allows me to listen to live commentary to all QPR matches from
my computer.

Saturday's commentary with Bristol City, however, was not worth 35p
let alone the £35 per year I pay in fees.

While the analyst, Paul Parker, did a reasonable job of summarizing
things, the commentator, Emma Jones, was awful. She had no grasp of
the game, no idea which players were which and she left massive gaps.
I hope I never hear her voice again. My top 3 fave things from her
were:

1) She described how Martin Rowlands took a corner.... and then left a
pause without telling us the result of the corner. It wasn't until
Paul Parker came in 15 seconds later that we learned the corner had
been taken and cleared.

2) She missed the first QPR goal. She was so busy talking about the
Bristol goal, she completely missed Dexter Blackstock's goal. We were
left with, "oh, and QPR have equalised."

3) She told us how Hogan Ephraim, QPR's new loan signing from West
Ham, had been subbed on for the home team.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LET HER COMMENTATE A QPR GAME AGAIN.

Start to the season ends in a draw

From: The Mirror:
Bristol City 2-2 QPR

John Gregory's thoughts were with appendicitis victim Ben Sahar after
a gutsy effort from his Rangers team.

The exciting 17-year-old Israeli striker had been looking forward to
his Championship debut on loan from Chelsea after notching two goals
in a pre-season game against Fulham. Instead, while his new team-mates
were twice coming from behind at Ashton Gate, Sahar was preparing to
go under the knife at a Bristol hospital.

"We will be without Ben for four or five weeks, which is a blow, but
our first consideration is his health," said Gregory after the game.

"He was very ill this morning and is having surgery as I speak."

The Rangers boss was happy enough with a draw after seeing Scott
Murray put newly-promoted City 2-1 up with a brilliant 25-yard chip as
injury time approached.

For the second time the visitors equalised within a minute,
encouraging their manager to insist: "This group of players don't know
when they are beaten."

Defender Damien Stewart headed the lastgasp leveller after Dexter
Blackstock had cancelled out Lee Johnson's 33rdminute strike before
the cheering had died down.

It all left City boss Gary Johnson gutted.

"I have to stand by my lads and accept that everyone makes mistakes," he said.

"To give away a lead once within seconds is bad enough, but to do it
twice is hugely frustrating. We were so close to returning to the
Championship with a win, but couldn't defend a free-kick during injury
time."

Johnson will be recalling goalkeeper Chris Weale from his loan spell
at Hereford today after seeing Adriano Basso suffer a rib injury when
failing to prevent Blackstock heading the first equaliser.

Hogan Ephraim signs (on loan)

From: QPR Official Site
EXCLUSIVE: HAMMER TIME
Posted on: Fri 10 Aug 2007

West Ham United starlet Hogan Ephraim has joined Queens Park Rangers
on a one month loan deal.

The 19 year-old, who joined the Hammers as a trainee in July 2004,
will go straight into the squad for the R's opening day showdown with
Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

Gaffer John Gregory expressed his delight at the move, telling
www.qpr.co.uk: "Hogan is technically a very gifted player and he has
the versatility to play on the right or the left of midfield - or even
up-front.

"He's got very quick feet and is able to be very creative with the
ball at his feet.''

A product of the Hammers Academy system, Ephraim was sent out on loan
to Colchester United to gain some much-needed first team experience
last season.

The pacy attacker made 21 appearances in all competitions, scoring
once, against Barnsley.

Gregory added: "Hogan established himself in the England Under-19's
alongside Michael Mancienne and we've managed to beat off strenuous
attempts from both Crystal Palace and Colchester United, who each
wanted to take him on loan.

"Mick Harford knows Hogan well from their time at Colchester, as does
Chris Barker. Michael also knows him, of course, and all three of them
played a big part in helping us get him on board.''

Ephraim will wear the number 25 shirt.

The Times and The Mail report on new investment / owners

This morning, both The Times and The Mail are reporting that Flavio
Briatore (and Bernie Ecclestone) are about to swoop for a controlling
share in QPR.

Let's hope it gets sorted soon.

From: The Mail

Overtaking? No, taking over as Ecclestone and Briatore plan QPR swoop

EXCLUSIVE: By MATT LAWTON

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is set to buy Queens Park Rangers,
Sportsmail can reveal.

Ecclestone, worth £2.25billion and the 20th richest man in Britain,
has linked up with Renault F1 chief Flavio Briatore to acquire the
west London club from Gianni Paladini.

The three men are understood to have shaken hands on the deal within
the last fortnight. Paladini has been looking to sell for around
£30million but has told friends he would accept substantially less if
the deal was right.

Under the deal, Paladini would stay on as chairman, running the
Championship club on a day-to-day basis, but Ecclestone and Briatore -
a football-mad Italian - have the financial clout to transform a side
with one of the wealthiest catchment areas in the country. Ecclestone,
who has transformed the fortunes of Formula One with his tough
management style, has no track record in football but was recently
linked to a possible takeover of Arsenal.

Last night, Paladini denied that a deal had been completed, saying: "I
wish it was true."

The move is unusual in that it involves a partnership between a
British and a foreign investor and comes on a day when two of English
football's most influential figures warned of the dangers of too much
foreign money coming into the domestic game.

With Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester
City, Fulham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and West Ham all now having
non-English owners, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside voiced fears that
too much foreign investment will damage the Premier League.

He said: "The trouble is that the more foreign owners you get, the
greater the danger of the balance of power changing.

"Football, as it has been regulated for years, could be in danger. If
the foreignowned clubs gain a majority and decide to get together,
they could start to dictate how the league is run.

"Here at Bolton we are still classed as a club that is owned by its
roots, by people who still have a vested interest in making Bolton
successful and not purely for financial gains. That's the way we'd
like it to stay but, in reality, it's a difficult balance to achieve.

"Manchester City fans, for instance, probably aren't going to care
where their transfer funds come from if they see their club signing
players for big fees. 'We are not blind to exploring investment in the
club but we are also mindful of the future ownership and ensuring it
remains in the hands of people who are interested in the well-being of
Bolton.

"We would welcome investment, but it does matter where it comes from.
If the right offer was put on the table, we'd have to look at it
because we are mindful that we are custodians and not just owners. To
date, however, we have had no approaches."

Meanwhile, Sir Jack Hayward yesterday sold Wolves to Steve Morgan for
£10 - writing off the &£60m debt he accrued during his 17-year spell
in charge - and also took a swipe at the new foreign owners in the
Premier League, and Manchester City's Thaksin Shinawatra and West
Ham's Eggert Magnusson in particular.

He said: "I think the way clubs are going into foreign hands is very
bad indeed. That's why I'm so delighted that Steve is English. I
couldn't have sold to a foreigner. I didn't want a Siamese ex-prime
minister here, thank you very much. This is an English club.

"We did have one or two foreigners interested. We had the West Ham
crowd come in for half a day but luckily the sandwiches we served at
lunchtime were even worse than usual and it put them off."

From: The Times

Flamboyant Briatore on track to take over at QPR
by
Gary Jacob and Kevin Eason

Flavio Briatore is in advanced talks about taking control of Queens
Park Rangers. The Renault team principal is believed to be considering
a deal worth about £25 million for the club, including taking on the
debt of about £21 million. The flamboyant businessman is not known for
a love of football, although his shrewd brain has given him a unique
place in Formula One. He helped to mastermind the transfer of a
little-known Michael Schumacher and spotted Fernando Alonso, the world
champion.

Briatore is the latest individual – including a consortium involving
Ronny Rosenthal, the former Liverpool forward – that has been
entertained by the Coca-Cola Championship club this summer in an
attempt to ensure that do not fall into administration.

Briatore has promised John Gregory, the QPR manager, about £10 million
to spend on players in Janaury and he is willing to repay the £10
million that is owed to the ABC Corporation, a loan that helped the
club to exit administration five years ago, but has become a noose
because of the hefty repayments. More than £7 million is still owed to
club directors and the HM Revenue and Customs.

Born in Italy, Briatore ran Benetton's operations in the United
States, turning five stores into 800 branches. When Benetton sent him
to Formula One to transform a moribund team he recruited the best –
including Ross Brawn, who later became the technical director of
Ferrari – and snatched a young driver from Jordan. Schumacher won two
world titles at Benetton and a further five with Ferrari.

When Renault bought the Benetton team, Briatore who had briefly left
Formula One returned, and spotted another brilliant talent, Alonso,
who has won two world titles. Away from the track, Briatore, 57, lives
a life reflected in the choice of title for his range of fashion and
nightclub businesses, called simply Billionaire. He has yachts, a
house in Sardinia and an apartment in London.

Ben Sahar loan extended until January

From the official site:

Queens Park Rangers Football Club are delighted to announce that
Chelsea loanee Ben Sahar will stay with the Club until January 2nd
2007.

Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, gaffer John Gregory revealed
his delight at the news: "We've been able to sign him until the
January transfer window.

"It's rather longer than we first anticipated, but we're delighted
that Chelsea have given us permission to keep him until then.

"He has already shown us glimpses of his potential in two pre-season
friendlies and now we are just looking for him to repeat his
goal-scoring prowess in the Championship itself."

The teenage hot-shot - who turns 18 tomorrow (Friday) - is in line to
make his competitive debut for the R's against Bristol City on
Saturday.

Adam Bolder named Captain

Adam Bolder has been named as the new captain of Queens Park Rangers
Football Club.

The no-nonsense midfielder was informed of the news by gaffer John
Gregory this afternoon.

Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Bolder said "I got a phone call
from the Manager as I was leaving the training ground. He said he
wanted to have a chat with me, and when I got back he told me I was
going to be the captain.

"It came as a surprise, but it's nice to be given the responsibility
and it's a great honour to be captain of a Club like QPR.''

Bolder, who joined the R's in January from Derby County, added: "It
won't affect my game at all. I'm fairly vocal on the pitch anyway, so
I don't think I will feel the need to talk anymore than I already do.

"There are 11 captains out there for us anyway, so I don't see it as
added pressure.

"I never like losing but maybe I will take it more personally if we
lose when I'm the captain of the side."

QPR Press Conference today?

According to posters on the QPR Rival message board, there is to be a
QPR Press Conference at some point today.

Will it be to announce a new signing, new investment or the R's going
into administration?

Have to wait and see I guess......

Link: http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=528477973

From: The Kilburn Times

League OK Rangers' new faces

08 August 2007
By Ben Kosky

THE Football League have confirmed that QPR WILL be allowed to field
their new signings in this weekend's Championship opener at Bristol
City.

Rangers could have been forced to leave out goalkeeper Lee Camp and
loan signings Michael Mancienne and Ben Sahar, if they had failed to
pay back their £500,000 loan from Oldham chairman Simon Blitz.

But Football League spokesman John Nagle said: "The monies have now
been repaid and there is no longer a transfer embargo on the club."

Once the League were satisfied that the loan had been fully repaid,
they permitted Rangers to complete their registrations of Camp,
Mancienne and Sahar in time for Saturday's trip to Ashton Gate.

Midfielder Simon Walton would also have been eligible, but the broken
leg he suffered against Fulham last week will delay his Hoops debut
for several months.

Stefan Bailey is likely to deputise against the Robins, but Rs manager
John Gregory plans to enter the loan market in an attempt to fill the
void left by Walton's injury.

"We'd earmarked Simon to play in that central midfield role, he's a
solid, dependable player and person, and now we're going to be without
him, so we'll have to make one or two adjustments," said Gregory.

"That may mean we need to try and bring one more in, even though
there's no money left. But we'll definitely be ready and hopefully we
can do better than last year."

As well as Walton, Gregory will have to do without defensive duo Chris
Barker and Sami Timoska, who are serving suspensions from last season,
and winger Gareth Ainsworth, yet to recover from a broken leg.

Danny Cullip is also doubtful after missing Rangers' recent friendlies
with an ankle problem, although he did play in their 1-0 training
ground defeat at Reading on Tuesday.

Mancienne is likely to partner Damion Stewart in central defence, with
Sahar the favourite to start up front with Dexter Blackstock following
his two-goal performance against Fulham.

While supporters' expectations were raised by that victory over their
near neighbours, Gregory is keen to downplay suggestions that his team
could challenge for the top six this season.

He said: "We've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go yet -
there are a lot of teams better than us in this division, but the one
thing you'll get off this bunch of lads is total commitment to the job
of wearing that blue and white shirt.

"Hopefully we can get off to a good start. If we do, it's great, if we
don't, then we have to put it right."

Left-sided midfielder James Simmonds, who has been on trial at Loftus
Road during pre-season, may also feature at Ashton Gate as Rangers
consider his future.

The 19-year-old former England youth international who came through
Chelsea's youth team and ended last season on loan at Cardiff City, is
available on a free transfer.

Gregory added: "He's going to continue with us over the next couple of
weeks and then we'll get the opportunity of possibly taking him on
full-time."

Meanwhile, midfielder Nick Ward has been on trial this week with
Italian Serie B club Brescia and will be allowed to leave QPR if he is
offered a deal there.

Link: http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/content/camden/kilburntimes/default/

Olli says: QPR will not be relegated this season

Former R's boss Ian Holloway has backed us to avoid the drop season.
"My old side QPR are one of the bookies' tips for the drop but I think
they will be fine," Holloway wrote in his BBC Sport article, published
today.

Check it out here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6929172.stm

Cook gives £250,000 to QPR

Fulham's Cook hands QPR a £250,000 lifeline from Daily Mail

New Fulham signing Lee Cook revealed today he has donated £250,000 to
his former club Queens Park Rangers to help steer them through their
financial troubles.

Cook — one of eight players to join Lawrie Sanchez's Craven Cottage
revolution this summer — decided to give the sum, which equates to 10
per cent of his £2.5million transfer fee, when he left Loftus Road
last month.

"Rangers are struggling for money and, as everyone knows, I'm a
boyhood Rangers fan," explained Cook.

"The club were saying that not enough money had been paid for me. I
said, 'I'll give you 10 per cent of the sale'.

"It was totally my decision — there was no pressure from anyone. The
transfer had been agreed but I love Rangers and I don't want to see
them hard up."

Even allowing for the leap in Cook's wages from £4,000-a-week to
£18,000-aweek following his move, it is a gesture that will be hugely
appreciated by all those at Loftus Road and challenges the assumption
that all Premier League footballers are mercenaries.

Cook admits the off-field controversies during his three years at QPR
was unsettling for the players.

He said: "Whenever you picked up the paper there was something bad
going on a QPR, whether it was the fight against the Chinese or the
financial problems. I've heard [chairman] Gianni Paladini saying there
are new investors coming. If they are, hopefully everything will be
sorted out.

"At times it was difficult. When you are a player, you just want to
play football. But it goes through your mind the club might go into
administration and that you might not get paid next month.

"But to be fair to the club, they never asked us to take a wage cut
and our wages were always paid on the first day of every month."

The 24-year-old recognises he has joined a whole new world at Fulham,
where chairman Mohammed Fayed has reversed his trend of recent seasons
by allowing new manager Sanchez to spend heavily in the transfer
market.

"I heard Lawrie wanted me in April or May and, then it was just a
matter of the clubs agreeing a deal," said Cook.

"A couple of northern Premiership clubs were also interested but to be
honest it was an easy decision. My family are all from the local area
and I didn't want to uproot them and my fiancee by moving up north.

"These are exciting times at Fulham. They had a strong squad but they
have spent more than £20million in the summer, which shows the
ambition.

"To be honest, the money that has been spent this summer has been
outrageous. Your Manchester Uniteds and Liverpools will always spend
£50m but when you see clubs like West Ham spending fortunes as well,
it shows how desperate everyone is not to go down. The clubs have the
extra TV money this year and it has had a massive effect."

Like most of the new Fulham players, Cook will have to make the leap
from the Championship to the top tier but, as an orthodox left-winger,
he believes he offers something different.

"There aren't that many English leftwingers around," he said. "My game
is all about attacking defenders and putting in crosses.

"In the last three seasons, I provided 47 assists — 18 last season and
14 and 15 in the previous years — which was more than anyone else in
the division. I have done it consistently and I'm not worried that I
can't make the step up."

Cook is unlikely to make Fulham's first game — Sunday's visit to
Arsenal — as Friday's 2-1 defeat at QPR was his first outing since
sustaining a knee injury at the end of last season.

"I was out for three months so I have missed a lot of pre-season," he
said. "I'm a month behind some of the players but I've been training
hard the last couple of weeks. Arsenal might be a bit soon, although I
hope I can be involved."

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=473510&in_page_id=1779

JG happy with Ben Sahar

From the official QPR site:

John Gregory reserved special praise for on-loan hot-shot Ben Sahar, after the 17 year-old bagged a dazzling double against Fulham on Friday night.

The Israeli international front-man bagged two goals in ten scintillating second half minutes to send Rangers on their way to a deserved 2-1 victory against the new-look Cottagers at Loftus Road.

"The sign of a good goal-scorer is when they are able to finish when faced one-on-one with the goalkeeper and he did that expertly for his second goal,'' Gregory told www.qpr.co.uk.

"His first was an exceptional strike too and for one so young - he's only 18 on Friday - he showed tremendous composure and accuracy.

"It was the very least he and Queens Park Rangers Football Club deserved on the night.''

My guess at JG's starting Xi next week

JG has given a number of players the opportunity to prove themselves in pre-season, so guessing the starting line-up for Bristol City won't be easy. But here goes anyway,

GK: Camp

RB: Mancienne
CB: Stewart, Cullip
LB: Curtis

RM:Moore
CM: Bolder, Bailey
LM:Rowlands

FW: Blackstock, Sahar

Subs:
Rehman, Timoska, Nardiello, Nygaard, St Aimee

QPR Squad Numbers

With one week to go untill the start of the season, the squad looks like this:
nb - still no number 10!

1	Lee Camp	Goalkeeper
2	Marcus Bignot	Defender
3	Chris Barker	Defender
4	Danny Cullip	Defender
5	Damion Stewart	Defender
6	Michael Mancienne (on loan from Chelsea )	Defender
7	Adam Bolder	Midfielder
8	Daniel Nardiello	Striker
9	Dexter Blackstock	Striker
11	Gareth Ainsworth	Midfielder
12	Jake Cole	Goalkeeper
14	Martin Rowlands	Midfielder
15	Dominic Shimmin	Defender
16	Ray Jones	Striker
17	Ben Sahar (on loan from Chelsea )	Striker
18	Stefan Moore	Striker
19	Simon Walton	Midfielder
20	Kieron St Aimie	Midfielder
21	John Curtis	Defender
22	Shabazz Baidoo	Striker
23	Stefan Bailey	Midfielder
24	Patrick Kanyuka	Defender
27	Sampsa Timoska	Defender
28	Zeshan Rehman	Defender
29	Nick Ward	Midfielder
30	Marc Nygaard	Striker
	Tommy Doherty	Midfielder
	Aaron Goode	Defender
	Andrew Howell	Defender
	Sean Thomas	Goalkeeper

QPR beat Fulham

QPR beat Fulham 2 - 1 but the victory is overshadowed by the injury to new-boy Simon Walton with a suspected broken leg.

A match report from the QPR Rivals site can be found here.

As for Simon Walton, "it appears he's broken his leg, but we should know more in the next 48 hours or so," Rangers manager John Gregory told his club's website.

"No Embargo" - Says QPR

NO EMBARGO from Official Site

Posted on: Fri 03 Aug 2007

QPR would like to assure its fans that there is no embargo on the registration of the Club's new signings.

The Club have satisfied the Football League with regard to the Blitz loan.

All of John Gregory's new signings will be able to play for the Club against Bristol City on the opening day of the new Championship campaign.

"I was very disappointed with the nature of some of the articles that appeared in the press today,'' Chairman Gianni Paladini told www.qpr.co.uk.

"However, I would like to take this opportunity to reassure our fans that everything is in order ahead of the new season.''

Link

Daily Mail: Rangers quartet banned until Oldham loan is repaid

From the Daily Mail:

Lord Mawhinney today warned Queens Park Rangers to repay their
outstanding debt to Oldham chairman Simon Blitz or start the season
without four of their new signings.

The Football League chairman says a transfer embargo applied to
Rangers over the £500,000 loan means July recruits Simon Walton, Lee
Camp, Michael Mancienne and Ben Sahar are not registered to play for
the club.

QPR chairman Gianni Paladini borrowed the cash from Blitz earlier in
the year without realising that the deal broke a league rule which
forbids directors from investing in more than one club.

When details of the loan emerged in May, QPR promised to repay the
money but three months later part of the debt - understood to be
around £300,000 - has still not been repaid. At their latest meeting
two weeks' ago, the League's board imposed a transfer embargo on QPR
and held back around £1million in funding.

But the embargo did not stop QPR announcing a £200,000 deal for Walton
from Charlton and a £300,000 move for Camp from Derby last week. The
club also confirmed the loan signings of Mancienne and Sahar from
Chelsea.

Although they have appeared in pre-season friendlies, Mawhinney
confirmed that none of the quartet will be eligible for Championship
matches until the loan is repaid.

QPR's first game is at Bristol City a week tomorrow. Mawhinney said:
"There is a financial issue relating to QPR which needs to be
resolved. Therefore, we have said that restrictions will be applied to
the club's transactions.

"As soon as the financial issue has been resolved it will be back to
normal. I understand promises have been made. I assume it will be
resolved very soon but we've been waiting for quite a long time."

Paladini has insisted Blitz's money will be repaid this week. He also
revealed today QPR have an agreement with Chelsea to sign three young
players every year on loan.

He added: "They don't tell us which players. It's the ones manager
John Gregory wants."

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=472935&in_page_id=1779&ito=newsnow

Bolder - I Want More Goals

From QPR Official Site:

I WANT MORE
Posted on: Thu 02 Aug 2007

Adam Bolder can't wait for the new season to get underway, and he
hopes it's a campaign that will see him find the back of the net more
frequently.

The 26-year-old midfielder, who joined the R's from Derby in January,
has quickly become a fans' favourite with his passionate and committed
approach to every game he's involved in.

And that desire has been as strong as ever during the pre-season.

The one thing lacking is goals. Bolder didn't score for Rangers last
term, but he underlined his intentions for the year ahead by opening
his account against Harrow on Tuesday night.

"It was nice to score," Bolder told www.qpr.co.uk "and I'll be looking
to get a few more this season - provided the gaffer let's me get
forward!"

As the R's fought for their Championship lives last term, Bolder's
defensive displays in the middle of the park were vital.

But, following the arrival of no-nonsense midfielder Simon Walton from
Charlton, could Bolder be pushed into a more attack-minded role?

"I know the gaffer likes me to sit and protect the back four," he
said, "but Wally can do that too.

"I don't actually think it will mean I get pushed further up, it will
probably be a case of one goes, and the other sits. It will vary."

As well as seeing Bolder's first strike for Rangers, pre-season has
also seen him wearing the skipper's arm-band.

He admitted: "The captaincy has been nice. It's a great honour to be
captain of a club like QPR.

"But it has only been during the pre-season, and in the absence of
other senior players who have been unavailable."

Bolder knows that with the armband comes greater responsibility, but
he said: "That is something I relish rather than fear.

"As well as looking after your own game, you have to make sure that
what is going on around you is right, too.

"At the end of the day, if the result isn't a good one, it comes back
on the captain and the manager.

"But, as I have said, I am not the captain. I have just had it during
the pre-season."

Friday night sees Bolder and his team-mates do battle with Premiership
outfit Fulham. And there will be a familiar face in the visiting
dressing room.

"It will be nice for Lee Cook to come back to Loftus Road and say his
final goodbyes," added Bolder.

"Everyone wishes him well for the future and, hopefully, he will excel
in the Premier League."

Cook, who is expected to play some part in the game, has just worked
his way back to fitness following a minor knee operation during the
summer.

So, if the ball drops between Bolder and his old team-mate for a
potentially crunching 50-50, will the R's midfielder go easy on his
old pal?

"No chance, never!" came the swift reply.

Danny's ready for battle

From: Kilburn Times

01 August 2007

Danny Nardiello in action against Celtic

DANNY Nardiello has settled in quickly - but don't be surprised to see him involved in a heated clash with new team-mate Martin Rowlands before long.

The summer signing from Barnsley is an affable, easy-going character, whose eyes have a tendency to light up when a shooting opportunity from a free-kick presents itself.

Rowlands is QPR's dead-ball maestro, though - having smashed in a few lethal free-kicks from distance last season, to say nothing of four crucial penalties.

So there could be some keen competition between the two this season for shooting rights and Nardiello grinned: "I'm sure we'll have an argument every now and then.

"I've scored a few free-kicks in the past, so I do like to take them. I don't know whether the other lads will let me but, if I do, I'll be looking for a few goals.

"The more goals I get the better. You do set yourself targets and my main objectives are to stay fit, make a name for myself here and help QPR to success this season."

Nardiello's name is already well known in the Championship after an impressive two seasons at Barnsley, hitting 14 goals to help them survive last year.

Dexter Blackstock, of course, scored an identical total for a struggling team last season - and the early indications are that the pair can form a profitable partnership for Rangers.

Not that their selection is by any means guaranteed, of course - and, as Rs boss John Gregory pointed out recently, the number 10 shirt is yet to be filled.

"Dexter's a great player - I've played against him a few times before and obviously now seen him in training and he's a good finisher," observed Nardiello.

"I like to come off him a bit and he can stay further upfield, so hopefully we can get plenty of goals this season. With that said, you don't want to get complacent.

"There's a strong squad here already and competition for places is always good. I want to play every week, so I've got to work hard and score goals to make sure I get a place in the team and keep it."

And the 24-year-old Wales international is clearly confident of enjoying a successful career with QPR - he not only turned down the offer of a new contract at Oakwell, but also the chance to play for Coventry, the club he supported as a youngster.

Norwich were also keen to secure Nardiello's signature, but the striker admitted: "After speaking to the gaffer, hearing what he had to say and seeing the set-up here, my mind was made up.

"It was a big decision for me to make - Coventry's the team I supported as a kid and my dad [Donato] also played for them - but I felt QPR was the right move for me and hopefully that'll prove to be the right decision.

"I had a nightmare start last season at Barnsley - I broke my collarbone and was out for the first third of the season and came back into the thick of a relegation battle.

"Hopefully this time I can get a full pre-season under my belt and be pushing for promotion rather than having a struggle at the bottom of the table."

There won't be any arguments from anyone at QPR if that particular wish of Nardiello's comes true.

Source: Kilburn Times

JG: I'd almost given up hope

From: The Kilburn Times

Lee Camp

By Ben Kosky

QPR boss John Gregory admits he was close to abandoning his pursuit of Lee Camp last week and bidding for another goalkeeper.

Gregory finally landed his top transfer target last Friday, paying Derby £300,000 to bring the highly-rated England under-21 international back to Loftus Road after two successful loan spells.

But the Rangers manager acknowledged: "We were heading towards a period when I thought I'd have to get somebody and forget all about Lee Camp. By the end of this week I'd have had to do something else.

"Derby basically said they wanted to keep him and he wasn't for sale. I wasn't too sure whether to believe them or not and whether to start looking elsewhere, but we did.

"We've always had a Plan B and indeed a Plan C, people we were looking at if they need arose. It was a bit cat and mouse and I had a sneaking suspicion Derby were originally trying to get someone else they couldn't get.

"So we had to hold fire and play the waiting game, then their Plan B kicked in and fortunately it all came together."

Derby's purchase of Ipswich keeper Lewis Price finally cleared the way for Camp to move to Loftus Road, turning his back on the newly-promoted Rams in search of first-team football.

Camp, who turns 23 later this month, told the Times: "It was a tough decision leaving my home town, but it was there for all to see that I wasn't going to be number one at Derby.

"The opportunity to play football was one I couldn't turn down. I think it was dragged out more by the press than the two clubs involved but, when it's out of your hands, it can become slightly frustrating.

"I have to thank QPR for their patience - they were fantastic during the time this was going on. They could easily have pulled the plug and signed someone else, but they supported me and hopefully I can repay that."

Camp amassed almost a century of appearances for Derby, but has been a hugely popular player at QPR ever since arriving on loan in 2004 and playing a key role in guiding Ian Holloway's side to promotion.

As Rams boss, Gregory gave the keeper his professional debut and he was quick to send for Camp last season, again with enormous success, after Paul Jones and Simon Royce fell from favour.

Camp added: "There's maybe a fear factor in being in new surroundings and not knowing anyone when you start, but I know the club and the area, the manager and many of the boys well, so that wasn't a problem.

"When you get so much support from the fans and everyone inside the club, it makes life a lot easier. This is certainly a place where I've enjoyed my time in the past and that's all I ever want to do, enjoy my football at QPR.

"I think our form towards the end of last season was championship form and if we can take that into the new season, you never know what could happen."

Gregory quickly followed the capture of Camp by paying Charlton £200,000 for 19-year-old midfielder Simon Walton, bringing his number of permanent signings this summer to five.

That will be complemented by two loan deals today, when Chelsea duo Michael Mancienne and Ben Sahar - both of whom played in Rangers' friendlies against Wycombe and Harrow Borough - formally put pen to paper.

Gregory is expected to add a third Chelsea loanee to the squad before the start of the season, possibly attacking midfielder Scott Sinclair, but the manager admitted: "That's it now, the money's all gone.

"The chairman said I could have £500,000 of the proceeds and spend it whichever way I felt fit, whether it was 10 players or one player. I would have paid the whole £500,000 for Lee Camp, trust me, without question.

"Fortunately we got him at a reasonable price and I was able to spend some more money on Simon Walton, who's still only 19 and I think he's got a big future ahead of him.

"We might have to go into the loan market again as the season progresses, but this will probably be the squad that starts for me."

Rangers currently have another Chelsea player on trial - midfielder James Simmonds, who also played at both Adams Park and Earlsmead.

Source: Kilburn Times

Great tribute to Lee Cook

Fantastic tribute to Lee Cook, found on You Tube:

Click here

Bye bye Cookie

QPR 3 Harrow Borough 0

Excellent match report can be found here:

http://www.qprnet.com/firstteam/0708/matchreports/harrowba.shtml

Goals from Marc Nygaard, Adam Bolder and Shabazz Baidoo secured the
victory for the R's.

Camp and Walton NOT eligible to play for QPR

Quality reporting from the Mail, or a load of made-up rubbish? You decide..

"New signings Simon Walton and Lee Camp may be banned from starting
the season with QPR.

The Football League are refusing to allow Rangers to register new
players until they repay a £500,000 loan from Oldham chairman Simon
Blitz - there is understood to be £300,000 left.

Rangers announced the signings of Walton from Charlton for £200,000
and Camp from Derby for £300,000 last week.

But the transfers are yet to be ratified by the League who will block
any move to play them in the Championship."

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=472063&in_page_id=1779&ito=newsnow

No more money

Despite getting at least 2.5 million for Lee Cook QPR boss John
Gregory has no more money to spend after splashing out £500,000 on Lee
Camp and Simon Walton.

I hope that the other 2 million has gone to paying off debts rather
than lining the chairman's pocket, but who knows....

Lee Cook hard to replace

Article from TalkSport:

Cook void hard to fill - Gregory

QPR boss John Gregory believes the void left by Lee Cook will be an
extremely hard one to fill at Loftus Road.

Midfielder Cook left the Hoops for Fulham earlier this month and his
former manager is concerned that he may not be able to find a suitable
replacement by the time they open their Championship campaign against
Bristol City on August 11.

Gregory told the club's official website: "For us to replace Lee Cook
is an enormous task.

"It will be extremely difficult, and we don't have any money left.

"Forward players are always more expensive, and forward players who
win games are more expensive still."

Link: http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1801_2627769,00.html

Bill Power to return to QPR?

So says this rumour on the Rivals QPR Message board:

http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=528578030

Paladini to sell up?

QPR to be sold "next week" from Eurosport - Sun, 29 Jul 15:46:00 2007

Queens Park Rangers owner Gianni Paladini has revealed he has agreed
to sell the West London club.

It is believed that the QPR chairman is to sell his controlling share
in the Championship side for £5 million, although he would not
completely surrender his interest in the club.

Paladini expects to the deal to go through in the next few days.

He told the Sunday Mirror: "I've agreed in principle to sell the club.

"I'm selling the vast majority of my shares but I will be retaining a
position at the club.

"The deal has not yet been signed off but I expect it to go through next week."

QPR, who finished 18th in the Championship last season, are in the
midst of recovering from penalties incurred for financial
irregularities.

The Football League is believed to be withholding central funds from
the Loftus Road side, and has placed a transfer embargo on the club.

The Rs also broke League regulations by receiving a loan from Oldham
Athletic, and must now repay the £500,000 amount in full.

Link: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29072007/58/championship-qpr-sold-next-week.html

Ben Sahar makes debut for QPR

From: The Jerusalem Post By ALLON SINAI

Ben Sahar made his debut for Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon
after joining the League Championship side for an initial three-month
loan deal on Thursday night.

The 17-year-old Israel international, who will officially join from
Chelsea on August 1, played 34 minutes in the second half of QPR's 1-0
victory over Wycombe Wanderers in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

"I am excited about this move and feel ready to play for the
first-team," said Sahar, who will be hoping to become a regular in the
QPR starting lineup.

Sahar only made five substitute appearances for Chelsea last season,
playing a total of 107 minutes. "I have already shown that I know how
to score goals, and hopefully I will do that for QPR. I am still young
and I need to show that I deserve to be in the QPR team," he told the
club's Web site.

Manager John Gregory was delighted with his latest acquisition. "It's
exciting to have somebody of Ben's undoubted potential being part of
our set-up at the start of the new season," he said. "I use the word
'potential' as Ben has still got his whole career in front of him at
the moment.

"Although he has got full caps for the national team and has made
first-team appearances for Chelsa in the Premiership, it will still be
a big step-up for Ben to become a regular player in the Championship,
but we firmly believe it's a step-up that he is more-than-capable of
achieving," Gregory continued.

"We are delighted to have him here and I am sure he will improve our
attacking options. I now have six recognized strikers who are all
fighting for two or three places in the team," he said. "As ever, I
would like to pay a debt of gratitude to Chelsea for giving us the
opportunity to have him here and to help him further his English
footballing education," Gregory concluded.

Sahar, who joined the Chelsea youth academy from Hapoel Tel Aviv in
May 2006 in a deal worth a reported $600,000, will wear the No. 17
shirt and is sure his time in the Championship will help him further
his career.

"The style of football here is much more aggressive and you need to be
stronger," he acknowledged. "The Championship is very tough, so it can
only improve me as a player. That is why I am very happy to be here. I
can't wait to wear the QPR shirt."

Link: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185379026315&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

New Season Optimism

I can't help it.
I've spent all summer being excited about the new season and now it's
almost upon us.

I think we can push for the play offs if, crucially, the squad can
stay injury-free.

I'll probably want to revise that statement after the Bristol City game :)

Lee Cook's gone

The will he, won't he saga ended a few weeks ago and Lee left.

If you believe the papers / rumours then his sale allowed the club to avoid administration.

More importantly, Cookie proved he is QPR through-and-through by waiving his right to part of the transfer fee and therefore allowing more of the revenue to come to Loftus Road.

Top man.

The Birch is back in town

Marc Bircham will don the blue & white hooped shirt of QPR once more this season as he recovers from a back injury to play for the reserves tonight, according to the QPR official website.

Here's hoping it goes well and he can play again for the first team before the season is over.
Bircham's contract ends this season, and its far from certain as to whether it will be extended.

I, for one, hope it will be.

Source: http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~1015587,00.html

John Gregory: Rangers through & through

After steering QPR from bottom in the Championship to their current position, John Gregory is without doubt a good manager.

But, in the aftermath of the Cardiff game, it was revealed what a great guy and top QPR bloke he is. When a QPR World reporter told him that QPR captain Marcus Bignot had suggested that Gregory was the most important signing of the season, JG let out a sob and had to walk away from the camera. Viewers then saw Gregory try and collect himself, before ending the interview.

The passion and emotion was there for all to see.

Top bloke.

The Rs are staying up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Da da da da, Dexter Blackstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye bye Cardiff, enjoy the journey home. Hahahahahahahaha...............

Whatever happened to Ray Jones?

He made such an impressive start for the Rs. He's scored six goals this season in 18 starts and has looked genuinely threatening when he gets the ball. His height and pace combined will surely make him a target man for years to come.

But, after all the hoo-ha about his new contract, we've seen little of Ray since. John Gregory at first chose to play only one up front (with Dexter Blackstock being the natural choice), and more recently he has been selecting Marc Nygaard, Paul Furlong and Shabazz Baidoo above Ray.

Maybe Gregory doesn't want to spoil Ray by playing him in a relegation dogfight.

Whatever the reason, I hope we see a lot more of Ray next season. And I hope its in a blue & white hooped shirt...

At home to Cardiff

Our away win at Cardiff earlier on this season has become notorious for two reasons:

firstly, it sparked Cardiff's freefall from promotion contenders to mid table obscurity.
secondly, it marked the end of QPR's infamous Sky Sports curse.

Cardiff have no reason to win tomorrow - they have nothing to fight for really.
QPR have every reason to win - it would surely put us beyond the evil reach of relegation.

But with Danny Cullip, Michael Mancienne and Lee Cook all doubtful, it's going to be a nervous 20 hours until the team sheet is announced...

Tick tock, tick tock

Games to go: 3
Points clear: 4

We should be safe. Surely.
I mean, currently there are 6 teams below us in the league.

But now I remember. I'm talking about QPR, and nothing is certain...

Zesh Rehman believes he is good enough to play in Premiership

Zesh - you're having a laugh. Yes you might have had some bad luck, and maybe you've suffered from a lack of confidence, but you are simply living in a dreamland.

You are just about good enough to play in our reserve team, and perhaps make the bench next season and if you play really well, maybe, just maybe make the first team.

But before you make the first team you're going to need to improve your tackling, heading, passing and speed.

But I'll give you this, I haven't laughed so hard in ages.

Source: http://qprreport.blogspot.com/2007/04/qprs-zesh-rehman-on-being-good-enough.html

"Must haves" for next season

If next season is to go any better than this season, we MUST have:

A strong goalkeeper (i.e. Lee Camp)
A strong defender to partner Danny Cullip in central defence (i.e. Michael Mancienne)
A creative midfielder to complete Adam Bolder's excellent tackling and movement. (i.e. Idiakez)
A goalscorer to partner Dexter Blackstock (not sure who on this one).

If we could sign Camp and Idiakez, and maybe extend Mancienne's loan, we would have a great chance at a mid table finish next season.

No wide men

Cook, Rowlands and Ainsworth all injured.

Not one fit wide player.

Stefan Moore and Jimmy Smith - down to you. Do us proud.

Survival

Games to go: 4
Points clear of relegation: 7

18	QPR	42	-12	49
19	Leicester	41	-12	47
20	Hull	42	-16	44
21	Barnsley	42	-28	44
22	Leeds	42	-24	42
23	Southend	42	-25	42
24	Luton	42	-23	37

QPR -v- Luton: Heartache

41 mins: 1 - 0: Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Da da da da, Dexter Blackstock. Yes, we are going to win this!!!
45 (+4) mins: 1-1: Bollox. Here we go again.
50 mins: 1-1: Nygaard, what the hell are you doing in your own penalty area? Nygaard, why the hell are you using your hands in your penalty area?
51 mins: 1-2: Shit, shit, shit. We're losing to Luton. And everyone below us is winning. This is all going wrong.
51 mins - 80 mins: Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God.
81 mins: 2-2: Da da da da, Dexter Blackstock. We can we this. We can do this!
90 mins: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You RRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the last four matches are gonna be like this, I am definitely going to have a heart attack.

At Home to Luton

Regardless of how important this game is to our relegation struggle, we have to beat Luton because their fans are some of the rudest, scummiest in the league, and they play terrible football and deserve to be playing non league football.

Survival

Games to go: 5
Points clear of relegation: 5

Come on!

19	QPR	41	-13	46
20	Hull	41	-14	44
21	Leeds	41	-23	42
22	Barnsley	41	-29	41
23	Southend	41	-26	39
24	Luton	41	-22	37

Coventry 0 QPR 1

A massive win. My heartbeat is slowly returning to normal today.

We're looking in a strong position to stay up.

If we can beat Luton on Monday then surely we'll have done enough? (And have the added advantage of sending Loo-town to the lower division)

Cookie @ Coventry - In or Out

BBC has Lee Cook as available for the Coventry game.
QPR official site has him as a doubt.

ARE THEY TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?

I have fingers, toes and everything else crossed for Lee to play today.
Cookie - we need you.

Coventry Away

Games to go: 6
Points clear of relegation: 4

It will be a nervous trip up to Coventry today for the QPR team and fans.
We are so close, but yet so far, from survival.

This season has been dismal and disheartening in so many ways. And yet I have a renewed optimism for next season already. We just need to survive the last 6 games.

Dexter Blackstock will surely start up front today, but the big question is, who with? Marc Nygaard has been starting recently, but he's not really performed. Paul Furlong has been playing well and brings welcome passion and experience, but he's a bit long in the tooth. Stefan Moore has been on form in the Reserves, and Ray Jones is also a contender.

If Dexter can build a good working relationship and partnership with another striker, surely our fortunes will change.

Normally I'd be happy with a draw at Coventry, but today when they have nothing to play for, and we have it all to play for, we need a win.

COME ON YOU RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.