"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."
I hope that the other 2 million has gone to paying off debts rather
than lining the chairman's pocket, but who knows....
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
http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=528578030
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 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
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 :)
