 Saturday, 19th May 2012 13:58 by Clive Whittingham Mixed emotions around the QPR camp this week with some players predicting a bright future for the club, others set to move onto pastures new and one facing a world of trouble at an FA hearing.
NewsThe events of last Sunday in Manchester will live long in the memory of football fans everywhere, and QPR supporters especially. The R’s sealed Premiership safety courtesy of Bolton failing to win at Stoke but went mighty close to causing a huge upset and denying Manchester City their title. Rangers led 2-1 going into stoppage time at Eastlands but eventually lost 3-2. Midfielder Shaun Derry told the Uxbridge Gazette: “When that third goal went in I wasn't sure what was happening at Stoke, I thought we had really ballsed it up. I thought we were down. I was engulfed in the game but I glanced over to our fans. I knew at half-time Bolton were winning and we would've been down and out. I was devastated but looked up and saw the QPR fans celebrating. I'm so proud of the boys. It was an incredible performance from the boys, especially when you consider what it was all about.” Mark Hughes’ side trailed at half time to a Pablo Zabaleta strike but equalised soon after the restart through a typically emphatic finish from Djibril Cisse. The French striker kept up his record of a goal or sending off in every appearance for QPR so far and afterwards told the club’s official website: "When I signed in January, the objective was to stay in the Premier League so we could try to do bigger things. That's what Tony Fernandes and the manager want to do. I trust them 100% and I know we're going to do good things next season. Only the big clubs have the ambition that we have. You can tell that the manager has had good experience working for a big team. He's got a lot of knowledge and experience. “I scored six goals in eight games. That's not too bad! But I'm still hurt and disappointed with the seven games that I missed. It's a lesson that I'll take into next season - I don't think it's going to happen again."
The other goalscorer on Sunday was the ever popular Jamie Mackie whose emotional interview on this week’s Open All R’s Podcast should be heard by every QPR fan. Mackie celebrated his goal and the team’s survival with a contract extension keeping him at Loftus Road until 2015. He told London24: “I honestly think that we will be a force next season, we will really kick on and be a club to watch. Momentum gathers. I think we could be a really big team. People looked at our run-in and said that there was no way that we could stay up, but as a group of players we’ve bought into the manager’s way, we’ve listened. The lads who were here last year, have been arguably the best players. We’ve spent money on big players and people say ‘you might not play’, but for us all we’ve done is add quality to our squad. We love playing for our football club. “The nature of the chairman is that he’s going to invest even more in the club, so I can play with even better players and in turn become a better player myself. But the main thing is the club does well and I’m delighted to be part of it. I think you play better with better players. You feed off them, you learn from them in training. I hope we bring more quality in so we don’t have to leave it until the last day of next season.” “I think I cried when I scored! It was the most emotional game I’ve played in, it means so much to me. I love QPR for giving me the chance and I want to stay here and be part of great things. Four years ago I was playing in the Conference, and to be able to have a say in the Premier League title is unbelievable for me.”
The question now is which of QPR’s other out of contract players will be offered new deals. The likes of Fitz Hall, Patrick Agyemang and Gary Borrowdale who are all on massive contracts from the Gianni Paladini era will certainly be released but midfielder Akos Buzsaky is apparently in the ‘maybe’ pile. The 30-year-old Hungarian played 21 times this season and scored vital goals against Swansea and Wigan. The Fulham Chronicle exclusively revealed last week that he has been offered a one year contract extension which West London Sport says he is considering amidst interest from several Championship clubs. In the meantime he has been called up by Hungary for friendly games with the Czech Republic and Ireland in the first week of June. Clint Hill also looks set for a one year deal after scooping the Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards at Loftus Road. Hill has been a revelation since returning to the side at centre back under Mark Hughes and will be offered the chance to extend his time at QPR into a third year. Like Buzsaky, Hill does have options further down the leagues who may be willing to offer him a long deal. Former boss Neil Warnock has already stated his interest to West London Sport saying: “There are three or four players on Bosmans that have got experience and Clint is one of those. I am sure he will be inundated with clubs. He had a very good season. He came into the team at the end of the season and I think he has held them together.” QPR have offered new one year contracts to five of their young players. Angelo Balanta, Michael Harriman, Bruno Andrade, Taylor Parmenter and Aaron Lennox have all been offered 12 month extensions. Luke Olley and Elvijs Putnins are both leaving the club, and youth team goalkeeper Gareth Deane has returned to Northern Ireland after the club decided to release him as well. The other big talking point of the summer will be the return to fitness of Argentinean midfielder Ale Faurlin who was in the stands at Eastlands on Sunday to see the team retain its Premiership status. He told the club’s official website: It was stressful but we are still here - we are Premier League. It was the happiest day of my life. This has definitely given me extra motivation. I'm just looking forward to the start of pre-season and being in the Premier League. Hopefully we can keep QPR in the Premier League for many more years to come. I have to say thank you to everyone at QPR. People came to me after the game and said 'this is for you for next season.' Everyone has been magnificent with me. I will be here all summer doing my rehab. I don't want to go anywhere. I can't wait to start pre-season." Sadly, it wasn’t all good news last weekend. Captain Joey Barton disgraced himself with a second sending off of the season midway through the second half and then seemed to attack both Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero on his way off the field. Barton faces an automatic four match ban for a second red card of the campaign but the FA has announced that as the Kompany and Ahuero incidents occurred after the red card they fell outside the jurisdiction of referee Mike Dean and has issued the player with two violent conduct charges which could take a suspension into double figures. QPR meanwhile have launched an internal investigation into events surrounding the incident, hinting at a possible attempt to sack Barton for gross misconduct.
Barton compounded the situation post match when he claimed: The head was never gone at any stage, once I’d been sent off, one of our players suggested I should try to take one of theirs with me. Can do nothing but apologise to the players and the fans. Still don’t think it’s a sending off. Tried to take one of their players with me. Still not my proudest moment but who gives a ****, we are safe and that is all that matters. Think a few people are forgetting Tevez started the fracas by throwing a punch to the head.” Speaking in his new column in the Daily Mail manager Mark Hughes said: “He is facing a long ban and we have to take stock of the situation. We are awaiting the verdict of the FA and the disciplinary process will take its course. As a manager there are ten other players you have to think about. We stayed up. It’s a relief. And now we start again. This is not all about Joey Barton. “When we walked through the door, there were a lot of players who hadn’t figured before and who haven’t made an impression on me and my staff. They’ll move on, they want to play. I want to strengthen, but I believe in buying players before you sell. I don’t want to weaken us before we get stronger.” PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor told London24: “I just feel sometimes like it is pushing a boulder up a hill, it slips back and you decide whether to go again. We try to deal with Joey Barton and it is not getting any easier. It has certainly been a backward step for him and his future in the game. There are people that seem to be improving and then slip back, it is a human condition. No one is perfect but you only have one career. At the moment of course it is a serious situation a lot of other people in the game have been upset, other respected professionals and I hate it when it gets like that. That is part of the problem with social media, people say players don’t communicate then they do communicate and it causes problems - sometimes justifiably and others perhaps not.” And that was 2011/12 with QPR. The relentless pace of football means attention is already turning to a new campaign. Season ticket prices are expected to be announced on Monday and yesterday the club revealed the new home and away shirts which will both be sponsored by Tony Fernandes’ airline Air Asia.
From www.qpr.co.uk
Loan WatchThe two QPR players remaining out on loan into May both suffered heartbreak in the play off semi finals last week. Peter Ramage was part of the Birmingham side beaten over two legs by Blackpool, who will contest today’s final with West Ham, while Patrick Agyemang’s Stevenage side lost 1-0 to Sheffield United on aggregate. Both players are out of contract at Loftus Road this summer and will be released by the R’s.
Former R’sFormer QPR boss Neil Warnock has defended his record at Loftus Road, saying he would have expected to finish in the top half of the Premiership this season had he been kept on and given the financial backing Mark Hughes received. Hughes took over from Warnock in January and promptly signed five players including Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora. Warnock told BBC Sport: “"I more than played my part in QPR staying up. My contribution was to win three away games which helped no end to keep QPR where they are. I felt we were the better of the three teams that went up and if we had done business last summer we would have been in the top half of the table, quite easily. "You just have to look at how many points we got, how many points I got, how much money I spent. I thought I'd be contemplating retiring at this stage in the season having kept QPR up, I'm still convinced that's what I would have done and I think all the QPR fans would be behind me in that." One of Warnock’s predecessors Jim Magilton this week left his position as manager of Australian side Melbourne Victory. He joined in January on a short term deal and was being considered for the full time post from next season but has elected to return home to the UK. The club’s MD Richard Wilson said: "Jim arrived at the shortest of notice, on a leap of faith, stepping into a role that he had limited background on. We realise that we didn't ultimately reach the finals this season, which was our goal, but we also believe Jim was unlucky not to have finished with a better record, given we conceded goals in the dying stages of games against Sydney and Gold Coast. He was a total professional throughout the three months he was here. His preparation week-to-week was exceptional, his team selection saw the integration of several youngsters and was always in the best interests of the club.” Elsewhere Leyton Orient have released Terrell Forbes and Jamie Cureton at the end of their contracts.
Premiership Shorts- The Premiership managerial merry-go-round has begun spinning early this summer. Aston Villa and Liverpool have predictably got rid of Alex Mcleish and Kenny Dalglish at the end of disappointing seasons. Both are said to be eyeing Wigan’s Roberto Martinez and Swansea’s Brendan Rodgers. Former Man Utd striker and current Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already spoken with Villa chairman Randy Lerner about the Villa Park position. - Another boss likely to be in high demand, so far non-committal on his future, is Norwich’s Paul Lambert who has been making noises in the press about lack of transfer money to spend and the difficulties in continuing to find talent in the lower leagues. The Canaries already look like they’re setting up for a difficult second season with leading scorer Grant Holt submitting a transfer request. - Sunderland have released goalkeeper Craig Gordon on a free transfer just five years after breaking the British transfer record for a goalkeeper to sign him for £9m from Hearts. Gordon has suffered badly with injuries in recent seasons – breaking his arm twice and rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament – and this season has been third choice behind Smon Mignolet and Keiren Westwood. - Man City and Man Utd look set to carry their rivalry into the transfer market this summer with French club Lille in discussions with both clubs about highly rated Belgian Eden Hazard. Spurs were the early favourites for his signature but a run of 16 goals and 17 assists in 37 French league games has alerted clubs higher up the food chain. - Bolton have given striker Kevin Davies a one year contract extension but released 15 others following their relegation. Ricardo Gardner, Gretar Steinsson, Ivan Klasnic, Paul Robinson, Sean Davis and Robbie Blake are the senior pros leaving while Nigel Reo Coker has activated a release clause in his contract. Tuncay, Ryo Miyachi and Dedryck Boyata have concluded loan spells at the Reebok Stadium and returned to their parent clubs. - Steve Kean continues to cling to his job at Blackburn despite their relegation. Kean insists he is going nowhere and appears to retain the support of the club’s Indian owners but his position has been further threatened by video footage of him libelling former manager Sam Allardyce and predicting a top ten finish and League Cup win for Rovers last season. - Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere continues to struggle with injury almost a year since his last competitive appearance. The young England international is having a minor knee operation this week as he continues to recover from ankle and foot injuries that have ruined his season. - Newcastle’s Alan Pardew won the League Manager’s Association Manager of the Season award for the Premiership. Tweet @loftforwords Pictures – Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 31 bloggersPort Vale Polls |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
