Our latest vox pop seeks the opinions of three QPR supporters on the January transfer window activity, the behaviour of Lee Camp at Nottingham Forest and the forthcoming season ticket price announcement.

The three supporters giving their opinions in this latest Vox Pop are Tracy Stent from the QPR 1st Supporters Trust, WatfordR who represented LoftforWords at the recent supporters group meeting with the club and Adam Boxer who runs the Vital QPR website. Thanks to all three for taking part.

Helguson, Cook, Routledge, Miller and Borrowdale all in. What do you make of the business the club did in January?

Adam: By and large it was almost a carbon copy of last year's dealings, with a handful of loan deals made permanent a couple of previously unseen faces and a shock addition. Gary Borrowdale's purchase will rate as one of the more surprising buys of recent years, something akin to the Agyemang deal last year. The success of the Agyemang deal proved to be a fantastic coup for the club, whereas we have seen nothing from Borrowdale as yet with his lack of appearance shrouded in mystery by the club. Our owners have been branded by some with a lack of foresight and ambition, however when you look at the deals you see four players that have plied their trade in the Premier League and three that have experience of getting promoted from this level. Upon further inspection these deals appear to be a shrewd piece of business. All the deals are proven to some extent at this level and combined with our current squad should be good enough to achieve a playoff place. If the squad continues to underachieve then you can expect further player turnover in the summer.

Tracy: Bit of a mixed bag really. Routledge could prove to be a pivotal player for us in the final third of this season. What I've seen of him so far I'm pleased but we need to play to his strengths perhaps more. The same could be said for Cook. I love Lee Cook but so far we have seen only glimpses of the player we know he is. There are rumours of him having been unwell lately and I wish him all the best as again, as with Routledge, he really could be a pivotal player for us, especially if we are still in with a shout of making the play offs come Easter time. I like the look of Liam Miller and feel his signing was certainly a very good bit of business by the club. He reminds me a little of Martin Rowlands with his work man like performances so far and has shown some nice touches in the middle area of the pitch. At Nottingham Forest certainly I was impressed with him. As regarding Borrowdale, well, it all seems rather strange and if he has got the hump as rumours suggest, then I don't really blame him because what was the point in signing him in the first place really?

Watford: Pretty happy with the signings, particularly Routledge. He will make the difference between draws and wins away from home with his pace, and the formation being used complements his attributes perfectly. Miller has looked very good from what I’ve seen of him, he looks like he understands the central midfield role so much better than anyone we’ve had at the club in a long time, and will be a really valuable addition. Helguson will be as important off the pitch as on it, provided he stays fit. The likes of Dex should learn a lot about a forward’s role from him, he could be the Paul Furlong type of player we’ve needed. Cook, well I’m still to be convinced, but overall his transfer to and from Fulham was probably good business for the club. Borrowdale – well, unfortunate for him and the club. Enough said. Good business all round, and I think if Vine does get back some time in March, it should be enough to see us into the play offs.

What are your thoughts on the Lee Camp situation and his behaviour at Nottingham Forest last weekend during and after the match?

Adam: I had the impression that I was reading too much into proceedings when Camp strutted out onto the City Ground turf and drew the adulation of the home crowd. This is all very well before the start of the fixture, but travelling fans who had paid good money to support their side were being rather distastefully treated. These supporters like you and I were the losers in an ongoing battle between Camp and the club, something which neither party has cared to shed light on. The situation escalated when Camp showed further disdain for the fans by applauding the home supporters as he left the field then stating a plea to join Forest just hours after his mistake cost Rangers two points. We are led to believe that Camp has been a victim of circumstance at the club – with Radek Cerny pipping him to the goalkeepers jersey, but once again we are in the dark as to the real circumstances surrounding his omission. Rumour and conjecture surrounding personal issues between him and Mr Briatore is all the fans have to go on. Whatever has happened to a once excellent goalkeeper at the club is open for debate, but I am left in no doubt that the attitude Camp has shown to the club us as the supporters has been poor at best and it cannot be doing any good having characters like him in and around the dressing room.Saying that he is a far more talented goalkeeper than Radek Cerny and I am extremely disappointed that it has had to end this way.

Tracy: I actually couldn't believe some of the reaction on some of the message boards last week following the Forest game. I was at the City Ground and to be honest I didn't even take much of him waving to Forest fans, in fact my own personal reaction was so what? I think he was treated very badly by the club and whether the rumours of his off field behaviour were true or not, the fact of the matter is he's a very good goal keeper and the fans have paid enough for their tickets this season and so I feel they have every right to expect the best players (fitness enabling) to either be in the final 11 or on the bench every single game. I didn't hear/listen/read whatever happened on the local Nottingham radio/websites etc but did think was it possible he was badly quoted etc? Anyway, all the time he remains a QPR player, he will have my support.

Watford: I won’t comment on his behaviour during the match as I wasn’t there and can’t put in context. I have to say his behaviour since being dropped for Cerny has disappointed me hugely. I think he has been unprofessional by refusing to do his part in pre match warm ups, and I really felt his comments to the local Notts radio were not the brightest, given his “performance” in the match that had just finished. Now I’ve seen the rumours about the reasons he was frozen out of the team, and whilst I don’t pay much attention to them, it does strike me as though his fall from grace may have more to do with off field than on field matters. Otherwise the likes of Ramage and Rehman may well have joined him training with the juniors as well. I don’t think there is any way back for him here, and it’s best for all concerned that he leaves asap.

What are your hopes for the rest of the season? If we were to make the play offs would it be too much too soon?

Adam: I think that the playoffs are a distinct possibility – should we perform to our potential on a more consistent basis. We have a host of quality players at our club with some positive additions alluded to above and we have shown our potential in recent weeks to not only play good football but grind out results. Paulo Sousa has proven himself to be more than able at coping with life in the Championship. I feared at the start he was a little demanding of his players, but he has dragged them up to perform at the expected level – with the perennial Jekyll and Hyde player Mikele Leigertwood starting to find some consistent form. The additions of those previously mentioned have been a catalyst for positive change and I certainly think they are capable along with their inspiring manager to carry Rangers into the playoff frame – and from there on in, what’s stopping us?

Tracy: My hopes for the rest of the season are that we progress under Sousa, thereby enabling him to have a decent bite at the promotion cherry next season. Of course there's a secret part of me that hopes we can make the play offs because how exciting would that be? However, should the unexpected happen and we were to find ourselves in the Prem next season I would fear for us being another Derby County. It's a funny old thing really because those of us with kids desperately want them to see our beloved QPR playing top flight football as we experienced years ago, but do we want them to experience possible humiliation by being the whipping boys? Tough one to call but like I say, there is a secret part of me that would like to see us go up, and you never know our tightwad owners might just get their wallets out without the punishing the fans too much regarding season ticket price rises.

Watford: Toughie this; none of us I suspect are going to sit there with our arms folded at Wembley in May watching Gavin Mahon lifting the play off trophy saying “I wish we hadn’t done that. I don’t think we’re ready for the Prem”. And yet that’s exactly what I think most of us actually think. Though, are we really miles off having a team that could survive in the first season in the Prem? Rock solid defence, improving midfield, add a couple of good strikers, and are we worse than Hull? And then there’s the boardroom to be considered; does Flav need to see us promoted this season to fend off the advances of the Mittals to buy him out? Would the fans prefer another season in the CCC if it meant the Mittals taking control? Do we really believe, this being QPR after all, that if the opportunity to go up comes knocking, we’d be wise to say “Errrrm....no thanks, we’d prefer to go up next year as runaway champions if it’s all the same to you”? This club’s such a soap opera. I haven’t a clue.

Season ticket prices are starting to be released up and down the country. What could our club do to build bridges after last summer? Do you think you pay a fair price for your season ticket (if you have one)?

Adam: In the summer I was slightly disappointed with the level of increase incurred in season ticket prices, less so than others however because in my opinion the board was setting its intentions early on. I wouldn’t have minded paying a little bit more in the knowledge we would bring back the ‘champagne football’ and really have a good go at promotion – but when we were reminded of a season of consolidation I don’t think the prices correlated well with lack of immediate ambition. I would like to see them freeze the prices in the summer, as I think that represents value for money in our promotion push next season. I cannot see that happening, however, because by freezing the prices the club will be admitting their gaffe in prices last summer. I think most will find that the voices of discontent on any issues within a football club soon dissipate when the club performs well on the field and achieving its true potential. Should we get promoted or have a positive finale to the season there won’t be any shortage of queues for tickets I should imagine. All in all the board know we have excellent ‘brand loyalty’ and they’re playing on that slightly – they know that we won’t go down the road and watch Fulham or Chelsea – and therein lies the problem.

Tracy: Ahh, the old season ticket/match day prices debate again. The one issue I feel so passionate about and which I could write pages about but I shall keep this to one paragraph only as don't want to raise the old blood pressure. It was good to read that the club have told the fans groups that there will be a return of the early bird discount for season ticket holders for next season. The thing is, and it might sound harsh, but I won't congratulate them on this because they should never have taken it away in the first place and all I can say is at least common sense is prevailing in the chandaliered offices at LR. I sincerely hope that this common sense is also ticking through their minds regarding prices for next season. We have already seen clubs like Sunderland, Spurs, Portsmouth etc announce price reductions/freezes etc and although clubs like these have bigger stadiums and are premiership ones, they are all in danger of dropping down to the championship at this current moment in time. Yes, they'll have the parachute payments if they do drop down, but it would be good to see our own club make some kind of recognition towards its fans that have stood by it through thick and thin with price freezes all round, and dare I say, a re-look at some of the bandings around the ground. We will be entering the third year of this hierachy's 3-year project to get us into what they see as their ultimate goal of the dizzy premiership heights. I just hope fans are not greeted by further price rises because otherwise I fear many supporters will just be priced out and will find cheaper alternatives on a Saturday afternoon which would be criminal in my opinion. My message to the majority shareholders is simply Real Fans Real Prices.

Watford: Any club in Britain that includes the word “increase” near the words “season ticket prices 2009/10” in any forthcoming press release is in my opinion playing Russian roulette with its fanbase. And with the threat of negative inflation – deflation – a real economic possibility, clubs have to realise that a price freeze may actually equate to an increase in real terms. However they do it, our club really does need to reduce prices; throw in some freebies (e.g. free entry to the first two rounds of the League Cup if the ties are at home); cut right back on ticket prices for kids; and generally do everything it can to say to existing fans “We want YOUR arse back sitting on one of OUR seats next season”. It has to mount a campaign to attract back supporters who didn’t renew tickets over the last few seasons. The difficulty may be that they really have no clue as yet whether we will be playing in the Prem or the CCC next season, and they could end up presenting a package that falls between two stools. In their position, I’d take the stance that making the fans feel part of “the project” is the priority, and if they miss out on the opportunity to maximise ticket revenue because we get promoted, so be it. They’ll have plenty of additional Prem & sponsorship money to soften the blow. They must NOT get it wrong this year, or bridges may be permanently burnt.

Photo: Action Images

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