Neil Warnock says Adel Taarabt can leave QPR if he wants to, after the Moroccan said he planned to depart in January for “financial reasons”.
Taarabt has been away on international duty with Morocco, and scored a fabulous free kick in 3-1 win against Tanzania which sealed their place at January’s African Cup of Nations. Whether Taarabt is still a QPR player by then remains to be seen as he used his time away to state in interview that he intends to move on in the next transfer window for “financial reasons.”
It capped a fortnight in the spotlight for Taarabt who walked out of Craven Cottage at half time of QPR’s last game after being substituted during the break.
Speaking in his pre-Blackburn press briefing today manager Neil Warnock said: "If a player wants to leave, he can leave. I've never had a problem with that. It is only six weeks since Adel said he would never play for his country again and then he scores a goal and kisses the badge. That's Adel. You take everything with a pinch of salt. He has not said anything to me about wanting to leave. But for all the talk of the offers we had, I never saw an allegedly massive offer from Paris Saint Germain. I know what they offered and by the time we paid Tottenham their share of the deal, we would have been left with peanuts. If he wants to get the move that allegedly he has talked about, the best way of doing that is playing well."
Warnock didn’t fine Taarabt for his Craven Cottage walk out, a fact the journalists were keen to pick up on at Thursday’s press conference and compare to Warnock’s reaction towards Armand Traore after his sending off against Aston Villa where Warnock publicly slated the player and promised to penalise him financially.
Warnock had kinder words for Joey Barton, quoted in the Mail as saying: “Training has improved 50 per cent since he's been at the club. He's far more articulate and clever than people give him credit for and I think he will have a career in the media when he's finished playing. He's come on so much in such a short space of time that I think he might be ready for my autobiography now, but I think we'll start him off on the pictures first, the words later.”
Warnock was due to sit down with Tony Fernandes today to discuss transfer targets for when the window opens again in January. Describing the 6-0 defeat at Fulham as a “wake up call” Warnock told the London Evening Standard: “"Tony has given me great support and I couldn't wish for more backing from him since he arrived. We have already begun talking about what we are going to do in January and have a number of ideas. He is coming to see me to talk about them on Thursday. There are so many things that are possibilities and if I ask for a certain player, the board will support me. At the moment a striker and defender are my two priorities. We are looking abroad as well as in this country. We would be silly not to because Tony has all these contacts. We haven't got a big enough squad, but we just have to keep going now until January and look to improve again. People should know that we are still in the infancy of what we are trying to do."
Heading out of Loftus Road is Patrick Agyemang, who has joined Championship strugglers Millwall on a one month loan deal. Agyemang started at Everton and Wigan in August but was then left out of QPR’s 25-man Premiership squad after an influx of new faces.
And possibly coming in, Hampton and Richmond defender Dean Inman who played in the reserves 2-2 draw with Spurs earlier this week as part of his trial. Hampton manager Mark Harper told the Hounslow Chronicle: “Deano has played three games for QPR, so we're looking for them to make a decision on his now really. Dan was with Crystal Palace at the start of this week, and finished the week with QPR – his agent is trying to get him round as many clubs as possible. But both are still in my plans for Saturday, and will remain in my plans until I get an offer on the table."
The links between QPR and Hampton grew stronger this week when young striker Marcel Henry-Francis, who has already scored for the R’s reserves against Brighton this year, joined Bradley Simmonds on loan at the Beveree.
Jason Puncheon also played again for the reserves, but Neil Warnock has told the Fulham Chronicle that the loaned Southampton player has to do more to earn a place in the starting 11 at Loftus Road. His signing and selection in the 25 man squad ahead of Hogan Ephraim looks stranger by the day.
Anyway the second string drew 2-2 with Rob Hulse among the goals in front of several scouts from Championship sides. Petter Vaagan Moen played and Rangers are also hoping to get him out on loan sooner rather than later.
Off the field owner Tony Fernandes has outlined his plans to turn QPR into a sounder business proposition over the coming months. He told the Independent: "Football needs to change. The real value of players has become completely inflated. There are clubs out there who are spending money that if they were in a real business they could not afford. That inflates it for everybody. For the sake of football, proper business sense has to be made. If you look at the Premier League, this is a good time to [buy a club]. There is a bit more sensibility coming in.
"This is not a black hole of Calcutta or a trophy asset. This has to be run as a business. The first step is to avoid relegation, then we need to sort out the ticket prices and get reconnected with the fans. As we move up the Premier League, there is more money through TV revenue, but it will be very important to build a fan base."
Troy Hewitt is hoping his spell at Dagenham and Redbridge proves to be the springboard to making a first team breakthrough at Loftus Road. Hewitt has made two starts and a sub appearance for the Daggers so far in League Two and told London24: “I’m not setting myself targets at Dagenham, I’m here to get experience, and I know that if you work hard, you get your dues. I don’t like to think too long term. I’d love to get back over there to QPR and get into the team, and who knows what might happen, I might end up playing every week! But this is a good place for me to learn and get some games. Obviously I want to play for the first team but I can’t ask for everything overnight. I spent a lot of time in the reserves and scored quite a few goals, so me and my agent decided that Dagenham would be a good move.
“I didn’t find the step up that hard, I was just happy to join in training. I know everyone’s there to help so I’ve found it quite easy to fit in. Neil Warnock said he’d heard a lot about me, he likes a player with hunger and I think he could see something in me. I spoke to all the guys from the first team and they told me to keep my head down and learn. Keith Curle told me to watch the older guys and learn from them, even the defenders.”
On the north side of London Gary Borrowdale is settling into life at Barnet who have won one and lost two of his three starts so far. The 26-year-old told the Hendon Times: “When you are off every weekend it is depressing because you want to be out on the pitch and do what you love to do. I just want to be playing regularly. All the lads in the dressing room are great and I am enjoying my football which is the main thing for me. There is still more match sharpness to come and I am getting there with every game so I just want to help the team for the time I am here. In the three games I have been here we have played some good stuff. Going forward I think there is a real attacking threat in the team but against Shrewsbury we have conceded poor goals and go back with the mentality of losing a game when we could have and should have had six points from the last two matches. I think from what I have seen Barnet should be ok this season. The way we are playing deserves more but we conceding silly goals or don’t finish teams off when we are on top.
“Dropping down to League Two is a bit different from the Premier League but every club is run their own way and it is a good to be at Barnet. The boss is very experienced and has managed at the top level. So it was a good move for everyone I think. It allows me to still be at home and playing regular football again.”
One thing the USA is known for in football is producing excellent goalkeepers – Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard all enjoyed fine Premiership careers. But they have turned to an Englishman to coach their national side’s stoppers following Jurgen Klinsmann’s appointment as national team coach. Former England international Chris Woods will work with the USA national team while continuing his role as coach at Everton, where he works with US first choice Howard. He made more than 60 appearances for QPR between 1979 and 1981 before moving on to Norwich.
- Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been banned for three England matches for his sending off in Montenegro last week. It means he will miss all of England’s group matches at next summer’s European Championships.
- Carlos Tevez returned to training at Man City today after serving a two week club suspension for refusing to go on as a substitute against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Argentinean striker, paid in the region of £250,000 a week, has been trying to engineer a departure from Eastlands for the best part of 18 months now and has been made to train by himself by manager Roberto Mancini.
- Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has joined Championship strugglers Doncaster on loan until January. The former Liverpool stopper has been plagued by injuries during his career and spent time on loan at Leicester last season after losing his place at the DW Stadium to Ali Al-Habsi.
- Wolves have allowed injury plagued midfielder Michael Kightly to join Championship side Watford on loan for one month.
- Wigan chairman Dave Whelen has joined Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea in condemning Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre’s demand for the top flight clubs to be allowed to sell their own television rights individually. The system, used in Spain, would leave the bigger clubs in the league raking in vastly more than the smaller ones as opposed to the current Sky deal where all clubs are given a set amount. Whelen said: "It is absolutely scandalous. It would kill Wigan Athletic. It would kill Blackburn."
- Man Utd have signed England midfielder Tom Cleverley up to a new four year contract, while manager Alex Ferguson says he intends to carry on in the job for years to come. Ferguson said: "I just don't think about retirement any more. got a good young team and a lot of youth at the club as well as some tremendous staff. The future is good."
Saturday’s tube and train closures for our home match with Blackburn are as follows:
- No Hammersmith and City Line between Baker Street and Royal Oak.
- No Circle Line at all.
- District Line suspended on the main line between Embankment and Aldgate East, on the south branch between Parsons Green and Wimbledon, and on the north branch between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington.
- No service between West Hampstead and Stanmore on the Jubilee Line.
- Metropolitan Line suspended between Aldgate and Harrow on the Hill.
- The Bank branch of the Northern Line is closed, and Tottenham Court Road station is closed to Northern Line passengers on the Charing Cross branch.
- Bond Street station is closed to all passengers in the early morning and late evening.
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