| Forum Thread | Open training session at 23:08 30 Jul 2018
Can’t see a thread but worth pointing out that at the end of today’s open training session the players showed incredible patience and friendliness to all the kids thrusting all sorts of stuff at them to sign. Each and every one of them showed a willingness to engage and none of them made it look like a chore. Great stuff from QPR to put this on. Bet you don’t get this at Arsenal, Spurs etc. The only player missing so far as I could tell was our new BFG. Finally, all the players were great as mentioned but Lynch seemed like such a nice bloke and spent ages chatting to people. A couple of hours well spent. |
| Forum Thread | QPR Programmes 1980 to 1990 - new home required. FREE at 12:33 14 Jun 2016
Having a sort out and reckon I have over 150 - 200 programmes from this period. If anyone wants them drop me a line. Can pick up from N12 or TW8. Cheers PS. Found season ticket renewal application for 95/96. My Ellerslie Road seat was £269. Bargain. |
| Forum Thread | The QPR Reality Show at 21:24 12 Nov 2015
I figured that if the club was going to be such a soap opera it would be ripe for a reality show. So the working title for my show is "I'm a football manager get me out of the x-factor with my big brother" The concept is that 10 ''managers' are allowed to manage the club, one by one. Every minute of every day is followed through invasive cameras in every part of the club and training ground as well as microphones to pick up every conversation. The manager does his thing and after every game the supporters vote on handheld devices placed on each seat whether he should get another week or be booted out. The decision can however be overruled by a panel of judges consisting of Tony Fernandes, Neil Warnock, Clive Whittingham and Tony Incenzo. Once we have got through the 10 managers then the 2 with the highest points won go head to head in like a sudden death whereby they manage the team on alternate weeks for 4 games each and then the judges select a winner who wins a £1m contract with a handsome early termination bonus built in. And then the following season we have Season 2 because no manager will last that long. The club could sell advertising and sponsorship. Maybe they could even sell 1 or 2 of the manager spots to rich folk who fancy a go and help cash flow. Anyone work in TV to help get this off the ground? |
| Forum Thread | Charlie Austin article from Nov 12 at 12:46 22 Dec 2014
Great read. What a great bloke he is. Charlie Austin's rise from the rubble By Jamie Gavin BBC Sport FOOTBALL FOCUS - 17 November, 12:15 GMT, BBC One Working on a building site in Basingstoke barely three years ago, Burnley striker Charlie Austin never expected to be on a par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But such are the 23-year-old former bricklayer's record-breaking feats in the Championship this season, he finds his goalscoring tally (20 goals in 18 appearances) on a par with that of the La Liga pair - Messi has 20 from 17, Ronaldo 20 from 17. "To be in the same sentence as those two for a short space of time is unbelievable for an ex-bricky," Austin tells BBC Football Focus . "But they're world class players". English football's top scorers - Premier League: Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez (8) - Championship: Charlie Austin, Burnley (17) - League One: Jake Cassidy, Leon Clarke (10) - League Two: Tom Pope (16) League goals only It's early on a fresh Tuesday morning in East Lancashire as Austin strolls out of his home to meet us, but he's not going to complain about his commute to the club's training ground. His morning routine used to be very different. "I used to get up at six and drive for an hour in my blue van from Bournemouth to Basingstoke - they were the tough days," he explains. "Especially as the winter came, you had the wet and the cold and the snow and the hail. "My dad would let me leave work an hour early if I had a game. I'd drive back an hour to Bournemouth, get my bag ready and be off to the game for a half six meet - so on a Tuesday it was a rush. "All my kit was in the back of the blue van, covered in cement." But the days of working Monday to Friday for his dad, Fred, must seem like a distant memory. Now he is the most free-scoring striker in all four professional divisions of English football and has been rewarded with the Championship Player of the Month award for October. "It's nice to get that award," says Austin. "With all the Championship players there is, I've done really well. "But if it wasn't for my team-mates I wouldn't be in a position to get that award, so I'm really happy." Back in his days on the building site, scoring goals for Hungerford Town and later at Poole Town was simply something to look forward to on a weekend. But everything changed when Danny Wilson brought him to League One with Swindon in 2009. Austin's powers Charlie Austin is the quickest player in Burnley's history to get to 20 goals in a season, reaching the tally in 17 games to overtake Andy Lochhead's record. His scoring record of 37 goals in 63 games for the Robins meant it was not long before he made the step up to the Championship. In January 2011 Eddie Howe made Austin his first signing after taking over at Burnley. The journey from blue van man to claret and blue had been a quick one, and after an injury-hit first season at Turf Moor, his emphatic start to this campaign has set the league alight, raising the eyebrows of some of the country's top clubs. Fred made the 550-mile round trip to watch his son score a record-breaking winner in the home victory over Leeds earlier this month, where he became the quickest player in the club's history to reach 20 goals in a season. "When I first came up here [to Burnley] it was tough," Austin explains. "I got injured so I didn't play for the rest of the season and it was tough for me - away from my family - just me and my girlfriend. "But now I'm up here and everything's gone really well; I've just had a new born little girl so I've been more chilled out. "She was born first week of the season, so I can say she's my lucky charm." Changes off the field may have brought on a new found maturity for Austin, but at the club where he parks his car ahead of this morning's session these are also times of transition. It is just over a month since manager Howe left to return to Bournemouth and new Clarets boss Sean Dyche has enjoyed a positive start since taking over, with the continued help of Austin's goals. "I was disappointed that [Howe] left," says Austin. "But no one can argue with the family reasons [why] he did. "You just have to get on with it now. The new manager has come in and he's been great to work with in the three games that we've had. "He's come in, set his ideas out, and the lads have bought into it. "We're going on really well - the training is great and [so is] the way he attacks games." With the best part of a week to prepare for Saturday's home game against Charlton, Dyche puts his charges through their paces with a strenuous session at Burnley's revamped training centre, but there are no complaints from a squad who seem prepared to go the hard yards. Dyche's side sit just four points off the play-off places , sparking renewed appetite for a return to the top flight. And if you believe the speculation, it is a move up the ranks one or two clubs would like Austin to make individually. Not that he's letting it distract him. Former Royal Austin was released by Reading as a 15-year-old "It happened to me when I was at Swindon and it nearly affected my move - so I won't get involved in any of that side of things," states Austin. "I'll just get my head down, work hard in training and in the games and I'm just here playing for Burnley and that's what I like doing. "Obviously you hear about it [speculation] but you don't really think about it because you can lose a lot of concentration, so I'll just work hard in training and in games." With a recent background like his, it is perhaps not a surprise Austin's emphasis is on putting in the hard graft. Only now the focus has shifted from building walls to scoring goals. "I get excited about all the things in football," he says. "But when I have days when I get too carried away with myself I look back at where I've come from. "I realise that's what I could go back to if things go wrong. But hopefully they won't." |
| Forum Thread | How to decide who to cheer: C untCount at 20:23 13 Jun 2014
For those of you who can't decide which team to get behind in any given game, welcome to C untCount. It's simple but effective: Where Scum players appear they count as 1 In a draw scenario, ex-Scum players get included as well. So this evening we have Spain (4) (Azpilicueta, Costa, Fabregas and Torres) v Holland (0) So I have to go for Holland. Where no Scum players are involved I don't give a toss unless it's Argentina or Germany. Any better ideas? |
| Forum Thread | Away fans don't like our ground! Bloody cheek at 09:31 11 Jun 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27782311 Relegated Cardiff City were top of the Premier League when it came to entertaining away fans last season. A survey conducted by the Football Supporters' Federation rated the Bluebirds ahead of Swansea City, Hull City, Southampton and Arsenal Just over 5,300 fans took part in the survey, which covered all four professional leagues in England. Fans were asked to rate clubs on such factors as food and drink, safety, transport and view of the pitch. From feedback, distance of travel (44%), time and day of kick-off (42.6%) and ticket prices (40.4%) were the main factors for determining whether or not fans attended an away game. The likelihood of watching their team win was the least quoted reason supporters gave for attending an away game. Only 3.9% of respondents said this was a reason they would travel to an away fixture. Crystal Palace finished bottom of the Premier League, below Merseyside neighbours Everton and Liverpool. In the Championship, Wigan were top, while MK Dons led the way in League One. Plymouth Argyle were rated the best hosts in League Two The FSF plans to use the results of the study to help the football authorities address the issues of falling away attendances. "Away fans travel in huge numbers in this country compared to many others," said FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke. "They're a driving force behind the noise and spectacle at many games. It simply wouldn't be the same without them. "However, in recent seasons there does seem to have been a decrease in travelling supporters." This is the second year the FSF have asked fans for feedback on their experiences at away games. The online survey ran through the entire regular season. Championship: 1. Wigan 7.92, 2. Reading 7.54, 3. Blackburn 7.37, 4. Brighton 7.3, 5. Leicester 7.27, 6. Bournemouth 7.21, 7. Derby 7.17, 8. Huddersfield 7.03, 9. Doncaster 6.91, 10. Birmingham 6.86, 11. Middlesbrough 6.8, 12. Barnsley 6.78, 13. Watford 6.74, 14. Charlton 6.55, 15. Yeovil 6.53, 16. Ipswich 6.46, 17. Nottm Forest 5.94, 18. Bolton 5.65, 19. Millwall 5.29, 20. Sheff Wed 5.27, 21. Blackpool 4.72, 22. Burnley 4.67, 23. QPR 4.67, 24. Leeds 4.12. |
| Forum Thread | Hill substituted himself at 00:21 25 May 2014
According to the BBC Hoilett was meant to go off but Hill told Redknapp to sub him instead for Henry. If true, that man's status just goes up and up. |
| Forum Thread | The importance of team spirit at 23:51 24 May 2014
The thing that seemed to be most absent earlier this season but seemed to build up as we reached the latter stages. It seemed to me to coincide with The disappearance of BAE and , whatever you think of Barton, he seemed to be a real driving force. It's this spirit that got us back into the Wigan game and over the line today. And for this Harry must take considerable credit. |
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