QPR boss Neil Warnock has shrugged off suggestions his job at Loftus Road is under threat saying results, not boardroom politics, will decide whether he stays or goes.

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Warnock’s position was perceived to have been weakened by the departure of his two main boardroom allies Isham Saksena and Amit Bhatia a fortnight ago. However he told Sky Sports News that, like any other manager, it will only be a poor run of results that costs him his job.

Warnock said: “Every manager is under pressure if they don't get results. There have been one or two naughty things that have been brought out for whatever reason. Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio have told me right from day one, especially when Amit left the board a couple of weeks ago, that they had no intention of bringing anyone else in. I am sure if I lost six or seven games, then there would be a few more mentioned who were in for my position but that is the job we are in."

The current boardroom stand off at Loftus Road continues into the weekend. Last week Bernie Ecclestone said he had turned down a derisory bid for the club from Lakshmi Mittal and Neil Warnock reported that Flavio Briatore was indeed now running the club again despite Briatore himself denying he had any involvement. This week The Guardian reports Amit Bhatia is cooling an idea to take over at Millwall and build a sports village around the New Den in favour of a renewed offer for QPR although the Fulham Chronicle reports that no new offer will be made, nor will the Mittal family’s 33% stake in the club be sold to anybody else.

On the pitch striker Heidar Helguson says the R’s will be confident of making a go of their first Premiership season in 16 years after he signed a new one year contract. Helguson told the club’s official website: “It's important that we have experience in the squad, because the leap from the Championship to the Premier League is quite big. We're going to need all the help we can get - plus a few new fresh faces. But we'll go into the Premier League with a lot of confidence because we're used to winning. Loftus Road is quite a tight ground too and the atmosphere that can be created here is fantastic. The fans will be massive. We're going to need them every week."

Another man with a new contract in his back pocket is Max Ehmer, and he has big plans for the future – although QPR fans probably don’t care for his choice of role model. Ehmer told the Fulham Chronicle: “John Terry is the player I look up to. The way he heads the ball, his passing, his tackling. And I play as a left-sided centre back too. I model my game on his. I’d like to be more involved in and around the first team squad, but it depends on who they bring in. Obviously being in the Premier League now has made it harder for me. So if it means me going out on loan then so be it. If that happens, then somewhere higher up in League One or in the Championship would be my preference."

Finally Rangers are said by Marketing Magazine to be in talks with a number of high profile companies about a shirt sponsorship deal for next season after the present arrangement with Gulf Air came to an end.

Rumours

The Fulham Chronicle reports that QPR are lining up a fresh bid for Fulham’s Andy Johnson after seeing principal targets Steve Morrison and Danny Graham go elsewhere – much to Warnock’s disgust if the paper is to be believed.

Kyle Walker is heading back to Loftus Road on a season long loan deal says The Sun, The Mirror says Rangers are ready to offer 37 year old Inter centre half Marco Materazzi a one year deal, Talksport says Matthew Upson is of more interest to the R’s, and Swansea’s Ashley Williams is also said to be the subject of a £2.6m bid from Rangers which has been rejected.

The Mail reports that Leicester are set to scupper QPR’s attempts to sign Wayne Routledge permanently this summer by offering him a sizeable wage to stay in the Championship with them.

Finally the Irish Herald reports that Graeme Cummins could be the latest player to leave Cork City for England. The defender-come-striker who scored 34 goals across 2009 and 2010 will sign for Rangers for E100k according to the paper, following in the footsteps of Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and others.

Former R’s

The captain of the last QPR team to win promotion into the top flight, in 1983, Terry Fenwick says QPR need to strengthen their team and prepare for a hard slog after the first ten matches of the Premiership season. Fenwick’s Rangers finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup in their first season back in the big time but QPR’s FA Cup final goalscorer sees things going somewhat differently this time. He told the Kilburn Times: “ “For most promoted clubs, they have a flurry of results in those first ten or dozen games and pick teams off, but then people start to find them out and they take a few defeats on the chin. Look at the way Blackpool started last season, or Hull a couple of years ago, and how it ended up – unless the resources are there, that’s the way it’s going to be. I think Stoke City, under Tony Pulis, are an exception to the rule. They may not be pretty to watch, but they’ll always do enough to hang on to Premier League status.”

Former R’s trainee goalkeeper Sean Thomas has moved from Wealdstone to Hendon after losing his place in the side to fromer Watford stopper Jonathan North.

Premiership Shorts

- The transfer merry-go-round has started early this summer with Man Utd confirming the £16m purchase of young defender-come-midfielder Phil Jones from Blackburn. United are also closing in on the £15m purchase of Ashley Young from Villa which is expected to be concluded when the player returns from holiday next week.

- Those deals look cheap when you consider that just down the road Liverpool have confirmed the £20m signing of Jordan Henderson from Sunderland despite them already being well stocked with central midfielders, and the player’s form tailing off badly in the second half of last season.

- Fulham have named former Spurs boss Martin Jol as their new manager on a two year deal with an option for a third, following the resignation of Mark Hughes. Jol almost became Fulham boss last summer but could not secure his release from Ajax at the time. He’ll have to hit the ground running, Fulham have a Europa League qualifier on June 30.

- That removes another name from the short list at Villa who have also been knocked back by Wigan’s Roberto Martinez today – he will sign a new three year deal at the DW Stadium instead. Villa may now be forced to return to previously discounted candidates Mark Hughes and Steve McLaren.

- Newcastle have signed promising young French midfielder Yohan Cabaye from champions Lens on a five year deal for a tidy looking fee of £4.3m.

- Man City’s Jerome Boateng wants to return home and sign for Bayern Munich after a disappointing first season in English football.

Photo: Action Images

French_Hoops added 02:26 - Jun 11 Little typo there as it is from Lille where Cabaye comes from. Lens being the arch-rival of Lille, and where Taarabt learnt his trade.
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