Akos Buzsaky says he is relieved to be over his latest injury problem and is determined to remain fit now he is back in the team.
Buzsaky played 70 minutes of the win at Middlesbrough on Saturday after four months out following a knee operation. It’s the third serious injury Buzsaky has suffered in as many seasons but he has looked trim and ready for action since returning this time and interviews with the club’s official website and the Kilburn Times he has stated his intention to kick start his QPR career.
Buzsaky said: “I know how hard I am working at the training ground and outside, so it is a good feeling for me to know what I am doing is right. I do my own work away from the training ground because I realise that with my knee, which has had two operations - the cruciate and the cartilage - I must do a lot of extra work. And that is what I am doing, which has paid off already. If I didn't do this extra work, I know I wouldn't be at this stage." "With 12 games to go we are top of the league, and there can't be more pressure than that. Anybody you play against, whether it is Leicester, Cardiff, Scunthorpe or Doncaster, everyone needs the points at this stage. Every match is going to be like a cup final for us between now and the end of the season. It's very good to have a winning mentality because it gives you confidence and a good spirit in the dressing room. We want to go as far as we can and win as many matches as we can now, so that it puts less pressure on us towards the end of the season.
“It was great to get back in the team that soon. I’d only been involved with the first team squad for a couple of weeks, so it was really nice to start the game at Middlesbrough. They took me off because we were winning 3-0, but I felt sharp, better than I expected. I think that was because I’d worked really hard on the training ground and also in the gym, which has paid off. I haven’t been very lucky in terms of injuries, but hopefully this is in the past. I don’t want to think about it – I’m going to work as hard as I can to make sure I’m not injured again. I’m very positive and I want to make sure I’m part of the squad next year. I’ve had some good times and also some disappointing times here because of injuries, but one thing is for sure, I’m enjoying it at QPR. That’s not the past, I’m talking about now. I’m very settled here and the main thing is for this club to go up to the Premier League – with me.”
Competition for places seems to be hotting up as well with Buzsaky’s return, and a hat trick for Rob Hulse in a thumping 7-2 reserve win against Crystal Palace at the Harlington training ground yesterday. Hulse had his treble by half time with youth teamer Terry Parmenter also scoring for a 4-1 midway lead. Petter Vaagan Moen scored in the second half and there were also goals for youngsters Michael Doughty and Frankie Sutherland.
Manager Ronnie Jepson told the club’s official website: “It was a fine performance. I was really pleased with the attitude and application of players in the side such as Rob, Hogan, Radek and Petter. They were a great example for the younger lads in the side. It will do Rob no harm at all to get a few goals under his belt like that. You've seen in the last couple of games prior to this one, we had Fitz and Danny playing, and it just serves to keep them topped up. Frankie grabbed a great goal at the end, it was a fine strike. What pleased me most was I just had a chat with him, and he told me he's been practising them, which is fantastic."
Manager Neil Warnock is urging QPR supporters to back their team with gusto this Saturday for what he believes will be the most difficult game of the season against in form Leicester City – who have sold out a full 3,200 allocation. Warnock told the club’s official website: “Leicester will be our most difficult game of the season. They're absolutely flying at the moment and we're going to have to come up with the right answers to get something from the game. We've got 12 matches remaining, six at home and six away, but we'll continue to take one at a time. Over the 12 games we've got to strive to be as consistent as everybody else.
"I'm really pleased we've got a full week this week. Shittu and Hall have done magnificently, but they'll need a break. We've got to be ready for Leicester, and so have the crowd. It's looking like it'll be a sell out and our fans need to take the roof off Loftus Road between now and the end of the season."
The Sun reports today that QPR are in takeover talks with a consortium of American and Asian businessman. The paper reports that the deal would be for 67 per cent of the club,, which is the exact shareholding of Bernie Ecclestone following his buy out of Flavio Briatore earlier this season. At the time Ecclestone said they were “tidying things up” but has in the past been quoted as saying the Premiership, and the money it requires to be spent on the team, would be more hassle than it is worth. The Sun reports that preliminary agreements have been signed and due diligence is taking place with an agreement due as early as next week.
QPR’s latest set of accounts, available from today, shows a £13.698m loss for the financial year ending in 2010.
Richard Langley may have to wait until the summer for his return to the professional game with SPL side Aberdeen. Langers had travelled (very) north earlier in the week to train and discuss terms with Craig Brown’s men but budget constraints may prevent him making a permanent move until next season.
Craig Brown told The Press and Journal: “It might be Langley will be postponed until next season because I think I may have hit the budgetary limit. There will be no complaints from me. The board has been great and I do not want to push my luck. I do not want to sign anyone for the sake of it but, if there were injury or suspension issues, I am sure the board will consider it. If we are to get through in the Scottish Cup and have more games we might need to plead to push out the boat. But we will look at Langley with a view to next season.
“We take the chance we could lose him but the same goes for any player who is out of contract. There will be other options out there in the summer. There will be plenty of players out of contract but he is one we have looked at and we will know his capabilities. It saves bringing trialist after trialist in during the summer, as has happened in the past. Where we finish is important because the prize money on offer equates to a new player for every place.”
- Nottingham Forest dropped points in their second game in hand on those teams at the top of the Championship on Tuesday night. It needed a stoppage time goal from Dele Adebola to salvage a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough which leaves Forest fourth, eight points behind QPR. Portsmouth won their fifth consecutive game 2-0 at home to Scunthorpe.
- Derby captain Robbie Savage says the club’s fans are right to boo the team after a 3-1 home defeat by Doncaster on Tuesday. The Rams’ form has dipped alarmingly in the second half of the season and they now have just two wins in 17 league and cup games. Savage said: “They had every right to boo. We work as hard as we possibly can in training, we get treated well but then we put in a performance like that. It was disgraceful. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. As captain, I did not lead. It was pathetic from me and pathetic from everyone else. I can't put my finger on it."
- Scunthorpe manager Ian Baraclough has refused to rule out a move for Oldham winger Christ Taylor after the Latics failed to pay their players this month. Scunthorpe had a bid for Taylor knocked back in January and Baraclough said: “You just don't go off a player and we put in a very, very good offer then. I suppose people will put two and two together that they couldn't pay their players last week. But it doesn't mean they want to let him go."
- Cardiff have been unable to agree a loan deal with Wigan for goalkeeper Chris Kirkland and have instead turned to Blackburn’s Jason Brown as cover for the injured Tom Heaton.
- Preston manager Phil Brown has ruled out a loan move for out of favour striker Paul Hayes to Derby or any other side struggling at the bottom of the league. Brown said: “Why should I benefit another club in and around where we are? He'd only move if it was right for this football club."
In order of relevance to the QPR v Leicester game on Saturday, the following disruptions are taking place on the rail network this weekend:
- No Circle Line trains between Edgware Road and Hammersmith.
- The Overground service from Clapham Junction to Willesden through Shepherds Bush is not operating between Clapham and Olympia. A bus service will run from Clapham to the Bush through West Brompton and Kensington which will accept train tickets.
- There are no Metropolitan Line services on the central London stretch of the line – Aldgate to Harrow-on-the-Hill. Bus services will operate between Harrow and Wembley.
- No Hammersmith and City line services between Liverpool Street and Barking.
- On Saturday there is no District Line service between Bromley and Upminster.
- The Waterloo and City line is closed.
- There is no Overground service between Gospel Oak and Barking.