Fernandes rubbishes £60m fine claims — diary

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes was quick to rubbish a report in the Mail on Sunday today which claimed QPR could be fined up to £60m under the new Football League Financial Fair Play rules.

News

Under the legislation clubs operating at a substantial loss will be fined £1 for every £1 they lose over £18m if they are promoted to the Premier League. With QPR’s accounts for the 2012/13 relegation season tipped to show a loss in the region of £80m today’s Mail on Sunday has splashed the idea that this could mean Rangers suffer a record fine.

The rules from the Football League state: "Failure to stay within the defined limits will lead to the imposition of sanctions. However, there will be no sanctions implemented during the first two seasons (2012/13 and 2013/14) in order to give clubs a sensible period of transition. From the 2014/15 season, sanctions will be introduced that will differ depending on whether the club ultimately remained in the Championship, was promoted to the Premier League or was relegated to League 1.”

Fernandes was quick to Tweet that the article carried no substance and should be ignored.

He said: "QPR fans please ignore Article. Shows how big our brand has become that people need to write stories that are just not accurate Stay focused on getting back to the premier league.”

QPR fans please ignore Article. Shows how big our brand has become that people need to write (cont) http://t.co/tMCFsjUtpo

— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) November 17, 2013

Fernandes had been in positive mood earlier in the week, telling the club’s official website: "I watched the players get on the coach after Burnley, and there was a different feeling completely. It was pleasing in the strangest way for me. There was a very dour mood — and that made me happy. I could see they were hurting. I didn’t see that last season, when I walked into the changing room and people were talking about going to clubs. This time there was a genuine feeling of, ‘God, we lost!’ People weren’t happy. That helped me a lot because at least I’ve got players here who get sad like me when we lose.”

Elsewhere midfielder Ale Faurlin has been in hospital this weekend for the major surgery required on the anterior cruciate ligaments he ruptured against Derby last week.

Primer paso logrado!!agradecido a Ramón cugat y su equipo!!salió todo muy bien!A empesar la rehabilitación! pic.twitter.com/5UFsSnUGeJ

— Alejandro Faurlin (@alefaurlin) November 15, 2013

Manager Harry Redknapp has given hope to fans who’d like to see the Argentinean midfielder have his contract — which expires at the end of the season — extended so that he can recover sufficiently and return to QPR next season.

Redknapp told West London Sport: "I’d have to speak to the owners, but you wouldn’t bomb a player out because he’s injured. That’s not something that you’d do. You don’t cast him to one side without a contract because he’s not fit. The people who own this club wouldn’t do that — not a chance.”

"He’s a smashing lad and it’s a real shame for him. He got back in the team and was playing very well. He was excellent at Wigan and again against Derby. I’m sure Ale’s determined enough to come back. I’m sure he’ll come back and get his career back on track again.”

Redknapp is also keen to keep hold of USA international Oguchi Onyewu, despite the defender not featuring at all for QPR in his first month with the club and Nedum Onuoha returning to action at Reading last week.

Redknapp told the Kilburn Times: "He’s a good lad and there are so many games coming you never know where an injury’s coming from. We lost Tom Carroll and Ale Faurlin — that’s how it can go. When I was at Portsmouth we had four centre-halves and suddenly, in just over two weeks, I lost all four of them. We went to Wolves and had to play two full-backs at centre-half because we had no centre-halves and that can happen. You need cover. Pick up one or two injuries quickly and you’ve got to juggle around a bit.”

Goalkeeper Robert Green was on commentary duty for England’s 2-0 international friendly defeat to Chile on Friday night, but told the Daily Telegraph that he hasn’t given up hope of turning out for his country again.

Green said: "I have goals. The goal when I was ten years old was to play for my country and it’s still my goal. If I’ve got as many years left as I hope then if you go out of fashion you can come back in at some point. Like flared trousers, I guess.

"Last season was by far the toughest season I have had. For over a decade I had played every week so to then have a season when you are not — that physical and mental high when you build up to a game, and come down afterwards — was missing. It takes a while to adjust and is quite confusing.”

"More than anything I was thinking, ‘I’m 33 now, how much longer do I want to play for?’ You look at the other guys who are playing: Brad Friedel, who is 42, which is incredible; Van der Sar was at Manchester United and they wanted to keep him on at 40; David James played at the World Cup at 40, Mark Schwarzer too. You think, ‘What do I have to do?’ What’s clear from these guys is that physically they are machines. That was something I wanted to do – I got in the gym and took it up another level.”

For the players QPR do currently have in international squads it’s been a mixed weekend. Matt Phillips withdrew from the Scotland squad with a hamstring injury and Niko Kranjcar was an unused substitute for Croatia as they drew 0-0 with minnows Iceland in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying play off. The second leg is in Zagreb on Tuesday.

Defender Michael Harriman was also an unused substitute for the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 side as they won 5-2 against the Faroe Islands. Harriman will travel to Montenegro on Tuesday where a win could put the Irish second in their qualifying group.

Goalkeeper Julio Cesar, linked with a move to Manchester City in this morning’s papers, played for Brazil against Honduras in Miami while Benoit Assou-Ekotto could book his place in Brazil on Sunday with Cameroon by securing victory against Tunisia.

Turning attention to the club’s junior set up and Marc Bircham’s Canadian connections could be about to bear more fruit for the R’s. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Bryce Alderson has been invited to train with QPR’s EDS squad — the 19-year old capatainied Canada at the Under 17 World Cup two years ago and was the country’s Under 17 player of the year in 2011. He will make his debut in a match against Crystal Palace next week. Canucks Dylan Carreiro and Michael Petrasso are already part of the set up at Loftus Road.

The EDS side was beaten 4-2 at Millwall on Tuesday despite racing into an early two goal lead with goals from Peter Skapetis and Petrasso.

Loan Watch

Hogan Ephraim is finally getting some first team football following his loan move to League One high flyers Peterborough United. The former West Ham junior has been completely out of the picture at QPR for the last two seasons and failed to win a deal from a trial period at Wolves earlier this season.

But Posh took him on an initial one day loan and he made his debut as a substitute in an FA Cup win against Exeter last weekend before starting a JP Trophy match against Dagenham during the week.

Ephraim told the Peterborough Telegraph: "I need to get myself playing and couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come to an attacking team that is doing very well this season. Peterborough have made no secret of the fact they want promotion and hopefully I can help them during my time here.

"I’ve had spells on loan at Leeds and Charlton in League One and they were both good experiences for me. I have played at London Road and although it wasn’t a good result for me that day, I saw that the crowd here get rocking. It’s a lively place to play and hopefully I can be on the winning team here a few times. I can play wide or behind the strikers. I’m easy about the position as long as I’m in the team and I am looking to play as much as I can while I’m here.”

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said: "Ferguson said: "We got a phone call to tell us that Hogan was available and we moved pretty quickly to make it happen. He is a player I have admired for some time and even though he hasn’t played a lot of football lately, he will give us a lift. He has great flexibility in terms of the positions he can play in and his game will suit the way we like to play. We will have a good look at him over the next 28 days and I will be looking to extend the loan if he does well.”

Peterborough play Walsall on Sky tomorrow night.

Not such good news for Frankie Sutherland though whose three month loan at Leyton Orient lasted just 38 minutes of last weekend’s FA Cup game with Southport. The young Irish midfielder has ruptured his knee ligaments and is out for the season.

O’s boss Russell Slade said:"Myself, the staff and the players are all devastated at the news. In the short time he was here, Frankie gave a great example of how a young pro should carry themselves with his dedication and commitment to the cause. Everybody was wishing him to do well on his debut and he started so brightly. Frankie is made of the right stuff and has a great attitude. I'm sure he will bounce back fitter and stronger than before."

Sutherland’s coach at QPR Marc Bircham added "It’s a set-back for Frankie who is one of our brightest young hopes. Hopefully he can return from this fitter and stronger than ever. He’s only 19 so he’s young enough to do that. We have got a good medical team here and they will help him through. One thing Frankie won’t be lacking in his recovery is determination because he is a dedicated lad who loves his football. He’s got a good family around him who will support him, and we are all here to support him as well.”

Bad news for Yun Suk-Young up at Doncaster as well — the South Korean suffered an ankle injury in training last week and is now going to be out until Christmas.

Manager Paul Dickov told Sky: "It feels like there's a little bit of a curse going on at the moment. He just went for a ball in training on Friday with nobody around him and he's rolled his ankle. He's going to be out for six weeks. If you add that to James Husband and Rob Jones, and big Jamie McCombe's out as well, we're right back where we started."

Harry Redknapp is hoping that a temporary spell of first team football elsewhere can also be fixed up for Tom Hitchcock. The former Blackburn trainee scored his first senior goal against Ipswich in August but has struggled for first team opportunities since. He scored three goals in seven starts and ten sub appearances at Bristol Rovers last season.

Redknapp told West London Sport: "I’d like to get him out on loan. I think he could do well and it would be a good experience for him. He needs to go out, play somewhere and step up a division from where he was last year — maybe League One or lower Championship.”

Rattling through the other loanees in action this weekend: Max Ehmer completed 90 minutes and won a penalty for Carlisle in their 1-1 draw against Crawley in League One on Saturday while Michael Doughty played 90 minutes and Bruno Andrade 45 as their Stevenage team was beaten 3-0 at home by Rotherham in the same league.

Former R’s

Shaun Derry’s tough start to managerial life continued on Saturday with his struggling Notts County side losing 1-0 to high flying Wolves at Meadow Lane. It means Derry has lost all three of his matches so far since leaving QPR to take up the position a week ago.

But the former QPR midfielder knew the challenge he was taking on at the club where he started his career and he told the Nottingham Evening Post it’s one he’s relishing.

"When I heard about Chris Kiwomya’s departure, I always act on impulse and I got this feeling that made me pick the phone up to Jim Rodwell and asked for an interview, it's as simple as that. I made this happen. I am sure there were applicants in the dozens applying for this fantastic job. They didn't need to offer me the job because I am Shaun Derry and I'm a Nottingham boy and have played for Notts County and still support them, they choose me because they thought I was the right person.

"I need to take the emotion out of everything, first and foremost, this is my home-town club and the club I have supported, but let's get something right here — regardless of whether it was Notts County or another team I would be doing exactly the same as I am doing now. I have got a job to do."

Another former R is also moving into management this week with Rufus Brevett taking over at Southern League Premier outfit Arlesey Town.

Just up the road at Biggleswade Town, Shabazz Baidoo has been making headlines as he attempts to get back into the sport. Now 26, Baidoo has drifted out of the professional game into a world of music and second hand car sales but has been turning out for the Southern League Premier side after being introduced to the manager by the club’s burger man.

Ahead of a 4-1 defeat at Stourbridge in the FA Cup last weekend Baidoo told the BBC: "I never wanted to put all my eggs in one basket. As you get older you realise football is up and down. I was 17 when I made my debut in the Championship. I look back at it and sometimes I think - 'too much too soon'. I was happy. But when you get older you realise you've got to enjoy life as well as playing football. I was always cautious.

"I was concentrating on life outside of football. While I was at QPR I was setting things up in case it didn't work out. With the music, because you don't put too much into it you're not expecting too much out. Some of my friends make a living out of it. They're not massive, but they do get a living out of it. It's the same as football. How many people want to be footballers? How many make it?"

Championship Shorts

- Middlesbrough have appointed their first ever foreign manager, replacing Tony Mowbray with former Real Madrid assistant boss Aitor Karanka. Boro beat off competition from stricken Premier League side Crystal Palace to secure the 40 year old, who worked under Jose Mourinho during his three years at the Bernabeu. The former Real and Spain defender replaces club legend Mowbray who left the club last month after a run of poor form — he’d been the Championship’s longest serving boss to that point.

- Leeds owners GFH Capital have rejected a takeover bid from a consortium involving former defender Lucas Radebe. The BBC has learned Radebe, 44, is part of a group involving ex-Hull chairman Adam Pearson looking to purchase a majority stake in the club for £7m.

- Millwall have moved quickly to cover the loss of Shaun Derry, who has been appointed Notts County manager, by signing powerful Nottingham Forest midfielder Guy Moussi on loan until January. The 28 year old Frenchman has played four times for Forest this season.

- Bournemouth have tied top scorer Lewis Grabban down on a new contract running until 2016. The £300,000 signing from Rotherham has bagged seven goals in 15 appearances this season.

- Matt Green’s big shot at league football has turned into a nightmare with the new that knee surgery will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. The striker, who has scored two goals in 12 appearances for Birmingham since joining on a two-year deal from Mansfield in the summer, suffered the injury in training.

- Burnley have signed former Blackburn winger Micah Evans on a one year deal. The 20 year old was released by Rovers in the summer after loan spells with Accrington and Chesterfield but has impressed on trial with the Clarets in recent weeks.

- Ipswich full back Elliot Hewitt, 19, has joined League One Gillingham on loan for a month. Reading striker Gozie Ukwo, 20, has gone to Shrewsbury until January.

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Pictures — Action Images

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