Neil Warnock has given club skipper Martin Rowlands a huge boost as he attempts to battle back to fitness from his knee injury by claiming he rates him so highly he has tried to buy him at his previous clubs.
News:
Rowlands has been able to join in with the rest of the squad in full pre-season training as he continues to recover from the knee ligament rupture he suffered on duty with the Republic of Ireland last Autumn. It’s the second time in 18 months Rowlands has suffered the injury and this season is a massive one for the 31 year old to prove that he can still perform and stay fit in the Championship.
With Warnock already adding Shaun Derry to his midfield and eyeing up Darren Ambrose, Jobi McAnuff and Martin Woods among others if rumours are to be believed Rowlands place has been in doubt but it seems the new gaffer rates Rowly as highly as everybody else at QPR and is looking forward to having his captain fit for selection.
Warnock told the club’s official website: “I've been really pleased with Martin, he's done all the fitness stuff with us and he's looking sharp. I've tried to sign Martin a few times during my managerial career and he's a player I've got a lot of time for. He's always busting a gut and I'm delighted to be working with him.
“The lads have come back in great condition. They've kept themselves in good knick, as they tend to do these days. One or two of the lads that had injuries last season are a bit behind, but that's to be expected at this time of the season.
"If I'm honest, I've never see Clint and Dezza looking so fit. Paddy looks in great condition too and he's loving the change of environment. It's given him a big lift. Jamie Mackie and Leon Clarke have been superb. They've been working very closely in training and that's a great sign already.”
Rumours:
With silly season now in full swing QPR have been linked with a host of players in recent days. The local press in West London Say that we are once again showing an interest in Portsmouth winger/forward Tommy Smith after bids for Darren Ambrose and Jobi McAnuff came to nothing. Meanwhile the Western Mail remains adamant that Bradley Orr could be leaving Bristol City for Loftus Road with a £500,000 deal being thrashed out between the parties over the weekend.
The Mirror reports that Reading have slapped a £2.5m price tag on our alleged target Jobi McAnuff which would all but end Neil Warnock’s interest in the player. The same paper also reports that Palace are once again willing to listen to offers for Darren Ambrose and Nathaaniel Clyne, two long term QPR targets. Rangers agreed a deal for Ambrose earlier this summer but that deal seemed to have fallen through earlier this week when Eagles’ boss George Burley stated mbrose wanted to stay and had opened talks over a new contract. The Daily Mail says Warnock is keen on Doncaster’s free kick specialist Martin Woods although Preston seem to lead the chase there having already made a £500,000 bid in January – the mail you may recall tipped us to sign goalkeeper Steve Simonsen last week even though he’d already joined Sheffield United.
Former R’s:
Youth team goalkeeper Shane McWeeney, signed from Tranmere 12 months ago but released this summer after only a handful of unused substitute appearances for Rangers, will play for Crewe Alexandra during the pre-season campaign in a quest to win a permanent deal at Gresty Road. Chelsea youngster Rhys Taylor, who spent time on loan with QPR without making an appearance last season, will start the season in goal for Crewe on a two month loan deal after frst choice Steve Phillips was ruled out until September with an injury. But with Adam Legzdins joining Burton Albion Dario Gradi is short on cover and hopes McWeeney may fit the bill. Crewe have two friendlies on Monday night, against Kidsgrove and Quorn, and McWeeney is likely to play in one of them. Crewe chief scout Neil Baker told the Stoke Sentinel: "He'll be training with us for the next few days and then he'll play on Monday night."
Our former loan star Michael Mancienne is being linked with a permanent move to Wolves from Chelsea after spending the last two years on loan at Molineux. Mancienne must be approaching some kind of record as all but six of his 112 first team career appearances have come on loan at either Wolves or QPR.
Paulo Sousa has completed his switch from Swansea to Leicester City. He told the Leicester official website: “I am impressed with the passion and emotion here and that is what I like to work with. When there is emotion it is a big pleasure to myself. We want to reach the stars all the time but at this moment it is about concentrating on the squad, on the players, to make them understand what I want from them. Together with the same ambition I have, we can do great things.
"First of all the pre-season is vital to our success. It is important from my point of view to be in a new environment, I believe more in quality than quantity and that is how we started today. We are always looking but for now it is important to learn a little bit more about the players here. I need to know them to make better decisions and hopefully with those decisions we can add something and improve our quality and our standards. I have a lot of desire and with the support of the chairman with the same ambition we can achieve what we want."
Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric said: “I am delighted to acquire a manager of such great calibre. Paulo has an excellent reputation as both a player, and now as a manager, and I believe that he is the right man to take our club forward. I admire his style of football and I am sure all supporters will join me in looking ahead to the new season.”
Championship news:
Joe Ledley’s decision to join Celtic instead of Stoke City will cost Cardiff around £3m in compensation. Ledley is out of contract but because of his age a tribunal would have set a fee based on the money Cardiff have spent training him since his teenage years. However that rule does not apply for players moving to other leagues in Europe and so Ledley’s move to Park Head, which is subject to this weekend’s medical, is the worst possible news for the South Wales club that is currently under a transfer embargo because of an unpaid tax bill.
Swansea’s hunt for a new manager has drawn another blank with Sheffield United refusing Gary Speed permission to speak to them about the vacancy. Swansea hope to have a new boss in place by Monday with Scunthorpe’s Nigel Adkins, Rochdale’s Keith Hill, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe and Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope all said to be in the running.
Leeds have continued their summer raid of the league they have just left by picking up Charlton winger Lloyd Sam on a free transfer. Kalifa Cisse has left Reading to link up again with Steve Coppell at Bristol City for an undisclosed fee. And finally the first Billy Davies row of the season appears to be brewing, with the Nottingham Forest boss claiming his utility man James Perch was sold to Premiership new boys Newcastle last week without his knowledge. Davies said: “I got a call after the deal was done to tell me James was leaving. I was disappointed but that is why the acquisitions panel is here. They decide who comes, who goes and when."