Harry Redknapp said QPR are suffering by dragging their heals in the transfer market following a draw at West Ham at the weekend where his primary January target Joe Cole scored for the home team.
Redknapp appeared angry in his post match press conference about the time it is taking his superiors to conclude deals for his top transfer targets. The equalising West Ham goal was scored by Joe Cole, a man Redknapp believes should have been playing for the away team on Saturday, and the potential signing of Yann M’Vila seems no closer to conclusion.
Quoted on West London Sport Redknapp said: “I think we could have got Joe. I would have had Joe about two weeks before West Ham got him. I just felt we took a long while to get it sorted. I was talking to Joe’s people three weeks before West Ham even came on the scene. I could have got Joe and I wanted to. It just dragged on and I was disappointed not to get him. I just think with deals sometimes you have to get them done quickly. Once other people get alerted to players being available you can lose them.”
He was kinder about his team’s performance in a backs to the wall effort at Upton Park, but admitted their persistent failure to maintain possession made life extremely difficult against a direct, physical West Ham team.
Redknapp told the club’s official website: “We got 1-0 up and looked okay at that stage. I felt we looked like we had more goals in us on the counter-attack with Remy and his pace, and Adel playing in behind. But then we started giving the ball away, came under a lot of pressure and dropped deeper and deeper. In the end we were under pressure and found it very hard to get out, it was difficult. We fought for our lives and we’ll take a point. That’s five games unbeaten, that’s a big improvement.”
His opposite number Sam Allardyce said afterwards that QPR had been lucky to escape with anything more than a 4-1 defeat.
Allardyce told West Ham TV: “"In the end, I am as frustrated as anybody else that we didn't record a very comfortable victory. We just have to take the massive positives out of this game, which is over-running a team and the only thing we didn't over-run them by was a victory that should have, in my assessment, about 4-1. We had ten shots on target, ten or more off-target and 46 crosses - it just never stopped - but only one goal, which I have to say isn't good enough. We must be as dominant as that but we must come off with a victory at the end of it and not come off disappointed like we have against QPR."
One of the main reasons the Hammers didn’t run riot was another outstanding performance from goalkeeper Julio Cesar. After the game Redknapp told the club’s official website: “I’m lucky here, because I’ve got two top class keepers. Rob was fantastic for us at West Brom in the Cup and Cesar, again, on Saturday was brilliant. You look at his CV and it’s absolutely remarkable. He’s won absolutely everything there is to win in the game and he’s still relatively young for a keeper. He’s world class - a top, top goalkeeper."
Which makes newspaper reports today that Rangers are ready to listen to offers for both keepers in an effort to trim the wage bill ahead of a possible relegation rather odd. The R’s have already made a saving by allowing Djibril Cisse to join Qatari side Al Gharafa on loan for the rest of the season – a deal for which they will apparently receive £500,000 and have the Frenchman’s wages covered until the summer.
And the point was ultimately won by a debut goal from record signing Loic Remy, although he became a peripheral figure in the second half as the R’s came under heavy pressure at the other end. Captain Clint Hill told London24: “I thought in the first 20 minutes we looked dangerous on the break, with Adel and Remy up front. Remy dug in and made some great runs. We managed to slip him in and he took his chance very well – that shows the calibre of player we’ve got on our hands. We just need to create a few more opportunities for him really.”
Earlier today Shaun Derry, the man who is constantly written off but seems to have more footballing lives than Jude the Cat, penned a one extension to his Loftus Road contract which means he will be at Rangers next season regardless of which division they’re in. Derry was completely out of the picture under former boss Mark Hughes but has been a regular for Harry Redknapp since stemming the tide against Liverpool as a second half substitute six matches ago.
The 35-year-old, who has made 91 appearances for the R’s since arriving from Crystal Palace in 2010, told the club’s official website: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s changing times once again with Harry coming in and I find myself playing more now than I did under Mark Hughes. I'm just so delighted to commit myself to the club for another year – I’m enjoying my football more than ever. The fans played a major role in this decision. When you're not in the side or even in the squad and you're questioning whether or not you should move on, it always stuck in my mind the many happy memories I've had here. Now I’m back in the side and I'm appreciated by the fans as much as I have been since I arrived here and that means so much - it feels like home here. I've come to the club at the latter stages of my career but without question, I've enjoyed the happiest time of my career at QPR.”
Samba Diakite, one of Derry’s many central midfield partners during a two and a half year stay in W12, came on as a seventy ninth minute substitute for Mali in their 1-0 African Nations Cup win against Niger on Sunday.
The future is rather less certain for Jose Bosingwa. Harry Redknapp’s comments about his commitment to the cause and weekly wage, said in the heat of the moment after a defeat at Newcastle, seem to have given the press carte blanche to publish whatever they like about the former Chelsea full back. Given the reception his name received by the visiting fans at Stamford Bridge when he was welcomed back to his old club, it’s certain the player can never play for QPR again and Redknapp has made little secret of his desire to move him on this month.
Tales of him refusing to train or speak to his team mates did the rounds in the weekend papers prompting Hogan Ephraim to take to Twitter in his defence. Ephraim said: “I'm never one to comment on stuff that's written in the papers, but I've seen articles in the Mirror and Daily Mail about a teammate today which are wrong and painting a different picture to reality. I know papers have to write stuff to sell, but telling lies about someone is something they shouldn't resort to. Just thought I'd say the truth because those stories are trying to hang a teammate out to dry.”
Meanwhile Rangers’ match at Fulham, originally Saturday March 30, has been moved to Easter Monday April 1 at 8pm by Sky TV.
Finally, rather worryingly, The Daily Mail is reporting tomorrow that Rangers have suspended youth team coach mark Langton has been suspended by the club and a full investigation launched after an allegation of racist abuse made by one of the players the club released over Christmas.
Will Frankie Sutherland ever get to play for Portsmouth? The 19-year-old Republic of Ireland youth international was all set for a loan move to Fratton Park as the deadline for temporary transfers into the lower leagues approached in October but, not for the first time, the stricken League One outfit failed to submit the paperwork in time and the deal fell through. Now Sutherland has moved to the South Coast for a month, but is still waiting for his debut when what was due to be his first outing at Scunthorpe on Saturday fell foul of a frozen pitch.
Still, when the weather does clear up it seems that Pompey boss Guy Whittingham, who signed Sutherland on the recommendation of head of recruitment Luke Dowling before he leftg to join Michael Appleton at Blackburn, is keen to involve the young midfielder. Whittingham told Portsmouth’s local paper The News: “‘It was Luke Dowling more than anybody responsible for bringing him here. He had seen Frankie play a few times and has been told by quite a few people about what he was like as a character as well as a player. I only watched him the once but you can see quite early on he is somebody with a good understanding of the game. He trained with us yesterday morning and his vision is good. He’s got good movement He’s got lots of energy and that is what you need, somebody who can run and run and run. With that he has a good technique and seems to have a good brain. Frankie is more of a central midfielder, he can play wide but the middle is his best position.”
Troy Hewitt was also robbed of one of the final games of his loan spell with Bury when their game with Stevenage was also postponed. Hewitt’s deal expires this week – he has scored two goals in five starts and five sub appearances so far. Tom Hitchcock was also denied a run out for Bristol Rovers against Exeter by the weather.
No such weather problems for Joey Barton who, fresh from his latest Twitter spat and subsequent apology to former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamman, completed 90 minutes in Marseille’s 3-2 home win against Montpellier.
Or, in fact, for Michael Harriman and Bruno Andrade at Wycombe. Their 1-0 win against Dagenham was one of only three matches to go ahead in the bottom division. Harriman completed 90 minutes – his fourth appearance so far – while Andrade was an unused substitute.
Paulo Sousa has left his job with Hungarian outfit Videotron ahead of a prospective move to the New York Red Bulls. The former Portuguese international and QPR boss is yet to be confirmed in the position, but West London Sport says he is already lining up his former Loftus Road protégé Hogan Ephraim as his first signing.
Pat Kanyuka continues to clock up the miles in his nomadic career. The big centre half only joined Maidenhead United a couple of months ago but has left after receiving an offer to play professionally in Thailand. Manager Johnson Hippolyte told the Maidenhead Advertiser: “Pat was offered a contract to play out there and he’s taken it. It’s my worst nightmare. It’s really taken the stuffing out of me. All the hard work was starting to bear fruit and now we’re back to square one. It feels like I’ve been kicked in the teeth at the moment.”
- Southampton showed no ill-effects from the harsh sacking of manager Nigel Adkins last week as they drew 0-0 at home to high flying Everton this evening. Rickie Lambert missed several presentable opportunities in the first half and ultimately Mauricio Pochettino had to settle for a point from his first game as new boss as the Toffees improved after the break.
- Sunderland have allowed striker Fraizer Campbell to join Championship leaders Cardiff City for £650,000 as they step up their efforts to land Swansea forward Danny Graham. Campbell’s contract was coming to an end this summer at the Stadium of Light.
- Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is having a medical at Newcastle ahead of a £6.7m move. The 23-year-old France international is set to sign a four-year deal at St James' Park. The Magpies are still hoping to persuade their current leading centre back Fabricio Coluccini to stay after he asked to be allowed to move back to Argentina for personal reasons.
- Chelsea have agreed a new one year contract with 32-year-old left back Ashley Cole, who had looked set to leave at the end of his present deal this summer. Meanwhile manager Rafael Benitez has defended striker Fernando Torres against growing criticism saying: “These people who like to quote stats and stats, they don't have any clue about what is going on.”
- Norwich boss Chris Hughton says he was well aware of the club’s need for new signings prior to the 5-0 weekend loss at Liverpool which stretches their run to one point from a possible 18. Hughton, who has offers pending for Graham at Swansea and Celtic’s Gary Hooper, said: “It doesn't take that performance for me to know that we need to improve the squad we've got.” - Stokehave granted FC Dallas winger Brek Shea a week long trial as he continues to recover from an operation to remove a bone from his foot. Manager Tony Pulis said of the 22-year-old, who has 15 caps for the States: “A year ago he was touted as the next great thing in America," Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke. I think he's fallen off the rails a little bit in some respects - I don't know why.”
The following tube and train closures are in place this Saturday for QPR’s home match with MK Dons:
- Essentially the entire Northern Line is closed. No trains between Camden Town and either Edgware or East Finchley. No trains south of Camden to Charing Cross on that branch, or Kennington on the Bank side. Shuttle services will run between High Barnet and East Finchley, and from Charing Cross down to Morden.
- The Metropolitan Line will not run between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.
- The Piccadilly Line will not run between Acton Town and Uxbridge.
- There is no service west of Earls Court on the District Line which means no District Line trains through Hammersmith to either Ealing Broadway or Richmond.
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