- 31 YEARS AGO TODAY: QPR REACH THE FA CUP SEMI-FINAL
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| QPR OFFICIAL SITE - Ruben: This is not short term for us | ||
| 6th March 2013 by @OfficialQPR Major shareholder Ruben Emir Gnanalingam explains importance of academy development This is no four-year plan, it’s more like a 40-year plan" Ruben Emir Gnanalingam RUBEN EMIR GNANALINGAM has spoken of the Board’s long-term plans this week following the youth department’s recent move to BA Clubs’ Concorde Club. QPR’s under 18s right through to the under 12s will be developed at the Cranford-based complex, and Gnanalingam took time out from his busy schedule to go on a recent tour of the facility. “This area of the football club is the one we are most interested in,” he told www.qpr.co.uk. “Definitely one of our priorities going forward is the development of our younger players.” The Board demonstrated their determination to see QPR retain its Premier League status with their recent activity in the January transfer window which saw them twice break the club’s record transfer fee with the acquisitions of Loic Remy and Chris Samba. But Gnanalingam - pictured presenting BA Clubs CEO Tony Dormer with a signed QPR shirt, alongside R's CEO Philip Beard - is keen to stress they are focusing on more than what occurs in the next 11 weeks. “The rules of football are changing dramatically and you have to be able to develop your own players in order to be sustainable,” he explained, in reference to the introduction of Financial Fair Play. “We have to make sure we can compete with other clubs in terms of the facilities we offer our younger players.” Gnanalingam joined QPR along with chairman Tony Fernandes and fellow-major shareholder Kamarudin Bin Meranun in August 2011, and he explained: “We have always had a long-term vision from the moment we came to QPR. “This is not short-term for us. This is no four-year plan, it’s more like a 40-year plan. “Developing our academy and a new training ground are things we will do regardless of where we are. That has never changed. “From day one when we arrived, we said the training ground needed to be changed, and the academy needed to be built up. And that’s what we are doing.” Raheem Sterling came through QPR’s youth system before being sold to Liverpool in 2010, and has since gone on to feature regularly for the Merseysiders’ first team. “He is a perfect example of why we must make sure our academy can compete with other clubs’ academies,” Gnanalingam added. “It means a great deal for the QPR fans to see a player come through the youth system and represent the first team. “We want to see that happen too. A moment like that will represent one of the better moments in what will hopefully be a very long time for us here at QPR.” http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/060313....w=full#anchored | ||
James Olley/Evening STandard
Just what is Harry Redknapp's game at QPR?
06 March 2013
Around the time Harry Redknapp was raging against a negative newspaper story, shortly after living through another tension-packed afternoon attempting to avoid relegation, a thought struck me: what’s really in this for him?
This is a manager who, just 13 months ago, had everything in place for a spectacular climax to his long career in football management.
Stood on the steps of Southwark Crown Court a free man after being cleared of tax-evasion charges, Redknapp appeared to have the enviable headache of choosing whether to extend his stay with a resurgent Tottenham side or step into Fabio Capello’s job and take England to Euro 2012.
How quickly things changed. Spurs began their late slide into fourth place in the table to render them vulnerable to Chelsea’s Champions League success against Bayern Munich, with Redknapp all the while seemingly alarmed that the Football Association’s call had not yet come.
Spurs had offered Redknapp a lucrative new contract but a deterioration in form while waiting for the FA to act complicated his situation to the extent that by the time England appointed Roy Hodgson, the club felt they had a mandate to remove their manager.
Redknapp’s relationship with Tottenham owner Joe Lewis had soured and he was paid off but despite Spurs’ slump, he remained a martyr in many eyes. Unfairly treated by Tottenham and overlooked by England, Redknapp’s stock remained high.
There is no tangible method of assessing it but managers who leave clubs in positions of strength see their reputation increase over a certain period of time, until a point is reached where they have been out of work for too long and suddenly they seem bygones of a different era. Alan Curbishley is one such current example.
However, Redknapp was nowhere near this position when he took over from Mark Hughes at Queens Park Rangers in November, barely five months after leaving Spurs.
Had he stayed out of football and in a part-time punditry role (although too much exposure can often lead to a manager being perceived more as a pundit than a boss, as is seemingly the case with Curbishley), Redknapp would have remained among the favourites for any top job in England.
Is that now the case? Even if Redknapp keeps QPR up, it is hard to see how his reputation will be improved given the money he has spent and the controversy emanating from the Loftus Road dressing room.
QPR have taken a huge financial gamble in their attempt to avoid relegation and while it is the responsibility of the owners to maintain a sensible use of resources, Redknapp could have his image tarnished by association for playing a role in another club’s monetary turmoil after his experience at Portsmouth.
It remains to be seen what happens to Rangers and their finances but, given their plight, Redknapp clearly had more to lose when taking over. Had he stayed away, he could have been a genuine candidate to take over at Chelsea, perhaps Everton should David Moyes move on this summer. That does not feel the case now.
Of course, the most logical explanation for Redknapp’s decision to take charge is money. He is reportedly being paid £3million a year with a considerable bonus on top should the club avoid relegation.
They have a chance of doing just that, albeit a slim one, after last Saturday’s victory at Southampton. It would be a fine achievement but not one to significantly enhance Redknapp’s CV for the top job he surely craves.
He turned 66 last weekend. Despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s longevity at Manchester United, there are few managers able to go on into their 70s. Redknapp does not have a lot of time to repair his reputation should QPR be relegated — he will surely not stick around and oversee a promotion bid from the Championship.
If he has indeed solely taken the job for money, then he deserves everything he gets. The court case told us he is bad with money but surely he doesn’t need a job to pay the bills now and so it is hoped his motivation is purer.
One powerful football agent used to working closely to Redknapp told this column he took the job “because he is addicted to the Premier League — he would have taken anything just to get that adrenaline rush again”.
Addictions rarely work out well. Sooner or later, your reputation is irrevocably damaged. Redknapp is running that risk.... Standard
LAST SEASON's TABLE AFTER 28 GAMES
And how things finished
| POS | LP | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
(1) | Manchester City | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 93 | 29 | 64 | 89 |
| 2 | |
(2) | Manchester United | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 89 | 33 | 56 | 89 |
| 3 | |
(3) | Arsenal | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 74 | 49 | 25 | 70 |
| 4 | |
(4) | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 66 | 41 | 25 | 69 |
| 5 | |
(5) | Newcastle United | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 65 |
| 6 | |
(6) | Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 46 | 19 | 64 |
| 7 | |
(7) | Everton | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 50 | 40 | 10 | 56 |
| 8 | |
(8) | Liverpool | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 47 | 40 | 7 | 52 |
| 9 | |
(9) | Fulham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 48 | 51 | -3 | 52 |
| 10 | |
(10) | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 52 | -7 | 47 |
| 11 | |
(12) | Swansea City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 51 | -7 | 47 |
| 12 | |
(13) | Norwich City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 52 | 66 | -14 | 47 |
| 13 | |
(11) | Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 45 | 46 | -1 | 45 |
| 14 | |
(14) | Stoke City | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 53 | -17 | 45 |
| 15 | |
(15) | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 62 | -20 | 43 |
| 16 | |
(16) | Aston Villa | 38 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 37 | 53 | -16 | 38 |
| 17 | |
(17) | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 43 | 66 | -23 | 37 |
| 18 | |
(18) | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 46 | 77 | -31 | 36 |
| 19 | |
(19) | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 48 | 78 | -30 | 31 |
| 20 | |
(20) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 40 | 82 | -42 | 25 |
CURRENT TABLE
CLUB
|
PLD
|
PTS
|
|---|---|---|
28
|
71
| |
27
|
56
| |
28
|
52
| |
27
|
51
| |
27
|
47
| |
28
|
45
| |
28
|
42
| |
28
|
40
| |
28
|
40
| |
28
|
33
| |
28
|
33
| |
28
|
33
| |
28
|
32
| |
28
|
30
| |
28
|
30
| |
28
|
27
| |
28
|
24
| |
27
|
24
| |
28
|
23
| |
28
|
20
|
QPR OFFICIAL SITE
FRANCIS JOINS WOKING
R's forward moves to Kingfield Stadium on loan ...
QPR UNDER-21S striker Adam Francis has today joined Woking on loan for the remainder of of the Blue Square Bet Premier season.
The 20-year-old is part of Marc Bircham's Elite Development Squad, recently returning from a one-month spell at Staines.
Francis - whose contract at Loftus Road expires in the summer - will stay at the Kingfield Stadium until Saturday 20th April. QPR
"...John Gregory believes there is a powerful caucus of people close to the club who are plotting to kill off Queen's Park Rangers...."
"...there's people out there trying to destroy the club, people who are close to it. You've got some on the internet message boards slagging everything off and giving out details about financial aspects, which are confidential. A few former employees might be feeding them stuff, spreading a lot of poison. It's quite sad really..."
Forty-Six Years Ago Yesterday: QPR Win the League Cup
