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QPR crying out for stability

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Paul Fletcher | 11:43 UK time, Friday, 15 January 2010

Queens Park Rangers long ago became a watchword for instability - and although the news that might feel wearyingly depressing it hardly rates as surprising.

Hart lasted 28 days and is the sixth full-time manager to depart Loftus Road since .

The Italian quickly dismissed John Gregory, while Luigi De Canio, Iain Dowie, Paulo Sousa and Jim Magilton have also come and gone. And then there is Mick Harford, Gareth Ainsworth and Steve Gallen, who have had temporary spells in charge.

Of the managers appointed since Briatore arrived, fellow Italian De Canio has lasted the longest, before leaving for personal reasons.

Sousa was there for , Magilton and Dowie . Is it really surprising that Rangers remain a Championship club?

Former Queens Park Rangers manager Paul Hart Hart started the season in charge of Premier League Portsmouth

I was at Vicarage Road in December when Akos Buzsaky went walkabout in his kit after the dressing room-row that led to Magilton's suspension and eventual departure.

It was a surreal sight and only added to the sense that QPR have become a footballing soap opera that promises guaranteed drama but lacks some of the ingredients essential to a successful club.

Arguably, none of Briatore's appointments have lasted long enough to mould and shape the squad they inherited. Furthermore, although time is a precious commodity for any manager, a good chairman must appreciate that a modicum of patience is required while a boss imprints his footballing philosophy at a club.

It is often said that the most important relationship at any club is between the chairman and manager. I wonder whether Briatore has enjoyed a closeness or mutual respect with any of the ones he has employed?

What we have at Rangers is a crippling lack of continuity. Briatore ought to be a chairman craving a long-term managerial appointment, or as a starting point, someone who remains in charge for an entire season.

As an Italian, Briatore should know that Rome wasn't built in a day - and a successful QPR won't be either.

Of course, much is made of the revolving door since Briatore arrived at the club but the predilection to install a new man in the dugout can be traced back before his arrival.

Ian Holloway had almost five years in charge but his dismissal in February 2006 was the point at which the ceaseless cycle of arrival and departure started.

Gianni Paladini was in charge - and the Italian appointed both Gary Waddock and Gregory prior to Briatore's arrival.

Paladini is now the sporting director at Rangers in addition to his role as chairman of the football club (Briatore being chairman of the holding company that owns QPR).

He is responsible, in part, for the club's scouting network as well as the buying and selling of players. But the exact specifications of his role are difficult to define.

The same can be said of Briatore, the former Renault Formula 1 team boss .

There have been rumours of Briatore interfering with team selection and moving significantly outside the boundaries of what defines a typical owner/chairman. Perhaps he should manage the team himself for a while to fully understand the size of the task.

shortly after his dismissal from Portsmouth, citing his desire to return to work and intention to steady the ship.

in his second game in charge was to be his only victory. Rangers ended that match with six defenders on the pitch, with Gary Borrowdale on the left of midfield and Matthew Connolly sitting in front of the back four.

The defensive tactics did not sit well with the supporters, who appreciate attractive, attacking football - and Rangers were booed from the field after that match.

Hart never really had the chance to win over the fans, who have been subjected to significant season-ticket price increases since Briatore took over and could be forgiven for expecting a brand and level of football commensurate with their annual outlay.

Nonetheless, the fact that Hart has opted to quit after such a short period in charge hints at something beyond the fact that he wasn't popular with some of the club's support.

There have been reports that a bust-up with Adel Taarabt contributed to his premature departure, while it has also been suggested that he wanted to sell several players and bring in new faces but that his idea was given short shrift.

Obviously, something at Rangers so disturbed Hart, who tried to stick it out at Portsmouth despite all the problems at Fratton Park, that he felt compelled to quit, with his assistant Harford taking temporary charge.

Briatore now has the depressingly familiar task of appointing a new manager - and Steve Coppell and Alan Curbishley are two names that are certain to be mentioned.

and four points shy of a play-off place. There is clearly still everything to play for in a season that could yet end up with promotion.

But nothing is straightforward at Rangers and with 22 league games left I wonder what twists and turns are left in another season of uncertainty at Loftus Road.


Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Stating the bleeding obvious a bit there!

  • Comment number 2.

    The whole QPR situation is a shambles but it shouldn't just be limited to that one club. I was shocked when Rodgers left Reading, when Ferguson left Peterborough and many many more. It's a crying shame that this is the current state of football. No young manager is going to go near QPR now. 6 managers in 2 and a half years! That's abysmal planning.

    My and my friends have been writing a blog about the Football League for a while and it seems every other article we write is about either a manager being sacked or appointed.

  • Comment number 3.

    Agree with akaTommySmith, the gist of this seems to be QPR have had a lot managers and need some stability, hmmm, not too tricky that really.

    Where's the insight? Which managers would be well suited to this kind of enviroment, are QPR a team with players to make it into the premiership etc etc... four points of play off suggests that maybe they are but this is all stuff I could of picked up simply reading the news articles which is a shame as I normally like your blogs.

  • Comment number 4.

    I never looked at Hart as a manager who could actually do things with Rangers, and with what has just happend i think it sums up my thoughts on the guy, Past his sell by date.

    If we are to get somewhere the powers that be need to think long and hard over who they could bring in next, and actually give the guy a chance. We need someone with Hunger and ambition, who do you think we should look at Paul?

  • Comment number 5.

    A perspective from an R block season holder. Firstly I agree with Tommy, yes it is stating the bleedin obvious. The press lack perspective when it comes to reporting on QPR and it started the moment Briatore took charge. Despite not spending as much as, say, Forest, we're constantly referred to as moneybags QPR bla bla and now everyone's reporting on the fact we've been through 9 managers which includes as many temporary caretakers as real appointments. Any new chairman would have sacked Gregory immediately - we were going nowhere. They desperately wanted de Canio to stay but he had to go home to Italy. If that hadn't happened he'd likely still be manager. The fans weren't behind Dowie because we had a constant glaring hold in front of our back four that was never addressed and looked to be going backwards from de Canio. Sousa was liked - our defence was watertight and he clearly had promise - we were just lacking up front which would surely have been addressed last summer; it is his sacking which I think was the major gaffe by the chairman so far. Magilton couldn;t respond to teams deciding to play much tighter to us and pressuring our defenders on the ball, our chosen full-backs are terrible (Borrowdale can be ok) and it was like he spent no time on the defence in training. Yes we need stability, but de Canio and Sousa aside I'm not sure any of the other 2 managers (not 9!) have been up to the job. We will get there I am sure though am very disappointed we didn't sign up Ferguson when we went for Hart. Maybe managers are put off us by all the hype? C'mon you supa!

  • Comment number 6.

    QPR need stability? Honest injun? That was sarcasm that was.

  • Comment number 7.

    Oh yes and don't forget to tune in next week for "why the alphabet has no numbers in it" and other difficult questions.

    That was more sarcasm that was.

  • Comment number 8.

    We need a foreign manager who can cope with having players bought for him. De Canio made it work, Sousa thought he could, but bottled it when he realised he could'nt. Dowie, Magilton, Hart and probably Harford are from the "shout a lot" school of management. We need a man to make the players feel loved....p.s. Hart was just available mid season till we find the right foreigner. It's tough out there on the streets for an Englishman. Look at Mark Hughes !! Or even a Welshman

  • Comment number 9.

    How many (of you) were expecting Hart to be given the job in the first place?

    So now he's gone. Perhaps management needed someone to do a bit of short-term coverage. Y'know like extra holiday help . . . or covering while someone else is on leave. That kind of thing.

    You wouldn't have got anyone serious if you told them it was only for a few weeks.

    2/3

  • Comment number 10.

    I'm actually amazed at this piece! It does strike me as lazy journalism, as there is nothing new in this at all.

    Of course my beloved R's need stability....any one of our fans could have told you that. In fact, look on the 606 boards and there are even fans of OTHER teams telling us we need stability.

    Where is the insight? Where are the suggestions of managers who COULD make the situation work?

    As Jamois stated, the press lose all perspective when it comes to QPR.

    My club is NOT the richest in the world. Our owners may well be, but until they put serious money in, instead of trying to get promotion on the cheap, then we will always lurch from one crisis to the next.

    Oh well....Up the R'ssssss!!!

  • Comment number 11.

    Woah - I'm taking a Friday bashing here. Spoiling my lunch.

    The question of who Rangers should look to appoint - or who would want the Rangers job - is very tricky.

    What sort of person does Briatore actually want? He is obviously a very strong influence and it might be that a traditional English-style manager is not the answer.

    Lee Wiffen (post 8) could be moving in the right direction when he suggests that what might work best is bringing in a coach who is happy to leave a lot of the buying and selling etc to the sporting director and just focus on coaching the first team.

    However, I definitely think they have the players with the ability to win promotion. Look at their victory over Derby during their purple patch earlier in the season - that was a performance of real class.

    That said, I'm not sure they have enough players to tough it out during difficult phases of games and, as Hart clearly indicated, they need to work on shoring up the defence.

  • Comment number 12.

    There should be a turnstile operated at QPR, instead of a managers door. The situation there is a disgrace and it is not only the fans who are suffering, but the players.

    I did not think that I would see a club hire and fire as many managers as QPR have. I thought (as being a Palace fan) that our chairman was notoriously difficult to work with. He is an angel compared to those at QPR.

    Worse still and what concerns me, as a football fan in general, is :

    1) QPR have very deep pockets, but how much money is being shelled out in compensation?

    As the last poster (8) has pointed out Luigi Di Canio, Paulo Sousa,Iain Dowie, Jim Magiltion, Paul Hart, were the previous incumbents, so surely they will all be paid severance for being removed from office (Magilton maybe not...)

    2) The players wont know who is coming or going. Which is going to unsettle anyone there and frankly speaking, means that despite the transfer market being open, no-one will be coming in as with no manager to make these decisions, the squad wont be enhanced or improved. It will be a case of loans only, as January is half-way through. Uncertainly, can bring more inconsistency.

    3) Iain Dowie is not from the shout a lot school at all. Sadly...he has thoughtful and has ideas, but not many plan Bs. Hence why when things are going wrong, he does not seem to be able to turn the tide in matches - a factor which cost Palace dear in the Premiership and the subsequent Championship season.

    4) Any manager needs time. No QPR manager seems to have been given time and unless there have been a series of unfortunate circumstance as poster (2) pointed out. You cannot build a foundation for a house on sand, you cannot build a team or squad in 6 months. It takes time. A manager needs 3 transfer windows to get the required players. 2 summers and a winter. If the following season does not work out, you ask why but you do not resort to given the manager the boot!

    There are some good managers out there who are not in work Alan Curbishley, Steve Coppell to name but two, but if QPR are serious about wanting promotion from the CCC, the board and chairmen need to know that it cannot be done in a few months, even with money.

    The fans know it, yet they are the ones who are being short-changed as being shown inconsistent performances and broken promises, is just not fair.

    Other than the match against Palace - I do genuinely wish QPR all the best this season.

  • Comment number 13.

    Looking for a manager? I hear that a certain Mr Benitez may be free soon

  • Comment number 14.

    "Obviously, something at Rangers so disturbed Hart, who tried to stick it out at Portsmouth despite all the problems at Fratton Park, that he felt compelled to quit, with his assistant Harford taking temporary charge."

    This is a very itneresting point. I had not even looked at it this way.

  • Comment number 15.

    I think what has been said in the original blog is correct. By having 6 managers is not good for the players or the fans. I have been down to Rangers a few times this season and think that the R's have a squad that is capable of a play-off place. If the correct manager comes along, especially someone like Alan Curbishly, QPR should take him and he will bring the club together and be in the position that the team deserve to be.

    Lets get behind the Club and show them what they would be missing out on if the Club continues in the way that they are going. However having said that, i cannot see the Club from being involved in any relegation battle and once we get a few wins, then the confidence will rise and QPR will be the force in the Championship that is predicted and hoped for at the beginning of every season

  • Comment number 16.

    Managers are ten a penny, players are loyal whilst whoever is feeding them are topping up the bowl. Men with millions, if not billions, are in much shorter supply. I wish some of our fans would grasp this simple truth. I hope we go through hundreds of managers and players until we get it right.....as long as Flav, Bernie and Mr M are still putting the folding stuff in the hod ! On a more serious note, I think this board have a much more global perspective of the modern game, base around a commercial motivation, as well as some ego bound stuff to make Rangers an attractive product. Magilton benefited, to his credit, benefitted for a short period where everything fell in to place, and our all out attacking set up caught other managers off guard. The defeat by Leicester when some of our less robust starlets were harried and bullied showed other managers how we could be beaten. The subsequent games saw the confidence of our fragile artists begin to wane and culminated in Watfordgate and the subsequent departure of JM when it seems he had the temerity to shout at them !. Still, it's only a game, and I for one love the La La La that is West London and The Rrrrrs. Onwards and upwards and thanks Flav and Gianni for making life interesting....Oh and keep investing !!

  • Comment number 17.

    " Worse still and what concerns me, as a football fan in general, is :

    1) QPR have very deep pockets, but how much money is being shelled out in compensation?"

    As I stated earlier, QPR do NOT have deep pockets. Our OWNERS do! What part of that did you not read?

    Our £10million loan to ABC was re-financed, I believe, not paid off. That loan is now held by the holding company, of which Mr Briatore is a Director.

  • Comment number 18.

    Briatore is picking the team. Seems fairly obvious to me.

  • Comment number 19.

    From the comments posted by QPR supporters on this blog it is no wonder that Briatore has no qualms about throwing out so many mangers. QPR supporters seem to justify the majority of his decisions. I guess they yearn for stability but wont be happy until someone of Jose mourinho's quality turns up. Well, guess what? He ain't gonna.

  • Comment number 20.

  • Comment number 21.

    Queens Park Rangers should just forget the football and turns themselves into a TV series. I'd definately pay to see it.

  • Comment number 22.

    "As I stated earlier, QPR do NOT have deep pockets. Our OWNERS do! What part of that did you not read?"


    You look like a bit of a fool if you can't appreciate that when one refers to QPR having deep pockets they clearly mean that the owners are stonking rich.
    Nobody would disagree that Chelsea and Man City have deep pockets, so why do you find it so difficult to understand that the same term applies to QPR? The only difference is that Chelsea and City are willing to dig deep into their pockets, whereas Briatore is only willing to scratch the surface.

  • Comment number 23.

    I think 606commentator has a far too simplistic view of things.

    We do not justify Briatore's decisions for him. We simply get on with life, and accept that he, quite obviously, has a hand in selection and has favourite players (Just like us....Buzz, Taarabt to name but two)

    At the moment, I still think ANY manager would like to take us on, because if it doesn't work out, they'll probably get a decent pay-off, and it won't harm their CV.....If so many before them couldn't get it right, then what hope for them??

    I HAVE heard a rumour that we are going to sell Loftus Road and move into Billy Smart's Circus, on a full time basis!

    U RRrrrrrrrrrrrr'sssssssssss

  • Comment number 24.

    I say give the managers role to Gareth Ainsworth. He's young and hungry and a fans favourite. He knows the squad and would give his all for the club.

  • Comment number 25.

    James, i agree partly with your comment. If we are going to appoint Gareth Ainsworth then i think he should be number two to Harford for a few games, just for some experience. Good shout though!

  • Comment number 26.

    BREAKING NEWS

    The QPR job is teh best payed job right now. Work for between 1-6 months and get payed for 3 years work. FANTASTIC

  • Comment number 27.

    I would be very surprised if Coppell or Curbishley took the QPR manager. They seem intelligent, independent managers and would look at the situation at QPR and simply say "No thanks, there's obviously something wrong there". Briatore needs a stupid manager at the helm, or at least a "yes man" (though i'd imagine there are not many who would tolerate the owner picking the side and other such antics). I feel sorry for the fans and supporters because QPR are now more well known for their managerial changes rather than what they do on the pitch. If i was a QPR player, i'd want to jump ship right now because they must be sick to death of all these changes.

  • Comment number 28.

    Well to be honest what does Briatore expect when he consistently hires managers with no proven track record whatsoever? Ok Hart had a decent run with Forest once and Dowie got Palace promoted, but they were very fortunate with the players they had at their disposal (Andy Johnson, Michael Dawson, Andy Reid etc) and since those successes they've both been average at best. Jim Magilton?? honestly!

    Everyone keeps having a go at football today, saying that young managers don't get a chance etc but they fail to see the situation from the prospective of the chairmen and club owners. They are running a buisness that is a part of one of the most competitive industries in the world and they NEED instant results. Instant results are possible, we've seen it many times before and almost every time it comes from managers with experience and a proven track record in the division in question.

    People need to stop throwing young managers in at the deep end and expecting them to stay at one club for 10 years, when in reality the job is amongst the most difficult and competitive in the world. The classic example here is Paul Ince. Young managers should start at a club that their experience merits, ie in the lower leagues, and then move up in a logical fashion.

    Back to QPR. They seem to have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous this season, but its clear that they probably have some of the most talented attacking players in the division (Buz, routledge, taarabt, simpson etc). What is also clear is that they need a manager with tactical nous that can manage this talent effectively and also shore up the defence. The only man for the job that will take on a championship side is Alan Curbishley. End of story

  • Comment number 29.

    " You look like a bit of a fool if you can't appreciate that when one refers to QPR having deep pockets they clearly mean that the owners are stonking rich. "

    The difference is that Chelsea and Man City have put large sums into the transfer pot.

    Our owners have not done that, at any stage, so you cannot equate the situations. They stated that they were going to build the team, from the ground, up. We have not had vast amounts of wealth thrown at us, unlike those 2 other teams. And that is something that SHOULD be to the owners credit, but is continually thrown back at them.

    It is only the lazy media, and their sheep-like followers that suggest that QPR are soooo rich.

  • Comment number 30.

    A good article Paul.

    Rangers are a complete joke at the moment. People seem obssessed with blaming paladini, but it's clear that it's the man at the top that needs to take the most amount of the blame: Briatore. It's obvious he has little knowledge on how to run a football club. I can't for the life of me work out what he is even doing owning QPR in the first place. What does he, Bernie, Mittals, etc get out of owning QPR? Why are they there? I really don't understand that. If it was just a toy, surely they would be spending a bit more money on a promotion push? If they wanted to earn money from the club, what would be the point? The Mittal family, for instance, is one of the richest in the world, making a minor profit from a small football club would be somewhat pointless. The same goes for Bernie (and probably Flav too). Instead they spend the money on terminating manager's contracts. Bizarre.
    Bizarre indeed... for starters, QPR's transfer policy is odd.. I could go on for ages stating why, but I think this would turn into an essay! All I can say is that something very dodgy is going on to say the least.

    I am convinced if we had stuck with Dowie we would safely be in the play-offs now. Sames goes for Di Canio (although he wasn't sacked)... Possibly even Sousa. Hell, even John Gregory (seems a long time ago!).

    Paul, what do you think the owners are doing at QPR? Profit?... Don't think so. Domination of a sport?... Clearly not. etc etc.

  • Comment number 31.

    I also feel a tad sorry for the players (a rare occurance for footbal fans these days)... Everyday they turn up to work they don't know who will be taking charge. Managers have favourite players, tactics, training methods etc. A team needs consistency.

  • Comment number 32.

    This one is difficult (except for the laughing stock bit which QPR are already IMHO), Paul hart is universally known as a nice guy and a accumplished youth coach, but as a manager, be it in the PL with Portsmouth or conference with Rushden + D he has a very poor record. It always looked a strange appointment and as such this isn't that much of a surprise (except perhaps the speed).

    However at the risk of contridicting myself, if the reason for the departure turns out to be the irritations of a 20 year old on loan from Tottenham (Adel Taarabt) then the QPR board have not just done themselves a disservice but the whole of football also.

  • Comment number 33.

    Still, they are the first club to have their own Manager of the Month Award...

    Could be interesting this month with maybe three in the running.

  • Comment number 34.

    I dont even blame him going! QPR are not going anywhere, too many overseas players which managers coming in have never heard of or seen. Their defence is a shambles and if they finish anywhere near the playoffs i will be surprised!

  • Comment number 35.

    He should have been sacked anyway for even considering signing Daniel Cousin!!

  • Comment number 36.

    No 12. Simon.
    I know for a fact (Rafa speak there) that Magilton told QPR that if he was sacked he would sue for unfair dismiaal. They paid him his full contract so that he would depart "by mutual consent". He would have received plenty as he was on £500,000 a year.

  • Comment number 37.

    As a die hard QPR fan at this stage I would be happy for Briatore and his pals to leave. I would prefer for us to have a good stable team, management and ownership playing in League 1 rather than this fiasco. Biatore has done NOTHING but damage to the club. Apart from the ridiculous management circus they have also made some club-record signings for foreign players who don't even play in the top of their own countries. £3.5 million for a 2nd division Argentinean, really? We couldn't do better than that with our money? Now we have a bunch of players who dont play for us sitting on the bench with no prospect of getting sold but we still have to cover their salaries.
    And yes its OUR money, loans Briatore is taking out rather than dipping into his own pockets. When he's done with his little playboy toy and we're related with debts holding our nuts in the air it will be us forming 'supporter's' clubs again to scratch around to keep the club alive.
    The FA needs to regulate ownership. Foreign transfers needs to be examined in more detail and debt to income ratios should be
    strictly monitored. The FA should investigate Briatore's formula shenanigans on their own.

  • Comment number 38.

    It's obvious who our new manager should be.....Ross Brawn!!!

  • Comment number 39.

    Awesome Welles (post 30) - I think the owners want the same as the fans - namely success.

    However, the problem might be the way they are going about it and why they want it.

    Running a football club is a difficult business. It is all about results and the notion of when to part company with a manager is something that the decision makers at the club have yet to grasp.

    What's more, all this talk of boutique football at Loftus Road worries me intensely. Rangers are a proud club with a long history and I wouldn't like to see that tinkered with too much. I sincerely hope the club is not a plaything that will be dropped if certain key individuals tire of it.

  • Comment number 40.

    And....guess what, we have Blackpool next! Ian Holloway's team. Ian's team that only have 2 foreigners - who are both fluent in English. Ian's team that is 3 spots above us. Ian's team that was able to beat middlesboro 3-0 after boro beat us 5-1! If Ian's team beats us 3-0 or worse it will mean the sacking of yet another temporary 'caretaker' manager.

  • Comment number 41.

    ive seen something that makes this look like a magilton replay. hart went because adel taarabt, on-loan from spurs, told briatore he wasnt being played enough. its smack-you-in-the-face stupid and so immature, its something id expect from a school kid, NOT a professional footballer

  • Comment number 42.

    # 33 - Quality!

  • Comment number 43.

    With all the managerial merry-go-round at Loftus Road, Paul Hart is the only manager I actually wanted to be sacked. And I'm glad he's gone after only five games.

    The football he played was awful and so contrary to the cultured passing game we have a reputation for.

    But there's no doubt our club has become a laughing stock and no managers worth their salt will want to sign up to work under Briatore.

    Steve Coppell? Alan Curbishley (who left West Ham because of boardroom interference)? Don't make me laugh!

  • Comment number 44.

    Awesome, another one bites the dust!! Its getting to be a bit of a joke. However im not actually that sad to see the back of Paul Hart or Magilton! Having said that it seemed that we had our attack sewn up and had some pretty entertaining games under Magilton then he goes and our board bring in a manager who has the complete opposite style and would play 12 behind the ball if he could get away with it. Talk about not working with what we have in the playing dept.

    As for transfer talk this month, do we really need Quashie back?? He hasn't set any clubs alight over the last few years, and Kitson, do we need another striker? It seems whoever is the decision maker on signings doesn't get it!!

    Im sure the powers that be, do want success and in the bad old days all i wanted was for the club to have some cash, now it seems like its more hassle than its worth. Do we trust Briatore et al, i mean in their own right they are all fairly successful business men and the club seems to be more business like behind the scenes apart from the management of the team!!



  • Comment number 45.

    Briatore is just a grade-A mug. Very happy to see the back of him in F1; he is just one of those rich fools who like the sound of their own voice as it drowns out their quite clearly shortcomings.
    It'll be a good day for QPR if he ever packs his bags.

  • Comment number 46.

    The Football League are to continue next season with the extremely popular "Manager of the Month" award. This will apply to all clubs with the exception of QPR who will in turn be running their own In-House competition.

  • Comment number 47.

    To: #41 city2promotion

    I think blaming Adel is not fair. He might be immature, for starters don't forget that he is only 20, so not that far off from being a "school kid" anyway!
    But, players and managers argue all the time (I would have thought). The immature thing is instantly siding with the players and letting the managers go. It's those higher up that are being immature... especially when the player is not even an offical QPR player!
    Of course, this is speculative... Whether it has anything to do with the alleged bust-up, who knows?

  • Comment number 48.

    jamois, maybe a part of the problem may lie in the fans' attitude here judging from your analysis of the failings of most of the managers.

    How can you make such an analysis about what managers were doing wrong and their inability to manage QPR when Sousa had 26 games, Magilton 24 and Dowie 15. That's not even half a season for each of them, Dowie only a quarter. Are you assuming that a manager should get everything right within this number of games? What about Ferguson at United when he started? They were at the bottom end of the old 1st division in his first few seasons - Managers need time - I think that should be more obvious to you and any fans who agree with this mismanagement than what Paul wrote.

    I would be ashamed if WBA had a chairman like this. Explains why WBA are doing (relatively) well and QPR are going nowhere. Mowbray chose to leave Albion for Celtic, not the other way around.

  • Comment number 49.

    AwesomeWelles, what im trying to say is that if this is true, then the complaint shouldnt have been made in the first place. But i do agree that Briatone and others shouldnt have jumped to conclusions about Hart, and that is propably convinced him to go

  • Comment number 50.

    as a QPR supporter for many years i find this latest episode turns a new corner in to the absurd. Flavio is clearly incapable of running QPR if we didn't know that already. It took Shumaker five years to win his first WDC with Ferarri. Maybe FB should look at that statistic or at Man U with Fergie. This is taking the new way of quick turn around managers to new limits and costing us dearly. Get your wallet out. Put some money down and get a great manager (if they dare come) and leave them alone for two seasons to build the team. Its simple.

  • Comment number 51.

    Does anyone know if QPR have a supporters trust? Maybe they could take over part of the club. Only fans know the thoughs in the stands of Loftus Road

  • Comment number 52.

    Paul Hart was an odd choice, but QPR's management at board level is a joke.

    Goes to show, no matter how much money you have you can't buy class (or good judgement it would seem).

  • Comment number 53.

    adswba - i take your point, it is fair criticism, but after thought i still disagree. mowbray did pretty good from the start right. he inherited a premiership squad, consolidated then got you back up. our view from the stands is that we should have stuck with sousa and that would have given us the continuity - we were right pi**ed off about the trumped up charge to get rid of him. but on the other hand it seemed clear that dowie for example was a little clueless, and we were surprised by that. i still don't agree with getting rid of him so quickly but there you go, our chairman is an embarrassment so that's his style. it's very difficult to compare clubs though, it's apples and pears. until you sit in the stands, know the players, watch the style of football your team is playing, look at the manager's decisions etc it's difficult to say whether you would be reacting in the same way as me or not. as for fergie, well again, we don't know what went on back then. the chairman must have seen an upward progression - united had been on the wane for some time which takes a long time to fix with a club of that size and stature. or did he get lucky with one of the most talented crop of youth players ever to come through an english club? we'll never know.

  • Comment number 54.

    Having supported QPR since 1971 ive seen the good and the bad, now the preposterous.

    Ive seen every owner try and tamper with things on the field, yes including Jim Gregory.

    We have owners and board members now who, dare i say it, perhaps only thought they had to put their name to something and it would turn to gold. I heard tonight on the radio that they are trying to make the club be self sufficient and self financing. Now thats all well and good but this isnt going to happen like this.

    In truth though i dont understand why Ecclestone and Mittal are even around.

    We cant go on like this. A foreign manager is the last thing we need right now because we need to start building some pride and loyalty back to Loftus Road. I doubt a foreigner can do that from what ive seen the last 2 years.

  • Comment number 55.

    The R's don't need a manager. All that's required is a physical fitness expert to tell the Chairman by 9 a.m. on match days who's available or not, then leave the rest up to him. If he has the nous to fix a F1 race then surely he can engineer some positive results for the team.

  • Comment number 56.

    Let's forget about our problems today and concentrate on today's game. And hope that Mick and obviously the team can get us a good result.
    Three points would be lovely today. It would keep us in the race and put a smile on our faces on such a dreary day.
    Come on you R's shows us what you can really do.

  • Comment number 57.

    In response to Jamois (5) Hoops - ahhh!

    Anyway, a good point today btw. To come back twice away from home shows a bit of spirit is left.

    Like others I was totally underwhelmed by the appointments of first Magilton and then Hart - both left their previous clubs in poor shape - so no big disappointment there. I wasn't actually over the moon about Dowie either. It's a tricky one. No credible British manager's probably going to look at the job. A foreigner would take time to work out the Championship. I predict 13th and at least another couple of managers by the end of season (including Harford). Like others, I'd also like to know how is it Briatore seems to have all the say and not Mittal who, whenever I've see him interviewed, seems like a both an intelligent and reasonable bloke.

    Is Gordon Jago - still alive? If so, sign him up.

  • Comment number 58.

    ViewFromThePaddock wrote:
    With all the managerial merry-go-round at Loftus Road, Paul Hart is the only manager I actually wanted to be sacked. And I'm glad he's gone after only five games.

    The football he played was awful and so contrary to the cultured passing game we have a reputation for.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The quite clearly shows you know very little about football. No manager in the world can stamp his authority on a team and get them playing good football in 5 games. Ludicrous. If your opinion is typical of QPR fans then its clear Paul Hart was never to be given a chance.

    I remember the football Forest played under Hart. Slick, passing football.

    The phrase "you cant polish a turd" springs instantly to mind. So maybe the blame lies with your previous managers for bringing players in who cant actually play nice football.

  • Comment number 59.


    As a Brentford supporter, I can't believe what's happening at QPR with all the managment changes. It's appsolutely rediculas. I can understand
    people's frustrations, we have had the same thing's over the last few years. But we now have stability under Andy Scott. I believe that the men
    in charge of QPR need to go, they haven't got a clue about football. I hope that you find a manager who will put some stability back into your club.

  • Comment number 60.

    The only successful manager we had under Flavio was De Canio, who wasnt sacked, but left for personal reasons. He was italian, so, maybe we should be going after an italian then communication between chairman and manager might have a chance of working.
    I love the fact were only 4 points off the play offs, any other club would be near the bottom end of the table with the lack of stability we got at the club. Once Flavio and co. get it right, we will be making waves im sure of it.

    Rangers till I die!

  • Comment number 61.

  • Comment number 62.

    All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

  • Comment number 63.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 64.

  • Comment number 65.

    The Italian quickly dismissed John Gregory, while Luigi De Canio, Iain Dowie, Paulo Sousa and Jim Magilton have also come and gone. And then there is Mick Harford, Gareth Ainsworth and Steve Gallen, who have had temporary spells in charge. . Thanks for sharing.

  • Comment number 66.

    wow only 28 days. That is one unhappy situation

  • Comment number 67.

    Quite interesting coming across this article from last season now that QPR are unbeaten this season and sitting second in the championship under Neil Warnock. Shows what a little bit of stability can do!


  • Comment number 68.

    I see commenting on this story has stopped lol...


  • Comment number 69.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 70.

    All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

  • Comment number 71.

    Such a better sport than American football. Regards

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