BOWEN: 'REAL SENSE OF FOCUS' Posted on: Fri 30 Mar 2012 R's Assistant Manager Mark Bowen confidently believes that QPR still remain 100 per-cent focused on Premier League survival, despite last weekend's disappointing defeat against Sunderland. With various results going against Rangers on Saturday, defeat at the Stadium of Light ensured that Mark Hughes's side dropped into the bottom three, but Bowen remains upbeat heading into tomorrow's match against an in-form Arsenal side. Speaking exclusively to London Call In - our new midweek radio show - last night,*Bowen said: "Obviously Monday and Tuesday at the training ground "The players were disappointed in themselves and rightly so. You can't hide behind the fact that we let ourselves down. "Not just Djibril (Cisse), but everybody collectively. "You can't shy away from the fact that some things needed to be said. "The players have taken it on the chin and hopefully we will see a reaction on Saturday." Despite last weekend's setback, Hughes's right-hand man has been impressed by the positive attitude within the R's squad this week. "We've had another good week's training and the camp is buoyant," he said. "I keep saying it, but the feeling within the dressing room is really good. There's a real sense of focus there. "Joey (Barton) came out this week and said that people's livelihoods are at stake, and rightly so. "It is a very serious business we're in and you've got to treat it as such. "Hopefully going into Saturday's game we can put things right and put in a performance against Arsenal." Saturday's clash against the Gunners at Loftus Road will be a far from easy task, however, with the North London side winning their last seven top-flight games. "I think first and foremost, you can't win a game with fear," said Bowen. "That will be the main sort of issue for us to concentrate on our own performances. "Obviously we'll give the lads as much information on Arsenal as we can. "We will set our stall out and do things right. "Arsenal's midfield is very strong and they like to control the passing of the game. First you need to nullify that." During his exclusive live-on-air conversation, Bowen also hinted that Saturday could see a return for fit-again R's striker DJ Campbell - in the absence of the suspended Djibril Cisse. "In the short time I've been here he (Campbell) looks a completely different player," said Bowen. "He looks sharp and he looks hungry - which is fantastic for us going into these difficult few weeks remaining." Well let's all hope that the return of DJ proves to be like a new striker. He might be the catalyst we need to kick on.
I wish people at the club would just shut up. Every week there is a message from someone saying how well training is going or how determined the lads are and we see the same **** week in week out.
I haven't written us off. I remain relatively upbeat but I can't take these insights from the camp seriously at all. Was it only a fake sense of focus before? Are the players really battling for their existence just 2 weeks after the Muamba incident where we were all appreciating that football is only a game? I reckon we need a director of propaganda to liven up things and portray the goings on in a way that keeps fans happier. FJ gets my vote.
"Loftus Road Calling, Loftus Road calling. This is Lord Hee Haw. All you Arsenal players and fans out there should be quaking in your boots as the might of the rejunvenated Rangers forces, under our beloved leader Adolph Hughes, are once more on the march and intend to take no prisoners in tomorrows battle. We will prevail because we have the greater heart and fight for the right against forces controlled by ......." ... Continued on 895MW.
I seem to have heard something similar before but, unfortunately, it appeared to have evaporated by Saturday. Hopefully, we've focussed on keeping 11 men on the pitch and the team can grasp that particular tactic sufficently well to remember it right through to 4:45pm on Saturday. Have they thought about tattoos, I wonder, just as a reminder?
