Angella: There’s a different mentality at QPR under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 10:00 03 March 2016 By Sean Gallagher, QPR correspondent please log in to view this image Gabriele Angella has played in back-to-back leagues games for QPR following a frustrating period watching from the sidelines for most of the season Gabriele Angella has backed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to bring long-term success to QPR, insisting the squad is in a much stronger place under their current manager. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Angella has backed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to bring success to QPR The defender – who is on a season-long loan from Premier League side Watford – has rarely featured under the Dutchman since his appointment back in December. However, he has now started the last two league games, with Rangers picking up an impressive four-point haul from their meetings with play-off contenders Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City. While the 26-year-old has been frustrated with his lack of playing time so far this season, he has been impressed with Hasselbaink’s methods on the training field. He told the Times: “With Hasselbaink we have a different mentality and we are far more organised on the pitch – he’s a good coach. The mentality is more important than the quality. If you have the quality but not the mentality, it is very hard to do well. “The coach knows this and puts this message across to us. I am sure he will be a success here. He is working hard to change something here. We are a work in progress. If we play together we can do well, if we play alone it is difficult.” Angella continued: “I’m feeling well and am in a good place here. After two years at Watford I changed club and it is a lot different here. please log in to view this image Angella (left) was an ever-present for Watford last season as they earned automatic promotion to the Premier League “There were a lot of international players there, whereas here it is more of an English-based team. Until now I had not played a lot. When you don’t play, you are not happy – this is normal. But you can’t let this affect you too much and you must fight on. “We have a lot of good players in the team and we have different qualities, so it has been hard to get in the team. “I feel my chance has now come though, so I will continue to do my very best. Defensively we have been good in the last couple of games and I have been a part of the side, so that is pleasing.” Angella revealed that promotion was at the forefront of his mind when he joined QPR back in September and, while that looks unlikely now -– with the Rs 11 points off the top six – he is refusing to give up on that dream. He added: “It’s not easy to get promoted from the Championship. You need the players, the transition, you need luck and every year is different. “We changed the coach four times last season at Watford but everybody knew the objective all along, we had to win the Championship or get promoted – we were a bit lucky to go up really.” please log in to view this image The Watford loanee has made just 12 appearances for QPR so far this season He continued: “I came to QPR for the same outcome – to get promoted. I don’t think of the past, but I don’t know why we have had so many difficulties this season, considering the quality we have in the team. “We are training very well and are well organised under the new coach, so I think that next season or maybe even now, although it will be hard, we can push for promotion. “We continue to believe (about making the top six). There are 36 points to play for and we have 11 to make up. Stranger things have happened in the Championship.” The Italian defender says the training regime under the former Burton Albion boss has been far more intense than under previous managers this season, something he points towards being a reason for their recent upturn in form. “With (Chris) Ramsey we didn’t train a lot. We only had Neil Warnock in charge for a few weeks, so it is hard to judge him. “He (Hasselbaink) changed a lot of the sessions up. We trained more and a lot harder. please log in to view this image Angella says the training regime is far more intense under Hasselbaink than former boss Chris Ramsey “He takes time out with the players who are not in the team on the training ground and pulls them to one side, which is nice too. “We work a lot on the training ground from a defensive point of view. Now we are a far more solid and compact side. “When I played for Watford we had a very solid base and hit teams on the counter-attack. We had a good striker (Troy Deeney) who we knew would get us a lot of goals, so by keeping a clean sheet we always had a good chance of winning. “I think we have big quality with our attackers here, too. So we try to stay compact every time. “It’s important to try and not concede a goal, and then with our quality up front we know we can score goals and win games.” Angella remained coy on his future, with the Watford loanee unsure on what his next career move will be. “I don’t know really what will happen at the end of the season,” he admitted. “I am just focusing on doing well for the team now when I have the chance and after we will see. “I feel really well with the guys and the coach here. We will see what will happen, it is up to the club.” http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/sport...t_qpr_under_jimmy_floyd_hasselbaink_1_4441342
“With (Chris) Ramsey we didn’t train a lot. We only had Neil Warnock in charge for a few weeks, so it is hard to judge him. “He (Hasselbaink) changed a lot of the sessions up. We trained more and a lot harder." Wow!
Yes, astonishing !! So no wonder there was a lag in performance, before the fitness slowly started coming through.
Interesting article but a bit mind boggling. How can a professional football team not train correctly? I can understand practicising tactics and set pieces, etc. But basic training to keep fit?
I'm always sceptical about players waxing lyrical about a new manager. These interviews always have the hall mark of a player being primed to say what the club want him to say. I'm not sure it was the fitness which cost us so heavily in the first half of the season as the sheer inconsistency. We scored plenty of late goals and won a fair share of the points by doing so. Were we unfit then? Also let's not forget that a large part of the reason why we kept conceding late to soft goals can be put down to two things taken together. Robert and Green. Was he unfit?
