Good piece on LFW. Read it here: http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=31820&title=learning_from_mistakes
Cheers for that Norway. Some good points there, but I do think people try to read too much into what TF says at times. However, I do feel that we need a proper football person overseeing matters.
Sorry Nines, but every time I see that line 'we need a proper football person overseeing things' I am compelled to ask - like who? Done it 3 or 4 times now, no one has given me an answer yet........Fernandes and Beard are learning, the very hard way. I my view bunging another voice into the mix will just confuse things.
I met him for the first time on Sunday and thought he was a thoroughly down to earth, nice bloke. Nothing self promotional about him at all.
You're right, has never worked in England. Think it's down to tradition, and a pride thing for the managers. Spurs and Liverpool have failed miserably in recent times when trying to go continental with the football director/general manager role. It is the common way in Germany, Spain and Italy though and have always been that way. But if we'd give it a try then Terry Venables would be a shoe in for the role imo.
Colin seemed to be be almost looking for that kind of position with us on that Podcast, though perhaps the questionner was guiding him there! He also, diplomatically perhaps, said he was 100% behind Harry!
In reality I realise this. Obviously it would have to be with Harry's ( or whoevers ) blessing. In my eyes it wouldn't be a public role or one that interfered in the dressing room. It would be in more of an advisory capacity. I'm not sure how much influence Harry has in relation to contracts and player acquisition matters. But he said something along the lines of.. ' I didn't ask for Samba, Tony said he would get me a centre back to replace Nelsen. He went away and when he got back he said there you go, I've got you Chris Samba. ' How much of this is true I don't know. But if Harry doesn't have dealings in certain signings then he won't mind someone like Venables being involved. Surely he would be of more help than a hindrance.
It's a fair question to ask as well and a difficult one to quantify and answer â but something's amiss. My take on it is that it's a club wide culture problem. The club has been purged of so many of its great and loyal staff over a period of years, dating back to Gianni Paladini's regime and then continued during Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone's. This continued to some degree under Mike Rigg and Mark Hughes, so the club has really been emptied of some tremendous people who served the club loyally and well and who understood its history and traditions, and therefore, this contributes to why a club can lose its spirit and soul. Some of these staff were even supporters, who would bleed for the club, and you'll find very few QPR fans being appointed now and you can liken the same situation happening on the pitch where a committed team was totally broken up and dismantled in one fell swoop. Tony Fernandes wants to rebrand QPR as well, just as Briatore and Ecclestone wanted to. He's just going about it in a different way (and in a way that some do like and some don't like). But what this leaves you with from top to bottom is a lack of people on the inside who *get* what QPR and football is all about, and who understand what we as a club, supporters and community are all about and what they expect. It's very easy to get blinded and overexcited by the amount of money and investment, especially after so many long and hard years throughout that administration period 12 years ago. That's natural, but it should never take away from the fact that a football club needs an incredible amount of care and tlc just to keep it maintained and running well. My preference when the investment came in was that I longed to see the core infrastructure of the club improved; it's training ground, it's youth academy and it's scouting network and medical and sports science and a state of the art playing surface. That way the club would always have a foundation to work with and build on and give us an opportunity to grow into a proper football club as these areas had been neglected for many years way before Fernandes arrived. It also would leave the club in a healthier position to tackle financial issues, should for example the owners decided it wasn't for them any more. Of course, it's one thing improving these things and yet another executing and running them well. And that's why I'm more wary now after all that's happened. I think the problem for Fernandes is that his style and approach to business is a man who likes to get his fingers involved in many pies. And some huge ones at that, so he's spread really thin and likes to delegate responsibility across his global portfolio. There's nothing wrong with that way of working at all, but I'm just not sure it's right for a club like QPR. At this stage of its lifecycle, it needs more than that, and needs someone there on the watch to ensure it's ticking over and being taken care of properly as any football club is difficult to run in the first place and easy to get out of control. It's unlikely to be Fernandes â but if it was â I'd feel a lot more comfortable. That or he gets more bodies in who can do the job that needs to be done with the relevant ability and experience. But such is the lack of experience and football men â it's hard to know where to start as there's several short term problems that need addressing with a view of finally steering the ship forwards and into the medium to long term. They can be successful here, and the reason I'm frustrated is because I see their (Fernandes' and the owners') potential, but I'm not sure they know how to fulfil it. The statements I read give me the impression they're not learning from their mistakes fast enough. I believe they can achieve everything they want to on their own agendas and everything we want to as a club, supporters and community (and, waste less money then they have been doing it).
finglas is one of the finest Rs you could ever wish to meet. He's a top top bloke and so is his nephew.
Thanks for coming across to post your well worded and heartfelt article on here Neil. I can empathise with what you're saying re... TF. I agree with all that you say regarding TF and spreading himself too thin. I personally like my Chairman to attend every game. I find it quite demeaning to our club that he would rather choose to be at an F1 Grand Prix rather than at QPR. He should of made Amit the figure head of the club in his all to often absence. Amit is someone that all of the QPR faithful could relate to. It seems that he has sadly distanced himself from us this season. Amit is/was the voice of reason and kept our club on an even keel. I hope he is utilised more for us next season than he was this one.
Whats with all this praise??? Now that you have the power 999's, I am sure you are setting me up for your first public flogging due to a misdemeanour!!!!!!! Thanks Neil & 999's. I am indeed an "R till I die".
It's also worrying when you look at the disaster he's having with his F1 team as well, doesn't auger well for the future...
The original article mentions 'vision' and the lack of it. I am not sure I agree. The 'vision' was 'buy yourself out of trouble' I remember Lawro about Jan 2012 stating on MOTD we would be fine because we would but ourselves out of trouble which we did - just. Surely we've tried the same again breaking the club transfer record twice in Jan 13?! So, if that vision has not worked what do you do? Options range from scrap it and start again through to persevere with it and spend even more money. Can't see the latter happening just at the moment.
