A few weeks ago DT (I hope you are enjoying your holiday mate) lay down the challenge to write a positive article about QPR, this is my entry. The latest trend in football journalism seems to revolve around predicting, or in some cases hoping for, a complete melt down at QPR. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has all of a sudden become an expert in QPRâs finances and gained unrestricted access to the future plans of the current QPR board. Despite the public announcements that Tony Fernandes continually makes about being at Loftus Road for the long haul, they know better. If we were to believe the journalists we would be in a state of complete and utter panic. Well, Iâve got news for them, weâre not. In many respects, the future has never been so bright. The general publicâs view of QPR has changed dramatically over the last few years. The club which burst out of obscurity by winning the first League Cup final at Wembley stadium while still in the third tier of English football and then gained the hearts of the nation when their total football was dramatically deprived of the First Division title by the professionalism of Liverpool is still alive and kicking. We are shaking off the effects of administration and self-indulgent owners and fighting to forge our own path among the elite in English football. What these journalist canât begin to understand is that we arenât frightened by their articles, we arenât even remotely perturbed. Whatever portents of doom they claim to see, weâve been there. We are the same supporters who piled their cash into the collection buckets to keep our club afloat, we are the same supporters who staged a protest sit in on the pitch when a merger with Fulham was muted and we are the same supporters who proudly cheer for our team regardless of what division we are in. We have stuck with our club through desperate times: administration, relegations, playoff disappointment, F.A. Cup defeat by Vauxhall Motors and being turned into a laughing stock by Briatore and our current plague of parasites. They can throw whatever doomsday scenarios they want at us, but weâve already had worse and we are still here, we will always be QPR. In recent weeks Mick Dennis has decided to tell us what is wrong with our club. No need Mr Dennis, we know what is wrong, we know far better than you do. I donât know what we have done that clearly rankles with you, but you too are free to leave whenever you want to. Robbie Savage also decided to have his say. He reckons that Q.P.R. have no excuse not to win the Championship next season. To state that he must know which players are going to be sold, which players will remain and which players will be signed. So Mr Savage, I challenge you to name our starting eleven for the first match of next season. You will both be consigned to the same cesspit of history as Shaun Custis with his exclusive story from an âF.A. insiderâ stating that Q.P.R. was definitely going to be docked 15 points. You know nothing. There are a couple of points that these journalists miss every single time: QPRâs appeal in the changing face of football and the QPR spirit. QPRâs appeal: Have any of these journalists stopped to consider why these high flying businessmen have chosen QPR to be the beneficiary of their expertise and money? Why they chose QPR over a plethora of other similar sized football clubs? The factors that persuaded these very successful men to make a long term investment will not change overnight unlike journalistsâ whims. QPR is based in London, our capital city, this is not changing. QPR is readily accessible from our countryâs premier airport, this is not changing. QPR has a unique appeal: the name, the hoops, the mystic, the combination is entrancing. The QPR spirit: The core of the faithful QPR support has been subjected to some dreadful times. Unified by these events no journalist can force a cigarette paper between us, we laugh in the face of any stories of potential disaster, weâve been there before and we are still here. The gallows spirit was blatantly obvious to anyone at the recent Newcastle match, nothing any journalist can say will ever concern us. Whatever you threaten, weâve seen worse and we are still here. We suffered a much greater tragedy than these limited journalist could envisage last week with the desperately sad loss of BrixtonR, but we are still here, our club is still here, and we will fight on. I have a final message to these journalists, embrace the Q.P.R. revolution or get trampled underfoot. We are coming out on top.
Superb Roller......I agree. Had more **** come out way in past 3-4 years and we are still here ready to battle away next season. Can't wait!!!!!
Well said Roller. I always love a drunk rant! They are rarely as eloquent as that one though, mate. You put a big old smile on my face. Thanks.
This is so beautiful Roller I will enter the next Corsican donkey I meet on my travels: Just watching Barton on Canal + They love him in France ... Well fourth fav player
It is true, we've been through it all and we won't suddenly switch teams.... .... but! Attracting new and young supporters isn't so easy with the kind of performances seen last year. I remember during our promotion campaign it felt like a fresh QPR where we seemed to be attracting younger support. This spilled over into last season. I imagine that anyone who was sitting on the wall has fallen over onto the opposite side during this season. So, attracting punters to LR will still be difficult but I have never once thought of giving up on QPR.
Great Roller, A splendid piece to show the outside World that we will not split and we fight on whatever. Now that the guests have left can we try to sort this out?, because one thing's for sure we're once again in a stickier situation than when Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun! The more I hear from TF and his soundbites the more I can see a vision of Baldrick and his cunning plan! Let's face it mate - For Vauxhall Motors read Milton Keynes, For putting a few quid in a bucket to keep us afloat - well there aint enough buckets for this Titanic! For Lee Cook donating 100K of his transfer bonus read Bosingwa,Diakite,Park,Zamora,Johnson,Mbia,Barton on 400K a week in wages who wouldn't buy us a pint! You may well have written you piece and dedicated to DT under the influence of alchohol - well this one is under the influence of realism and also dedicated to DT -with whom I will always continue to battle on his feelings that this is the best squad ever assembled at Loftus Road which kills me every time. This amalgamation of overpaid misfits led by the common scheister Mr.Redknapp will only continue to take us further into the deepest of mires if left unchecked. Unless TF finally decides to do his job and run this Business like a Business then we are on our way past where the Slippery Slope marks out -"This part is way beyond Slippery!" You may have the fullest of confidence that we will survive, well got news for you, there is no new ground, no new training ground, no vision in place for youth academy- just words. What we do have is a ground where we will be lucky to get 14K per match in next Season and players on Top 8 wages in the Premiership who don't give a .... We do not have the fan base or the pull of a Portsmouth, Southampton, Leeds, The Sheffields to survive this next drop and I dont want to become AFC QPR, will accept and support but will not go there without a fight and speaking out. As continuously pointed out and I remain of the same standpoint - TF currently doesn't have a clue and is showing no signs of this changing any time soon, that does not mean that I dislike him, want someone new, or don't trust his intentions. We can placate ourselves with we will always be an rrr which is an attitude that does us credit and hate the petty scroungers which are the media, but their view of impending doom is much closer to some's viewpoint that everything will be alright. If this can in some way wake TF from his slumber than they will have done us a service!!!! I have like you a final message - The revolution only starts when we are ALL FULLY united, armed with the right tools and with full understanding of the vision. Now as fans we have an extremely important role to play but unfortunately in the great scheme of things not as important as the Ownership, Board, Management and Playing staff - The only one this can come from is TF and respectfully suggest he should start by shutting Redknapp's mouth!
Blimey mate, a heavy response to what I’ve already excused as “alcohol fuelled exorcism”. What I’ve written clearly stands no serious analysis, a bunch of half argued comments and a some light sabre rattling, but I tell you what, I felt a little better afterwards. I hope you feel better after writing yours. Believe me I feel your frustration, but may I set you the same challenge as the one that Robbie Savage will never know about; can you name our starting eleven for next season? A number of the parasites you mentioned, and some you haven’t, will have departed to plague other clubs. I’ll be waiting to see what happens over the next couple of months before I consider our plight to be as precarious as Sticky’s, and we are certainly in a better position than that poor Corsican donkey.
