I was pondering the thread;- ' QPR chief exec,' posted by the legendary 'Northolt'. And it was a singular comment made by 'oddball,' aka 'The ball goes wide to Dave Thomas, that got me thinking.... QPR have obviously got big or bigger plans for the future, what with Amit, TF, and Phillip Beard,and also Mr Mittal on the board. But Daves post got me thinking, His reply was thus.... 'The bloody QPR brand The beginning of the end I pray for relegation before we come a brand ... Progress? I brought my first Apple computer when they first came out ... Know you can get one in Argos I am comfortable with my team playing good football and doing so from growing a team that's why we are QPR If it looks like we will become a brand I will give it up and just remember the good old days ... Seems as soon as anything good gets discovered ******s **** it up and make it a product xx Just me being a miserable old **** but all my working life I have had to come up with what will be hot tomorrow hope QPR aren't soon on every schoolboys sports bag as if we sell out then bang goes our soul Money bastards I will stay in France and watch England eat itself.' Personally, I agree with Dave totally. But on further internal investigation I thought, where would I like us to really be? The ( very ) basic choices are;- 1, Where we are now? A whole lot better off than we were two months ago,albeit frustrated by the ( un ) holy trinity. But still, maybe in a relegation battle. ( Realistically. ) and becoming, say a Wigan or Fulham 2. Buy some really good solid players in January, and the forth-coming years, and remaining a mid-table Premiership side. Never up there or down there, just maintaining the 'Status-Quo.' say a Bolton or an Everton. 3. Spending big, with some lovely Champagne signings, and flirting with Europe & The Champions League. Villa or Spurs kinda thing. ( Or even Liverpool, nowadays. ) 4. Go the whole 'Hog' and Mittal gives Amit & Tony the go-ahead to splash the cash and do a Citeh or Chelsea. We become a global brand, win trophies and appear in European Cup finals v Barcelona, playing Milan & Madrid en-route with the likes of Mourhinho & Guardiola dissing us. A brand new stadium, etc, etc etc. Personally, being of a certain age. I loved the halcyon days of the mid-seventies. I was 10 years old, and anyone could win the league or the FA Cup. I now realise that times have changed, and tbh, I don't know where i'd rather be at the moment, or say, in the next five years.....
Beautiful work brother Call me what you will but when Dave Thomas , Stan, Rodney , Les , Gerry Roy W . Trevor , Terry Now Adel got the ball a shiver comes it says ( loads more to add of course... you get the idea) **** you London **** you Div 1 **** you Premier League We are Queens Park Rangers and we play beautiful football with soul in a ground with soul ... We have soul we have something you can't buy or market In the words of Brian The ball goes wide to Dave Thomas ... What can he do ... Socks rolled down he beats his man then another before laying it off ... Goal QPR have a soft spot in most fans hearts I challenge you to ask anyone Such is our history ... It comes from the 70,s when from no where we became a team that Britain liked to watch ... Last year the UK was behind us I hope we keep our soul I am so proud to be QPR ... The money men have seen this and have tasted it ... It's very marketable and we are all about to change . Still there's DVD's ... I love to watch twin peaks instead of TV today so we can all suit ourselves Too early to say if we will be ruined or enhanced but let's not forget our roots I have already seen new QPR shirts in Montpellier ... We are loved it seems I took a few to LR last year now they are big fans , youngsters who were Chelsea , Arsenal and Liverpool they were hooked instantly ... Feedback was Arsenal too big Chelsea too boring Liverpool not good enough I rest my case
Football was such a different game in the 70s, the atmosphere in the grounds was so much better, even with some of the 'hooligan element' occasionally rearing their ugly heads. Our great team of 75-76 was light years ahead of it's time, I think only the Ipswich side of the early 80s and Liverpool in the late 80s came close in pure footballing terms. It's only with the money flooding into the PL that we have seen other great footballing sides push the bar up further. It would be nice to think we could build another side that would be comparable to that one, certainly some of the football we've played at times against Newcastle, Wolves and Villa has been very easy on the eye and that is encouraging, but I cannot see us ever having that great feeling we got watching football then, it's just not the same game any more...
Sorry, but I don't understand all this brandophobia stuff. All commercial entities are branded to one extent or the other, they have to be to compete with similar outlets to attract the consumers that both cause and sustain their existence. Branding is about recognition. About the ability of the market to differentiate between Coke and Pepsi up there on the shelf - way before it comes to comparing the tastes. Like any other football club, the Rangers' brand is out there for all to see: the name of the club, the blue and white hoops, the badge, Loftus Road etc. etc.. Well known owners, managers, players might add or remove something to or from the contemporary image but the core branding remains the same. What I think our brandophobic art director is fretting about is possibly having to tweak the brand to appeal to international markets... Is that going to be a problem? Not half as much as it's a solution. This club's going nowhere good on LR attendances (do the maths - even on £50 a ticket). We have to generate additional income streams to keep the club solvent and competitive. Of course there's always park or Sunday league football... branding isn't as vital down there - but then again, neither is the need to appeal to fans!
Onwards and Upwards, or we'll get................ [video=youtube;s_gmGfPSy84]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_gmGfPSy84[/video]
I'd love to see the QPR "brand" over here. I don't understand what all the fuss is about. we've had the most grounds in football history so another move isn't that big of a deal in my book.
I have a rough idea of branding lads believe me ... It's this easy QPR has a brand and a feeling of the underdog a trendy club in fact with a edge. We could become a global very very quickly with today's business plans I love all things new love technology but we live in fast times now even faster in next five years what QPR becomes will be whatever it will be The game of course is changing with money the real leader I understand that but we aren't about to become a Sunday team just the letters QPR are unique to football as a brand now Expect them on everything maybe in he future it's no biggy but expect exposure that may us old fans all twitch a bit
Kelab Penyokong QPR Malaysia! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelab...b-Malaysia-/266033163425437?sk=wall&filter=12 Anyone speak Bahasa Melayu? Selamat datang anyway, more the merrier.
Dave, I acknowledge, that you and I are kindred spirits, everyone else missed the point. Or sub-consiously decided to. No one answered , in the affirmative to as where they would like to be. Which was the point of the original post. I expected the youngsters, ( Who have really witnessed us being shyte ) bto go for cat.4 The oldies to go for Cat.2 The newbies, of all ages to go Cat 3, and all the pessimist to go Cat 1. I guess it's a quiet week on here, or members don't know what they wish for.... Up the R's!
Of course football's all about money... remember how it felt when we were skint? What about the summer and our £1.2m budget? We're lucky to have owners capable of carrying us into the future. Most clubs don't. So what is it we've got to be so careful about exactly? Exporting brand QPR won't make much difference to us other than that we're guaranteed life. We'll still be QP Rangers, a west London team wearing blue and white hoops with the same history and the same strain of fans. Its just we'll also have more of an international following, all watching tv and buying our gear. What's wrong with that? Way to go in this day and age? Better than becoming extinct I would've thought.
I agree Brixton, of course we and times change, all I asked for, ( although this may of become mis-construed, ) I am not a proffesional writer. Is to what extent? Categories 1,2,3, or 4. For the record, i'm not sure either. 2, I think. But everyone has ignored the degree to what we aspire to. It's only a game. I was only trying to gauge from a regular fans perspective of where we would like to be? There's no re-criminations.
Btw, what was Northolts video all about? I played it, but didn't understand a word! Jeez Louise, i'm getting old.
Are we not anonymous on here ? As we are at a game.... So sing your hearts out! Don't be shy...1,2,3 or 4?
The bizarre,fact of the matter is...if we were Hartepool, of course we would love to be Man City. If we were still in the Championship, we would love to be ..............? Now were in the ' Prem ' Of course we want to stay there , but to what degree? 1,2,3 or 4. Simples.
A game Fireman? Have a look at your OP. The nearest to a game you got was to ask yourself a question. ('But on further internal investigation I thought, where would I like us to really be?') Personally, I'm the same as any other fan, never satisfied unless we win everything in sight. How d'you do that without investment? Imo your question answers itself. What would I put up with? Same as I have since 67: whatever. What I really want beyond all else for the Rs, you haven't included. Solvency, independence and property. Our own, much larger stadium would be a start. Does this mean I want us to be owned by the likes of Abramovich or Sheikh Mansoor? No - because spending like that leaves the clubs concerned in massive debt. There will be a tipping point. I want better than that. I want us to successfully compete at every level. Does that answer your question Fire? No I didn't think it would!
Gotta agree with you, Brix. My one hope is a sustainable business model that allows is to safely and competitively challenge for every trophy available to us. Bit failing that, I'd take safely existing. I've only been following the R's since about '97, but that means that I've seen the worst our club has been through, pretty much. So I suppose my ideal would be for TF and the Mittals to take us to a point where we have a global following, and a 40k seater stadium, and sell the club to a Fans Trust, and we run solvently. So, that isn't going to happen, I don't think. I'll take safety, both on and off the pitch. And a cup win.... Always a cup win.... Of your options, I recon I'd be happiest with number 2. After all, both Bolton and Everton have been decent cup sides over the years, haven't they?
Football is just a game however it's replaced religion to many and of course it's a business now ... That's why there's the money ... Is it right ? I don't think so sorry can't be reinvented we have to live with it. QPR will become what they will become ... I hope new rules come into football to stop the divide We are lucky to be going on a journey with QPR but it's a one way ticket If it's flies then expect a bigger fish than TF to take over . We will all remember loftus road I know with good memories that's all I am harping about really Example look at the new home shirts The logo has been rushed on and looks cheap ... It's a product that needs to get to market ASAP ... The eye has been taken away from the detail in interests of sales ... I didn't buy one based on that nor will I
