JONES BLOG: MORE EXCITED THAN EVER Posted on: Fri 12 Aug 2011 QPR Assistant Manager Mick Jones brings us his latest blog direct from the Harlington training ground ⦠If everybody is as ready for Saturday as I am, then we are in great nick. I have never enjoyed a pre-season as much as I have this one, and I am looking forward to the Bolton game probably more than ever before. That's quite strange really when you think of how long I have been in football. I don't know why I am more excited than ever before. I suppose it's a fresh challenge for us all. We won the Championship at a canter really. I always thought we were going to be champions from about the sixth game in. I just knew that things were right. The whole buzz that surrounds the Premier League is exciting. You look in the papers or watch the sports channels, everything is building up to the great crescendo of this weekend and I for one can't wait for 3pm on Saturday. An interesting challenge this season is how our players handle the different situation they are going to find themselves in. Last year we dominated games and won most times we played. We are going into the Premier League campaign on the crest of a wave, much like Blackpool did last season. What they managed to do really well was keep that wave going. I was listening to Bolton Manager Owen Coyle and Wigan's Roberto Martinez and they were both saying that when teams come up they can be dangerous customers. Wigan found that out last season when they lost 4-0 on the opening day to Blackpool. We are still on the crest of our own wave because there is a lot of excitement surrounding being champions. Being in the Premier League just adds to that feeling. Article continues Advertisement It's a massive season for all our players. Some have never been tested in the Premier League, so this is a test for them. And that includes Adel Taarabt. On Thursday afternoon the manager spent 20 minutes with Adel, outlining exactly what he expects and needs from him this season. I was in the room and you could feel an air of excitement. I could tell Adel is excited by the prospect of playing in the Premier League. Neil wants him to be a success - not just another player in the top flight. And he wants him to prove a lot of points to a lot of people. Adel is still only 22 and we think if he matures into the person he can become, he could play for anybody. On Saturday we take on Bolton in the first match of the season. Is it vital to get off to a winning start? Yeah, I think it is. But remember what happened to Wigan on the first day last year? They lost heavily to Blackpool. Yet, Wigan stayed up and Blackpool went down. So this weekend's result is not going to make or break the season, but obviously a win would be a tremendous start for us because of what it would do for our confidence. Is this squad good enough to stay up? Yes. But we hope we can bring a couple more in before the window shuts this time around. But I always feel the January window is the more important one. That's because in the summer, every player is a good player because you can't see them play! By January, we'll know about every player that we're targeting and hopefully we will add some more quality then. The fans have a big role to play, and there is a mental side for them to deal with because this year is going to be very different to last season. We are not going to win as many games as we did last season and we are not going to be champions - so that's two points down to start with! But the attitude of the squad towards hard work - which is demanded here, it's a pre-requisite of coming to QPR - will mean a lot to the supporters. Let me tell you, our players are excited. You look at Kieron Dyer, you can see it in his eyes how much this means to him. He's had a couple of tough years, Danny Gabbidon has had a couple of tough years, all of them have got something to prove. Adel's got something to prove, Jay Bothroyd's got something to prove, Ali Faurlin has got something to prove, Shaun Derry of all people has got something to prove. When you have got lads like that, it gives you a great incentive to go forward.
