QPR's Junior Hoilett Talks To ZOO About Hoops, Pirates, Trials and AC/DC! Posted in Latest Sport | 18 hours ago Alright, Junior. Being Canadian, shouldnât you be playing Ice Hockey rather than football? Me on ice? Thatâs never going to happen! My dad played basketball up to college level, so as a kid growing up back home, me and my brother used to enjoy shooting hoops and playing baseball whenever we could. But from an early age I was playing soccer a couple of year groups above my own, until arriving for trials in England aged 13. Did all the Hoiletts move en masse to the UK at that point? No, I actually came here alone, which was a little scary at the time. First, I had a week-long trial at Manchester United which went well. But after I trained with Blackburn, my mind was made up that they were the club I should sign for. So how come you ended up playing in Germany? I didnât initially have a work permit to play in the UK, so when I was 17, I went out on loan to a club in the Bundesliga 2 called Paderborn, where I got my first taste of first team football. The next year, I was back in Germany where I had one of the best footballing experiences of my life at FC St Pauli. What happened there? The fans are mad and look like a bunch of pirates, waving skull and crossbones flags around. But theyâre not a violent bunch. In fact, they pride themselves on being against fascism, homophobia, sexism and racism â they even go on marches through towns to promote equality. Home games were always packed and the stadium was rocking, especially as the players ran out onto the pitch like rock stars at the beginning of the match⦠to AC/DCâs Hellâs Bells! Your brother, Jaineil, currently plays in Germany for Mainz. will he be joining you in the Premier league? I think so. Heâs big, fast and, although he is right-footed, heâs arguably just as good with his left, making him really difficult to defend against. The annoying thing for me is, although he is younger, he towers over me and is stronger, which isnât fair! Is it true you shunned offers from other premier league clubs in order to join QPR? Yeah, I had offers from Sunderland, Liverpool and Newcastle, but it wasnât a hard decision to join QPR. The manager and chairman sold the place to me, making me feel that if I signed here, Iâd be part of a club looking to progress. I also know the gaffer, Mark Hughes, from my time at Blackburn, so I was excited about working with him again. Have you ever been on the receiving end when Sparkyâs blown a fuse? The gaffer can be a little scary â he has that in his locker â but so far Iâve escaped any hair dryer treatment. Hopefully Iâll keep it that way! With so many new signings, there must be a player initiation during every training session at the moment? Oh no, donât say anything in ZOO about initiations â youâll remind the rest of the lads no oneâs done one yet! Iâm sure weâll all be made to stand on a chair and sing at some point. I hate singing, but if Iâm pushed, maybe Iâll treat the boys to a poorly-sung Drake song! Considering the money QPR spent, what are the aims for the season? Last season we were so nearly relegated, so finishing higher is the goal. Weâve signed a lot of players, so itâll take time to gel, but once weâre used to playing with each other, weâll climb the table. Can you get into Europe? Weâll see. We want to challenge at the top. We already have a good team, so if we continue to develop, I donât see any reason why we canât move up the table, but we know itâs going to take time. And the fans would love you to finish above Chelsea⦠Ha ha. Hopefully one day. But this is only our second year in the top flight after 15 years outside it!
MH and TF must be good salesmen for him to choose us over Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland. Of course the real reason might be money.
