Vital QPR continues to ask the fans the questions. Next in line is Imsitiv
Vital QPR continues to ask the fans the questions. Next in line is Imsitiv
1. We have just been promoted to the premier league. Are you excited about the coming season?
I was very excited when it all sunk in, but the constant doom and gloom bandied around this site has dulled the edge a bit. Yes, I am excited about the prospects. Old habits die hard, so when I inadvertently look for us on the Beeb under “Championship” , I get a certain buzz when I realise my mistake. Who can`t be excited by the prospect of Chelsea, Man U etc. visiting lil o` LR?
2. Prices have gone up by a lot and hit a lot of people hard. Do you still fell it is worth it?
Worth? It`s a difficult concept. Not when you compare the cost with other London venues and their club`s expectations of success. But after 15 years in the wilderness, yes I`ll pay it, and if we excel and entertain, it will definitely be worth it.
3. We have adopted a transfer policy with a very strict wage structure and will not be spending a lot on transfers. What do you think about QPR employing this transfer policy?
It makes a lot of sense, but you have to question it if it puts us at a hopeless handicap in the performance stakes, not against the big 4/5, or the wannabes, but against the lower half of the league. We didn`t get promoted with a view to going straight back down again, so adopting a policy that puts us at a severe disadvantage though commendable is not particularly sensible.
4. Being promoted as Champions, we have a strong squad, do you feel it needs to be strengthened?
Strong for the Championship, but we are now competing in the league above. We obviously need to strengthen the squad if we are to compete. Yes, we`ll get beat by the big clubs, but I don`t think we are too far off holding our own against most of the rest. With Routledge now seemingly a lost cause, and question marks over Paddy and Adel (this was written before the announcement), it leaves us pretty impoverished. The back four will be tested by the best, and questions were raised about the centre two last season. I`m not convinced Danny is the solution, and Paddy`s command will be greatly missed if he goes, so we`re weak, but not necessarily terminal compared with the competition.
5. We have 3 signings in Bothroyd, Gabbidon and Dyer. How do you feel about these signings?
Nice to have a couple of home internationals! Jay looks to be a positive signing – better than we have had up front for quite some time. Dyer? Will he last the course? The jury`s out. If we have signed him on a pay by play basis, that`s good business, but if he fails, we`re missing a man known to be unreliable when we signed him, so that inevitably leaves a gap in the squad.
But now we also have Gabbidon. Don`t know too much about him, but a colleague of mine supports West Ham, and reckons he will miss him more than Upson, which sounds positive. At 32, I`d have preferred someone a bit younger, but he does have Premier experience and we are not paying top dollar. Oh, and apparently Gabbidon was out with a one off injury which is better than a string of lesser problems.
6. We have been linked to a lot of players over the summer. Is there anyone in particular you would like to see in the Blue and White hoops?
Not particularly. We won`t get big names, and no one particularly stands out amongst the rest, but I`m no expert on any of the candidates.
7. There is a lot of uncertainty about Adel Tarabt staying at W12. Do you think he will stay?
Who knows? Our mercurial Moroccan can thrill and frustrate in equal measures depending on the day. He can equally swing from yes to no depending on the day. Will Neil be able to cut through the band of advisors that surround Adel (if he is even trying) and make him see the sense of staying at least until January to prove himself in the Premier League? Will Adel remember the undying love he had for Neil (like a father) and the loyalty he professed last season, or will the money talk to him? Don`t ask me. “He`s only a lad” is the explanation. “Fickle” springs to my mind.
8. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the boardroom. What are your opinions of the current board?
This is where I hit the flak, so I`ll try a little diplomacy. After hauling the club back from the brink, their learning curve was, at best, ill advised, but one does learn by ones mistakes. Neil and the Mittals were a steadying influence, and they are both still there, albeit, the Mittals with little representation. These are shrewd businessmen, even if their methods are not everyone`s cup of tea. Word has it that they did bankroll the club last year, so we do have something to be thankful for, given what that subsidy helped us to achieve. Like all salesmen, everything is an offer for the right price, but I do have trouble coming to terms with their rumoured strategy of being ultra-frugal, and so putting the value of their investment at risk.
9. Neil Warnock got us our first trophy in years. Do you think he will last all season?
He should do. If the goal is simply to survive in year one in the Premier league, no one can expect blistering results, so with the frugal expenditure, you couldn`t fault him if we were firmly established in the lower regions of the league. Unless we are way off the pace and are a very poor 20th, we won`t know if he`s succeeded in meeting the goal of survival until late in the season. Of course, staving him of funds could be a simple ruse to see him fail so a glamorous manager could be installed.
10. How do you think we will fare for our first season back?
It won`t be easy. Expect a few tonkings, especially from the big clubs, but I believe we have the ability to battle it out with the rest, and gain sufficient points to ensure a second year in the Premier League. I`d like to say a 12th to 14th finish with little brush with the big R threat, but I fear that is a little too optimistic, so I`d suggest one of the three slots immediately below that, and a struggle. 
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