Leicester Post Match Comments

The full post-match press conference from both managers after last night’s fixture.

Ian Holloway:

I don?t think iv ever felt so despondent as the way I feel right as this second because iv got to come and describe and I?m supposed to responsible for why some people played like they did tonight. I thought we started quite well, fantastic goal, great header by Gaz, Cookie looked lively down the left side. I was hoping that would settle us down. And then one long ball, Danny decides not to head it, Georges weren?t in the right place then Danny got back, kicked it against Georges then but then before we know we?ve gifted them a goal. I think after that the crowd, my team; I?ve probably never seen so many strange things go on in one game. An it weren?t just one person, Furs was tripping over, Nygaard was falling over and giving it away, nearly every single one of our players played the weirdest pass iv ever seen, our clearances were absolutely diabolical, we looked like the side that were 13 points behind the other one. I don?t know how to describe quite as? that for about two years. Yeah normally my team gives them something to cheer but nearly every mistake was being pounced on and moaned about an err and I thought we were creating an environment without any fear as well and all of a sudden it looked like some big players that were out there, weren?t there who can carry it. I?ve always said this clubs a difficult club to play for, with its tradition, because of its pride, some of the wonderful football that?s been played and all that. Sometimes you got a clear it and u got to make sure your clearances get beyond there midfield at least, hopefully beyond there back line at least and tonight all 3 goals my back line cost us.

anny chose not2head it, Georges weren?t in the right place, Rosie slipped over couldn?t kick it went2there bloke. Yeah we thought it was and Georges thought it was but his defending on it was absolutely diabolical. That was my back 4 that iv had for a while and iv shown faith in and probably that?s the only back 4 iv had to pick for a large part of this season, Ian Evatt was new to it and what have you that weren?t quite working but I just felt they cant carry on being that bad at the minute, funnily enough up front it looked like we might get one. When we did equalise I thought that?s got to be it now that will settle us down, Gaz looked like he hurt is arm so I wanted to put Scotty D on hopefully that will have lifted the crowd as well. I wanted to put Stefan Moore on as well because he can come on, there was a little bit of space in front of them they were doing quite well with the 2 big ones and then for us to concede like we did that last goal I think that sums it up. But if u actually look at it your clearances have2 be professional. I have never seen such a state. And it weren?t just one person who you can isolate and say why it?s got to be him. We?ve got some new people maybe I?m going to have to work with them and get them on there and try and get them through it because it?s a difficult thing to talk about but that didn?t look like a team with any confidence out there which is our fault. I understand when we played Southampton the other week we looked a really confident, together unit but on tonight?s showing that?s back to the drawing board.

Yeah I think so; I think Danny?s probably been reading some papers. You?ve got one there which says someone wants him so Danny?s been reading that. I?ve had al sorts of agents ringing me about this and that and its all unsettling. Rumours and counter rumours it?s very unsettling. What we?ve got a be, I?ve had some strong people in my team in the past who when they?ve been out we?ve really missed them on a physiological front. That team tonight that looked the weakest mental team that I?ve had. Mentally weakest team that I?ve had. It shouldn?t be.

Yeah u got a be totally honest. I may as well take the gloves off. My Mrs reads the websites and the message boards and that there have been some horrible things written on there lately. About the Birchams and about this team and about furlong about myself and god knows, some of my players read it. My physic read it the other week, he was getting sick. Not being funny but I believe it?s almost turned full circle. When I first came when we got relegated. I didn?t keep you up. We had 13 games left the whole apathy around the place, the whole place stank. 51 players 27 injured err cant play- all earning too much money.

ast year we got up we had different glasses on then I thought, when we started tonight we had the same points as last year. I don?t think we have now. But if you tell me that?s the same attitude around the ground. The expectancy levels of around the ground don?t tell me that?s the same. Now all I?m saying is I felt really united QPR united I called us when we got promoted. I was proud to say that, we should change our name QPR united over recent weeks that aint us above me it?s been QPR divided is that fair enough to say. Huge board room wrangles, 1 fella asked me on the way in tonight ?is there ever going to be a court case?? coarse there bloody well is, what?s that got to do with me. You?ll have to ask my players. There are all sorts of changes going on around the place at the minute. You?ll have to ask them, I don?t know. I had a big meeting with them yesterday trying to calm it all down. I don?t know but I?m asking our fans out there to have a little look at there expectations. Have we suddenly spent millions of pounds on players or something? That we should be expecting god knows what, have we? All those strikers out there what have they cost? Zip! Zilch! Nothing! How much did Fryatt cost? Seriously how much? £750,000! How much did Hume cost £500,000! How much did Hammond cost £350,000!

ave I spent all that have I?

aybe some people are frustrated that I haven?t or I can?t? But we?ve got to a certain point with certain players who we?ve picked up for nothing who are on the slightly older scale now you aint got to be a genius to work out that we?re going to have to move forward and replace them somehow that?s difficult, without cash that?s difficult. Hopefully well get some.

ut all I?m asking people to do is see if for real, help our team now I goat go home and I?ll probably get slaughtered for saying this. that?s probably the worst game iv ever seen Georges Santos have but I felt changing it may disrupt it even more because we were that close to still win it, even playing how we did. Some of the things I seen out there were totally inexplicable. I have to take responsibility I do and I think I?ve done that since I?ve done that since here I probably taken too much. Il stand there I? be counted, that was my team that I had to select from. They didn?t play like I wanted them to and we lost to Leicester. Who are 13 points behind us? I?ve asked them all to go home and let me no why they felt if they did feel so nervous or frustrated. All I?m saying to you I don?t expect people to give me a team that will just get promoted. I fully realise that at this standard you have to have a club that?s working towards getting there and the money we are spending compared to anyone else at the moment is nothing like the top of the league, nothing like it.

e won?t be getting him; I don?t deal with that I don?t know what it?s down to. Been watching him for year and a half, known about him for a year an a half but its dead at the moment. They want to try and win the league and they?re in 3 competitions but u no that?s just the way it is and from my point of view I need to freshen this up we?ve just signed Leon Clarke on loan from Wolves until the end of the season and a lad called Keith Lowe from now until the end of the season, he?s a centre half already been out on loan at Burnley done really well. I got Marcin Kus who almost broke his foot on Monday. He?s got a stitch in it, I can have a look at him, I?ve got Taylor who can go in at left-back I can probably pick for the first time a whole new back four, if I want. It will take some doing because one of there English aint as good as it can be but were getting him some lessons but he looks an intelligent defender. It?ll be new but at least I can do that.

or one or two people I would like to say I am not tactically inept I was optionally inept for a few months there?s a big difference and iv been financially inept ever since iv been at this god damn place because my chairman who I hoped would of and should of backed me Chris Wright decided 3 weeks into my management ship here that he was going to woo I? not spending anymore money and the fella I had signed to help keep us up was Marlon Harewood I had him for £600,000. And I was begging Chris to do it and to be fair to Chris he wanted to do it. Even asked how much his financial fella how much is that painting worth and I cant tell you how much it was worth but it was worth much more than Mr Harewood. The only thing I was relieved about at that time was that if we plunged into administration 3 weeks later an I just bought someone I would have looked a right dodgy geezer, I didn?t know. Now that?s investment and sometimes investment in older players works as well. Barry Hayles is 36, Ade Akinbiyi they spent £600,000 on him at Burnley and they?ve just sold him for 1.7million. So at the end of the day I know where we are and I know what the lads need that aint the same atmosphere as it was, you have to ask yourself why?

aybe it?s the geezer sat here maybe I?m stinking of fish with some people, maybe it?s the new boards fault, why don?t you ask these wonderful people who should be cheering my boys on because I?m telling you the atmosphere around here ttoday. Was my team?s performance that caused it or did my team get affected by it? I don?t know it was strange. And some of these people on the websites were predicting this would happen. Now from my point onwards my team are going too banned from reading that. They are what they?ve got a do is be strong physically and mentally because that wasn?t good enough. It was unacceptable and mostly individual who couldn?t shake themselves after making one mistake, my be they have to b changed for the first time in a few months I might be able to do that. Iv got Sammy Youssouf as well so I can pick two whole new centre forwards, a whole new back line if needs be and I don?t know about the midfield area yet but there we go, and we?ve got Leeds away.

o I?m sure people will say oh we lost 6-1 up there der der der and how much is it going to be probably 26 this year, anything better than that and we?ve done alright.

?m going to round there houses and pull the plugs out of there computers not being funny they?ve all got there own laptops and that. (Hand in laptops) I could do that yeah. I?m not being funny, don?t u think its been building. All season it hasn?t quite felt the same.

on?t get my wrong I don?t think it was everybody out there maybe they were as shocked as I was in what they were seeing. If I was here in different circumstances and it weren?t my responsibility I?ve got to be honest- id have laughed my head off. There was one moment with Georges; I can?t believe what I saw him do.

hat I do know is that there?s been rumour an counter rumour everywhere you go and talk about someone?s done this and someone?s done that and you know certain people have been let go at the ground. Change scares people may be its scaring the fans too. I?m telling you they don?t seem the same.

ft2 centre forward to the end of the season. I don?t know will have a look, I can only deal now with what I feel now- that?s always been me. I can only deal with how I feel now. I feel like I wana get them, shake them and whack em against that wall. Say what the hells wrong with you but listen everyone can have an off night but as I say some of the things iv actually witnessed out there all I can seem to remember is some of my players making the worst decisions at clearances when we needed to be calm calculated an clear it so you can regroup because your under a bit of pressure, that?s when you need seasoned people to say ?time?, ?clear it?, ?get up?. I didn?t see that tonight too many times, normally 85% of the time we get that right, I have to say 85% of the time tonight we got that wrong. And when it didn?t go wrong we gave a foul away which is unacceptable as well. The frustration back there the pressure back there was all too much. Very very similar to me to Cardiff at home here a few years ago. After the Vauxhall motors game where there was criticism. An I?m telling u we let 1 goal in Rob Earnshaw on 75 minutes and then he ended up getting a hat-trick and every goal came from my nervous team at the back, they all made mistakes and we weren?t scoring goals at that time so the more we don?t score goals the more nervous your teams get. When we got one today we go and let one in in a couple of minutes, knocked the stuffing out of my lot so much so that I don?t think we ever recovered.

know what I was going to do and I know what I wanted to do and u put another defender on and taken another one off it would have been a bit strange I just felt Scotty D going on, the impetus that we just got I couldn?t see them scoring again and we gifted it to them. A clearance went to there midfield, they played we tried to play offside I just seen the goals- absolutely diabolical. To be fair it was Georges he didn?t come across he should have come across with his man. Some of them decisions today will mean there are a few ricks and he gets himself out of jail with the rest of the team around him. Today rick after rick after rick but there we go we live to fight another day and we got to fight another day at Leeds.

?m very disappointed at a lot of things at the moment as you can tell but I don?t wana say too much as I don?t like losing, I never and I never bloody will and I have to say even with all that nonsense out there there was still more than enough to at least get a point out of the game do you understand what I mean.

nd with the changes we?ve now brought in, with the additions that we?ve just made all be it that we?ve borrowed them, with the day that I?ve just had, how hard we?ve worked to manage to these things. I?ve been on the phone all god damn day literally. And because of these things I?ve got lined up I might have to loan one or two of my other players out as well. Maybe Stefan Moore I?ve already spoke to him about it because I think he needs to go and play and get a batch of games under his belt at a lower level to this and he?ll regain his self esteem because I?ve seen that kid do some fantastic things in training at the minute out there it aint really happening. He aint getting the support that the kid needs at the minute and I think he needs to go an get a run of games in someone else?s team no problem- that?s what I?ll be able to do now hopefully. Listen you know me, I cannot sit here and say that I?m not disappointed, we could of put ourselves 16 points ahead of them, for some reason tonight we weren?t meant to. But we were there, ready to go, 1-0 up lovely I thought that would get us going, the crowd started singing before they actually started to sit down properly we go an lose a 1-1 and after that Dan and George may as well have put a pinnie on an started slapping each other with handbags because I didn?t see them stop arguing all bloody night- they didn?t. listen I will try and pick some positives out of it, I will try and show them one or two decent bits that they did other than that that?s unacceptable, I?ll have a look at what changes we have to make and we?ll have to get back to work. Its never heaven and its never hell for me, I?m just really proud of that badge of where we come from of what has been achieved here and I told my lot that at half time and do you no even that didn?t settle them down.