Queens Park Rangers 2 Reading 3
Queens Park Rangers 1 West Ham 2
West Bromwich Albion 3 Queens Park Rangers 2
AND
A review of Sleeping Giant: An Indian Football Story
It's been a while since I last wrote a blog post and I owe you all this bumper issue. Sadly, there isn't a lot to celebrate. Looking at the list above these were matches that we were meant to win and where we were meant to pick up points. And while I know we never do well in any cup runs, I did feel a moment of hope when we drew the 'fake hoops' that perhaps we'd defy our poor record for the first time in a long time.
The busy fixture list makes the Reading game seem like a distant memory in all honesty. But at that stage, the Tottenham game was still fresh in my mind and I was prepared to forgive the generally poor Rs performance on Wednesday night and count it off as a bit of a blip.
So by the time we played West Ham, I, like many others was filled with a great sense of optimism. We were poorly rewarded for our hope and our support. After a hectic Monday at work, I rushed over to Loftus Road to meet two friends from the dark side (West Ham supporters) who were going to sit with me in the Upper Loft. Shoot me if you like for bringing them along. I wouldn't have if I didn't know that QPR was their 'second team'. I don't really believe in that, and I am hopeful that I can turn them to support a decent family club like QPR (watch this space). So while I was absolutely miffed that we let in a horrific soft goal I must say I was also in fits of laughter as I watched my friend stand up and punch the air saying 'damn, ridiculous.' It was fabulous acting. Not normally known for drinking on a school night and after 3 pints I was soon annoying everyone around me as I ran down to the ladies at 40 minutes. I knew I wouldn't miss much that was any good, and I was right.
One pie, and one a half pint later, I watched as Taarabt and Diakite fired up the team that appeared to pretty sleepy. All of us knew Diakite was going to get in trouble, and we were right. It was pure misery. Not only we were defensively poor, but we were completely over run in midfield. And while I don't proclaim to be a tactician by any stretch of the imagination I do believe Mark Hughes didn't get it right on the night. And I do not believe that being down to ten men lost us the game. We lost that game the moment West Ham scored their first goal.
We will continue to ask questions as fans. We're seven games in, we sit at the bottom of the table. And what excuse do we have given the class of players we have playing for us? The boys appear to be in a deep slumber, at the cost of points on the board. Surely questions need to be asked about why the team is not gelling (outside of the injury problems), and whether they have the right attitude.
So now, I turn to my mid-week jaunt at the Everyman in Belsize Park. For some reason, the Premiere of a new Docu-Film by Ad Hoc Films (the producers of The Four Year Plan) did not get a lot of PR with QPR fans. I am not familiar with the details of the relationship between the makers and QPR but can surmise that having built the relationship with the club for the first film all parties wanted to milk the opportunity as much as possible with the second film. Sleeping Giant is a documentary film about the history of football in India and how it has suffered over the past fifty years due to the growth of the popularity of cricket. It tells the story through a set-up in which two boys from Mumbai are picked out of 2,000 to play for the QPR Youth Team under the leadership of Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham.
As well as learning that Indian football used to be massive, and that while they qualified for the World Cup in 1950 the team then withdrew as they were not allowed to play barefoot, I got a real sense of the frustration at every level in India that football isn't getting the funding and infrastructure it needs to progress. But what really came through for me was the importance of the right kind of coaching and guidance that footballers at an early age need in order to feel they have a chance of progressing to a decent professional level.
In a touching scene filmed on the first day of training back at Harlington you can hear Steve Gallen telling the lads not to let the new boys fall behind as they warm up. This is in full knowledge that the two boys are not as physically fit or as physically built up as the lads in London. And while, in the ensuing Q&A we had that night, the panel talked about cultural differences in terms of body-shape and physiology and the need for players from around the world to adapt their style and training to suit a level of play (using the Japanese leagues as an example), it seems that Steve truly believes that attitude, intelligence, personality and communication makes all the difference.
It was interesting to hear that from him. And interesting to see also that the boy they felt was both technically adept and a bit more vocal at the beginning of their journey, ended up deciding to settle for splitting his time between football and engineering. Whilst the other boy who was rather lost and quiet for the first four weeks actually found in himself when he returned home, a real hunger to succeed and play football and has now taken part in international tournaments for his age group. It took the trip to London and a bit of time thereafter to open his eyes and wake him up.
Apart from realising that Steve Gallen is a seriously good bloke who obviously cares very much about the boys that he coaches I also learned that QPR's first team seriously lacks attitude, personality and communication skills. No I don't want Joey Barton back, and I am not sure that it's passion or commitment I am asking for either. But I'm starting to wonder just how much attitude, intelligence, personality and ability to communicate our players really have? And I am also starting to wonder after this latest 3-2 loss, just how much it is going to take to wake them up.
But you can't make people have intelligence, or personalities. People are born with these attributes aren't they? Or maybe there is a chance to mould people...I hate to say it, but having a bit of personality in Warnock must have filtered through to the boys back in the days when we were in the Championship and when we were promoted. Now, apart from the odd one or two we look positively zombie-like. I am almost hoping that the whole of the first team (captain Park included) get caught smoking shisha pipes and doing jager bombs together in some dodgy London club tonight AND that there's loads of controversy about it. Then at least I'll know they are human and need to let off steam. And I'll know that they might just want to come back and prove they really are a football team and not a group of individual players that are not as good as they should be.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012
Persecuted
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Queens Park Rangers 1
I have positive things to say about the performance of the Rangers boys yesterday. We were excellent in so many ways: organised, creative, aggressive and a joy to watch. We haven't seen this kind of football for a long time, even in the games we won last season where we were forced to play a more defensive type of football. It's just such a shame that we didn't quite convert quite a few opportunities. I can honestly say we absolutely deserved to win this one.
The journey to White Hart Lane was fairly miserable I suspect for most people. Apart from really being in Essex and not London, tube lines were shut in several places (bye bye Olympic spirit), we had what seemed like the coldest day so far this September AND it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. On the train there, I was also rather amused when the poor lady sitting next to me, having noticed the rather rowdy crowd heading to Northumberland Park asked me whether this was really the Stansted 'Express.' I said 'sure it is, but for a short while it's also the 'Football Express.' But I must say, that while I take heart from a positive performance, the miserable weather and journey there set the stage for making it feel a little like something was working against us.
I had read in the Football Ground Guide website that White Hart Lane doesn't serve beers at half time, and so when my pal and I arrived about half an hour before kick off, we queued up to grab what would be our final pint of the day. And would you believe it, by the time I got to the front, we were told 'no more beer' 15 minutes before the game. And a big sign next to the kiosk read something like 'Due to Government Regulations we cannot serve beer at half time.' Needless to say, we were none to pleased having waited 15 minutes in the first place. I couldn't help but feel like we were being persecuted for being away fans. A little like how it feels whenever we have to wait outside town for a police escort to accompany the official QPR coach (which doesn't allow alcohol anyway) to the away ground.
I jest a little about how annoying the rule is. But with such thoughts swirling through my head would it be fair to say that we're still suffering, as football fans, from an element of discrimination that simply in this day and age, just isn't fair? The last few weeks have been important for football, and important for us as a society. The new Hillsborough Report was released, and there were several important findings, some of which we have already learned from and implemented stringent rules to control. But arguably the single biggest issue was the 'Deflection of Blame' where the findings stated:
I have positive things to say about the performance of the Rangers boys yesterday. We were excellent in so many ways: organised, creative, aggressive and a joy to watch. We haven't seen this kind of football for a long time, even in the games we won last season where we were forced to play a more defensive type of football. It's just such a shame that we didn't quite convert quite a few opportunities. I can honestly say we absolutely deserved to win this one.
The journey to White Hart Lane was fairly miserable I suspect for most people. Apart from really being in Essex and not London, tube lines were shut in several places (bye bye Olympic spirit), we had what seemed like the coldest day so far this September AND it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. On the train there, I was also rather amused when the poor lady sitting next to me, having noticed the rather rowdy crowd heading to Northumberland Park asked me whether this was really the Stansted 'Express.' I said 'sure it is, but for a short while it's also the 'Football Express.' But I must say, that while I take heart from a positive performance, the miserable weather and journey there set the stage for making it feel a little like something was working against us.
I had read in the Football Ground Guide website that White Hart Lane doesn't serve beers at half time, and so when my pal and I arrived about half an hour before kick off, we queued up to grab what would be our final pint of the day. And would you believe it, by the time I got to the front, we were told 'no more beer' 15 minutes before the game. And a big sign next to the kiosk read something like 'Due to Government Regulations we cannot serve beer at half time.' Needless to say, we were none to pleased having waited 15 minutes in the first place. I couldn't help but feel like we were being persecuted for being away fans. A little like how it feels whenever we have to wait outside town for a police escort to accompany the official QPR coach (which doesn't allow alcohol anyway) to the away ground.
I jest a little about how annoying the rule is. But with such thoughts swirling through my head would it be fair to say that we're still suffering, as football fans, from an element of discrimination that simply in this day and age, just isn't fair? The last few weeks have been important for football, and important for us as a society. The new Hillsborough Report was released, and there were several important findings, some of which we have already learned from and implemented stringent rules to control. But arguably the single biggest issue was the 'Deflection of Blame' where the findings stated:
'It is evident from the disclosed documents that from the outset SYP sought to establish a case emphasising exceptional levels of drunkenness and aggression among Liverpool fans, alleging that many arrived at the stadium late, without tickets and determined to force entry.'
I cannot speak for those poor families who have suffered for several years. It wouldn't be right or fair. But I could surmise that one of the most painful things that anyone ever has to live through is to lose a loved one under the assumption or premise that it was their loved ones fault as to why they died.
I'd like to ask ourselves whether we are still living under some past or false legacy about what football fans do, and who we are?
I've undoubtedly touched on a complex subject. Indeed, the day we played Tottenham was also the day when we saw some touching scenes at Anfield as Liverpool played Manchester Utd. And while we were all impressed by the unity of the managers being interviewed together, the way that the Ferguson had written to all visiting Utd fans personally, and the releasing of the 96 balloons...debate still rages on as a handful of fans decided to mimic planes (referring to the Munich air crash) which the Utd fans then responded to with 'offensive chants.' But, is chanting really something we should get persecuted for? Should we really be bothered about a handful of people to ruin the image of football fans for everyone else? Probably not.
I must be careful not to belittle what Michael Mansfield QC has called “the biggest cover-up in British legal history" within this little blog of mine. Suffice to say, I think there is still a lot to be done to brush away some of our society's pre-conceptions about football fans.
Interestingly, on the same day John Terry and his PR team decided to announce his retirement from football (also happening to be the day before his FA court hearing on the racial abuse case related to Anton Ferdinand). On a personal note, I tend to try not to use the argument about people not being good 'role models' for young people too much. At the end of the day, the world will always have good role models and bad role models. It's up to the rest of us adults and to parents, to help young people make the right decisions about who those role models will be. Who am I to say that someone from Celebrity Big Brother is a better role model than John Terry? That's actually what I was thinking before he announced his retirement. But he made the decision for me. His statement said:
'I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable.
Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour. I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision. I wish Roy and the team every success for the future.'
Here stands a man who is basically p****d off because he thinks he's going to get a charge of guilty, which will therefore make his position untenable. If playing for England is what he dreamed of as a boy and it breaks his heart so much, then why isn't he fighting for what he truly believes is right and fair? Surely, this is what a good role model should do? It seems pathetic that he should feel so persecuted given all that he has the chance to represent : the good bits about football like playing with pride, like standing up for positive things related to sport, like saying sorry?
Here is someone who feels so personally persecuted on a day where thousands of fans paid tribute to those who were truly 'persecuted' unfairly.
I honestly hope that this case is over and done with quickly and we can simply stop hearing about how he feels soon so that we can all move on, by focusing in the good stuff and making a much better name for football.
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Showing up
Queens Park Rangers 0 Chelsea 0
It's been a busy weekend for me. Apart from having some good friends over from Norway to visit, I had the Pride 10k run in Victoria Park to get over and done with yesterday prior to hopping it over to White City to watch my beloved QPR. As the weekend winds down and a business trip beckons tomorrow I am inclined to feel a little of the Sunday blues as my body aches from yesterday's exertions.
It wasn't easy running the 10k. I'm not as fit as I'd like to be and it's a challenge. It's also hard to run your own race, and not get upset about the crowds of people lapping you from the moment you reach 2k (yes someone finished it in 32 minutes!). But you aren't racing other people, you are only running for yourself. Not only that, but the Pride 10k is a lovely race in support of the gay community and there is more meaning to it for me because of that. We're very lucky in this country, and unless you've travelled or lived abroad you don't realise that what we have here is unique. If you want to run a 10k, 5k, half marathon, marathon, ultra-marathon...nutcase marathon, you name it...we've got it. If you want to try a triathlon we've got the super sprint, sprint, Olympic and iron man. Or maybe you aren't interested in the standard sporting events - how about getting yourself dirty in something like the Mud Runner Adventure Race Series? My point is, at any time in the year you will find a sporting challenge that you, or anyone else can enter. Something that is open to all abilities and something to suit all tastes. And yes, it's tough if you know you aren't going to be the fastest or the best, and perhaps you never have been at any point in your life. But people tend to be pretty supportive in this country. It's in our culture to be so. And trust me, it's not always the case elsewhere. I am half Filipino, and I know for a fact that in general people are only interested in cheering on the winners, not the losers. But here..I think we appreciate it when someone gives it a real bash. To use a phrase my step mum uses, it's called 'showing up'.
As usual, yesterday's match against Chelsea received a biased review by Match of the Day pundits. All we heard about was the 'non-handshake/handshake' which no one cares about anymore, and two potential Chelsea penalty claims. Looking at the match stats, QPR just about edged it as the better team - 83% completed passes vs. 77% for Chelsea, 52% possession, equal attempts on goal etc etc etc...Why did MOTD decide not to talk about these important pieces of information? No wonder Mark Hughes is p***** off in interviews - because they aren't asking about how we play.
Then again, are we surprised? As fans, we see the the progress the team has made, and most of us are impressed. But it hasn't always been the case that we've played well and maybe it's going to take a whole lot of time for people to respect us again as a team and for the way that we play football. We are looking good..again Granero stands out for me as a quality player, and Faurlin continues to be class act. But we're one game in to playing good football this season, and we need to see this consistently for people to start to notice. But QPR 'showed up' yesterday and the glimmers of good football I saw at the Wallsall game was a little burning fire yesterday.
I was late to the game actually...I took too long having a post-run pint, and ended up running achingly down South Africa Road. As I ran/walked down I could hear the amazing noise from the QPR fans giving Loftus Road that incredible electric atmosphere that is amplified all the more when we play Chelsea. Hearing the cheers and boos it was so hard to tell what was going on because - as I soon learnt when I sat down - we were just cheering and booing everything we could supporting the team at absolutely every opportunity: from every block, tackle, to every great pass and attempted shot on goal. As fans, we showed up because our team showed up.
I am not saying that we're fine with QPR showing up and not winning. At the end of the day, these guys are paid to win and I'm paid to manage advertising campaigns. But if you aren't even going to show up you haven't got a chance in hell of winning.
So let's see a big win next week at White Hart Lane!
You Rrrssss
It's been a busy weekend for me. Apart from having some good friends over from Norway to visit, I had the Pride 10k run in Victoria Park to get over and done with yesterday prior to hopping it over to White City to watch my beloved QPR. As the weekend winds down and a business trip beckons tomorrow I am inclined to feel a little of the Sunday blues as my body aches from yesterday's exertions.
It wasn't easy running the 10k. I'm not as fit as I'd like to be and it's a challenge. It's also hard to run your own race, and not get upset about the crowds of people lapping you from the moment you reach 2k (yes someone finished it in 32 minutes!). But you aren't racing other people, you are only running for yourself. Not only that, but the Pride 10k is a lovely race in support of the gay community and there is more meaning to it for me because of that. We're very lucky in this country, and unless you've travelled or lived abroad you don't realise that what we have here is unique. If you want to run a 10k, 5k, half marathon, marathon, ultra-marathon...nutcase marathon, you name it...we've got it. If you want to try a triathlon we've got the super sprint, sprint, Olympic and iron man. Or maybe you aren't interested in the standard sporting events - how about getting yourself dirty in something like the Mud Runner Adventure Race Series? My point is, at any time in the year you will find a sporting challenge that you, or anyone else can enter. Something that is open to all abilities and something to suit all tastes. And yes, it's tough if you know you aren't going to be the fastest or the best, and perhaps you never have been at any point in your life. But people tend to be pretty supportive in this country. It's in our culture to be so. And trust me, it's not always the case elsewhere. I am half Filipino, and I know for a fact that in general people are only interested in cheering on the winners, not the losers. But here..I think we appreciate it when someone gives it a real bash. To use a phrase my step mum uses, it's called 'showing up'.
As usual, yesterday's match against Chelsea received a biased review by Match of the Day pundits. All we heard about was the 'non-handshake/handshake' which no one cares about anymore, and two potential Chelsea penalty claims. Looking at the match stats, QPR just about edged it as the better team - 83% completed passes vs. 77% for Chelsea, 52% possession, equal attempts on goal etc etc etc...Why did MOTD decide not to talk about these important pieces of information? No wonder Mark Hughes is p***** off in interviews - because they aren't asking about how we play.
Then again, are we surprised? As fans, we see the the progress the team has made, and most of us are impressed. But it hasn't always been the case that we've played well and maybe it's going to take a whole lot of time for people to respect us again as a team and for the way that we play football. We are looking good..again Granero stands out for me as a quality player, and Faurlin continues to be class act. But we're one game in to playing good football this season, and we need to see this consistently for people to start to notice. But QPR 'showed up' yesterday and the glimmers of good football I saw at the Wallsall game was a little burning fire yesterday.
I was late to the game actually...I took too long having a post-run pint, and ended up running achingly down South Africa Road. As I ran/walked down I could hear the amazing noise from the QPR fans giving Loftus Road that incredible electric atmosphere that is amplified all the more when we play Chelsea. Hearing the cheers and boos it was so hard to tell what was going on because - as I soon learnt when I sat down - we were just cheering and booing everything we could supporting the team at absolutely every opportunity: from every block, tackle, to every great pass and attempted shot on goal. As fans, we showed up because our team showed up.
I am not saying that we're fine with QPR showing up and not winning. At the end of the day, these guys are paid to win and I'm paid to manage advertising campaigns. But if you aren't even going to show up you haven't got a chance in hell of winning.
So let's see a big win next week at White Hart Lane!
You Rrrssss
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Embers
Manchester City 3 Queens Park Rangers 1
Last week was a week of exciting and confusing transfer news which culminated in a trip up to the Etihad stadium where we last met City 111 days prior..in circumstances, thankfully, much less dramatic. The neutrals and commentators were hoping for a game just as exciting, whereas most QPR fans were hoping for, whatever the result, a more positive display of skill and tactics on the pitch from their team.
I was unable to make the trip up, given the cost and distance. It's just too early in the season to be spending all my money...but made my way home after a day at the Olympic Park to watch the match on TV. While the first half showed our team outclassed by City, the second half showed glimmers of the football that we've been dying to see since the Swansea game and we signed all these 'amazing' new players. Granero looked sharp, Fabio seemed to come of age, Faurlin still looked solid...and even Dyer looked useful together with Park. There was plenty of hope after all. So a score line of 3-1 really didn't feel like a scoreline of 3-1 to me. Like many fans, our subconscious expectations were low. It was unfortunate that we didn't try to take a point having equalised. On the other hand, one might perceive that intention to try to win instead of take a draw was a more positive attitude to take...risky as it was.
So, apart from a handful of doubters, for the most part QPR fans live in some hope. Like embers at the beginning of a lovely charcoal barbecue we may start cooking up a decent flaming burger sometime soon.
But before I look forward to the future. I want to get one thing off my chest once and for all. And after this I promise to write of him no more.
Joey Barton.
As you may know, I stopped following Joey Barton on twitter a month after the end of last season. Like many fans, the City debacle was one step too far, and the ensuing reaction and behaviour made me feel manipulated and fooled by the man. I had even written highly of him after he appeared in a documentary about gay footballers, and I took him for a man misunderstood by society. I don't think I ever considered him a 'reformed' character like many, but I did think that perhaps people hadn't given him the chance to just be the odd person that he is. But while one of my favourite mottoes is 'it's better to be weird than boring,' I probably ought to add an addendum to that and say 'but it's better to be boring than self-centred.'
Some of my friends in the twitter world stuck by him as #teambarton throughout the internal investigation, but even they, after seeing his interview at Sky Sports News last week about his potential Marseille move, got a sour taste in their mouth as he mouthed off openly about his thoughts on QPR, not exactly negatively...but not nicely either. He is now, thank heaven, in Marseille. But like dying embers his ghost lives on in my twitter feed as QPR fans continue to retweet him whether to show how annoying he is, or just how cool he still is. Like advising your friends not to go back to a bad boyfriend or girlfriend, you can only say so much...sometimes, it's just better to completely cut those ties because his style of ranting simply eats at you.
I tell you, even when he was interviewed by the Guardian magazine and talked about launching a social network site a few months ago, I thought he was quite clever. I thought, maybe he's going to create something new in the social media space that's going to rock the football world and change a few things. I look at the site and I see nothing but a self-centred homage to himself, and everything only he cares about. I remember reading that he said he wanted to make a site where fans of his could interact with each other in a different way. But today I looked at the Have your say page which has been live for a few months and all I find is a discussion board for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. There's another section for 'New Discussion Topics Launching Soon'. While it is admirable that he supports this, I am afraid that the other topics will have nothing to do with what other people want to talk about related to football, or to him. They will simply be topics that interest him and him only. Dull dull dull.
And another thing. I was a fool. I started picking up the Big Issue again when he started his column. A couple of columns in, I'm thinking maybe he can really write, and he touches on SOME interesting points. I admit, I was pushing it. I was hoping to find a real intellectual there (what a fool). The one good thing is that it has rekindled my mini-affair with the magazine and I enjoy reading other articles in it. But when I see his column now I feel like I'm meeting for a drink an old pal who I don't really like because she only talks about herself, and I'm only meeting her because I feel bad I've turned her down a few times already. In this week's issue, he talks about Internet 'trolls' and inadvertently, freedom of speech. But yet again, he is scraping the barrel because there seems no real message in what he has to say. I know his topics inside out and I don't really fancy having him for dinner at my house if I could invite anyone I wanted. His topics are: Prison, The Smiths, Hillsborough, People who rant at him and ...wait for it...himself!! As they say, 'Enough about me, let's talk about me.'
OK, I'm being unfair. He's got his section Joey On where he waxes lyrical about everything from Politics to Sport..oh...actually wait it's Politics and Sport AND Culture. Wow. Then again, the title page says 'I'm going to be true to myself.' Sorry everyone...he isn't going to be true to you, nor is he going to necessarily be inclusive to his fans. Make no bones about it, this is not a social networking site. This is a glorified Facebook page for Joey Barton.
Rant over.
I know some will disagree. Most probably won't. I just had to get it off my chest because like a dying embers of that fabulous barbecue we're going to have I'm going to chuck that crap right in my grey bin away from the compostable and organic items.
Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!
Last week was a week of exciting and confusing transfer news which culminated in a trip up to the Etihad stadium where we last met City 111 days prior..in circumstances, thankfully, much less dramatic. The neutrals and commentators were hoping for a game just as exciting, whereas most QPR fans were hoping for, whatever the result, a more positive display of skill and tactics on the pitch from their team.
I was unable to make the trip up, given the cost and distance. It's just too early in the season to be spending all my money...but made my way home after a day at the Olympic Park to watch the match on TV. While the first half showed our team outclassed by City, the second half showed glimmers of the football that we've been dying to see since the Swansea game and we signed all these 'amazing' new players. Granero looked sharp, Fabio seemed to come of age, Faurlin still looked solid...and even Dyer looked useful together with Park. There was plenty of hope after all. So a score line of 3-1 really didn't feel like a scoreline of 3-1 to me. Like many fans, our subconscious expectations were low. It was unfortunate that we didn't try to take a point having equalised. On the other hand, one might perceive that intention to try to win instead of take a draw was a more positive attitude to take...risky as it was.
So, apart from a handful of doubters, for the most part QPR fans live in some hope. Like embers at the beginning of a lovely charcoal barbecue we may start cooking up a decent flaming burger sometime soon.
But before I look forward to the future. I want to get one thing off my chest once and for all. And after this I promise to write of him no more.
Joey Barton.
As you may know, I stopped following Joey Barton on twitter a month after the end of last season. Like many fans, the City debacle was one step too far, and the ensuing reaction and behaviour made me feel manipulated and fooled by the man. I had even written highly of him after he appeared in a documentary about gay footballers, and I took him for a man misunderstood by society. I don't think I ever considered him a 'reformed' character like many, but I did think that perhaps people hadn't given him the chance to just be the odd person that he is. But while one of my favourite mottoes is 'it's better to be weird than boring,' I probably ought to add an addendum to that and say 'but it's better to be boring than self-centred.'
Some of my friends in the twitter world stuck by him as #teambarton throughout the internal investigation, but even they, after seeing his interview at Sky Sports News last week about his potential Marseille move, got a sour taste in their mouth as he mouthed off openly about his thoughts on QPR, not exactly negatively...but not nicely either. He is now, thank heaven, in Marseille. But like dying embers his ghost lives on in my twitter feed as QPR fans continue to retweet him whether to show how annoying he is, or just how cool he still is. Like advising your friends not to go back to a bad boyfriend or girlfriend, you can only say so much...sometimes, it's just better to completely cut those ties because his style of ranting simply eats at you.
I tell you, even when he was interviewed by the Guardian magazine and talked about launching a social network site a few months ago, I thought he was quite clever. I thought, maybe he's going to create something new in the social media space that's going to rock the football world and change a few things. I look at the site and I see nothing but a self-centred homage to himself, and everything only he cares about. I remember reading that he said he wanted to make a site where fans of his could interact with each other in a different way. But today I looked at the Have your say page which has been live for a few months and all I find is a discussion board for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. There's another section for 'New Discussion Topics Launching Soon'. While it is admirable that he supports this, I am afraid that the other topics will have nothing to do with what other people want to talk about related to football, or to him. They will simply be topics that interest him and him only. Dull dull dull.
And another thing. I was a fool. I started picking up the Big Issue again when he started his column. A couple of columns in, I'm thinking maybe he can really write, and he touches on SOME interesting points. I admit, I was pushing it. I was hoping to find a real intellectual there (what a fool). The one good thing is that it has rekindled my mini-affair with the magazine and I enjoy reading other articles in it. But when I see his column now I feel like I'm meeting for a drink an old pal who I don't really like because she only talks about herself, and I'm only meeting her because I feel bad I've turned her down a few times already. In this week's issue, he talks about Internet 'trolls' and inadvertently, freedom of speech. But yet again, he is scraping the barrel because there seems no real message in what he has to say. I know his topics inside out and I don't really fancy having him for dinner at my house if I could invite anyone I wanted. His topics are: Prison, The Smiths, Hillsborough, People who rant at him and ...wait for it...himself!! As they say, 'Enough about me, let's talk about me.'
OK, I'm being unfair. He's got his section Joey On where he waxes lyrical about everything from Politics to Sport..oh...actually wait it's Politics and Sport AND Culture. Wow. Then again, the title page says 'I'm going to be true to myself.' Sorry everyone...he isn't going to be true to you, nor is he going to necessarily be inclusive to his fans. Make no bones about it, this is not a social networking site. This is a glorified Facebook page for Joey Barton.
Rant over.
I know some will disagree. Most probably won't. I just had to get it off my chest because like a dying embers of that fabulous barbecue we're going to have I'm going to chuck that crap right in my grey bin away from the compostable and organic items.
Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Skating on thin Hoops
(+ a bit of Norwich City 1 Queens Park Rangers 1)
Having enjoyed an extended bank holiday weekend with family 'ooop north' it was nice to come back to Loftus Road at the end of it and watch the Rs win a cup match fairly comfortably. Watching together with a crowd of about 6,000 people all sat at the South Africa Road and Loftus Road ends, it almost felt as if we were transported back in time to our League One days. I know I'll be the only one who says this, but I actually quite liked the atmosphere last night. Only the hardcore fans were there, with a lot of people sitting away from their ST seats, the #qprtwitfam out in force and with kids still on holiday there was a lovely family feeling about the place.
I loved the banter with the Walsall fans. It sure was a strange sort of 'library', and sarcastic shrieks of 'oooh' when Walsall nearly scored made me chuckle. But while we supported our team with this kind of banter, the real subtext was our incredible fear of losing another cup game early on. Like most fans, I was hoping that we would stage a QPR upset, and actually win the match. And a few close-shaves, especially in the first half, had me with my head in my hands, my eyes behind my two hands, and looking up to the heavens for some help.
It was good to see though, that Hughes' intentions were absolutely clear. He was out to win this match, and not use it as some sort of 'practice round'. He made serious substitutions (although I have to say, as @sandyhoops mentioned to me during the game 'we don't look at the bench anymore and think s** we've got Zesh Rehman'), and with only 6,000+ people there I could hear him remonstrating animatedly at the team. He is under pressure without doubt, and so are the boys. OK, so we're only 3 matches in to the season but so far (as was the case last season) the new players are not living up to expectation, and I for one I am not sure if I buy the 'they need time to gel' theory. These guys train together every day and at this level I sometimes just have no sympathy for them. They shouldn't be using their Premier League or cup games to get in to the right team shape and neither should Hughes.
So, apart from the fact that I really wanted to call this blog 'skating on thin hoops' because the hoops have been getting so thin over the years and I thought it was a good title, I wonder whether there is a case for saying the QPR management are playing a risky strategy making massive marquee signings, letting go of several players, and not fostering an atmosphere were players understand the history and meaning of the club instead of simply talking about the long-term plan of the future? Don't get me wrong, it's just wonderful that we now have the funds to attract big names like Park and Green etc etc, but having listened to what Lee Cook had to say a couple of weeks ago on the QPR podcast 'Open All Rs', the old atmosphere in the dressing room back in the day was something special with everyone playing for the shirt. Obviously we won't have people in the team who feel that way about playing for the Rangers, but surely players at this level have got to take it on the chin and stop looking so disjointed on and off the pitch?
I've been thinking a lot about how clubs ride on past glories. Look at Liverpool...a prime example of a club that will attract big players (and yet still don't perform!). I get it, QPR don't have the same glories to ride on, but we are a proud and loyal fan base, with a fascinating history that shouldn't be forgotten completely. And I guess I am a little sceptical about the mass exodus of old players, and the influx of the new because so far the results (ever since January 2012), have proved old players that have been through the challenges with us are the ones who have performed.
This all sounds a little bit negative after what was a decent win last night, but I'm still nervous about the future. I can't quite figure out what this 'long-term plan' is in terms of what and who we see on the pitch. Looking at last night SWP finally scored a goal outside a friendly last night, but he wasn't great for much of the game, Cisse was offside time and time again (as he was last Saturday against Norwich), and it was old boy Faurlin back from injury who made all the difference in mid field with his classy passing. We are also hearing rumours of some of the young players: Doughty and Ehmer pipped for first-team selection, but haven't seen or heard a peep from them (apart from front-covers on cup programmes!). Now, we are on the verge of signing top Brazilian international Julio Cesar as a second goalkeeper who no one is sure we actually need.
I am confused to say the least, and my hope is that we're going to see in the coming weeks a more fully fledged team really playing with pride for QPR and for the dedicated fans.
In the meantime, I pay homage to a couple of friends who have worn their own hoops throughout the years and the shirt which has changed over the years. If you like the idea, please tweet me your pics in the Hoops over the years and I will write another bigger piece on it.
I am still not sure if I like the new 'thinner' hoops but I am glad the logo doesn't look 'ironed on' anymore. Some consolation as we look forward to a long, hard and no doubt exciting season.
You RRRsssss
For more on QPR's kits over the years: Historical QPR Kits
 |
| A great pic of @gmileham1's shirts |
 |
| @QPRman2's selection of shirts over the years including this season's Air Asia one |
 | ||||||
| The Hoops through the years courtesy of @QPRman2 |
 |
| @pinoyQPR in his Hoops back in the early 90s |
 |
| @annieqpr in the Binatone shirt from 2003-2006 |
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Welcome back/to QPR
Queens Park Rangers 0 Swansea City 5
I, along with several thousand QPR fans, will try to draw a line under what has been the worst start to a season I can remember. I wasn't expecting to write a blog tonight after such a heavy loss. Swansea at home couldn't have been a better test for another 'shiny new-look' QPR squad.
I was prepared to forgive the 8 minute goal from Michu as we were looking slick and confident: Park was workman-like and Hoilett looked like he was fired up. Early days, I thought, early days. And at half time I checked the stats: we had pretty much equal possession, had completed the same amount of passes as Swansea and had several shots more on goal. Sadly the only one that counted was the one from the opposition. One would have thought, that this 'shiny new look' team and our experienced manager would have sounded the alarm bells at half time. But it seems to me that a lack of respect and over-blown confidence prevailed which resulted in a second half where we simply crumbled. I don't think I've ever seen so many people leave the ground so quickly after goals no. 4 and 5 occurred. And once 4 goals were scored, I have to say I was thinking "I just can't take 20 whole minutes of this." Yes that's how much time we had to suffer.
And here is my line:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the other hand. My morning and early afternoon were filled with high hopes and excitement as I prepared myself for this season's first trip down to The Green to see the members of the QPRTWITFAM. It was great to see @Loftboy63, @Funkyprawn, @RichieQPR1, @Mrs_AJams et al. It was also nice to meet my sister from another mother @Gemcricketmad and her son for the first time.
On the way down to the Bush it was nice to read all the excited tweets as people from all over the country made their pilgrimage down to Loftus Road. There were many new faces too, a lot of new fans from Korea who were there to support Park Ji Sung asking for directions to the 'Queens Park Rangers Stadium'. It was nice to hear from some of the old fans that they were excited to welcome this new international following. There was a positive feeling in the air. I really like the way QPR fans are embracing the changes at the club.
Also today, the latest QPR writer @writesaidfred68 was down from Norwich with his two kids in tow, signing his book which is now selling at the QPR club shop. Unfortunately I was not able to see him, but I wish his book all the success and urge all fans to get down to the store and buy it if you can.
Here I erase some of the line
-------------------------------------------------------------
I am considering watching Match of the Day & Match Choice today even though we lost. Why? I need to understand what the hell happened. OK, I know what happened (I merely want to re-affirm my belief): we don't have a defence, and we were completely wrong tactically, we shouldn't have had Cisse up-front alone, Fabio was frighteningly bad...etc etc etc. Well, in all honesty, we were Queens Park Rangers. And that's what we do in the first game of the season: we squander a great opportunity.
What does it mean? My prediction is now what we will have an EXTREMELY exciting season. We will not be suffering from mid-table mediocrity. We certainly won't be playing boring football (good or bad). We will see some serious under-achieving going on, and we will see the 'old boys' playing the better football. Sound familiar?
Well, we are familiar with it, but I did feel for the two young Korean chaps who shared a carriage with me on the Central line home. I wondered, have they made previous pilgrimages to Old Trafford before? Looking at one of them who was wearing the new Air Asia-sponsored kit, I thought - has this boy realised changing allegiance will bring him such pain and anguish on a regular basis? Does he know what we'll probably lose to Walsall on the 28th August? Will he be there at all after today's performance?
Welcome back to another season with QPR everyone, and welcome new fans to what will likely be one hell of a season.
You RRRRRssssss
I, along with several thousand QPR fans, will try to draw a line under what has been the worst start to a season I can remember. I wasn't expecting to write a blog tonight after such a heavy loss. Swansea at home couldn't have been a better test for another 'shiny new-look' QPR squad.
I was prepared to forgive the 8 minute goal from Michu as we were looking slick and confident: Park was workman-like and Hoilett looked like he was fired up. Early days, I thought, early days. And at half time I checked the stats: we had pretty much equal possession, had completed the same amount of passes as Swansea and had several shots more on goal. Sadly the only one that counted was the one from the opposition. One would have thought, that this 'shiny new look' team and our experienced manager would have sounded the alarm bells at half time. But it seems to me that a lack of respect and over-blown confidence prevailed which resulted in a second half where we simply crumbled. I don't think I've ever seen so many people leave the ground so quickly after goals no. 4 and 5 occurred. And once 4 goals were scored, I have to say I was thinking "I just can't take 20 whole minutes of this." Yes that's how much time we had to suffer.
And here is my line:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the other hand. My morning and early afternoon were filled with high hopes and excitement as I prepared myself for this season's first trip down to The Green to see the members of the QPRTWITFAM. It was great to see @Loftboy63, @Funkyprawn, @RichieQPR1, @Mrs_AJams et al. It was also nice to meet my sister from another mother @Gemcricketmad and her son for the first time.
On the way down to the Bush it was nice to read all the excited tweets as people from all over the country made their pilgrimage down to Loftus Road. There were many new faces too, a lot of new fans from Korea who were there to support Park Ji Sung asking for directions to the 'Queens Park Rangers Stadium'. It was nice to hear from some of the old fans that they were excited to welcome this new international following. There was a positive feeling in the air. I really like the way QPR fans are embracing the changes at the club.
Also today, the latest QPR writer @writesaidfred68 was down from Norwich with his two kids in tow, signing his book which is now selling at the QPR club shop. Unfortunately I was not able to see him, but I wish his book all the success and urge all fans to get down to the store and buy it if you can.
Here I erase some of the line
-------------------------------------------------------------
I am considering watching Match of the Day & Match Choice today even though we lost. Why? I need to understand what the hell happened. OK, I know what happened (I merely want to re-affirm my belief): we don't have a defence, and we were completely wrong tactically, we shouldn't have had Cisse up-front alone, Fabio was frighteningly bad...etc etc etc. Well, in all honesty, we were Queens Park Rangers. And that's what we do in the first game of the season: we squander a great opportunity.
What does it mean? My prediction is now what we will have an EXTREMELY exciting season. We will not be suffering from mid-table mediocrity. We certainly won't be playing boring football (good or bad). We will see some serious under-achieving going on, and we will see the 'old boys' playing the better football. Sound familiar?
Well, we are familiar with it, but I did feel for the two young Korean chaps who shared a carriage with me on the Central line home. I wondered, have they made previous pilgrimages to Old Trafford before? Looking at one of them who was wearing the new Air Asia-sponsored kit, I thought - has this boy realised changing allegiance will bring him such pain and anguish on a regular basis? Does he know what we'll probably lose to Walsall on the 28th August? Will he be there at all after today's performance?
Welcome back to another season with QPR everyone, and welcome new fans to what will likely be one hell of a season.
You RRRRRssssss
South Africa Road on a sunny day before the crumble
Finally, they put my name on my seat!
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Fred: on friends, family and football (not necessarily in that order)
It feels surreal writing this with only on week left till the fans return en-mass to Loftus
Road for the beginning of the 2012/2013 season. It has been a long
summer of highs and lows in British sport, finishing with an incredibly
exciting Olympic campaign. I am excited, but it will feel strange going
back to the routine of football supporting life.
Amidst the flurry and excitement of the wall to wall coverage of sport we have been gifted with, I had the pleasure to speak to Fred Hartman last week. He is the latest QPR fan to pick up a pen and write about his passion for Queens Park Rangers. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of his book 'It's a Game of Two Halves' back in June and reviewed it in conjunction with another football book 'Manchester City Ruined my Life' (see review here). And I was moved by Fred's simple passion for the club that he supports and how he writes with such fondness about his close friends and family. After ensuring I've got my recorder on and phone on speaker...."Is it Frederick or Fred?" I ask. He explains that Fred is definitely what people call him with Frederick being used only for the book as it sounded more serious. I knew this was going to be a jovial and fun conversation as he continues on to explain how he started the journey to writing his first book after I tell him how writing my blog suddenly created demand from a select but interested group of people, week in week out:
"That's how I started writing my blog Write Said Fred, it's the same kind of thing...where you do a blog with your rants...and people start saying 'I really enjoyed that, when's the next one?' and you think well I haven't got anything to write about so you end up writing about the fact you haven't got anything to write about," he laughs. I completely understand where he's coming from. Once you start the 'blogging' life, the ball does roll (albeit down a small mound as opposed to some massive mountain). And he clearly enjoys it as much as I do.
But I ask him about the book - and what the catalyst was for him to write it. "I've always wanted to write a book. When I was at school and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, it would have been some kind of writer-slash-journalist, but I suppose the catalyst was the amazing high and low that I felt when we were promoted. I've followed QPR for nearly 35 years, so it was the biggest thing I'd ever seen happen to the club. But then my friend Queenie who I had obviously been going to football with for nearly 20 years passed away within a matter of weeks. And I think it was the incredibly high and the incredibly low- if you put those two things together...I blogged about it, but it didn't do it justice. And I thought, there's actually more of a story to tell here than just 'QPR won the Championship'."
Very quickly, I realise that what's really at the heart of the football 'memoir' that Fred has written, is a very personal journey that most humans can relate to. Queenie was the close footballing companion of Fred's and the book is interspersed with fond memories of their time together. And although Fred's parents (who also passed away some time ago) were not as fanatical about QPR or football as he was, there's a real appreciation for them as parents and as really decent human beings who gave all the support they could within their modest means. Personally, I loved hearing about their interesting lives, how his Dad "knew of" the Kray brothers back in the day, and how he "often witnessed acts of gangland violence in the clubs he frequented, and claimed that the only reason he himself didn't end up propping up a flyover somewhere was down to this close connections with the capital's Mafia hierarchy."
I actually think this is a fascinating and unique life-and-family-story, but Fred is so modest about this and about his achievement, as he explains how he used the 'November book month' to write his book in just one month. "It's a funny story actually." He tells me that after a little bit of hesitation, once set on the topic of football, family and the friend that he had lost, he sat down and wrote 4,000 words in one night. "Once you get going, it's a snowball effect, but you have to discipline yourself...you can't sit there at 1 o'clock in the morning bleary-eyed." He jokes about how he never will write a book again, but as he explains the lessons learned from his experience (being organised, disciplined etc), I have a feeling we'll be seeing a bit more from Fred in the coming years.
In my review of the book, I talk about how Schindler from his slightly 'loftier' academic world (in Manchester City Ruined my Life), finishes, as the title so gloriously tells us, with him losing a lot of love for the club and deciding to no longer support it like he once did. This was largely due to his feeling of disillusionment due to the buyout of the club by the Abu Dhabi clan.While it can't be said that the Rangers are quite as rich, we have had the good fortune to be freed of debts and owned by some pretty rich people. I wanted to know what Fred thought about this and whether he thought that it's 'international-isation' of QPR (with the recent PR-generating tour of Asia and a plane being made in Alan McDonald's honour out in KL):
"I can see both sides. There are people that just want to stay in the past almost, with this feeling that we are a small club. 'Let's stay family-orientated, let's stay in the area, let's keep that intimacy.' I completely see that. But I also see the other side of things, that if you're ever going to be 'successful' i.e. finishing top 6, Europe, possibly winning trophies..challenging for the title, you have got to move with the times and you have to have thirty, forty thousand watching every week and you have got to have the ability to attract the very top players in Europe....and you have got to pay those wages. To do that, you've got to grow. I'm excited and scared at the same time. While I want to stay with the club I grew up with in the 70s and 80s with that family-orientated mentality, I also know that if we're ever going to challenge we do have to move with the times. I think I'd welcome that."
He hits the nail on the head when he says:
"It mirrors society, you know that whole thing about people who don't like change. There's a lot of QPR fans out there that won't welcome the change, while others, perhaps the younger generation will see this as something they will embrace."
It's a Game of Two Halves also ends with Fred deciding to step away from supporting QPR. At the early part of last season, visits to Loftus Road just seem to painful without Queenie. I ask him, given his more positive current outlook, whether this is still the case. And he admits quickly "No." And goes on to explain it was too difficult, especially after Tony Fernandes came on board, not to stick the telly on, watch the games online, even if it wasn't always easy to get down to Loftus Road from his base in Norwich.
I ask him whether his kids have caught the QPR bug yet? He tells me that trips down to Loftus Road aon a Saturday are a bit of a trek and takes a whole day, so isn't something they can do all the time. Both kids get the QPR shirt at the beginning of the season, but while Jo is older and has been to more games he "prefers to kick a ball about with his friends." And Katie, his younger daughter just "wants to do what her Dad and brother do."
And there it is. We are a sport-loving nation. We go out on droves to watch all manner of sports all year-round. And, when it comes to football supporters sometimes get bad press about a sort of 'herd' mentality. But there's another much more intimate side to sport. And that is about being with friends and being with family, spending precious time together that one day will be taken away from us. I think Fred's got it just about right being open to the fact that maybe his kids aren't going to be as obsessive about QPR as he is, but they sure as hell aren't going to pass up an opportunity for a fun day out with Dad.
Perhaps Queens Park Rangers won't stop being a family club after all.
£1 of every book sold goes to the Tiger Cubs. It's a Game of Two Halves is out on the 18th August at Foyles in Westfield and the QPR Superstore or on this website: Beaten Track Follow Fred @writesaidfred68
Amidst the flurry and excitement of the wall to wall coverage of sport we have been gifted with, I had the pleasure to speak to Fred Hartman last week. He is the latest QPR fan to pick up a pen and write about his passion for Queens Park Rangers. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of his book 'It's a Game of Two Halves' back in June and reviewed it in conjunction with another football book 'Manchester City Ruined my Life' (see review here). And I was moved by Fred's simple passion for the club that he supports and how he writes with such fondness about his close friends and family. After ensuring I've got my recorder on and phone on speaker...."Is it Frederick or Fred?" I ask. He explains that Fred is definitely what people call him with Frederick being used only for the book as it sounded more serious. I knew this was going to be a jovial and fun conversation as he continues on to explain how he started the journey to writing his first book after I tell him how writing my blog suddenly created demand from a select but interested group of people, week in week out:
"That's how I started writing my blog Write Said Fred, it's the same kind of thing...where you do a blog with your rants...and people start saying 'I really enjoyed that, when's the next one?' and you think well I haven't got anything to write about so you end up writing about the fact you haven't got anything to write about," he laughs. I completely understand where he's coming from. Once you start the 'blogging' life, the ball does roll (albeit down a small mound as opposed to some massive mountain). And he clearly enjoys it as much as I do.
But I ask him about the book - and what the catalyst was for him to write it. "I've always wanted to write a book. When I was at school and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, it would have been some kind of writer-slash-journalist, but I suppose the catalyst was the amazing high and low that I felt when we were promoted. I've followed QPR for nearly 35 years, so it was the biggest thing I'd ever seen happen to the club. But then my friend Queenie who I had obviously been going to football with for nearly 20 years passed away within a matter of weeks. And I think it was the incredibly high and the incredibly low- if you put those two things together...I blogged about it, but it didn't do it justice. And I thought, there's actually more of a story to tell here than just 'QPR won the Championship'."
Very quickly, I realise that what's really at the heart of the football 'memoir' that Fred has written, is a very personal journey that most humans can relate to. Queenie was the close footballing companion of Fred's and the book is interspersed with fond memories of their time together. And although Fred's parents (who also passed away some time ago) were not as fanatical about QPR or football as he was, there's a real appreciation for them as parents and as really decent human beings who gave all the support they could within their modest means. Personally, I loved hearing about their interesting lives, how his Dad "knew of" the Kray brothers back in the day, and how he "often witnessed acts of gangland violence in the clubs he frequented, and claimed that the only reason he himself didn't end up propping up a flyover somewhere was down to this close connections with the capital's Mafia hierarchy."
I actually think this is a fascinating and unique life-and-family-story, but Fred is so modest about this and about his achievement, as he explains how he used the 'November book month' to write his book in just one month. "It's a funny story actually." He tells me that after a little bit of hesitation, once set on the topic of football, family and the friend that he had lost, he sat down and wrote 4,000 words in one night. "Once you get going, it's a snowball effect, but you have to discipline yourself...you can't sit there at 1 o'clock in the morning bleary-eyed." He jokes about how he never will write a book again, but as he explains the lessons learned from his experience (being organised, disciplined etc), I have a feeling we'll be seeing a bit more from Fred in the coming years.
In my review of the book, I talk about how Schindler from his slightly 'loftier' academic world (in Manchester City Ruined my Life), finishes, as the title so gloriously tells us, with him losing a lot of love for the club and deciding to no longer support it like he once did. This was largely due to his feeling of disillusionment due to the buyout of the club by the Abu Dhabi clan.While it can't be said that the Rangers are quite as rich, we have had the good fortune to be freed of debts and owned by some pretty rich people. I wanted to know what Fred thought about this and whether he thought that it's 'international-isation' of QPR (with the recent PR-generating tour of Asia and a plane being made in Alan McDonald's honour out in KL):
"I can see both sides. There are people that just want to stay in the past almost, with this feeling that we are a small club. 'Let's stay family-orientated, let's stay in the area, let's keep that intimacy.' I completely see that. But I also see the other side of things, that if you're ever going to be 'successful' i.e. finishing top 6, Europe, possibly winning trophies..challenging for the title, you have got to move with the times and you have to have thirty, forty thousand watching every week and you have got to have the ability to attract the very top players in Europe....and you have got to pay those wages. To do that, you've got to grow. I'm excited and scared at the same time. While I want to stay with the club I grew up with in the 70s and 80s with that family-orientated mentality, I also know that if we're ever going to challenge we do have to move with the times. I think I'd welcome that."
He hits the nail on the head when he says:
"It mirrors society, you know that whole thing about people who don't like change. There's a lot of QPR fans out there that won't welcome the change, while others, perhaps the younger generation will see this as something they will embrace."
It's a Game of Two Halves also ends with Fred deciding to step away from supporting QPR. At the early part of last season, visits to Loftus Road just seem to painful without Queenie. I ask him, given his more positive current outlook, whether this is still the case. And he admits quickly "No." And goes on to explain it was too difficult, especially after Tony Fernandes came on board, not to stick the telly on, watch the games online, even if it wasn't always easy to get down to Loftus Road from his base in Norwich.
I ask him whether his kids have caught the QPR bug yet? He tells me that trips down to Loftus Road aon a Saturday are a bit of a trek and takes a whole day, so isn't something they can do all the time. Both kids get the QPR shirt at the beginning of the season, but while Jo is older and has been to more games he "prefers to kick a ball about with his friends." And Katie, his younger daughter just "wants to do what her Dad and brother do."
And there it is. We are a sport-loving nation. We go out on droves to watch all manner of sports all year-round. And, when it comes to football supporters sometimes get bad press about a sort of 'herd' mentality. But there's another much more intimate side to sport. And that is about being with friends and being with family, spending precious time together that one day will be taken away from us. I think Fred's got it just about right being open to the fact that maybe his kids aren't going to be as obsessive about QPR as he is, but they sure as hell aren't going to pass up an opportunity for a fun day out with Dad.
Perhaps Queens Park Rangers won't stop being a family club after all.
£1 of every book sold goes to the Tiger Cubs. It's a Game of Two Halves is out on the 18th August at Foyles in Westfield and the QPR Superstore or on this website: Beaten Track Follow Fred @writesaidfred68
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