Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Meetings June 1, 2002 - 2003
LSA - JUNE 2003
1th JuneHammersmith Post Article By Dave McIntyre Dated 11th June Dave McIntyre writes in the local paper today about the surprise interest in the Club of Peter Risdale. Risdale who quit Leeds in March discussed a possible takeover of Barnsley but has also expressed an interest in Rangers and is set to hold talks with the Board later this week. Its unclear at the moment the extent of his interest. Apparently the Board were ready to snub Haleem Kherallah's offer and instead accept the offer of a loan from an Australian based group headed by David Thorne, believed to be around £2million. Kherallah wants to become the largest shareholder and take over the running of the Club. The Thorne loan would provide the immediate investment they are seeking and the Directors staying in their positions. He has made no secret of the fact that he believes changes behind the scenes are needed. A second loan, using Loftus Road as security would increase the concerns of fans who fear for the long term future of the Club. The £10million loan which took the Club out of administration used the Ground as collateral. Paul Finney of the QPR LSA admits he is alarmed at the prospect of more money being borrowed against the Ground. He said "I think a lot of fans will be worried by that, the LSA would urge the Board to think very carefully if they are going to do this. I really hope that the parties involved do what they honestly think is the best for the Club, and not for themselves. This shouldn't be about who wants to stay on the Board or who wants to get on the Board but what is best for the Club. If the Club feels the best option is to borrow more money you can't help feeling that we're digging an even bigger hole for ourselves." Steve Russell http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/03junejuly.htm
APRIL 2003
15th AprilQPR LSA meeting with the Club Present - Victor Stevenson, Joe English, Symon Eales, Steve Rapjohns, Steve Russell, Tommy Collins, Paul Finney, Sylvia Dallibar, David Cox, David Davies and Nick Blackburn. Play Offs - First and foremost David Davies informed us that he had spoken to Eddie Walsh from the league who had informed Rangers that regardless of who we play potentially in the play offs it will be on Saturday 10th May for the 1st leg if we are at home. This is due to the next day being the last Premiership day of the season and a certain team down the road are playing Liverpool and the police are needed down there. Davies added that whomever we play we have to be given 15% of the ground for our supporters. Should we play Cardiff, it will probably be an early kick off. Also with their supporters coming here, they’ll only get a ticket once they get off their club coach and prove that the ticket is for them only. Rangers pay for all policing inside the ground. Fulham - David Davies is fairly adamant that they will be here next season. A 2-year deal was agreed last year and he assumes they will honour it. With regards to them moving to Chelsea he believes it is highly unlikely for 2 teams to be given permission to play at the council. Colchester - The club asked Colchester if there was a possibility if they could have more tickets by splitting the ground. Colchester were keen but wrote to their season ticket holders who refused. As a result we have only got the allocation we were originally given. The club have looked into the possibility of a beam back to West London. Venues looked at have included the Empire on the Green, Olympia and the Walkabout. The equipment would cost £11,000 to hire whilst the Empire would cost £2,000 to hire. Rangers will look into this idea depending how important this game proves to be. Brentford - Brentford have predicted that there will be 10-11,000 at the game. The pubs near the ground will NOT be closed before the game. Raising Money - The annual accounts show that raising money is vital for the club to enable them to go forward. The club have discussed the idea that someone could come onto the board if they invested a large some of money. One idea put forward was to see more initiatives like the LSA’s raising money for the Football in the Community. We also suggested that the club could look into the idea of a lottery which has been a success at many clubs particularly Burnely. The club acknowledged this and took it on board. Refinancing the Club - The club stated they continually look into ways of saving the club money. The club added they needed to raise money still to ensure the club moves forward. Play Off Tickets - For the home leg season tickets and members will be guaranteed a ticket for the home game. Whilst other fans will need to keep their stubs from the final 2 home games to be certain of a ticket. Last 2 home games -To maximise Rangers support at these 2 last games. For the Notts County game some Rangers fans will be housed in the bottom of the School End whilst for the Crewe game some R’s fans will be at the top in the School End. Potential Owners - Potential owners will have to prove they have a business plan to take Rangers forward. Should they do so and it satisfies the current board they will happily move aside in the best interests of QPR. Goldrange - We pay them before every game. We did fall behind with our payments but a rescheduling plan was agreed. The club added that many businesses do this and Goldrange were perfectly happy with the arrangement. Season Tickets - The only reason for the early bird prices to be in by 30th April is a gamble for fans that they can potentially have a 1st division season ticket for a 2nd division price. With regards to OAP season tickets, the club carried out a survey and found they are the cheapest in the league. Players - 29 players are out of contract in the summer. Many of them are 1st teamers such as Palmer and Padula. The club will have to see which league we are in first before determining which players to offer a contract to or not. The club added that some players would obviously leave. Reserves - The club feel the standard is not that good especially when Holloway wants certain players to get that extra bit of experience. That is why players like Ifura have gone to Aylesbury on loan to get that extra bit of experience. The club feel the reserves should be mainly Under 19 players like clubs like Millwall have. There will be an Under 17 and 19 team next season. The club added that the club were due to get £34, 250 from the government in a youth football initiative. Sport England would then match this however, the government did not match this and subsequently Rangers only got £13,000. The reserves will still be at Northwood next season. Training Ground - There is a possibility we might switch to the polytechnic ground in Chiswick. The club will know shortly if we could play there. There is the added bonus that a fitness club will be built there by a leading fitness club. Loan Players - Should Rangers want to keep Kelly and McCleod the club will extend their loan periods. The club added that we are keen on Lee Cooke but he still has a year left on his contract. Pre-Season Friendlies - This summer we will be playing in the following order Aylesbury away, Kettering away (testimonial for LSA Member Craig Norman), Worcester away and Charlton at home (testimonial for our old keeper Tony Roberts). Internationals - The club have been in talks to stage New Zealand games at Rangers due to the local area having loads of people from the country. Distribution of season tickets - Some of members have informed us that they have received so many season ticket renewal forms in the post. The club stated that the reason for this was a mix up in the various warehouses that distribute the forms. The club added that they do not pay for the extra posting. Blue and White Cards - One of our members wanted us to ask the club if there was a chance that maybe for the play off home game could the club distribute blue and white cards to create something seen at England games. The club took this on board and stated they will look into this. 4 R’s fans in court - The club informed us that this week 4 R’s fans were in court charged with racist chanting at the ground. This brought about an end to the 2-hour or so meeting which was once again extremely informative. I have tried my best to relay everything, which was said. QPR Then, Now and Always. Dave Cox LSA give £2,400 to the Football in the Community The LSA who are holding a 6 a side at Loftus Road on Bank Holiday Monday to raise money for the Football in the Community Scheme are pleased to announce that a cheque worth £2,400 was presented to Andy Evans at Saturday's Player of the Year Social at the Thistle Hotel. Photos to go up soon. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/03marmay.htm
LSA - JANUARY 2003
LSA Meeting With The Club - 30/01/03 Present - Due to all the problems with the weather, traffic, cancelation of many tubes and trains many LSA Committee Members were unable to attend the meeting. However, those who did attend were Dave Cox, Victor Stevenson, Symon Eales and Paul Finney. From the club were Nick Blackburn and David Davies. Like all of our meetings I will try my best to relay everything which was said. Some things were obviously said in the strictest of confidence and as a result I cannot divulge in such information. The club were honest in their answers to a whole range of matters. The meeting due to the small numbers present was not as long as we had hoped. Takeover- There are currently 2 interested parties in the club. They are both at the stage where they are discussing figures. Should a takeover take place, it would see the purchase of Chris Wright's shares which amount to 16 million of 63 million shares. It is the equavilent of roughly 25% of the whole shares. Although the club would not divulge in the name of the interested parties. What they did say was that the interest from the Italians has cooled. The club continually stated they will give up positions as long as someone comes in with some investment and has a business plan. Flag Issue- We asked a question on behalf of one of our members who had been asked to remove his Rangers flag from an area which was NOT covering any advertising. The club stated they would look into this and as far as they can see there should not be a problem.The club added that flags cannot cover advertising as the advertiser expects his sign to be seen. Slough Forum- One of our members in the area wanted to know if the planned Slough forum would still be taking place. The club stated that they have received a date from Slough but they need to confirm the date with the BBC who are obviously covering the event. So effectively watch this space. East Paddock- One of our members who sit in the area wanted to know if it would be possible they would be able to get things like a pint and to be able to put a bet on soon. The club acknowledeged this and stated they will look at it in the close season. Marketing at QPR- It had come to our attention that Fulham were marketing their games in our Shepherd's Bush area. We asked if the club knew and what was their reaction to it. They stated they knew they were doing it and their attendances underlined this. Despite their marketing they know its not an area where they will recruit Fulham fans as it is a QPR manor. Port Vale- We wanted to know what the club were doing to advertise the cheap ticket deal for the forthcoming game against Port Vale. The LSA feel it is essential that posters for example go up in local shops to hopefully recruit future R's supporters. The club stated that they feel 3 weeks before a game is a bit too much to start advertising. However, in the next week the club will start to send things out mainly targeting women for this promotion. AGM date- The club announced that this week the figures for the club will be finalised meaning that they are legally required to call a meeting within 21 days. This will duly happen. The club added that it has taken so long to call one due to the fact that the figures cover 2 seasons. Stewarding- We wanted to know what the club were doing with regards to the Goldrange contract expiring at the end of the season. The club stated they are currently in discussions but need assurances that things will improve. The club added that they only pay for all types of stewarding inside the ground including police officers. With regards to how many stewards are needed for games the club stated that all football grounds are covered by the green card which determines how many stewards should be at a game. The club need a licence from the local authority to open the gates for every game. To obtain this licence the club need to ensure that 1 steward covers every 250 fans. This has therefore meant an increase of 40-50 stewards at a game. However, the club have written to the local authority asking for 1 steward for every 500 supporters. The club have not had a response up yet. The reason that Rangers do not have their own stewards like Cardiff for example is due to the cost of training. That is why they go to a 3rd party in this case Goldrange. The club added that a recent report stated that London teams cost £7 million pounds a season and they are only getting £2 million pounds back. The club highlighted the Cardiff game for example cost us £90,000 because there were 600 police present that day. If clubs cannot afford this they will simply ban away supporters. Some games are cheaper to cover like Barnsley and Cheltenham because they are Category A games. But games against Luton, Stoke and Bristol City are Category C games because they are high risk games for trouble. Swindon away pricing- One of our members had been to a Swindon game recently and paid £21 to be in the away area. We asked would this apply to our game this season. We added that we paid just £14 last season. The club stated they would ask Mark Devlin for clarifications. The club added that if there is a price increase then it has to be the same for the home team. If it is just for the away team then they are not allowed to do this and Rangers would investigate. Ticketing- Recently a lot of ticketing info for away games as been incorect e.g students at Northampton were meant to pay just £9.50 but were then informed via a phone call after writing the cheque that it would be the full £14. The club stated they only print what they are given by the home club. Attendance in programme- The LSA had asked at many previous meetings if it would be possible to list the amount of away support we take to grounds and how many others bring to Loftus Road. We added that even the programme editor promised to put it in. The club acknowledged this and promised to look into it. Are we overstaffed at Loftus Road- The LSA raised the issue over whether we are overstaffed at Loftus Road. The club argued that there have been rumours flying about as a result of Brian Rowe. The club stated for example they have 2 students from Boston Tech University in the USA who offered to pay for their own trip and to work here for free. The club felt it was the appointment of Gerry Lonsdale which provoked this question. The club added that it had to make 3 redundancies during the time of administration. By having Fulham at Loftus Road and being the landlords we are legally requuired to provide staff at their games. Many staff work over their 47 hours legally required work. The club pointed out that there more staff at Oldham thanthere is at Rangers and we have Fulham here as well. The club stated also that we do not have the amount of staff here that we had before administration. With regards to too many staff being in the box office on match day and not looking as if they are doing something; the club stated that they are more than likely turnstile workers coming to collect their tickets who are just milling around. Transfer Dealings- With regards to us making any deals before the transfer dealine is highly unlikely given our current predicament. Andy Thompson- Despite the fact that he failed his medical for his proposed move to Hull he apparently as looked sharpin training this week. Craig McCallister- Although he didn't do as well in Wednesday's reserve game it's now up to Holloway to decide if we will keep him. He is however a player who is out of contract at the end of the season. New Supporters Club- The club stated that if there is going to be one then it should be launched in time for next season. It needs to be more transparent and something which people want to join. There is also a constitution. Minibus to Reserve games- One of our members has suggested that could it be possible to run a minibus to Reserve games from Loftus Road using one of the minibuses that are behind the Loft normally. It was suggested a small fee like a fiver would be paid as it was felt that although Northwood is a nice groundits very awkward to get to. The club stated they would look into it. Board of Directors- There were rumours we heard that the board were disagreeing on various matters. The club stated that 1 director disagrees with the others over 1matter. However, the club added that the agreement is resolvable. The club felt that anything which happened in the boardroom shouls stay in the boardroom. But they acknowledged they needto get someone in with a bit of financial clout. The club felt they are very open in comparison with other clubs. Plan B- We asked if the club had another plan for next season should Fulham not be here. The club stated they would look at other deals. Kettering Town- We asked if the club were able to play a pre-season testimonial friendly for one of our members who plays for Kettering and is a Rangers fan and is family run the café on Bloemfontein Road (2 mins from the ground.) The club informed us that Holloway has agreed to do it and it now has to be sorted out. The club were once again honest in answering our questions which covered a whole range of matters. It was a shame that not all the committee could turn up. We will of course be having another meeting soon. I have done my best to cover everything which was said. QPR Then, Now and Always. Dave Cox 28th JanuaryRobert Cameron - QPR Player 1950 - 1959 Whilst over on holiday this August from Down Under, I mentioned a story to Steve Russell regarding a chance meeting with a Greetings Card Rep in my News Agency in 1989 when I first moved to Oz. We talked about football and this bloke happened to mention that he indeed played football himself in England for the mighty R's!!! Being young and oh so cynical, I thought "sure mate, how much more do you want me to order? " and as they say ladies and gentlemen, that was that………until Steve suggested I might try and track Bobby down (Stan the great Aussie footballer hunter -strewth!!! anyway after reading too much Ian Rankin, off I went, not to Edinburgh but to the Greetings Card Company, result an away loss! Next, I wondered if Bobby still lived local (that's local Edwards and Tubbs) and bloody hell there were about 50 R.Camerons listed (away draw) So with my best dialing finger and a bit of insider info from the Building Society where I manage, I set about my task. First call, Mr Cameron (away win) anyway we got talking and I asked a few questions and below if you are all sitting comfortable …….a little story. Bobby was playing for a local under 21 side in Scotland and was watched several times by a QPR Scout called John Barr. The Scottish Scout contacted the QPR Manager, Dave Magnall who came up to watch him and eventually signed for the R's in May 1950. His first appearances were early in the 1951-2 Season but Bobby was sent off to do his National Service for a while. He remembers one of his first games against Cardiff at Ninian Park and mentioned a Friendly against Arsenal during the 1953-4 Season to celebrate the opening of the floodlights. Other highlights were his hatrick against Newport County the same Season and the biggest crowd he played in front of was at Roker Park in the FA Cup against Sunderland in the 1956/57 Season. He remembers the Shepherd's Bush area as a wonderful place to live in the 50's, and being so close to the West End. Our talk brought back many happy memories from that era. The support he says was fantastic and the atmosphere was great, with the crowd banked up close, though the less said about the state of the pitch the better! The QPR players he remembers fondly were Bert Addinall, Don Mills and Alfie Parkinson. Other players he greatly admired were Wilf Mannion (Boro) Billy Wright (Wolves) Billy Steel (Derby) and Tom Finney (Preston) Overall, Bobby says he played 289 games for the R's and scored 62 goals, usually wearing the No.10 shirt. He was transferred to Leeds United when he was 28 years old in July 1959 who were then managed by ex QPR Manager, Jack Taylor and were in the top flight. It was a move he couldn't turn down (though he soon became homesick for London). He went on to Gravesend and Northfleet before getting back into League football with Southend United. Its been over 40 years since he left the R's but makes a point of seeing Tony Ingham when he visits and was saddened to hear of Daphne Biggs's death last year. He still keeps in touch with the game, as do most people in Australia through TV and the British Football Weekly Newspaper. He enjoys the modern game and is in favour of the Players getting well paid for what they do, although he thinks the game will end up damaged for good if it prices the "real fan" out of being able to afford admission to games etc Anyway I hope this brings back a few memories for the older R's fans and also interests us younger ones, personally I've had a wonderful time with all this. Thanks to Bobby for his time and lending me a few of his photos. C'mon You R's. Stan Sykes - QPR LSA Australian Contact
http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02decfeb.htm
DECEMBER 2002 - LSA
Tuesday 10th DecemberLSA Meeting With Club - 09/12/02 Present - Ian Holloway, Nick Blackburn, Symon Eales, Dave Cox, Paul Finney, Sylvia Dallibar, Janet Colton, Gary Colton, Vic Stevenson, Steve Russell, Steve Rapjons, Paul Fischer and Tommy Collins. The LSA last week called a meeting with the club to address the recent on field problems at the club. Due to extremely disappointing results like the cup game against Vauxhall Motors and the league game against Cardiff City the LSA on behalf of its members wanted to raise many issues with Ian Holloway. The meeting was due to last just an hour but the meeting went on for nearly 3 hours. Many points were raised especially over tactics and I have tried my best to relay what Holloway said. Like all meetings we were told things in the strictest of confidence and as a result I cannot relay such stuff to you. Holloway was once again his usual passionate self. He was honest with us and he showed he really cared. We raised the point with Nick Blackburn over a school/college magazine which is distributed throughout the UK. We brought the matter up on behalf of Mark Flacks who contacted the club with the offer of free publicity. May I add that clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal use his publicity and pay for it. This is a professional magazine that Mark was willingly to let Rangers use to promote their ideas and encourage more R's supporters to come to Loftus Road. As Jim Frayling was not present we asked Blackburn if he could look into it for us. We received a call on Tuesday morning from Blackburn to explain that the email had been deleted? The matter is now being dealt with. The next point raised was over the fact that he has brought in players who some feel are NOT better than what we have got. The players concerned are Callum Willock and Paul Furlong. Holloway stated very clearly that we are a team short of confidence. Especially upfront where we have just Gallen to rely on. Holloway felt we lacked pace and at the time Willock who was available offered us that. Holloway later went on to read out a list of about 15 names of strikers who he thought were available and could do a job for us. On that list only 2 were available on loan. One was Chris Armstrong but he is no way fit and was simply too expensive. The other one was Willock. Olly felt he had no other choice but to snap him up. He said Oli is a player who is short on confidence and he cannot believe the supporters cannot see this. Olly added that he sees Oli as a winger and NOT as a forward. With regards to Jerome Thomas, Holloway told us he chose to go back. Thomas felt he was too good for us. Pat Rice had called up Kenny Jackett after the Blackpool game to say what a bad game he had. He might have had that good run but all round he was bad. He wasn't a team player and not tracking back for the team. Thomas also had an unprofessional attitude in that sometimes he turned up very late for training. Holloway continually stated how vital Gallen is to our cause. He's his favourite player because you know what you are going to get from him. The lad is passionate, hard working, loves the club just as much as the fans and he is settled. Olly stated losing him was part of the bad run. He also added that the rumour about Kevin being released due to no money from the cup defeat was complete and utter crap. Richard Langley is a player he felt had a very poor season. After being sent off against Bristol City, instead of staying back with the rest of the lads, he chose to go to Jamaica and play 3 games for them, one in Nigeria. Holloway did not want him to go and Langley now regrets going. Olly added that Langley cares a great deal for the club but he has to stay focused and be counted for in games. He cannot go wandering in games. He's far too experienced now not to stand up and be counted. One burning issue that we all wanted to raise was is the role of Steve Palmer. Many supporters feel the team is altered to fit in Palmer. Olly denied this saying Palmer, despite his age and pace, is one of his most valuable players. He's a great professional and he's able to go here, there and everywhere. He sees his centre half pairing as Carlisle alongside Shittu. In terms of whether he should lose the captaincy, he stated Palmer is his captain at the moment but in football anything can change. He added that people like Carlisle and Gallen could be his next captain. Danny Shittu is still a player Olly likes. He knows the boy cares and told us after the Luton game he was crying his eyes out in the changing room after hearing the reception the team got after the draw there. He added that he is a confidence player and he believes that he will make Rangers a profit one day. Dou Dou, if Olly had his way, would not have stayed in the summer. He had asked for an extortionate sum of money which the club refused and in the end because no other club wanted him had to come back to the club. Marcus Bignot was a player Olly really liked. He wasn't the greatest but always gave a 110% hustling and harrying for the club. The club could not keep him in the summer as he asked for too much money. The role of Tommy Williams was raised. Despite the fact he was signed as a winger Olly felt he is better suited to the left back role as there is no one who can take up that position. Murphy he feels has not played well enough in the reserves to warrant a place and Padula is simply not the player that Olly thought he had signed. Brett Angell was a signing that due to Gallen's injury was forced upon the club. He's the kind of player he felt is needed for the club. He's powerful and wins the headers. We raised the point that he was playing well against Cardiff but he took him off. Olly stated he was breathing out his backside and could not have lasted the rest of the game. The reason we played 4 centre halves against a team like Northampton was simply due to the fact that we had no one else who could play in the eyes of Olly. The game against Vauxhall was a game where Olly felt he needed his leaders. They were not showing and as a result they lost the game. He added that the players care despite the fact that many supporters feel they don't. Olly stated he accepted constructive criticism against his players but he would not tolerate players being slated because they have played for teams like Fulham and Chelsea's etc. He added they are Rangers players now and we should give them all the encouragement to do well as a QPR player. With the injury to Tommy Williams, Olly talked about a couple of names he felt could do a job for us. Although he mentioned the names we cannot disclose the names. But what we can add is that one is a Rangers player. With regards to Gareth Ainsworth he has signed for Walsall but is injured anyway. When asked if he ever thought about packing it in. He stated he cared too much to leave. He wants to carry through the job he started and he wants to see us promoted. The defeat to Vauxhall as left us around 300k out of profit. As a result we cannot sign Royce who Olly felt played superb for us. However, he cannot look to the past, what's done is done. The only way he was going to get money was through gates, a cup run and new investment. 2 of those things have failed so the only way the club will make money is through gate receipts. Andy Thompson's attitude on the pitch was raised. A lot of supporters feel he slugs around like he doesn't care. Olly stated that although he is not banging in the goals he still looked the same player when he scored 20 odd goals last season. It's just the way he is. To get the best out of him he needed to have Peter Crouch alongside who incidentally the club inquired about getting on loan. It was heard on the weekend that one of our best prospects Luke Sheekey was not signed up on a contract. Olly stated that he was not ready for the 1st team and everything at the moment is geared for the 1st team. Richard Pacquette was a player who Olly wanted to bring back. But he was suspended for 4 games and therefore had to sign Willock. He was very disappointed with him when he came back overweight in the summer. With regards to Holloway not being present at the Fans Forum this Thursday, Olly stated that they take it in turns who is present. Also, all the We Are QPR money has been returned and therefore no money could come from this type of investment. The meeting became very heated on a couple of occasions with Holloway becoming very animated over some points we made. I have tried my best to relay everything what was said. I hope you all found it an interesting read. QPR Then, Now and Forever Always. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02decfeb.htm
LSA - OCTOBER 2002
28th OctoberLSA Statement Due to recent constant negativity and the growing political agenda, our members feel that we should break our links with QPR 1st forthwith. QPR LSA Committee QPR LSA Meeting with the Club Present - David Davies, Jim Frayling, Mike Hartwell, Nick Blackburn, Mel Johnson, Steve Russell, Symon Eales, Dave Cox, Paul Fisher, Vic Stevenson and Sylvia Dallibar. On Thursday night a meeting took place between the LSA Committee and the club. Due to the EGM in the afternoon we both agreed that the meeting would not be as long as previous meetings. Once again the club answered all our questions as much as they could and our next meeting has been arranged for just before Christmas. Cheltenham apology - Rangers have got in contact with Cheltenham to ask them to make some kind of apology to those Rangers fans who were locked out despite having tickets. Cheltenham have insisted they will refund those 100 or so who were locked out including their travel. It was not a Rangers problem because we only sold what we were given. The reason for the lock out was done on Police advice after they saw some tickets being exchanged in a nearby pub and they thought those were counterfeits . They then felt there would be too many fans in such a small area. Tickets for away games - The club stated they have NO commercial agreement with anyone with regards to tickets for away games. All tickets are sold through the normal way. They are NOT giving any tickets to any particular groups. We Are QPR - The club are EXTREMELY disappointed that this initiative has fallen through. They felt it was a superb idea in terms of supporting Ian Holloway. At the EGM Ian Holloway spoke of his sadness because he felt he could have secured another player for QPR. The LSA and the club both agreed that we should do whatever to revive it because it had our full hearted support. Steve Russell has asked Harold Winton if they could have a fans forum so supporters could ask questions. The club stated they would do everything they could to accommodate such a forum at Loftus Road maybe before a home game. Fulham maybe moving to Chelsea - Recent papers suggested that Fulham could be leaving Loftus Road to potentially share with Chelsea. Davies stated that Al Fayed was perfectly entitled to talk to Chelsea but he added that there is a playing restriction to Stamford Bridge in terms of how many games can be played there. Ironically, for the West Ham v Fulham game Sven Goran Ericsson was present and Al Fayed told him that he’s enjoying life at Loftus Road. However, Davies did add that he needs to know if Fulham are definitely staying because he has to book for the refurbishment’s which need to be done on parts of the pitch. LDV - Rangers had actually made a profit from this game which they didn’t expect. Although disappointed at the defeat, it was good to see the club felt that some potential new supporters came to the game. The club justified just opening the South Africa Road because it kept all the fans in one area and it also didn’t mean further expenses. Clarke Carlisle - The club informed us that although the angle of the camera isn’t the best, Julian Alsop and the keeper have both written letters stating that Clarke did not spit. This would certainly support Clake as it came from 2 professionals who did NOT have to write the letters. Q Block - The club spoke of the level of racist chanting from the Q Block from a recent game. The club felt it was more anti Fulham chanting than actual racist chanting. The club stated that supporters will be prosecuted. With regards to some seats being broken in that area, the club informed us that the club has to pay for it. Tickets - The club informed us that the cheap ticket deals will be done 4 times a year in different ways. They see it as a crucial way in recruiting new supporters to the club and it has they full backing of the LSA. The reason for NOT selling tickets in the top tier of the school end is due to safety. The club stated that it is a tribute to R’s fans that the home ends had virtually sold out for the Oldham game. Scouting - Mel Johnson came and gave a detailed insight into the scouting structure of QPR. The LSA have constantly been asked by our members how fans can help with recruiting potential stars for the future. Mel stated that Rangers have contacts all over the place with some of them being ex Rangers stars. He gathers all his information from ceefax, newspapers and press releases. Mel added that Bobby Ross had been to a local recreation ground called Lillie Road which stages youth football. The LSA felt that the R’s were losing a lot of local talent to clubs from others parts of London and Lillie Road was an example that we had constantly brought up at previous meetings. The club use the Premier Youth leagues to recruit Rangers type players. Recent examples have Jerome Thomas and Danny Shittu. The club also scout the Premier Reserve league as it is felt that there are a lot of players who are quality but can’t get a game for their 1st team. In terms of us helping Mel. He said he will get players watched but he needs to see them playing competitive football. So if you see some one get in contact with Mel via the club. Potential school boys have to live within an hour of Rangers. Feedback - The LSA have agreed that we could be used to offer feedback on potential new ideas like season ticket prices, club strips and QPR World an initiative which would see more in depth news about the club and a chance to view more Rangers goals. Fans Forum - The club stated they received very positive feedback about the fans forum. They hope the Harrow Borough one just before Christmas and the Slough one in February will be just as successful. LSA V ASB Video - Hartwell stated that the club have the equipment to put some of the game onto video. He will get in contact with the LSA when he has done it Regional R’s end of season 6-a-side tournament- The club have agreed to fit in an end of season tournament to involve R’s teams around the country and raise money for charity e.g £10 a player for a team of a maximum 10 players. End of season video - The club were angered that they could not include all the goals from the season even the Swansea defeat! They stated they really wanted to show every game. Away season ticket - The club stated the cut off date has passed. Programme - The club have stated that there will be a page about ground safety in the programme. Kids Christmas Party - The club stated they will see what they can do in terms of giving something to Children LSA Members for the annual Christmas party. The meeting ended on this point. Once again the LSA found the meeting very informative and all questions were answered in the best possible way. Our next meeting was then arranged. QPR - Then, Now and Always. http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02augnov.htm
LSA -SEPTEMBER 2002
9th SeptemberLSA Meeting with the Club Present- David Davies, Nick Blackburn, Vic Stevenson, Steve Rapjohns, Steve Russell, Symon Eales, David Cox, Joe English, Paul Finney and Sylvia Dallibar. On Thursday night, the LSA committee met with the club. The meeting gave the LSA achance to put forward questions to the club on behalf of our members. The club answered them as best as they could. Dalgarno Gardens - Vic Stevenson on behalf of his sister had asked the club at the end of last season if 2 players could open a new playground in Dalgarno Gardens in Notting Hill on 1st June. Unfortunately for the kids, no players turned up. Therefore Vic raised this with the club. The club was first of all apologetic and stressed that there had been some kind of miscommunication. The club then stated they would offer some tickets to the kids who were bitterly disappointed. The club then moved onto talk about involving themselves in the local community and returning to Rangers’ past. The club informed us that the players have it written in their contracts that they must do 7 hours a week of helping the local community i.e. football coaching at a local school. Fulham Badge - The LSA raised the point that as soon as you walk into South Africa Road from Bloemfontein Road the first badge you see is that of Fulham. The LSA were quick to add we weren’t opposed to the Fulham badges in the ground. We just feel that it being OUR ground, the first badge you should see is that of QPR no matter what direction you come in from. The club stated that it felt it did not matter because Fulham are paying for the all the extra signage and the agreement acknowledges that the ground belongs to QPR. The club added there has been no talk of the 2 clubs merging or Fulham buying the ground. The Clubshop - A lot of LSA members had complained about paying for items on matchdays. They felt aggrieved that the queues were too long. The LSA pointed out it would make more sense to have cash tills and credit card tills. The club acknowledged this point and stated that new software is being installed in the tills. They added, they needed to retrain new staff after one person was sacked for gross misconduct. Members of staff - The LSA raised a point about a certain QPR staff member who was felt to be unhelpful to an LSA member who had rung the club to sort out details about his nephew being a mascot. The club acknowledged this event and ensured that in the future their staff will be more helpful. Supporters Club - The LSA raised the point that the club needs a supporters club as it would ensure a good relationship with the LSA and the club. We raised the idea of co-working on running coaches to games and raising money for charity. Nick Blackburn stated he would look at this. EGM - The proposed date of the EGM was asked on behalf of some of our members. The club informed us it would take place in mid-September and a man called Ray Garrett needed 10 days to organise sending out the details to R’s shareholders. The draft incidentally had just been finished. The club added that the AGM would take place in December. Money Lender - We then raised the question about the mystery of the person who is lending Rangers the money to pay off the creditors. The club would not disclose who the person is but stated categorically it is NOT Fayed or Noades. Shares - The mandate of the EGM will be about the issuing of the shares and the ratification’s of more shares. The club stated that Chris Wright still has 20% of the shares of which Nick Blackburn speaks for them. The other 28% of the shares stay in the club in the form of a trust and they have no representation. The 28% of shares are there to attract new investment. Nick Blackburn categorically stated that if there was a better chairman he would leave his position immediately. The club added that there is no chance of the shares of the shares being unfrozen. Ian Holloway - A number of LSA members had heard a rumour that if we weren’t in a good position by Christmas then Holloway would get the sack. We raised this with the club who stated this rumour was false and Holloway has their full support. Website - A lot of LSA members felt the official website needed more updating. The club acknowledged this and stated that the site is undergoing improvement and will have some new features in the short term. QPR LSA Video - The LSA were promised copies of the video of the charity football game between QPR LSA and ASB at Loftus Raod. The LSA committee had spoken to Mike Hartwell and Jim Frayling about it who both promised to send us a copy. As this did not happen, we raised it with the club who said they will definitely sort it out. Reserves - A lot of LSA members wanted us to raise the issue over lighting at reserve games at Northwood. Some members felt the lighting isn’t strong enough. The club stated that the lights meet league requirements. They said Ian Holloway chose Northwood as it had the best playing best surface. Transfers - The issue of transfers was raised. The club stated currently we can borrow a player from the Premiership but there can be no foreign transfers to us including Scotland until the transfer window opens again in January. Paul Furlong- The club stated we have him on a 18 month contract and there was no fee for him. Youth Football - The LSA raised the point for the 4th time that the club that the club have failed to come in contact with LSA member Bill Cox a man who helps run the biggest local 5-a-side youth football league. The LSA feel that the club needs to maintain links with the community to ensure that the best footballers play for QPR. The club acknowledged this. The LSA added the club needs to have R’s supporters in the community to put forward names of kids who could one day wear the blue and white hoops. The club accepted this and stated that potential Rangers talent spotters had to get in contact with Mel Johnson (Chief Scout) who incidentally will be at our next meeting to discuss his position and meet Bill Cox. Pre-Season - A lot of LSA members wanted us to raise the question over the pricing of pre-season tickets. Davies justified charging £15 because it still made more money than the friendlies of recent seasons. Programme - The LSA asked if it would be possible to have the away attendance in our programmes like a lot of other clubs have. We feel it would be good to see the exact figure of our superb away support. The club said they would look into it. On the road - The club will announce the exact details of 3 future Q&A sessions with Ian Holloway at the club, in Harrow and in Slough. The LSA felt it was a positive move as it gave R’s fans outside West London to put forward questions to Ian Holloway. Postage Charging - QPR LSA member Stan Sykes from Australia enquired about buying a shirt and having sent it to him in Australia. The club quoted him £10 for the postage. We raised this with the club who stated that it’s not them who set the postage prices. Stan in the end got his mate to buy him the shirt who sent it to Australia for £2. Celebrating the past - The LSA raised the point that the club are not doing enough to celebrate the past. We highlighted that we honoured Tony Ingham’s 50 years with the club. The club accepted this and will hopefully sort something out. Merchandise- The club announced that the clubshop will have a line of just 500 shirts of the reproduction of the old Guinness shirts. Whether it’s the exact copy I don’t know. But this will certainly prove popular amongst the supporters and the LSA welcomed this. The LSA found the meeting very informative and the questions were answered to the club’s best ability. We will have our next meeting with the club in 6 weeks. QPR Then Now and Forever Always. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02augnov.htm
1th JuneHammersmith Post Article By Dave McIntyre Dated 11th June Dave McIntyre writes in the local paper today about the surprise interest in the Club of Peter Risdale. Risdale who quit Leeds in March discussed a possible takeover of Barnsley but has also expressed an interest in Rangers and is set to hold talks with the Board later this week. Its unclear at the moment the extent of his interest. Apparently the Board were ready to snub Haleem Kherallah's offer and instead accept the offer of a loan from an Australian based group headed by David Thorne, believed to be around £2million. Kherallah wants to become the largest shareholder and take over the running of the Club. The Thorne loan would provide the immediate investment they are seeking and the Directors staying in their positions. He has made no secret of the fact that he believes changes behind the scenes are needed. A second loan, using Loftus Road as security would increase the concerns of fans who fear for the long term future of the Club. The £10million loan which took the Club out of administration used the Ground as collateral. Paul Finney of the QPR LSA admits he is alarmed at the prospect of more money being borrowed against the Ground. He said "I think a lot of fans will be worried by that, the LSA would urge the Board to think very carefully if they are going to do this. I really hope that the parties involved do what they honestly think is the best for the Club, and not for themselves. This shouldn't be about who wants to stay on the Board or who wants to get on the Board but what is best for the Club. If the Club feels the best option is to borrow more money you can't help feeling that we're digging an even bigger hole for ourselves." Steve Russell http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/03junejuly.htm
APRIL 2003
15th AprilQPR LSA meeting with the Club Present - Victor Stevenson, Joe English, Symon Eales, Steve Rapjohns, Steve Russell, Tommy Collins, Paul Finney, Sylvia Dallibar, David Cox, David Davies and Nick Blackburn. Play Offs - First and foremost David Davies informed us that he had spoken to Eddie Walsh from the league who had informed Rangers that regardless of who we play potentially in the play offs it will be on Saturday 10th May for the 1st leg if we are at home. This is due to the next day being the last Premiership day of the season and a certain team down the road are playing Liverpool and the police are needed down there. Davies added that whomever we play we have to be given 15% of the ground for our supporters. Should we play Cardiff, it will probably be an early kick off. Also with their supporters coming here, they’ll only get a ticket once they get off their club coach and prove that the ticket is for them only. Rangers pay for all policing inside the ground. Fulham - David Davies is fairly adamant that they will be here next season. A 2-year deal was agreed last year and he assumes they will honour it. With regards to them moving to Chelsea he believes it is highly unlikely for 2 teams to be given permission to play at the council. Colchester - The club asked Colchester if there was a possibility if they could have more tickets by splitting the ground. Colchester were keen but wrote to their season ticket holders who refused. As a result we have only got the allocation we were originally given. The club have looked into the possibility of a beam back to West London. Venues looked at have included the Empire on the Green, Olympia and the Walkabout. The equipment would cost £11,000 to hire whilst the Empire would cost £2,000 to hire. Rangers will look into this idea depending how important this game proves to be. Brentford - Brentford have predicted that there will be 10-11,000 at the game. The pubs near the ground will NOT be closed before the game. Raising Money - The annual accounts show that raising money is vital for the club to enable them to go forward. The club have discussed the idea that someone could come onto the board if they invested a large some of money. One idea put forward was to see more initiatives like the LSA’s raising money for the Football in the Community. We also suggested that the club could look into the idea of a lottery which has been a success at many clubs particularly Burnely. The club acknowledged this and took it on board. Refinancing the Club - The club stated they continually look into ways of saving the club money. The club added they needed to raise money still to ensure the club moves forward. Play Off Tickets - For the home leg season tickets and members will be guaranteed a ticket for the home game. Whilst other fans will need to keep their stubs from the final 2 home games to be certain of a ticket. Last 2 home games -To maximise Rangers support at these 2 last games. For the Notts County game some Rangers fans will be housed in the bottom of the School End whilst for the Crewe game some R’s fans will be at the top in the School End. Potential Owners - Potential owners will have to prove they have a business plan to take Rangers forward. Should they do so and it satisfies the current board they will happily move aside in the best interests of QPR. Goldrange - We pay them before every game. We did fall behind with our payments but a rescheduling plan was agreed. The club added that many businesses do this and Goldrange were perfectly happy with the arrangement. Season Tickets - The only reason for the early bird prices to be in by 30th April is a gamble for fans that they can potentially have a 1st division season ticket for a 2nd division price. With regards to OAP season tickets, the club carried out a survey and found they are the cheapest in the league. Players - 29 players are out of contract in the summer. Many of them are 1st teamers such as Palmer and Padula. The club will have to see which league we are in first before determining which players to offer a contract to or not. The club added that some players would obviously leave. Reserves - The club feel the standard is not that good especially when Holloway wants certain players to get that extra bit of experience. That is why players like Ifura have gone to Aylesbury on loan to get that extra bit of experience. The club feel the reserves should be mainly Under 19 players like clubs like Millwall have. There will be an Under 17 and 19 team next season. The club added that the club were due to get £34, 250 from the government in a youth football initiative. Sport England would then match this however, the government did not match this and subsequently Rangers only got £13,000. The reserves will still be at Northwood next season. Training Ground - There is a possibility we might switch to the polytechnic ground in Chiswick. The club will know shortly if we could play there. There is the added bonus that a fitness club will be built there by a leading fitness club. Loan Players - Should Rangers want to keep Kelly and McCleod the club will extend their loan periods. The club added that we are keen on Lee Cooke but he still has a year left on his contract. Pre-Season Friendlies - This summer we will be playing in the following order Aylesbury away, Kettering away (testimonial for LSA Member Craig Norman), Worcester away and Charlton at home (testimonial for our old keeper Tony Roberts). Internationals - The club have been in talks to stage New Zealand games at Rangers due to the local area having loads of people from the country. Distribution of season tickets - Some of members have informed us that they have received so many season ticket renewal forms in the post. The club stated that the reason for this was a mix up in the various warehouses that distribute the forms. The club added that they do not pay for the extra posting. Blue and White Cards - One of our members wanted us to ask the club if there was a chance that maybe for the play off home game could the club distribute blue and white cards to create something seen at England games. The club took this on board and stated they will look into this. 4 R’s fans in court - The club informed us that this week 4 R’s fans were in court charged with racist chanting at the ground. This brought about an end to the 2-hour or so meeting which was once again extremely informative. I have tried my best to relay everything, which was said. QPR Then, Now and Always. Dave Cox LSA give £2,400 to the Football in the Community The LSA who are holding a 6 a side at Loftus Road on Bank Holiday Monday to raise money for the Football in the Community Scheme are pleased to announce that a cheque worth £2,400 was presented to Andy Evans at Saturday's Player of the Year Social at the Thistle Hotel. Photos to go up soon. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/03marmay.htm
LSA - JANUARY 2003
LSA Meeting With The Club - 30/01/03 Present - Due to all the problems with the weather, traffic, cancelation of many tubes and trains many LSA Committee Members were unable to attend the meeting. However, those who did attend were Dave Cox, Victor Stevenson, Symon Eales and Paul Finney. From the club were Nick Blackburn and David Davies. Like all of our meetings I will try my best to relay everything which was said. Some things were obviously said in the strictest of confidence and as a result I cannot divulge in such information. The club were honest in their answers to a whole range of matters. The meeting due to the small numbers present was not as long as we had hoped. Takeover- There are currently 2 interested parties in the club. They are both at the stage where they are discussing figures. Should a takeover take place, it would see the purchase of Chris Wright's shares which amount to 16 million of 63 million shares. It is the equavilent of roughly 25% of the whole shares. Although the club would not divulge in the name of the interested parties. What they did say was that the interest from the Italians has cooled. The club continually stated they will give up positions as long as someone comes in with some investment and has a business plan. Flag Issue- We asked a question on behalf of one of our members who had been asked to remove his Rangers flag from an area which was NOT covering any advertising. The club stated they would look into this and as far as they can see there should not be a problem.The club added that flags cannot cover advertising as the advertiser expects his sign to be seen. Slough Forum- One of our members in the area wanted to know if the planned Slough forum would still be taking place. The club stated that they have received a date from Slough but they need to confirm the date with the BBC who are obviously covering the event. So effectively watch this space. East Paddock- One of our members who sit in the area wanted to know if it would be possible they would be able to get things like a pint and to be able to put a bet on soon. The club acknowledeged this and stated they will look at it in the close season. Marketing at QPR- It had come to our attention that Fulham were marketing their games in our Shepherd's Bush area. We asked if the club knew and what was their reaction to it. They stated they knew they were doing it and their attendances underlined this. Despite their marketing they know its not an area where they will recruit Fulham fans as it is a QPR manor. Port Vale- We wanted to know what the club were doing to advertise the cheap ticket deal for the forthcoming game against Port Vale. The LSA feel it is essential that posters for example go up in local shops to hopefully recruit future R's supporters. The club stated that they feel 3 weeks before a game is a bit too much to start advertising. However, in the next week the club will start to send things out mainly targeting women for this promotion. AGM date- The club announced that this week the figures for the club will be finalised meaning that they are legally required to call a meeting within 21 days. This will duly happen. The club added that it has taken so long to call one due to the fact that the figures cover 2 seasons. Stewarding- We wanted to know what the club were doing with regards to the Goldrange contract expiring at the end of the season. The club stated they are currently in discussions but need assurances that things will improve. The club added that they only pay for all types of stewarding inside the ground including police officers. With regards to how many stewards are needed for games the club stated that all football grounds are covered by the green card which determines how many stewards should be at a game. The club need a licence from the local authority to open the gates for every game. To obtain this licence the club need to ensure that 1 steward covers every 250 fans. This has therefore meant an increase of 40-50 stewards at a game. However, the club have written to the local authority asking for 1 steward for every 500 supporters. The club have not had a response up yet. The reason that Rangers do not have their own stewards like Cardiff for example is due to the cost of training. That is why they go to a 3rd party in this case Goldrange. The club added that a recent report stated that London teams cost £7 million pounds a season and they are only getting £2 million pounds back. The club highlighted the Cardiff game for example cost us £90,000 because there were 600 police present that day. If clubs cannot afford this they will simply ban away supporters. Some games are cheaper to cover like Barnsley and Cheltenham because they are Category A games. But games against Luton, Stoke and Bristol City are Category C games because they are high risk games for trouble. Swindon away pricing- One of our members had been to a Swindon game recently and paid £21 to be in the away area. We asked would this apply to our game this season. We added that we paid just £14 last season. The club stated they would ask Mark Devlin for clarifications. The club added that if there is a price increase then it has to be the same for the home team. If it is just for the away team then they are not allowed to do this and Rangers would investigate. Ticketing- Recently a lot of ticketing info for away games as been incorect e.g students at Northampton were meant to pay just £9.50 but were then informed via a phone call after writing the cheque that it would be the full £14. The club stated they only print what they are given by the home club. Attendance in programme- The LSA had asked at many previous meetings if it would be possible to list the amount of away support we take to grounds and how many others bring to Loftus Road. We added that even the programme editor promised to put it in. The club acknowledged this and promised to look into it. Are we overstaffed at Loftus Road- The LSA raised the issue over whether we are overstaffed at Loftus Road. The club argued that there have been rumours flying about as a result of Brian Rowe. The club stated for example they have 2 students from Boston Tech University in the USA who offered to pay for their own trip and to work here for free. The club felt it was the appointment of Gerry Lonsdale which provoked this question. The club added that it had to make 3 redundancies during the time of administration. By having Fulham at Loftus Road and being the landlords we are legally requuired to provide staff at their games. Many staff work over their 47 hours legally required work. The club pointed out that there more staff at Oldham thanthere is at Rangers and we have Fulham here as well. The club stated also that we do not have the amount of staff here that we had before administration. With regards to too many staff being in the box office on match day and not looking as if they are doing something; the club stated that they are more than likely turnstile workers coming to collect their tickets who are just milling around. Transfer Dealings- With regards to us making any deals before the transfer dealine is highly unlikely given our current predicament. Andy Thompson- Despite the fact that he failed his medical for his proposed move to Hull he apparently as looked sharpin training this week. Craig McCallister- Although he didn't do as well in Wednesday's reserve game it's now up to Holloway to decide if we will keep him. He is however a player who is out of contract at the end of the season. New Supporters Club- The club stated that if there is going to be one then it should be launched in time for next season. It needs to be more transparent and something which people want to join. There is also a constitution. Minibus to Reserve games- One of our members has suggested that could it be possible to run a minibus to Reserve games from Loftus Road using one of the minibuses that are behind the Loft normally. It was suggested a small fee like a fiver would be paid as it was felt that although Northwood is a nice groundits very awkward to get to. The club stated they would look into it. Board of Directors- There were rumours we heard that the board were disagreeing on various matters. The club stated that 1 director disagrees with the others over 1matter. However, the club added that the agreement is resolvable. The club felt that anything which happened in the boardroom shouls stay in the boardroom. But they acknowledged they needto get someone in with a bit of financial clout. The club felt they are very open in comparison with other clubs. Plan B- We asked if the club had another plan for next season should Fulham not be here. The club stated they would look at other deals. Kettering Town- We asked if the club were able to play a pre-season testimonial friendly for one of our members who plays for Kettering and is a Rangers fan and is family run the café on Bloemfontein Road (2 mins from the ground.) The club informed us that Holloway has agreed to do it and it now has to be sorted out. The club were once again honest in answering our questions which covered a whole range of matters. It was a shame that not all the committee could turn up. We will of course be having another meeting soon. I have done my best to cover everything which was said. QPR Then, Now and Always. Dave Cox 28th JanuaryRobert Cameron - QPR Player 1950 - 1959 Whilst over on holiday this August from Down Under, I mentioned a story to Steve Russell regarding a chance meeting with a Greetings Card Rep in my News Agency in 1989 when I first moved to Oz. We talked about football and this bloke happened to mention that he indeed played football himself in England for the mighty R's!!! Being young and oh so cynical, I thought "sure mate, how much more do you want me to order? " and as they say ladies and gentlemen, that was that………until Steve suggested I might try and track Bobby down (Stan the great Aussie footballer hunter -strewth!!! anyway after reading too much Ian Rankin, off I went, not to Edinburgh but to the Greetings Card Company, result an away loss! Next, I wondered if Bobby still lived local (that's local Edwards and Tubbs) and bloody hell there were about 50 R.Camerons listed (away draw) So with my best dialing finger and a bit of insider info from the Building Society where I manage, I set about my task. First call, Mr Cameron (away win) anyway we got talking and I asked a few questions and below if you are all sitting comfortable …….a little story. Bobby was playing for a local under 21 side in Scotland and was watched several times by a QPR Scout called John Barr. The Scottish Scout contacted the QPR Manager, Dave Magnall who came up to watch him and eventually signed for the R's in May 1950. His first appearances were early in the 1951-2 Season but Bobby was sent off to do his National Service for a while. He remembers one of his first games against Cardiff at Ninian Park and mentioned a Friendly against Arsenal during the 1953-4 Season to celebrate the opening of the floodlights. Other highlights were his hatrick against Newport County the same Season and the biggest crowd he played in front of was at Roker Park in the FA Cup against Sunderland in the 1956/57 Season. He remembers the Shepherd's Bush area as a wonderful place to live in the 50's, and being so close to the West End. Our talk brought back many happy memories from that era. The support he says was fantastic and the atmosphere was great, with the crowd banked up close, though the less said about the state of the pitch the better! The QPR players he remembers fondly were Bert Addinall, Don Mills and Alfie Parkinson. Other players he greatly admired were Wilf Mannion (Boro) Billy Wright (Wolves) Billy Steel (Derby) and Tom Finney (Preston) Overall, Bobby says he played 289 games for the R's and scored 62 goals, usually wearing the No.10 shirt. He was transferred to Leeds United when he was 28 years old in July 1959 who were then managed by ex QPR Manager, Jack Taylor and were in the top flight. It was a move he couldn't turn down (though he soon became homesick for London). He went on to Gravesend and Northfleet before getting back into League football with Southend United. Its been over 40 years since he left the R's but makes a point of seeing Tony Ingham when he visits and was saddened to hear of Daphne Biggs's death last year. He still keeps in touch with the game, as do most people in Australia through TV and the British Football Weekly Newspaper. He enjoys the modern game and is in favour of the Players getting well paid for what they do, although he thinks the game will end up damaged for good if it prices the "real fan" out of being able to afford admission to games etc Anyway I hope this brings back a few memories for the older R's fans and also interests us younger ones, personally I've had a wonderful time with all this. Thanks to Bobby for his time and lending me a few of his photos. C'mon You R's. Stan Sykes - QPR LSA Australian Contact
http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02decfeb.htm
DECEMBER 2002 - LSA
Tuesday 10th DecemberLSA Meeting With Club - 09/12/02 Present - Ian Holloway, Nick Blackburn, Symon Eales, Dave Cox, Paul Finney, Sylvia Dallibar, Janet Colton, Gary Colton, Vic Stevenson, Steve Russell, Steve Rapjons, Paul Fischer and Tommy Collins. The LSA last week called a meeting with the club to address the recent on field problems at the club. Due to extremely disappointing results like the cup game against Vauxhall Motors and the league game against Cardiff City the LSA on behalf of its members wanted to raise many issues with Ian Holloway. The meeting was due to last just an hour but the meeting went on for nearly 3 hours. Many points were raised especially over tactics and I have tried my best to relay what Holloway said. Like all meetings we were told things in the strictest of confidence and as a result I cannot relay such stuff to you. Holloway was once again his usual passionate self. He was honest with us and he showed he really cared. We raised the point with Nick Blackburn over a school/college magazine which is distributed throughout the UK. We brought the matter up on behalf of Mark Flacks who contacted the club with the offer of free publicity. May I add that clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal use his publicity and pay for it. This is a professional magazine that Mark was willingly to let Rangers use to promote their ideas and encourage more R's supporters to come to Loftus Road. As Jim Frayling was not present we asked Blackburn if he could look into it for us. We received a call on Tuesday morning from Blackburn to explain that the email had been deleted? The matter is now being dealt with. The next point raised was over the fact that he has brought in players who some feel are NOT better than what we have got. The players concerned are Callum Willock and Paul Furlong. Holloway stated very clearly that we are a team short of confidence. Especially upfront where we have just Gallen to rely on. Holloway felt we lacked pace and at the time Willock who was available offered us that. Holloway later went on to read out a list of about 15 names of strikers who he thought were available and could do a job for us. On that list only 2 were available on loan. One was Chris Armstrong but he is no way fit and was simply too expensive. The other one was Willock. Olly felt he had no other choice but to snap him up. He said Oli is a player who is short on confidence and he cannot believe the supporters cannot see this. Olly added that he sees Oli as a winger and NOT as a forward. With regards to Jerome Thomas, Holloway told us he chose to go back. Thomas felt he was too good for us. Pat Rice had called up Kenny Jackett after the Blackpool game to say what a bad game he had. He might have had that good run but all round he was bad. He wasn't a team player and not tracking back for the team. Thomas also had an unprofessional attitude in that sometimes he turned up very late for training. Holloway continually stated how vital Gallen is to our cause. He's his favourite player because you know what you are going to get from him. The lad is passionate, hard working, loves the club just as much as the fans and he is settled. Olly stated losing him was part of the bad run. He also added that the rumour about Kevin being released due to no money from the cup defeat was complete and utter crap. Richard Langley is a player he felt had a very poor season. After being sent off against Bristol City, instead of staying back with the rest of the lads, he chose to go to Jamaica and play 3 games for them, one in Nigeria. Holloway did not want him to go and Langley now regrets going. Olly added that Langley cares a great deal for the club but he has to stay focused and be counted for in games. He cannot go wandering in games. He's far too experienced now not to stand up and be counted. One burning issue that we all wanted to raise was is the role of Steve Palmer. Many supporters feel the team is altered to fit in Palmer. Olly denied this saying Palmer, despite his age and pace, is one of his most valuable players. He's a great professional and he's able to go here, there and everywhere. He sees his centre half pairing as Carlisle alongside Shittu. In terms of whether he should lose the captaincy, he stated Palmer is his captain at the moment but in football anything can change. He added that people like Carlisle and Gallen could be his next captain. Danny Shittu is still a player Olly likes. He knows the boy cares and told us after the Luton game he was crying his eyes out in the changing room after hearing the reception the team got after the draw there. He added that he is a confidence player and he believes that he will make Rangers a profit one day. Dou Dou, if Olly had his way, would not have stayed in the summer. He had asked for an extortionate sum of money which the club refused and in the end because no other club wanted him had to come back to the club. Marcus Bignot was a player Olly really liked. He wasn't the greatest but always gave a 110% hustling and harrying for the club. The club could not keep him in the summer as he asked for too much money. The role of Tommy Williams was raised. Despite the fact he was signed as a winger Olly felt he is better suited to the left back role as there is no one who can take up that position. Murphy he feels has not played well enough in the reserves to warrant a place and Padula is simply not the player that Olly thought he had signed. Brett Angell was a signing that due to Gallen's injury was forced upon the club. He's the kind of player he felt is needed for the club. He's powerful and wins the headers. We raised the point that he was playing well against Cardiff but he took him off. Olly stated he was breathing out his backside and could not have lasted the rest of the game. The reason we played 4 centre halves against a team like Northampton was simply due to the fact that we had no one else who could play in the eyes of Olly. The game against Vauxhall was a game where Olly felt he needed his leaders. They were not showing and as a result they lost the game. He added that the players care despite the fact that many supporters feel they don't. Olly stated he accepted constructive criticism against his players but he would not tolerate players being slated because they have played for teams like Fulham and Chelsea's etc. He added they are Rangers players now and we should give them all the encouragement to do well as a QPR player. With the injury to Tommy Williams, Olly talked about a couple of names he felt could do a job for us. Although he mentioned the names we cannot disclose the names. But what we can add is that one is a Rangers player. With regards to Gareth Ainsworth he has signed for Walsall but is injured anyway. When asked if he ever thought about packing it in. He stated he cared too much to leave. He wants to carry through the job he started and he wants to see us promoted. The defeat to Vauxhall as left us around 300k out of profit. As a result we cannot sign Royce who Olly felt played superb for us. However, he cannot look to the past, what's done is done. The only way he was going to get money was through gates, a cup run and new investment. 2 of those things have failed so the only way the club will make money is through gate receipts. Andy Thompson's attitude on the pitch was raised. A lot of supporters feel he slugs around like he doesn't care. Olly stated that although he is not banging in the goals he still looked the same player when he scored 20 odd goals last season. It's just the way he is. To get the best out of him he needed to have Peter Crouch alongside who incidentally the club inquired about getting on loan. It was heard on the weekend that one of our best prospects Luke Sheekey was not signed up on a contract. Olly stated that he was not ready for the 1st team and everything at the moment is geared for the 1st team. Richard Pacquette was a player who Olly wanted to bring back. But he was suspended for 4 games and therefore had to sign Willock. He was very disappointed with him when he came back overweight in the summer. With regards to Holloway not being present at the Fans Forum this Thursday, Olly stated that they take it in turns who is present. Also, all the We Are QPR money has been returned and therefore no money could come from this type of investment. The meeting became very heated on a couple of occasions with Holloway becoming very animated over some points we made. I have tried my best to relay everything what was said. I hope you all found it an interesting read. QPR Then, Now and Forever Always. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02decfeb.htm
LSA - OCTOBER 2002
28th OctoberLSA Statement Due to recent constant negativity and the growing political agenda, our members feel that we should break our links with QPR 1st forthwith. QPR LSA Committee QPR LSA Meeting with the Club Present - David Davies, Jim Frayling, Mike Hartwell, Nick Blackburn, Mel Johnson, Steve Russell, Symon Eales, Dave Cox, Paul Fisher, Vic Stevenson and Sylvia Dallibar. On Thursday night a meeting took place between the LSA Committee and the club. Due to the EGM in the afternoon we both agreed that the meeting would not be as long as previous meetings. Once again the club answered all our questions as much as they could and our next meeting has been arranged for just before Christmas. Cheltenham apology - Rangers have got in contact with Cheltenham to ask them to make some kind of apology to those Rangers fans who were locked out despite having tickets. Cheltenham have insisted they will refund those 100 or so who were locked out including their travel. It was not a Rangers problem because we only sold what we were given. The reason for the lock out was done on Police advice after they saw some tickets being exchanged in a nearby pub and they thought those were counterfeits . They then felt there would be too many fans in such a small area. Tickets for away games - The club stated they have NO commercial agreement with anyone with regards to tickets for away games. All tickets are sold through the normal way. They are NOT giving any tickets to any particular groups. We Are QPR - The club are EXTREMELY disappointed that this initiative has fallen through. They felt it was a superb idea in terms of supporting Ian Holloway. At the EGM Ian Holloway spoke of his sadness because he felt he could have secured another player for QPR. The LSA and the club both agreed that we should do whatever to revive it because it had our full hearted support. Steve Russell has asked Harold Winton if they could have a fans forum so supporters could ask questions. The club stated they would do everything they could to accommodate such a forum at Loftus Road maybe before a home game. Fulham maybe moving to Chelsea - Recent papers suggested that Fulham could be leaving Loftus Road to potentially share with Chelsea. Davies stated that Al Fayed was perfectly entitled to talk to Chelsea but he added that there is a playing restriction to Stamford Bridge in terms of how many games can be played there. Ironically, for the West Ham v Fulham game Sven Goran Ericsson was present and Al Fayed told him that he’s enjoying life at Loftus Road. However, Davies did add that he needs to know if Fulham are definitely staying because he has to book for the refurbishment’s which need to be done on parts of the pitch. LDV - Rangers had actually made a profit from this game which they didn’t expect. Although disappointed at the defeat, it was good to see the club felt that some potential new supporters came to the game. The club justified just opening the South Africa Road because it kept all the fans in one area and it also didn’t mean further expenses. Clarke Carlisle - The club informed us that although the angle of the camera isn’t the best, Julian Alsop and the keeper have both written letters stating that Clarke did not spit. This would certainly support Clake as it came from 2 professionals who did NOT have to write the letters. Q Block - The club spoke of the level of racist chanting from the Q Block from a recent game. The club felt it was more anti Fulham chanting than actual racist chanting. The club stated that supporters will be prosecuted. With regards to some seats being broken in that area, the club informed us that the club has to pay for it. Tickets - The club informed us that the cheap ticket deals will be done 4 times a year in different ways. They see it as a crucial way in recruiting new supporters to the club and it has they full backing of the LSA. The reason for NOT selling tickets in the top tier of the school end is due to safety. The club stated that it is a tribute to R’s fans that the home ends had virtually sold out for the Oldham game. Scouting - Mel Johnson came and gave a detailed insight into the scouting structure of QPR. The LSA have constantly been asked by our members how fans can help with recruiting potential stars for the future. Mel stated that Rangers have contacts all over the place with some of them being ex Rangers stars. He gathers all his information from ceefax, newspapers and press releases. Mel added that Bobby Ross had been to a local recreation ground called Lillie Road which stages youth football. The LSA felt that the R’s were losing a lot of local talent to clubs from others parts of London and Lillie Road was an example that we had constantly brought up at previous meetings. The club use the Premier Youth leagues to recruit Rangers type players. Recent examples have Jerome Thomas and Danny Shittu. The club also scout the Premier Reserve league as it is felt that there are a lot of players who are quality but can’t get a game for their 1st team. In terms of us helping Mel. He said he will get players watched but he needs to see them playing competitive football. So if you see some one get in contact with Mel via the club. Potential school boys have to live within an hour of Rangers. Feedback - The LSA have agreed that we could be used to offer feedback on potential new ideas like season ticket prices, club strips and QPR World an initiative which would see more in depth news about the club and a chance to view more Rangers goals. Fans Forum - The club stated they received very positive feedback about the fans forum. They hope the Harrow Borough one just before Christmas and the Slough one in February will be just as successful. LSA V ASB Video - Hartwell stated that the club have the equipment to put some of the game onto video. He will get in contact with the LSA when he has done it Regional R’s end of season 6-a-side tournament- The club have agreed to fit in an end of season tournament to involve R’s teams around the country and raise money for charity e.g £10 a player for a team of a maximum 10 players. End of season video - The club were angered that they could not include all the goals from the season even the Swansea defeat! They stated they really wanted to show every game. Away season ticket - The club stated the cut off date has passed. Programme - The club have stated that there will be a page about ground safety in the programme. Kids Christmas Party - The club stated they will see what they can do in terms of giving something to Children LSA Members for the annual Christmas party. The meeting ended on this point. Once again the LSA found the meeting very informative and all questions were answered in the best possible way. Our next meeting was then arranged. QPR - Then, Now and Always. http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02augnov.htm
LSA -SEPTEMBER 2002
9th SeptemberLSA Meeting with the Club Present- David Davies, Nick Blackburn, Vic Stevenson, Steve Rapjohns, Steve Russell, Symon Eales, David Cox, Joe English, Paul Finney and Sylvia Dallibar. On Thursday night, the LSA committee met with the club. The meeting gave the LSA achance to put forward questions to the club on behalf of our members. The club answered them as best as they could. Dalgarno Gardens - Vic Stevenson on behalf of his sister had asked the club at the end of last season if 2 players could open a new playground in Dalgarno Gardens in Notting Hill on 1st June. Unfortunately for the kids, no players turned up. Therefore Vic raised this with the club. The club was first of all apologetic and stressed that there had been some kind of miscommunication. The club then stated they would offer some tickets to the kids who were bitterly disappointed. The club then moved onto talk about involving themselves in the local community and returning to Rangers’ past. The club informed us that the players have it written in their contracts that they must do 7 hours a week of helping the local community i.e. football coaching at a local school. Fulham Badge - The LSA raised the point that as soon as you walk into South Africa Road from Bloemfontein Road the first badge you see is that of Fulham. The LSA were quick to add we weren’t opposed to the Fulham badges in the ground. We just feel that it being OUR ground, the first badge you should see is that of QPR no matter what direction you come in from. The club stated that it felt it did not matter because Fulham are paying for the all the extra signage and the agreement acknowledges that the ground belongs to QPR. The club added there has been no talk of the 2 clubs merging or Fulham buying the ground. The Clubshop - A lot of LSA members had complained about paying for items on matchdays. They felt aggrieved that the queues were too long. The LSA pointed out it would make more sense to have cash tills and credit card tills. The club acknowledged this point and stated that new software is being installed in the tills. They added, they needed to retrain new staff after one person was sacked for gross misconduct. Members of staff - The LSA raised a point about a certain QPR staff member who was felt to be unhelpful to an LSA member who had rung the club to sort out details about his nephew being a mascot. The club acknowledged this event and ensured that in the future their staff will be more helpful. Supporters Club - The LSA raised the point that the club needs a supporters club as it would ensure a good relationship with the LSA and the club. We raised the idea of co-working on running coaches to games and raising money for charity. Nick Blackburn stated he would look at this. EGM - The proposed date of the EGM was asked on behalf of some of our members. The club informed us it would take place in mid-September and a man called Ray Garrett needed 10 days to organise sending out the details to R’s shareholders. The draft incidentally had just been finished. The club added that the AGM would take place in December. Money Lender - We then raised the question about the mystery of the person who is lending Rangers the money to pay off the creditors. The club would not disclose who the person is but stated categorically it is NOT Fayed or Noades. Shares - The mandate of the EGM will be about the issuing of the shares and the ratification’s of more shares. The club stated that Chris Wright still has 20% of the shares of which Nick Blackburn speaks for them. The other 28% of the shares stay in the club in the form of a trust and they have no representation. The 28% of shares are there to attract new investment. Nick Blackburn categorically stated that if there was a better chairman he would leave his position immediately. The club added that there is no chance of the shares of the shares being unfrozen. Ian Holloway - A number of LSA members had heard a rumour that if we weren’t in a good position by Christmas then Holloway would get the sack. We raised this with the club who stated this rumour was false and Holloway has their full support. Website - A lot of LSA members felt the official website needed more updating. The club acknowledged this and stated that the site is undergoing improvement and will have some new features in the short term. QPR LSA Video - The LSA were promised copies of the video of the charity football game between QPR LSA and ASB at Loftus Raod. The LSA committee had spoken to Mike Hartwell and Jim Frayling about it who both promised to send us a copy. As this did not happen, we raised it with the club who said they will definitely sort it out. Reserves - A lot of LSA members wanted us to raise the issue over lighting at reserve games at Northwood. Some members felt the lighting isn’t strong enough. The club stated that the lights meet league requirements. They said Ian Holloway chose Northwood as it had the best playing best surface. Transfers - The issue of transfers was raised. The club stated currently we can borrow a player from the Premiership but there can be no foreign transfers to us including Scotland until the transfer window opens again in January. Paul Furlong- The club stated we have him on a 18 month contract and there was no fee for him. Youth Football - The LSA raised the point for the 4th time that the club that the club have failed to come in contact with LSA member Bill Cox a man who helps run the biggest local 5-a-side youth football league. The LSA feel that the club needs to maintain links with the community to ensure that the best footballers play for QPR. The club acknowledged this. The LSA added the club needs to have R’s supporters in the community to put forward names of kids who could one day wear the blue and white hoops. The club accepted this and stated that potential Rangers talent spotters had to get in contact with Mel Johnson (Chief Scout) who incidentally will be at our next meeting to discuss his position and meet Bill Cox. Pre-Season - A lot of LSA members wanted us to raise the question over the pricing of pre-season tickets. Davies justified charging £15 because it still made more money than the friendlies of recent seasons. Programme - The LSA asked if it would be possible to have the away attendance in our programmes like a lot of other clubs have. We feel it would be good to see the exact figure of our superb away support. The club said they would look into it. On the road - The club will announce the exact details of 3 future Q&A sessions with Ian Holloway at the club, in Harrow and in Slough. The LSA felt it was a positive move as it gave R’s fans outside West London to put forward questions to Ian Holloway. Postage Charging - QPR LSA member Stan Sykes from Australia enquired about buying a shirt and having sent it to him in Australia. The club quoted him £10 for the postage. We raised this with the club who stated that it’s not them who set the postage prices. Stan in the end got his mate to buy him the shirt who sent it to Australia for £2. Celebrating the past - The LSA raised the point that the club are not doing enough to celebrate the past. We highlighted that we honoured Tony Ingham’s 50 years with the club. The club accepted this and will hopefully sort something out. Merchandise- The club announced that the clubshop will have a line of just 500 shirts of the reproduction of the old Guinness shirts. Whether it’s the exact copy I don’t know. But this will certainly prove popular amongst the supporters and the LSA welcomed this. The LSA found the meeting very informative and the questions were answered to the club’s best ability. We will have our next meeting with the club in 6 weeks. QPR Then Now and Forever Always. Dave Cox http://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/02augnov.htm
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