Rangers have Austin ‘vulnerability’, three loanees on scoresheet — diary Wednesday, 22nd Jan 2014 00:06 by Clive Whittingham Charlie Austin continued his fine form with a double against Huddersfield on Saturday, and the praise continues to flood in for Rangers’ top scorer. NewsIn his role as QPR’s unofficial giver of press conferences, coach Kevin Bond admitted that QPR’s promotion push would be severely dented if Austin suffered any kind of absence. The former Burnley man failed a medical at Hull City prior to moving to Loftus Road last summer. Bond said: “Of course it’s a concern. We haven’t scored as many goals as we ought to for a side that’s where we are in the table. You would become very vulnerable if anything happened to Charlie. It’s there for all to see. We need people who can score goals and we need help in that department. We haven’t finished teams off in the way we would have liked. “We were better in the second half. We needed to up our game and we got two goals from Charlie, which has been pretty much par for the course. He’s the one who has scored the goals for us and that’s why we are where we are, as well as the fact that we’ve managed to keep the ball out of the net. I also thought Matt Phillips and Armand Traore made a difference when they came on as perhaps we lacked width.”
Austin was magnanimous as ever, happy with the points more than the personal glory, but his self belief is sky rocketing after a third successive prolific goal scoring season in the Championship. He told the club’s official website: “It’s obviously pleasing to get the two goals but the main thing was the three points. We worked hard in the second half to get the win. In the first half we were possibly a little bit sluggish but after the break we were better and we showed what we can do. I am confident whenever I play. I try my hardest every day in training and that carries into the games. Whenever I cross that white line on a matchday I am determined to score as many goals as I can, and luckily enough I managed to get two on Saturday, and we got all three points. With the transfer window open, Rangers are rumoured to be working hard to bring in some cover for their red hot centre forward. Inter Milan forward Ishak Belfodil has been heading the list for several weeks, but a potential loan deal for the Algerian is complicated by his co-owned status with Inter and Parma (the latter want him sold permanently) and interest from Premier League side West Ham. Harry Redknapp said on Friday: “He’s a player of interest to us and it’s a case of whether there’s a deal to be done or not. I’m not too certain where that situation’s gone. The chairman’s been dealing with it with Philip Beard. They’re getting on with that.”
Auxerre’s French Under 21 international Paul Georges-Ntep has also been mentioned — but with interest from Rennes and Arsenal, and a rumoured £8m price on his head, that will be a tall order for a Championship club to pull off. Parma have indicated that they may be open to a compromise over Belfodil, who scored eight goals for Inter last season but has not found the net so far this term. One player who does seem certain to be heading to W12, and has even been wished luck by his current team mates via The Twitter, is Livingston’s 18 year old defender Coll Donaldson. Discussions are ongoing with the Scottish second tier side and a fee of around £150,000 has been mentioned. Meanwhile Rangers are still waiting to see whether Little Tom Carroll will be making a premature exit from the club this January. Spurs’ England youth international signed a season long loan deal back in the summer but while new Totenham boss Tim Sherwood is happy for the R’s to keep hold of Benoit Assou-Ekotto for the whole campaign he has been mulling over an early return for Carroll. Redknapp is keen to see that issue sorted as soon as possible to avoid a late rush for a replacement as the window comes to a close. Redknapp told the http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/redknapp-wants-decis Chronicle: “It’s really up to Tim what he wants to do. I know Tim likes him an awful lot and Tom was excellent at Ipswich last week. I wouldn’t be sure about what they they’ll do. I wouldn’t be definite about that one. If Tim wants to take him back then we’ll need a bit of time to try to find somebody else. I haven’t spoken to Tim for a week or so but I will be speaking to him, because I wouldn’t want to leave it until the last day and then if he goes back we’ll be short.”
The R’s are rather more desperate to be shot of top earner Julio Cesar, who has featured only once — ina 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Everton — so far this season. Italian side Cagliari are the latest club linked with his signature and their owner Massimo Cellino told Sardinian newspaper Unione Sarde: “I spoke to Julio Cesar who is not playing at QPR and wants to go to the World Cup. He told me that he knows the team and would return to Italy.” Cesar is quoted elsewhere expressing interest in the move and QPR chairman Tony Fernandes told Sky Sports: “It’s a waste for someone with such immense talent not playing and I think he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, so I’m sure someone will pick him up and let’s see how that goes. We’ve gone with Rob because at the beginning of the season we thought Julio wouldn’t be there. Rob has come in and done a fantastic job and I think he could be pushing for an England place - he’s played really well.” Fernandes meanwhile has threatened to pull the plug on his Caterham F1 team if they continue to struggle to win competition points in 2014. Fernandes is quoted by http://www.london24.com/sport/championship/qpr/qpr_s_fernandes_urges_formula_one saying: “My message to the 250 people here is we have to go for it this year. This is it - the final chance. We’ve given you the best infrastructure, the best potential drivers, but it is now down to all of you to go and do it. If we’re at the back I don’t think I’m going to carry on. Nothing is set in stone, but after five years with no points there is a limit to one’s patience, money, motivation, etcetera, so it’s an important year. I need to feel like we’re going somewhere. If I feel we can compete, then great, but if we’re not competing then we have to seriously examine ourselves and ask ‘does this make sense?’” Green, meanwhile, is getting on with his game, and celebrated his thirty fourth birthday with a string of important first half saves against Huddersfield on Saturday. Green told the club’s official website: “It was a bit nail biting. It was another one of those that you chalk off and don’t remember much about it but you look at the league table and you have another three points. It’s been an impressive run but we need start a new one now. A lot of our results this season have been built on being solid at the back. It would be nice to get another clean sheet against Bolton but they will be keen to get a result after being beaten so heavily at Reading. Not having a game this weekend is a bit of a blessing as it allows a bit more recovery time so we are good to go next week. It’s an important run of matches coming up and so we must be focused and fresh.”
Couple of little bits for the Parish Noticeboard. Youth teamer Nathan Corkery has been called up for Republic of Ireland’s forthcoming under 17 training camp in Liverpool. And yet another first team fixture has been moved for live coverage by Sky Sports. The home game with Leeds will now start at 12.15 on Saturday March 1 meaning that four out of five Rangers games through February and March are now live on the box and the away game at Charlton on February 22 is the only Saturday 15.00 kick off the team has between now and Saturday March 8 at Birmingham City. Loan WatchMichael Harriman scored his first senior goal after being moved from right back to right midfield by Gillingham manager Peter Taylor for their 2-0 home win against Swindon at the weekend. Afterwards Harriman told the Kent Messenger he was dedicating the striker to Kiyan Prince, who was murdered outside his school in 2006 when the pair played together in Rangers’ youth team. Harriman said: “I always said that when I scored my first goal I would dedicate it to my mate Kiyan Prince, who sadly passed away a few years ago. I know he is watching me up there and that was definitely for him. It was a great moment for me. I will remember my first professional goal in the league for a long time and I am really happy right now. You won’t forget your first goal and you remember the place you scored and how you scored it. It was a good day for me and the boys and to get three points, after last week’s defeat to Colchester, it has been good to bounce back with a result.” Goals too for Tom Hitchcock, who opened the scoring with the first goal of his loan spell at Rotherham as the Millers recorded a comfortable 3-0 win at Shrewsbury, and Max Ehmer who got a late consolation for Carlisle in their 4-2 home defeat by Colchester having earlier put through his own goal. Rounding up the other lower-league R’s: Hogan Ephraim was an unused sub for Peterborough as they won 3-0 at home to Tranmere; Michael Doughty started and Bruno Andrade came on as a sub but neither could prevent struggling Stevenage losing 1-0 at home to Notts County; Michael Petrasso was a seventy first minute sub for Oldham in their 1-0 loss at Port Vale. In the Premier League Loic Remy scored for the first time in five matches as Newcastle won 3-1 at West Ham — scene of the Frenchman’s first ever goal for QPR last season. Adel Taarabt didn’t feature for Fulham in their 2-0 loss at Arsenal. In Europe Stephane Mbia missed Sevellie’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid with a knee injury and Ji-Sung Park played 83 minutes of PSV’s 1-0 defeat to Ajax. Former R’sFormer QPR right back David Bardsley says he would be interested in replacing Marc Bircham as head of the club’s EDS squad. Bircham left for a first team coaching position at Millwall last week while Bardsley has been running a youth academy in Florida, named after QPR and with the players decked out in the club’s kit. Bardsley told West London Sport: “I’d be interested, definitely. QPR is my passion and I’ve always said the only reason I’d move back to England would be for them. I’ve been working for many years in Florida now, coaching kids and trying to spread the name of QPR using my own programme. If the chance came to go back there and do the same but at the club itself, of course I’d want to. It would follow on from what I’ve been doing here. Anything you do in life you should believe in and feel passionate about. I’m certainly passionate about the club and am QPR through and through, as are my kids. It would be more than a job to me. “I’ve been looking at a few MLS opportunities over here but if Rangers called, I’d be there. I’ve still got an agent in England and I think they’ll make contact with the club and see what the situation is. I don’t know what their plans are. Marc Bircham has done a great job and with the ambitions of the owners it’ll be a good opportunity for someone, that’s for sure.” Bircham meanwhile is looking forward to getting to work with new manager Ian Holloway at The Den. He told BBC London: "Ian Holloway is made for this club. The supporters will love him. He's a success, an energetic man and I think he'll get it right. I've kept in touch with him since he left QPR and he's the same as he was when I was a player there. He's the most honest, charismatic, bubbly man you could meet in football. You cannot not like him. I've always said that the best thing about Ian Holloway is that he gets a squad of players wanting to play for him. He treats you as you want to be treated as a player. He's so likeable and that's why I think he'll do well at this club. That's why I decided to give up a job at QPR, where I could probably have stayed for many years, so I could be a part of Ian Holloway's Millwall." The pair have wasted little time in strengthening their squad, adding another QPR old boy DJ Campbell to their squad on loan for the rest of the season. The 32-year-old, who Holloway worked with at Blackpool and Bircham at QPR, has been out of the picture at Ewood Park since he was embroiled in spot-fixing allegations earlier this season. While one enclave of former QPR players forms in South London, another is springing up in South east Asia where Damion Stewart has joined Pahang in Malaysia, and Jay Bothroyd has signed for Muangthong in Thailand on a two year deal worth a rumoured £5m tax free. Stewart will get a chance to reform his terrifying centre half partnership with his old QPR team mate Zesh Rehman. Rehman said: "Damion and I played together for a few seasons in England and we know each other on-and-off the pitch. Hopefully, we can get our partnership going for Pahang in the league," said Zeshman after Pahang's signing ceremony with apparel sponsor Puma in Bandar Utama yesterday. Championship Shorts- Blackpool have sacked manager Paul Ince after less than a year in charge. The self-styled “Guv’nor” won five and drew one of the first six league games this season but was given a five match stadium ban for abusing match officials in a defeat at Bournemouth and Pool have lost nine and drawn one of the last ten, including a 2-0 home defeat by QPR. They’ve failed to score in four of their last five matches and currently sit fourteenth in the table. Experienced midfielder Barry Ferguson has been placed in temporary charge. - That sacking means that Middlesbrough full back Frazer Richardson will now not be moving to Bloomfield Road. A loan deal for the 31-year-old, who was signed by Boro’s previous boss Tony Mowbray on a free transfer from Southampton back in the summer, was due to be completed this week but Pool have now called it off. - Nottingham Forest’s search for a new lone striker could be about to lead them to Sunderland’s Danny Graham. The former Swansea forward is currently on a season long loan with Premier League side Hull but has been bumped down the pecking order by the arrivals of Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic and has a break clause in his deal. - Birmingham have responded to Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by lowly Yeovil by signing Slovakia Under-21 international Albert Rusnak on a month's loan from Manchester City. The 19-year-old has signed a one-month youth-loan deal, which could take in as many as five league matches up to and including Saturday, 22 February. - Huddersfield have completed their third signing of the transfer window, agreeing compensation for IK Start’s Norway Under 18 international midfielder Sondre Tronstad on a two-and-a-half-year deal. He follows Bradford’s Nahki Wells and Kidderminster’s Joe Lolley through the entrance this January. Tweet @loftforwords Pictures — Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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