Proving that nobody really has much of a clue who is going to be the new QPR manager the Daily Mirror concluded a week that has seen Jim Magilton, Colin Calderwood and Steve Cotterill declared the favourite by tipping Aidy Boothroyd for the job.
Boothroyd has been out of work since being sacked by Watford just before the R’s 3-0 defeat at Vicarage Road back in December. He was a shock appointment by the Hornets when he arrived from the backroom staff at Leeds to succeed Ray Lewington at the end of the 2004/05 season but he soon won the doubters over by winning promotion from the Championship via the play offs with a workmanlike group of players, including our own Gavin Mahon, in his first full season in charge.
Not surprisingly Watford came straight back in bottom place but started the following season well with ten wins from eleven matches early on sending them out in front. A terrible run of form after Christmas culminated in play off defeat by Hull City and the slump continued at the start of last season with Boothroyd forced to sell a number of his better players, ex R Danny Shittu amongst them, to balance the books. He was sacked last autumn as Watford flirted with relegation and replaced by Brendan Rogers who guided them to safety.
Boothroyd’s style of play at Watford was infamous and although he did start to change his ways in the last few months of his Vicarage Road reign by then his better players had started to leave and it was all to no avail. It seems it is this preference for long ball football that seems to be restricting a manager who would surely otherwise have been considered for Championship jobs from a return to management and makes QPR’s alleged interest all the more bizarre. Flavio Briatore stated after the departure of Paulo Sousa that he wanted to see attractive, attacking football in a 442 formation and if that remains the case then he’s in for a rude awakening should either Boothroyd or former Burnley boss Steve Cotterill get the nod to replace Sousa.
Nevertheless the Daily Mirror reports today: “Aidy Boothroyd is emerging as favourite to become the new boss of QPR - with a choice made from the five-man shortlist due this week. Boothroyd has been out of work since leaving Watford and he is keen to return to the Championship club who have taken their time in this latest process.”
Whoever the new QPR manager is will face another of our usual pre-season opponents in July. Wycombe Wanderers, promoted in third place from League Two this season under the guidance of Peter Taylor will provide opposition for Rangers on Tuesday, July 28 at 7.45pm. Wycombe, who boast former R Tommy Doherty among their number, face Dover and Hampton and Richmond Borough either side of the tie while Rangers now have three friendlies confirmed with Aldershot and Oxford the other confirmed opposition.
In former QPR news there was joy for Simon Royce and Dennis Oli at Wembley today as their Gillingham side were promoted from League Two via the play off final at the expense of Shrewsbury who included Paul Murray among their number. Ian Holloway commentated on that game for Five Live as he prepares to start life as Blackpool manager – Olly said yesterday: “We are in the Championship which is one step from huge amounts of money but you can't try to grab it because you will fall over. You have to take baby steps to get there. This club understands that better than most. I want to take it forward, of course, but it's got to be slowly. We've all got to work towards improving – me, the club, the players, the ground. I know the president of this club made a comment about being in the Premier League in five years and people probably laughed but Hull people probably laughed when they said they had that same dream. They are living that dream now. We'll take it slowly and hopefully we'll get better and make the people at this club smile and enjoy their football."
Striker Richard Pacquette, a junior who graduated to QPR’s first team but probably better known for his cup run with Havant and Waterlooville, has signed for Conference side York City. Manager Martin Foyle said: “Richard's a non-league striker who's scored on a regular basis. He's hungry to get back into full-time football.” Two players who enjoyed rather more success with Rangers, understatement of the century there, have given entertaining interviews to national newspapers this weekend. Read Stan Bowles’ thoughts here, and a piece from Rodney Marsh here.
Elsewhere in the Championship Swansea are ready to call time on their pursuit of Spaniard Jordi Gomez who was one of the Championship’s outstanding players last season on loan to the Swans from Espanyol. Boss Roberto Martinez fears his performances have caught the eye of clubs with deeper pockets and Swansea are set to be priced out of the race. Swansea have however completed the signing of Stephen Dobbie from Queen of the South – he was the top scorer in the Scottish First Division last season. Paul Sturrock has told Krisztian Timar he must work hard this summer to win back his place in the side after only making 11 appearances last season and 22 year old winger Chris Cohen has signed a new four year deal at Nottingham Forest.