Signed QPR Shirt for sale to raise funds for Grace Murphy
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All proceeds will go direct to Grace Murphy. It’s been signed by x20 players including, Shittu, Orr, Derry, Kenny, Cerny, Hulse, Chimbonda, Connolly, Smith, Ephraim, Faurlin, Gorkss, Vaagan Moen and Buzsaky.
If anyone wants to make an offer please e-mail rooke.paul@sky.com.
QPR fans have already helped to raise over £29,000,so that seven year old Grace Murphy can have an operation in America which is not available on the NHS but which her family hope will significantly improve her quality of life. The picture above shows Grace and her brother Teddy when they were mascots for our home game against Forest.
Neil Warnock stated in an interview :
“The QPR supporters are incredibly loyal and there is a real feeling of togetherness among them, which is something we are extremely proud of. The way in which they have thrown their financial support behind young Grace, particularly at such a difficult time of year, is fantastic. It says so much about the supporters we have. The players have all been made aware of Grace’s plight, and it has really touched them. They are in the process of organising their own donation, which will help Grace reach her goal.”
If you wish to find out more about Grace and her family’s fund raising campaign you can visit the website her family have created for her:- http://www.gracemurphysdrfund.webeden.co.uk/
Lorna goes on a Moonwalk
QPR Fan Lorna Graham will be taking part in this years London Moonwalk, to raise money for vital Breast Cancer causes.
She states: “I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in January 2007, after 6 months of chemo, 2 operations and a month of radiotherapy I am still here to tell the tale, unfortunately one of my chemo buddies wasn’t so lucky, so I am taking this challenge in memory of Julia, for myself and everyone fighting this awful disease”.
Lorna promises that her bra will be fashioned on her first love- QPR!
Can you help?
With the potential prospect of promotion and a possible take-over of the Club, QPR looks like it is on the brink of major changes. It is vital that the views and aspirations of loyal fans are taken into account when these changes occur.
We believe that this can be best achieved by having a strong supporters trust working alongside the LSA and other independent fans groups and having links to the national government sponsored Supporters Direct movement. We can only achieve this by having a large committee whose members can bring a range of skills, experience and opinion.
If you would like to be elected onto our committee please contact us with your details. We would welcome people with knowledge of law, the media, local government, finance and marketing but most of all we welcome people with enthusiam and commitment. Most of our work is done over the internet.
The closing date for submissions to join our committee is April 30th 2011.
Changes in QPR Directors
There have been various changes in the Board of Directors of both QPR Holdings and QPR Football and Athletic Club.
Ecclestone’s inclusion on both boards shows his increased influence as the majority stakeholder in the Club. Whilst Briatore remains a director, the removal of his associates Michel and Rapini reflect the fact that his stake in the Club is now nominal. Bhatia’s inclusion on the Board of the Football and Athletic Club is in line with his recent statement that his family have a continued interest in maintaining their stake in the Club. The termination of Paladini’s directorship of QPR Holdings suggests he will play a less direct role in the business side of QPR. Ali Russell’s exit reflects his decision to move onto pastures new.
QPR Holdings Ltd
New Appointment (17/02/11):
Bernie Eccelstone
Appointments terminated (16/02/11)
Gianni Paladini
Ali Russell
Bruno Michel
Marco Rapini
Current directors are:
Bernie Ecclestone
Amit Bhatia
Flavio Briatore
QPR Football and Athletic Club
New Appointment:
Bernie Eccelstone
Appointments terminated:
Ali Russell
Bruno Michel
Current directors are:
Bernie Ecclestone
Flavio Briatore
Gianni Paladini
FA Charges against the Club and Mr Paladini
QPR fans now face the prospect that hopes of a return to the Premier League will be dashed by a points deduction if the Club is found guilty of seven breaches of FA regulations.
This has led fans to question the role played by former agent Gianni Paladini in Club affairs. Paladini, who himself stands personally accused of giving false information to the FA continues to remain a director and chairman of QPR Football and Athletic Club although his position on the Board of QPR Holdings was recently terminated.
In fairness to Mr Paladini it is important to point out that the charges made against both the Club and himself have been denied. Nevertheless the wording of the Club’s statement, that no deliberate wrongdoing has taken place is of concern, if it means that we are relying on ignorance as a defence.
We hope that the club can demonstrate that it has always acted in good faith seeking advice and clarification when necessary. If wrongdoing is indeed found by the FA to have taken place, deliberate or otherwise, we hope that the FA will find the most effective way of limiting the punishment to the person or persons involved rather than punishing blameless players and fans.
In the meanwhile we urge all fans to get behind our manager and the squad as every point we can earn may prove to be more vital than ever to our promotion campaign
Triesman attacks FA
Lord Triesman, the former chairman of the Football Association, gave evidence to MPs at the first public session of the Select Committee’s enquiry into football governance. He launched a scathing attack on the FA, accusing it of ‘systematic failure’ and ‘subcontracting out the running of the game’ to the Premier League. He called for direct intervention by government into the running of English football”
Whilst transfer fees spiral out of control and more and more clubs go further into the red , the FA has stated that aggregate debt in the game is ‘not necessarily a problem that needs addressing’.
That the FA should fail to acknowledge the crisis in English Football or recognise the need for legislation to protect the interests of fans and the local community is disappointing if not surprising.
The FA accepts that Supporters Trusts have a role to play within the game but believe that direct involvement by a Supporters Trust in the governance of a Football Club should be purely on a voluntary basis. Rather the FA thinks the focus should be “on the importance of improving communication and information sharing between supporters and clubs” without making any specific recommendations about how this will be achieved or what will happen if Clubs refuse to liase with supporters trusts and other independent fans groups.
That the FA should fail to acknowledge the crisis in English Football or recognise the need for legislation to protect the interests of fans and the local community is disappointing if not surprising.
Takeover bid: Put Stability First!
Responding to media speculation about the sell of a 67 % stake in QPR Holdings to a consortium of American and Asian businessmen, the Club has issued a statement confirming that it has entered into preliminary discussions which may or may not result in an offer being made.
It would appear that these discussions relate to Bernie Eccelstone selling his 62 % stake in QPR Holdings with Flavio Briatore maybe also giving up his nominal share. In a press interview, Amit Bhatia denied that the Mittals were not part of these negotiations and did not intend to sell their 33 % stake. He stated that, “We remain passionate about QPR and are working to achieve our immediate goal of providing Premier League football to our loyal supporters next season.”
It is interesting to note that Lakshmi Mittal made a rare appearance at Loftus Road to see us increase our lead at the top of the league.
Meanwhile accounts for the 2009-10 season revealed that the club made a pre-tax loss of £13.7m and had a net debt of £37m.
We very much regret that whilst the Club decided to confirm that negotations had taken place it did not reassure fans that any take-over would be postponed until our campaign to return to the Premiership had been resolved.
QPR1st Supporters Trust would urge both current and potential new owners to appreciate that the foundation of that success has been stability and consistency. The last thing the Club needs at this critical stage is major upheavals or disruption. This is in no ones interest, least of all the players and the fans.
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