QPR Q and A

Last updated : 09 March 2006 By Andy Parsons

No doubt that Rangers have had a topsy-turvy season with board room problems being the main talking point of the campaign so let's get Mark's opinion on all things Hoops.

1) What's happened to QPR since that great day for you guys here in 04?

In 2004-05 we continued to move forward, we strengthened the squad and moved forward on and off the pitch. Unfortunately this season we have began to stutter. Off the pitch we started the season with boardroom wranglings and it seems they haven't left us. Firstly the board were forced out and then Ian Holloway - although many fans agreed we needed a change.

Since Ollie's gone, Gary Waddock has breathed fresh life into the club, changing the style of play as well as the attitude around the club. Everybody has a spring in there step once more and it's beginning to feel good again supporting Rangers.

Nobody can doubt what Ian Holloway did for the club, he was a saviour and a hero but football changes and at the moment the new chairman Gianni Paladini may have just got it right- although the way it was handled was appalling. All in all we sprinted forward after promotion but we began to run out of gas, we've regrouped and started to jog forward again which is pleasing.

2 - Is it about time Rangers started pushing for the play-offs with the good players you have in your squad?

I wish we could but I don't believe we can compete with club's such as Leeds, Palace, Wolves et all who can go an open a cheque book whenever they need too. We admire Watford who have set up a nice team without spending bag fulls of cash, and Preston too but realistically playoff positions should be too much to expect this season or next, we're still rebuilding and it will take time.

3 - Guns to the chairman's head, Holloway enjoying time in his 'garden' - what's happening behind the scenes?

As I said earlier, it's all happened so quickly nobody really knows what's happened. One thing is for sure, Gianni Paladini is a powerful man and has ousted many people already out of the club and it will be a shame if he begins picking team's from the chairman's office. But despite it not being revealed he had some say in Ollie's reign.

He's brought in a few foreign faces and if they weren't playing he'd give Ollie grief as to why. In the end it told as he had enough of Ollie ignoring his players and pushed him out. It's settled down now and hopefully he's happy now that he has a team of people working together again and we're just hoping that's the last we hear of boardroom problems at the club - we're worse than a soap opera.

4 - Do you want Holloway back? Let's be honest he's a right laugh!

He's an amazing man, you only have to listen to him once to be hooked. Even on Soccer AM last week he was still making people smile and entertaining us. He gives everything he's got when he works for you and nobody can deny he was our saviour, but we needed a change and I think Ollie realised it was a time to move on too. He won't come back although I would love him too one day.

5 - Who are your unsung heroes we have to watch out for on Saturday?

Marcus Bignot has been very consistent this season at right-back. He's only small but his game has improved dramatically recently. Simon Royce and our new stopper Paul Jones have been outstanding when they've played. Up front Marc Nygaard is a handful at 6ft5. Lee Cook adds great width down the left as well as some lovely ball skills and Steve Lomas has begun to show why he was so highly rated at West Ham.

6 - Who has been the best player at Loftus Road this season?

Nygaard's goals per game ratio has been outstanding but he's been dogged by injury. Simon Royce and Danny Shittu have always been on top of there game. Gareth Ainsworth will give you everything too and has managed to play many more games than his body is used too and always impresses down the right wing.

7 - How to Rangers play on the road?

Very inconsistently. We were outstanding at Derby and more recently your neighbours the Blades but have been terrible at Coventry, Watford, Luton and even Northampton. I really do not know what to expect.

8 - What do you know about Wednesday? Who do you think will be a threat?

I haven't seen any early team news yet but I have been impressed with Chris Brunt and Burton O'Brian before, Leon Best and Frankie Simek have been on loan with us before but not shown anything too great so we'll expect them to come back and show us up. Graham Coughlan has always been a threat in the air for Plymouth and Wednesday against us and is a half decent defender too.

9 - Apart from your last visit here which resulted in promotion, what other memories do you have of QPR visits to Hillsborough?

Beaten 5-2 with Peter Crouch netting twice for us in the millennium year, and a 3-1 win when we were in the Premiership. Simon Barker scored twice for us on that day in a team which included Rufus Brevett, Nigel Quashie, Andy Impey, Ian Holloway, Kevin Gallen and Trevor Sinclair back in 1995. A mixed bag when we come to Hillsborough.

10 - A prediction please!

Rangers to steal it 2-1

Thanks to Mark of www.qpr-mad.co.uk or see my replies at http://www.qpr.vitalfootball.co.uk/.