This week, we welcome Mike, author of QPR Report to the Wolves Blog Guest House for a friendly chat ahead of Saturday’s match at Molineux.
Thomas: Mike, come in my friend. What can I get you to drink?
Mike: A nice cup of tea.
Thomas: A man after my own heart. I’ll stick the kettle on. I suppose the first thing I should say is ‘welcome back to the Premier League’. How have you found it so far? Results have been pretty mixed so are you happy with the start you’ve made?
QPR have added considerably to their squad in recent weeks
Mike: There have really been two QPR starts to the season: The Briatore/Ecclestone “Starve the manager” start…And then, after the Fernandes-Bhatia takeover, a whole new atmosphere and several quality players brought in. Obviously we’d like to have 12 points from 4 games…But if you saw the Newcastle game, we truly did dominate.
Thomas: You were certainly very impressive. There always seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes at QPR. Does that worry you as a supporter?
Mike: If we had done this interview a few weeks ago, I would very much have said yes. And there is no question that the QPR Report blog and Messageboard were in the forefront of criticism and scepticism about the previous “Administration” – especially regarding the role of former Chairman Gianni Paladini (a man who’s familiar with former Wolves player and now agent, Mel Eves!). I would say that NOW, finally, “The Sky is Blue.” ( aphrase used by our former Chairman as he came out of the FA Investigation hearing into QPR’s signing of Faurlin!
Thomas: Neil Warnock was able to bring in some quality players before the window shut. Which arrival excited you most and why?
Mike: Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips: Just bringing some Premiership class to the squad. But to be honest, we’ve signed several players, who in totem say: Premiership survival is now very much of a possibility.
Thomas: I’d agree with that. One player you already had was Adel Taarabt. He seems like an interesting character with bags of skill. Do you think he can become a consistent force in the Premier League?
Mike: I certainly hope so. He spent the summer trying to get away from us. Warnock just replaced him as Captain with Barton. He had a great game on Monday against Newcastle. It will be an interesting challenge: How he copes with not being the only attacking star on the team. Hopefully he’ll thrive and be helped by having other players around him, so he won’t be man marked.
Warnock - always entertaining
Thomas: Good point. What are you hoping for this season? I suppose survival is the ultimate aim but do you feel you can you realistically hope for better?
Mike: Obviously survival is the ultimate goal for us (and all of us!). Hopefully a (lower) mid-table position.
Thomas: Nothing wrong with aiming high. What’s your opinion on Neil Warnock?
Mike: G-d! Did a brilliant job saving us from relegation in his first season, taking us to Promotion last season, withstanding the Briatore-Ecclestone era. Whether he’s going to be good enough to take us into Europe, time will tell, but he’s exactly what we’ve needed for a long time.
Thomas: And what’s your opinion on our gafffer?
Mike: I remember him as a Millwall and Manchester City Defender. He seems a good guy. The kind of guy you wish well.
Thomas: What thoughts immediately spring to mind when you think about Wolves as a club?
Mike: Floodlights. Championship. 1950s. Stan Cullis.
And personally for QPR: A 1969/1970 League Cup game under the Loftus Road Floodlights. QPR had just been relegated. Wolves were in the old First Division, with Derek Dougan and managed by Bill McGarry.
Also in the mid-1990s, Gerry Francis interviewing to become Wolves’ new manager.
And back to the 1970s, when both clubs had goalies called Phil Parkes – which was strange. I don’t think it’s any bias to say the QPR Phil Parkes was the better of the two.
(FYI – Some past QPR-Wolves encounters – http://qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=26247)
Thomas: Ha, some lovely memories. Which of our players do you rate?
Mike: I’m not too familiar with your Premiership players. I do know Wolves had a couple of players who really should have been QPR players, but we missed out and they joined Wolves. Knightly, Ebanks-Blake, Henry, Jarvis, O’Hara. Ikeme, of course we had on loan.
Thomas: How do you think we’ll fare this season?
Mike: I think you’ll stay up again.
Thomas: I’d be happy enough with that. Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday?
Mike: I really think we’re going to pull off a shock on Saturday. But because I don’t want to jinx us, I’m going for a 3-1 Wolves win!
Thomas: Spoken like a true football fan. Thanks for taking the time Mike and good luck for the season…after Saturday.
Mike: Thank you very much for inviting me to answer your questions. The one thing I found doing my own Q&A with fans of other clubs is how, beyond obviously rivalries, how much fans of all clubs, actually have in common. Very best of luck to you (after Saturday).
Who the buggery is Knightly?
Typical London club supporter, doesn’t take any notice of anything above Watford!
michael kightly ! Forgive the typo…He made his debut vs QPR…Considering Wolves signed him from a non-league club near QPR, should have been found by us! Let’s see you do as well knowing all the QPR players! Thanks again for offering the interview. Good luck (after Saturday)
‘Agymang’ might pose us problems! He always did on the pitch too come to think of it, particularly v Mancienne the season we went up. Terrorised him!
Put you in your place!
Besides I’ve heard many a Wolves fan call him Knightly, worryingly.
Nice one, great interview – I’ve got a softspot for QPR.
1) Warnock – he hates West Brom
2) West Br*m hate Warnock – The Battle at Brammel lane – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bramall_Lane –
3) Warnock loves Wolves. He always speaks well of us and MM http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23807197-wolves-given-suspended-fine-for-fielding-weakened-side.do
4) Many of their fans stayed and watched our promotion party.
5) Les Ferdinand – He was great at QPR – I fell in love with football when he was banging them in for fun.
I hope I still feel the same about them after the game.
typical big headed landener, europe! you will be lucky to survive, and no disrespect to qpr but if we can’t beat the likes of them at home then we might has well pack it in, they have only signed journeymen to add to a poor squad, lets see what happens when they play the better teams!
Ha ha no disrespect but if we cant beat relegation fodder like you then we should join you going down wolfy my son …………..
Best Guest House yet! As London teams go, I’ve always humoured QPR more than the rest. Don’t ask why…Might have been their kit, Sir Les up front and Trevor Sinclair on the wing. And a stadium that hasn’t conformed to sanitised identity.
I have always loved Warnock, and thought he should have been here in those wilderness years of the 90s. Although he did cause a near civil war at Meadow Lane when he allegedly told his full back to break Bully’s legs when Notts County manager – Shane Westley wanted to kill him IIRC! (A remarkably similar situation to Wally Downes’ claim when at Reading years later. Hmm)
This link is the reason I have always liked Warnock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJNH26QR3SI
We could have done with a bit of that a few years ago!!
Thomas – where do you keep finding so many well mannered and reasonable supporters of our premiership opposition.
For me QPR don`t have the fanbase to survive and prosper as a premiership club, so they are playing the wealthy benefactor game, thats not for us though!!. You have to say well done to them for winning the Championsip so convincingly last season, and for acquiring some real quality before the window closed.
At least they had the balls, to pay out big wages for Wright – Phillips and Barton, I don`t see that as a financial risk at all, particularly if QPR survive their first season. Maybe there is a lesson there, that there are always other options……..
two words mate, nicola zigic. He’s on £2.5m p/a – £10m over the course of his 4 year contract, and now the blouse are stuck with him. QPR are paying Barton £65k a week! what are they gonna do if they go down?
You “don’t see that as a financial risk”?! Can I play you at poker?
Fan base is gonna have nowt to do with it, more like the size of the cheque book. See Wigan Athletic
Blah, blah, blah…….
Once again, a blog that could have come from the official Wolves sanitized site.
Do you just rehash the same blog every week, Thomas, and change the names?
I for one, as previously stated, don’t give a flying rat’s arse what other clubs fans think of Wolves.
Let’s get some real comments, not “have another cucumber sammich”
FOMM
We should have had Clive interview this Simon chap – THAT would have been a compelling (albeit not constructive) read!
At the top of each post there’s a title. When it says ‘guest house’, don’t read it. Simple.
Scratch that. You wanted to hear what fans really think. There you go!
That is what I believed this was all about. Moreover if you check what I wrote you will find that not once did I slag your club off. The trouble with this concept is you get people like Ben, Stourbridge Wolf, Clive ( the creep), Sleachy, Kwolf, Johnok, et al who cant help themselves and revert to type. Shame because I came on here to have a bit of a laugh with your fans.
Mark. With respect I think you would be surprised at our fan base.. The play off final against cardiff we sold our 35000 tickets with ease. Also the 82 Cup Final and the 84 league cup final not to mention the 67 league Cup final. The potential for QPR is enormous. We are based in a city of 8 million in which at least 1 in 10 have a place in their hearts for the Super Hoops. We are a work in progress and have many more fans than Wolves. Plans are afoot for a 50000 seater stadium. Sorry Gary but it may cheer you up to think that you are a bigger club than us but you have reached your limit. The sky is the limit for us. You may win this weekend and if you do enjoy because you will struggle to compete with us in the future.
woah there matey!
admittedly he may have underestimated your fan base, don’t fall into the same trap with us.
While the population of Wolverhampton is obv nowhere near that of London, the ratio of football fans to wolves fans in the city is probably around 3:2. And that’s before you get into the rest of the Midlands, the second largest conurbation in the country.
It’s no coincidence that Anfield’s record gate was recorded against the Wolves. You might have reached a few cup finals in your time but we were the dominant force in English football for a decade. The stat that best defines that claim is we are the only team to have EVER scored more than 100 goals in 4 consecutive top flight seasons.
You sold 35k tickets for the play offs? we sold the same for the Sherpa Van Trophy, when we were in Div 4.
The European Cup was invented to stop us boasting of being the best team in Europe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverhampton_Wanderers_F.C.#The_Stan_Cullis_era_.26_the_birth_of_European_football).
We are a LONG WAY short of our limit, and just cos we don’t come from London or the North West doesn’t mean we’re not one of England’s best teams.
Our 50,000 seat stadium is way past the planning stage – you can have a look at it when you come on Saturday.
Sorry, got a bit carried away there, but I hope you take my point and don’t under estimate the depth of support for Wolves outside the M25.
Well written Sleachy. I think we actually took 40,000 for the Sherpa Van Trophy final in 1987/88 when we were a 4th division club.
So even at our lowest ebb we sold more than a club who boasts ‘at least’ 800,000 fans?! WOW!
I’d say they need a stadium nearer to the 500,000 mark instead of the 50,000 one if one in 10 Londoners love the club?! Fair play!
Shepherds Bush is full of Australian’s and Kiwi’s anyway – they will be watching the rugby not for the QPR score.
Shit ground, no fans, shit ground, no fans!
And my favourite Warnock moment was seeing him sent off at Cardiff – anyone that tells a player to break Bully’s leg should be a wanted man in Wolverhampton.
and a shit posr from you mate
For someone who is “surprised you lot can write” I would spell check your own “posr” before you click reply.
Typical standard for someone that received an inner city education though.
A slip of the finger , but your conceptional continuity is typical. Should seek out different families to breed with.
Nice try Simon.
I just hope nobody’s stupid enough to bite at that.
‘We’ve always got less fans but we’re bigger because we’re from London’.
Haha.
erm, i am apparently stupid enough. do I get a prize?
add me to that list too!
Queens Park Rangers?
Does that mean two second rate Scottish teams have merged, to make one third rate team?
If you travel around the world, and get talking English football, only a few teams are mentioned: Man Utd, Liverpool, and Wolves.
That comes from over a hundred years of tradition, fame and respect, stuff you cant buy, it is earned.
Gerry Francis, Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh, Dave Thomas, etc…..you still didn’t win anything worth winning back then.
QPR fans, please come back when you have grown up into a real football team.
man u , liverpool, wolves …………….ha ha lol your brain dead mate what a plonker !!! do you REALLY believe that you need medication son. Your a mediocre midland team with a plank for a manager that my son is a fact.
Ah dont get me wrong. I love the Wolves. A proper club with a rich history. However QPR are the future. QPR should of been champions in 76. The finest team never to have won the league. I blame the Wolves for capitulating to Liverpool in their final game of the season. Never been happy about that result. Still think it was a stitch up.. Lets consider that we won the league that year. For starters liverpool would not of gone on to dominate Europe. Nope.. QPR would of.. We were denied our history and Wolves played their part in it. But I hold no grudges. Lets also remember that we had 5 players representing England that year. Not to mention the Scottish, Irish and Welsh internationals we had playing for us in front of 30000+.. QPR are a real team and I stand by my point that we are the future. Sorry kwolf but you cant respond with just a haha to facts that I have presented to you. QPR will be bigger than you… the only reason we sold ‘only’ 35000 tickets for the play offs was because that was our allocation we would of sold 50000 if that was our allocation. we might not of won anything back then with the likes of Francis, Bowles etc etc. But amongst the enlightened we won the plaudits of being the best team to never of won a trophy.. But consider… If they had the farce that is the champions league we would of gone on to be one of the biggest teams in the world.. Never mind. We are going to put that right.. Starting at the magnificent molineux on saturday..
If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans,
There’d be no work for tinkers’ hands.
This is so creative – can I hire you to fill in my tax return?
surprised you lot can write
If, ifs and buts,
were apples and nuts
wouldn’t we all be greedy guts?
Haha, fair do’s, you’re obviously as much of a wind up merchant as our own dear Clive. Don’t u have any QPR blogs of your own to write your fantasies on? Cockneys are always banging on about how much bigger and better everything is in London, I’m sure the same must be true of your blogs.
Best team never to win a trophy? I could wheel off 20 teams who have won a trophy. And if you’re going on that logic, you shouldn’t be in the Premier League. All seems like Portsmouth 8 years ago to me, and look at them now..
If there were no ifs there would be no point in pointing out what if. like they say you can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead.
If there were no ‘ifs’, you wouldn’t be on here spouting your hypothetical, unsubstantiated illogic which would make Stan Bowles sound sober (poor old pisshead)
How many fans do you have again? Best get the planning application in for little Loftus Road ASAP.
grow up man , who in their right mind would support a team in a french named ground no matter how big it is .
I don’t think this’ll be an easy match by any means as Taarabt, SWP and Barton are potential match winners, but I’m a bit dubious about QPR being ‘the future.’ I remember they said that about Reading after their great first season.
Who knows, they might do well, but frankly you’ve only got to look at the brummies, Leeds & Portsmouth to see clubs who have gone at it bull-at-a-gate and ended up shafted.
Most of their team AREN’T Premiership standard and haven’t had any Premiership experience, so what happens when they get some injuries?
If their Air Asia sugar daddy (VERY sh*t airline btw) is prepared to bankroll them with some serious money then I guess he could buy mid table, but break into Europe? No chance!
why are people called ben invariably knobs?
Ade as you choose to live in a backward county with a dubious human rights record I cant really take you too seriously. Moreover its obvious that your lack of up to date information has led you to become deluded.. But I will give you a chance. please forward the names of any player you deem aren’t of premiership quality.. Hey! just wait 10 years and you may catch the highlights of Monday nights game.
OK… Lets start with the defense:
Bradley Orr
Clint Hill
Fitz Hall
Daniel Gabbidon
Armand Traore (yet to prove himself)
Bruno Perone
Matthew Connolly
Danny Shittu
Michael Harriman
Midfield:
Shaun Derry
Kieron Dyer
Adel Taarabt (yet to prove himself)
Faurlin
Akos Buzsaky (although I always used to sign him on Champ Manager)
Petter Vaagan Moen
Hogan Ephraim
Michael Doughty
Bruno Andrade
Jason Puncheon
Attack:
Jay Bothroyd
Jamie Mackie
Agyemang
Rob Hulse
Tommy Smith
Heidar Helguson
Troy Hewitt
Ray Jones
I forgot about the goal keepers… Fat Paddy is decent.
Think it leaves these players who I believe are prem quality:
DJ Campbell
Joey Barton
Luke Young
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Anton Ferdinand (at a push!)
I fully intend to give Jay Bothroyd a hard time on Saturday – he was cr@p for us.
England cap my @rse!
OK Simon, don’t take me seriously then…but surely you can’t expect too many people to agree with you given that you’re posting on ‘wolves blog?’ Suck it up instead of crying about it.
I think Putney Wolf has given you a particularly detailed list of QPR players who are either not of Premiership standard or lack Premiership experience which I agree with so I won’t waste time writing another.
You’re right, we’re still waiting for TV & internet in China, but when we get it I will look forward to seeing the highlights.
i wouldnt bother Ade mate your shite to watch
do you live in china as well? 5 more than you though.. i would add Faurlin, Traore, Derry, Dyer, Mackie, Buzsaky, Kenny,Bothroyd, Taarabt, Gabbidon Not a bad team there including yr 5. dont know if you were trying to be funny with the inclusion of Ray Jones but that lad would defo of cut it in the Prem. lets talk on saturday.
No, I live in Putney- West London. I do meet quite a few Fulham and Chelsea Fans around there… don’t think I’ve met a QPR one though…. They must be hiding.
Hiding from who exactly , a wolves fan from putney ha ha lol it gets better
whatever! doh!
A fair bit of complacency and lack of knowledge from the Wolves fans imo.
SWP, Barton, Luke Young and Anton Ferdinand are all experienced heads from top half prem teams who would no doubt benefit your side.
In Alejandro Faurlin we have a player who almost never gives it away and was superb against Newcastle on Monday. Taarabt is improving and seemed to appreciate the chance to play with better players on Monday and can win a game single-handedly on his day. Paddy Kenny is a very decent keeper and between DJ Campbell and Bothroyd there is a genuine goal threat. Shaun Derry has been excellent so far this season too.
I’ve no doubt it’ll be a very tough game but, on paper, you really can’t say the Wolves squad is a lot better than ours, particularly if Fletcher and Hunt will be injured.
I don’t think there is much complacency at all Josh – the opposite is more likely to be true!
If you check out the last blog there is a line in there about how impressive you were on Monday night, and the signings you’ve made up to Aug 31.
Obviously bravado (particularly when your less articulate hooped friend is goading!) comes into play with a lot of comments, but ask most Wolves fans what they think at 2.30pm on Saturday and they’ll probably sound a bit loke me…Nervous!
Let’s face it, with the cash you’ve spent on transfer fees and wages, we should be the underdogs. We have a strict wage cap and our lack of transfer dealings is the most realistic comment of all.
Fair play. I take messageboard comments with a pinch of salt but Clive from Houston’s claim that “If you travel around the world, and get talking English football, only a few teams are mentioned: Man Utd, Liverpool, and Wolves” suggests to me that he has travelled no further than Dudley.
What’s the likelihood of Fletcher and Hunt being fit as I think they could be the difference between a draw and home win.
I was going to reply with my usual wit and charm, and say that there really isn’t a world past Dudley, and their wonderful zoo, but…….I don’t read other teams blogs, and I certainly don’t write insults on them, and I take great exception to someone who has strayed onto our blog, has trouble writing grammatically correct English, and trys to be rude to my mate Ben.
So, to all you Arse fans reading this, and I say this in the sprirt in which it is intended, kindly fuck off.
Which part of my post was so incorrect? Was the word ‘trys’ ironic? I don’t recall being rude to Ben. I’m not a fan of Arsenal nor ‘Arse’.
Which part of Dudley is Houston in again?
I assumed there must be a suburb of the Black Country by the same name such was the bizarre nature of the claim that Wolves are one of the top three most famous sides in England.
I refer you back to the last two words of my post from 6.29.
Your ‘usual wit and charm’ appears to have fled I see.
You get the award this week for opening the can of worms.
Keep up the disparaging comments about my team and my mates, and I will punch your literary lights out, you mormon, you don’t know with whom you mess.
I don’t believe I’ve ever been accused of mormonism so touché on the originality of that. I really don’t understand what has enraged you so much from my fairly placid comments apart perhaps from the suggestion that Wolves being on a par with United and Liverpool is incorrect, which I’d imagine the most ardent of Wolves fans would accept.
I’m eternally grateful for the award, however. As a fan of another club who has won little in the last half a century you will appreciate my delight at such an accolade.
Best of luck for the rest of the season. I believe the game will be won or lost in the midfield where I believe we may have a slight edge if you play 4-4-2 leaving O’Hara and Henry against Derry, Faurlin and Barton but it should be an exciting, even affair nonetheless.
Much as I love Clive, I think he might have been mixing up your responses with Simon’s?! All the best tomorrow mate! Up the Wolves!
If you read my comments clive you will see that I made no disparaging comments about your team. Im sure your mates can look after themselves and dont need a no-mark like you to stick up for them. This is a ‘Guest House’ you Moron (mormon). People like you ruin the chance to engage in light hearted banter. In fact people like you ruin just about everything. If you dont like Thomas and the concept of this page why dont you do us all a favour and do one.. We dont need your type poisoning everybodys minds with your banalaties. Your worse than a moron Your a fucking Mormon…
learn to articulate a sentence you wolves prat, then grow a pair
wrong recipient
The zoo, of course!!!
You shouldn’t take Clive’s comments that seriously!
For what it’s worth I reckon QPR will be a tough challenge but I’m still expecting a win!
Clive – you do as much for our clubs external PR as Mark McGhee managed to during his short stay with the club!
PS I have to admit it’s very funny though!
Throw a stone in a pond and my word the ripples go everywhere. My only comparison, and a relevant one I feel was the average QPR gate when winning the league from hell last year, compared to ours 2 years before.
To claim you have a fanbase means they should surely turn up regularly when there is some success in the air over a season – not just every thirty years or so at a cup final. I mean there are a lot of teams in our capital city who spend really big money and draw really big gates. Thats without counting the london based prawn sandwich munching Man U fans who should support their local sides.
Good luck to QPR , whatever money they spent recently pales into insignificance with their better established neighbours. They can beat anyone they like after saturday, especially the Baggies.
Remember the 18th April 2009
This was the team
Hennessey, Foley, Craddock, Berra, Stephen Ward (Stearman 79), Edwards, Henry, Jones (Vokes 65), Jarvis, Ebanks-Blake (Harewood 60), Keogh.
We could almost put this team out again.
I also saw QPR draw nil nil in 2003 against Crewe. A memorable match and at the end of the game the QPR fans invaded the pitch and attacked the police dogs. QPR had a player called Bircham who dyed his hair blue and white. Time for the nurse to give me my medication
Wait and see i say,lets see what happens come 4.45pm saturday,
Lets not get carried away with QPR they are only a small west london club if my geography is correct, not Man.u or chelsky so if they think they can run
before they can walk in the prem let them.Like most londoners with the exception of our london wolves talk through their arses.The premier league really sorts them out no matter what you spend…Big headed bastards.
Plenty of bites since lunchtime I see.
These lads are either on a wind up or mental, either way to be avoided.
When they can sell out that garden shed for a whole season I might even consider this conversation.
Nice try Josh! I tried to be nice with these guys, but just got insults. I checked the Wolverhampton phone book for the suburb of Houston. No sign! I did notice however there was only 50+ surnames in there… Says it all really
nice one Simon and true ha ha thats what happens when you fornicate with your sister
Just don’t fancy this one. Warnock is very astute.Hope i’m wrong(i usually am) but i’m going for a loss, 2-0.
Evening lads. There’s no need for me to gloat and I’m not one to anyway. It was a good, physical battle and I think the main difference, as I thought it may be, was our formation with the extra midfielder. You certainly weren’t wrong about Elokobi and Henry.
Don’t go crying into those buffalo wings now, Clive.
All the best for the rest of the season. The chips and curry sauce from the van by the Billy Wright statue deserve a special mention.
Thanks again
Good luck for the rest of the seaason…”See you” at the begining of February
(Unless we also meet in the FA Cup. If so, it had better be in the Third Round: QPR don’t do cup runs!)