Post by Macmoish on Mar 17, 2013 10:02:11 GMT
'We tried to sign Van Nistelrooy and got Juan Pablo Angel'... Ex-Villa and QPR boss Gregory tells Sportsmail what has changed and what hasn't at his former clubs
By GERARD BRAND
PUBLISHED: 18:14 EST, 15 March 2013 | UPDATED: 18:26 EST, 15 March 2013
The bottom of the table clash between Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers could be this season’s most defining battle yet, and nobody keeps a watchful eye on both clubs quite like former manager and player John Gregory.
He spent nearly four years as Villa boss and just over a year at QPR, and keeps a close tab on the trials and tribulations at his former clubs.
Four points separate the two going into Saturday's game, and failing to stay afloat could cause more complications behind the scenes than at any of the other Premier League relegation candidates.
But the drop is not the only worry on both sets of supporters’ minds. Their failures since sunny August have given fans concern for the future, even if they stay up.
QPR’s summer spending and Villa’s ‘fresh start’ under Paul Lambert after Alex McLeish was given the boot gave fans renewed hope, and more significantly, expectancy after poor campaigns.
But Gregory believes one club has changed beyond recognition, while the others situation is not too dissimilar to the one he had to endure.
‘Rangers have changed off the field, incredibly so, they’ve won the lottery,’ said Gregory, who managed QPR between 2006 and 2007 under chairman Gianni Paladini, keeping the club afloat in the Championship (and you can see what it meant to Gregory in the video below.)
‘We were potless, debts everywhere, but we reveled in the fact we had no money. Now there’s a new worry.
‘I’m not too confident that many in the squad have a relegation clause. To sign someone and then try to bag a relegation clause, it doesn’t fill the player with confidence.’
If QPR fail to avoid the drop come May, the effects could be devastating, and Gregory is unsure whether owner Tony Fernandes will be around to take the brunt of it.
‘I think Tony is very much in love with the job he’s taken on, but he loves the Premier League job,’ he said.
‘It’s a big gamble what he’s done, a huge gamble. Relegation could be catastrophic.’
But Gregory does believe the introduction of Harry Redknapp, as well as other English players to the club, has brought it back into the results business.
‘There was a split camp under Mark Hughes, it was the players that Mark had inherited versus those who he brought in,’ Gregory added.
‘Mark is a perfectionist, while Harry is concerned about the results. He’s not worried if so and so don’t get on.
‘Harry’s sides are well organised against good opposition and very offensive against teams around them, that’s where he’s picked up points.’
{Rest of article about Villa]
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2293552/Ex-Villa-QPR-boss-John-Gregory-gives-Sportsmail-opinion-clubs.html#ixzz2Nn1pjEY4