Post by QPR Report on Aug 24, 2009 6:51:44 GMT
The Paladini/Caliendo/Dunga "Coup" - 18 Years ago today.
Some days after "The alleged Incident" at Loftus Road before the Sheffield United game, Dunga controversially flew in...The Board met...Bill Power and Mark Devlin went home...and Bill Power was controversially voted out and Mark Devlin was made redundant. But this was just the start of quite a year.
BBC- Power is removed as QPR chairman
Gianni Paladini has taken control at Loftus Road
Queens Park Rangers chairman Bill Power has been removed and chief executive Mark Devlin sacked.
Director Gianni Paladini, backed by Monaco-based groups that bought shares in Rangers last year, moved to oust Power at a board meeting on Wednesday.
Power, who was a close ally of the Italian before their relationship turned sour, was voted out and Devlin told he was being fired.
But Power and his supporters are likely to challenge the legality of the move.
Both Power and the Monaco groups were keen to increase their shareholding.
Power's camp were undone by former Brazil captain Carlos Dunga unexpectedly flying in from Japan to vote with Paladini.
Dunga represents one of the Monaco groups but little has been heard of him since he was made a director last summer.
Wednesday's board meeting was the first the World Cup winner has attended.
Power and Paladini joined forces to topple the previous board 14 months ago, but there have been bitter divisions since.
Paladini is now in control at Loftus Road and is likely to take over Devlin's duties.
A new chairman is expected to be named shortly.
QPR Official Statement - August 25, 2005
The Board of QPR Holdings Ltd has decided that Mr Mark Devlin's position
as Chief Executive Officer is to be made redundant with immediate effect.
Mr Bill Power is no longer Chairman of the Board but remains as a Director.
Mr Gualtiero Trucco has been appointed interim Chairman of the Board.
Bill Power and Director Kevin McGrath do not recognise the validity of these
decisions which were taken at yesterday's Board meeting in their absence.
They are currently seeking legal advice with regards to these decisions
SPORTING LIFE - QPR POWER STRUGGLE GOES ON
QPR manager Ian Holloway has attacked the boardroom chaos threatening to derail the club - and admitted his future is uncertain.
Bill Power and Mark Devlin were ousted as Rangers chairman and chief executive respectively in a boardroom coup earlier this week, allowing director Gianni Paladini to seize effective control of the club.
Power continues to fight his demotion and is expected to mount a legal challenge, but manager Holloway could now be under pressure - former Rangers player and Aston Villa manager John Gregory was in the directors' box for Friday's home match against Sheffield Wednesday.
"We've had two bad results [at Coventry and Northampton], but whether I remain here is another matter," Holloway said.
"If they want me, great, if they don't then that's life.
"Hopefully the people in the boardroom can sort our their squabbles. They need to sort it out. They are directors - they need to direct the club."
Paladini attracted two Monaco-based groups of investors to the club when it was in dire financial straits last summer and one of their number - fellow Italian Gualtiero Trucco - has been installed as interim chairman.
Holloway led Rangers to 11th place in the Championship last term following their promotion from the old Division Two the previous season.
But Holloway has had to deal with boardroom instability throughout his reign - and he hinted he was growing tired of it.
"The supporters don't know the facts," he told BBC London 94.9 FM.
"It's not a nice situation to be in. I've been through three boards since I've been here and I'm not happy about that.
"We don't want to wash our dirty linen in public. QPR is a baton that's been handed around.
"When the board get fed up, when the supporters get fed up, they can get someone else."
And these were the other "follow ups" at the time
Ousted Chairman Bill Power's Pre-Match Post on the QPR.org Messageboard
Bill Power Message Direct To QPR Fans
Bill Power
This is the only posting I will be making and, I will not be responding to any questions. Apologies if that is frustrating, but I am sure you will understand.
A lot of things are being said and posted which are wildly off the mark.
As in every board meeting different opinions were expressed, totally normal.
What should be noted is that everybody at that meeting believed they had the interests of QPR in mind. No I didnt agree with everything, but to put things into perspective there was 100% agreement about most of the topics discussed. Obviously I could not comment on the decisions that were made after Kevin and I had to leave the meeting for family reasons and it continued without us.
We are all talking amicably as we must above all else make sure that the club continues its revival.
Everyone of us want only success for the club.
Now what we all ask is that you do your part. When Ollie talks about the effect you have on the team it cannot be underestimated. We all know how unique our ground is when we really get behind the boys. We all remember the feeling around the place the night we beat Oldham in the play-off semi-final and that atmosphere is what we ask you to give us again tonight.
Whoever plays tonight give them your all and you can be sure they will give you the same back.
Finally I would like to thank everyone who has been kind enough to call me, text me and mail me. I have b
The Guardian -
Rangers raise a point despite boardroom chaos
"Arindam Rej at Loftus Road
Saturday August 27, 2005
The Guardian
Trouble is mounting at QPR. A boardroom power struggle has unsettled the club to such an extent that this result was peripheral for their fans. The sooner they find out who their next chairman is, the better.
Not that focusing on this point would have cheered them up. They failed to overcome a Wednesday side who picked up three injuries in 51 minutes and were reduced to 10 men for the final 15.
Bill Power is expected to mount a legal challenge after his removal as chairman, during a board meeting this week in which the chief executive Mark Devlin was also sacked. Rangers' director Gianni Paladini has taken control, with Gualtiero Trucco as the interim chairman.
Background worries are not unusual but this month the events have been scarcely believable. Paladini, whose long-held ambition is to run a football club, had his resignation demanded when he was threatened with a gun before the game with Sheffield United.
The club was further startled by this week's news. Power and Paladini had worked together to bring down the previous regime 14 months ago but relations have deteriorated to such an extent that Power, despite remaining a director, has lost his job. More bizarrely Power still claims he is chairman....
Guardian
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - August 30, 2005 -
BRIGHT FUTURE
Gianni Paladini has promised a bright future for Queens Park Rangers following the changes at Boardroom level last week.
Bill Power is no longer Chairman and Mark Devlin's position as Chief Executive was made redundant following a Board meeting at Loftus Road.
But the Director insists that the decisions taken were made with only the Club's interest at heart and he has played down suggestions of turmoil at the highest level.
"I am still friends with Bill. We go out for lunch and we talk on the phone every day. I have no problem with Bill.
"This is not about individuals or personalities, it is about the future of this great Club and all of us - Bill included -want nothing more than to see QPR continue to grow and improve."
Paladini is also sympathetic with supporters who may have been worried about the situation.
He appreciates that the supporters are concerned and has stressed that their feelings are at the forefront of his mind.
"The supporters are what makes this Club great and from the moment I arrived at Loftus Road I have been overwhelmed by their passion and devotion.
"All supporters will worry when they see change and I can understand that. But I believe that change was necessary for long term stability.
"The investors and directors are ambitious - I am ambitious - but we are not turning things upside down. We are going to make sensible steady progress and take Rangers back to where we belong - the Premiership."
Paladini also believes that the root of stability lies with the manager and that is why he hopes to sit down with Ian Holloway this week to discuss a new contract.
"Ollie is responsible for so much that has happened here during the past few years. Our successes on the pitch are down to him and he should be rewarded accordingly."
QPR
BILL POWER STATEMENT, QPR OFFICIAL SITE - September 1, 2005
Today following advice from my doctor and after lengthy discussions with my family and each member of the board I am confirming my departure as chairman of QPR.
I am well aware of the feelings of supporters having received literally hundreds of goodwill messages. But I must be selfish and think of my own health and also the health of two family members, both lifelong R's - my beautiful mum and my lovely father-in-law, who are both in hospital and not in the best of health.
I have been in discussions for the last two months with my fellow board members regarding who could, should or would 'pick up the baton'. I have told Gianni that he should become chairman with immediate effect to help focus everyone on going forward and I have advised him to meet with the supporters groups as quickly as he can.
As I write this, I have just enjoyed a day talking and having lunch with Gianni and on the phone with Ollie discussing possible new signings and things that we thought could take the club forward. I hope, and am sure, that those discussions and my advice will be acted upon and that we all see the benefits for ourselves .
In all honesty, and perhaps selfishly again, I must say it was like a weight being lifted from my shoulders having previously known that a decision I might make as Chairman could affect the hopes and dreams of so many fellow R's. Now it is time to let another friend push us forward. I am not leaving, just taking a well earned rest.
Words fail to express how much I have enjoyed my tenure as chairman, living every fan's dream of helping the club they love. I'm sure I will think of dozens of things I should have said, so for now I will just say a big thank you to everyone I have met and wish you all well.
Once again I ask you to get behind Gianni, Kevin, Ollie and the boys. I know that when we all pull together we are unstoppable.
Come on you R's.
QPR
QPR OFFICIAL STATEMENT - GIANNI PALADINI
Gianni Paladini has been appointed Chairman of Queens Park Rangers Football Club and QPR Holdings Ltd.
Interim Chairman Gualtiero Trucco has stepped down and the Board of Directors have unanimously chosen Paladini to take on the role on a full-time basis.
The changes were agreed at a Loftus Road Board Meeting on Wednesday afternoon and Paladini is delighted by the honour of this 'challenging but exciting' role.
"The Monaco investors have recommended that I be appointed Chairman and I am deeply honoured that the Directors have allowed me this opportunity.
"I hope now that after a period of instability we can all look forward to the brightest of futures at Loftus Road.
"We have a wonderful manager, an exciting and improving squad and a real opportunity to push for a place in the play-offs and even the Premiership.
"I believe these are wonderful times to be a QPR supporter and I just want to play whatever part I can in bringing both success and stability to this Club.
"I fully appreciate that supporters will have been a little bewildered by recent events and I wish that so much of what has happened could have happened differently.
"But I believe we now have the right people in place, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, to take this club forward.
"I would like to thank every single fan for their continued, passionate support for QPR and I would also like to pay tribute to all the staff here.
"Life hasn't been particularly easy for them recently either but every single one continues to work as hard as ever for the benefit of this club.
"It has never been clearer to me that, both in the stands and behind the scenes, this is a wonderful place full of very special people."
qprreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/qprs-boardroom-coup-one-year-later.html
Not Holloway's finest moment
The Times August 27, 2005
Eccentric Holloway torn by domestic disharmony at QPR
By Tom Dart
Queens Park Rangers 0 Sheffield Wednesday
EVEN by Ian Holloway’s unmatched standards it was an extraordinary post-match press conference. The Queens Park Rangers manager launched an impassioned defence of his club and their two feuding directors after last night’s dull goalless draw against Sheffield Wednesday.
Bill Power, the chairman, was removed from his post, and Mark Devlin, the chief executive, was sacked after Gianni Paladini, a director, ousted Power at a board meeting on Wednesday with the help of Carlos Dunga, the former Brazil captain, who flew in from Japan to vote.
Holloway said that the uncertainty was affecting his players and used the analogy of a dysfunctional family. Given that a director is alleged to have been involved in the threatening of Paladini at gunpoint before the previous home game, dysfunctional may be an understatement.
“Mum and dad are splitting up, nobody likes that as kids, do they? I feel like a nanny, I’ve got to calm down the kids,” Holloway said. “I can’t stand the last couple of weeks, it’s all politics. I don’t do politics, I’m not Tony Blair. I’m proud that this is worth fighting for, we’ve come a damn long way. I love mum, I love dad, and if one ends up with [the club] I’ll go and visit the other. I’ll stay overnight. They both put the money in, they both deserve this club.
“When my Mum and Dad had a row there was Mum’s side, there was Dad’s side and the truth was somewhere in the middle. That’s the same here.”
There are suggestions that Holloway may be destabilised by the uncertainty. John Gregory, the former Aston Villa manager, who knows Paladini, was present last night. “I’ve got to consider my position all the time, haven’t I? I’m a blimmin’ football manager,” Holloway said.
Power intends to challenge his removal on the basis that Dunga, although a director, was ineligible to vote. Paladini and Power were present yesterday, visited the home dressing-room and appeared on friendly terms.
Holloway went on to compare the situation, bizarrely, to Men In Black. No need to use the Will Smith character’s memory-eraser on those who saw this forgettable game. QPR, injury-hit like their opponents, missed the chance to go top of the Coca-Cola Championship even though Wednesday were reduced to ten men for the final 15 minutes when John Halls was sent off for a second bookable offence.
SPORTING LIFE
HOLLOWAY LAMENTS QPR UNCERTAINTY
Ian Holloway revealed the boardroom uncertainty at QPR has left him feeling like a nanny in charge of panicking children.
After his side's 0-0 draw with 10-man Sheffield Wednesday, Holloway was left to reflect on a troubled week that has seen the club announce Bill Power's and Mark Devlin's removal as chairman and chief executive respectively.
Director Gianni Paladini appears to have seized effective control of the club - but the confusion increased when Power and Paladini were seen sitting side by side in the directors box.
Holloway also said Power and Paladini had walked into the dressing room "arm in arm" before the match began.
"I feel a bit like the nanny who is trying to calm down the kids," said Holloway, who went on to compare Power and Paladini to quarrelling parents.
"It looks like mum and dad are splitting up and nobody likes that. I hope they get back together.
"They are the two people who should give me stability, but they are bickering away like they want a divorce - and I'm not going to be their lawyer.
"But I like them both. They showed commitment to QPR when nobody else wanted to - and they both deserve this club."
Former Aston Villa manager John Gregory - a Rangers player in the early 1980s - was in the directors' box and Holloway's position may come under pressure.
The club also announced that Paladini's fellow Italian Gualtiero Trucco - part of the Monaco-based groups of investors who put money into QPR last summer - has been installed as interim chairman.
"Whoever picks up this baton has to be able to carry it forward," Holloway continued.
"If not, they shouldn't pick it up. If they can't take it forward, I'll question my position.
"If they question my position, because change sometimes involves that, what can I do about it? It's not in my control."
Discussing the game, Holloway believed his side had become downhearted too easily towards the end of the match.
He added: "Some players showed disappointment before the fat lady had picked up her mic and started to sing.
"Show disappointment in the dressing room. It takes only a second to score a goal."
Wednesday manager Paul Sturrock was left shaking his head after his injury-hit squad suffered four more losses.
John Hills was sent off for a second bookable offence and will be suspended, while Glenn Whelan, Lee Peacock and Drissa Diallo were added to an already lengthy injury list.
Sturrock said: "There's a Scottish character (Fraser) in [the TV comedy] Dad's Army who always says 'we're doomed' and that's how I feel at the moment.
"We've no rhythm because injuries mean I can't get the players on the training ground - but I'm proud of their performance tonight.
"We worked hard on the shape in training, and that benefited us.
"But I was disappointed with Hills. His sending-off was a bit of a zany moment."
www.sportinglife.com/football/nat....MHD=nationwide1
Some days after "The alleged Incident" at Loftus Road before the Sheffield United game, Dunga controversially flew in...The Board met...Bill Power and Mark Devlin went home...and Bill Power was controversially voted out and Mark Devlin was made redundant. But this was just the start of quite a year.
BBC- Power is removed as QPR chairman
Gianni Paladini has taken control at Loftus Road
Queens Park Rangers chairman Bill Power has been removed and chief executive Mark Devlin sacked.
Director Gianni Paladini, backed by Monaco-based groups that bought shares in Rangers last year, moved to oust Power at a board meeting on Wednesday.
Power, who was a close ally of the Italian before their relationship turned sour, was voted out and Devlin told he was being fired.
But Power and his supporters are likely to challenge the legality of the move.
Both Power and the Monaco groups were keen to increase their shareholding.
Power's camp were undone by former Brazil captain Carlos Dunga unexpectedly flying in from Japan to vote with Paladini.
Dunga represents one of the Monaco groups but little has been heard of him since he was made a director last summer.
Wednesday's board meeting was the first the World Cup winner has attended.
Power and Paladini joined forces to topple the previous board 14 months ago, but there have been bitter divisions since.
Paladini is now in control at Loftus Road and is likely to take over Devlin's duties.
A new chairman is expected to be named shortly.
QPR Official Statement - August 25, 2005
The Board of QPR Holdings Ltd has decided that Mr Mark Devlin's position
as Chief Executive Officer is to be made redundant with immediate effect.
Mr Bill Power is no longer Chairman of the Board but remains as a Director.
Mr Gualtiero Trucco has been appointed interim Chairman of the Board.
Bill Power and Director Kevin McGrath do not recognise the validity of these
decisions which were taken at yesterday's Board meeting in their absence.
They are currently seeking legal advice with regards to these decisions
SPORTING LIFE - QPR POWER STRUGGLE GOES ON
QPR manager Ian Holloway has attacked the boardroom chaos threatening to derail the club - and admitted his future is uncertain.
Bill Power and Mark Devlin were ousted as Rangers chairman and chief executive respectively in a boardroom coup earlier this week, allowing director Gianni Paladini to seize effective control of the club.
Power continues to fight his demotion and is expected to mount a legal challenge, but manager Holloway could now be under pressure - former Rangers player and Aston Villa manager John Gregory was in the directors' box for Friday's home match against Sheffield Wednesday.
"We've had two bad results [at Coventry and Northampton], but whether I remain here is another matter," Holloway said.
"If they want me, great, if they don't then that's life.
"Hopefully the people in the boardroom can sort our their squabbles. They need to sort it out. They are directors - they need to direct the club."
Paladini attracted two Monaco-based groups of investors to the club when it was in dire financial straits last summer and one of their number - fellow Italian Gualtiero Trucco - has been installed as interim chairman.
Holloway led Rangers to 11th place in the Championship last term following their promotion from the old Division Two the previous season.
But Holloway has had to deal with boardroom instability throughout his reign - and he hinted he was growing tired of it.
"The supporters don't know the facts," he told BBC London 94.9 FM.
"It's not a nice situation to be in. I've been through three boards since I've been here and I'm not happy about that.
"We don't want to wash our dirty linen in public. QPR is a baton that's been handed around.
"When the board get fed up, when the supporters get fed up, they can get someone else."
And these were the other "follow ups" at the time
Ousted Chairman Bill Power's Pre-Match Post on the QPR.org Messageboard
Bill Power Message Direct To QPR Fans
Bill Power
This is the only posting I will be making and, I will not be responding to any questions. Apologies if that is frustrating, but I am sure you will understand.
A lot of things are being said and posted which are wildly off the mark.
As in every board meeting different opinions were expressed, totally normal.
What should be noted is that everybody at that meeting believed they had the interests of QPR in mind. No I didnt agree with everything, but to put things into perspective there was 100% agreement about most of the topics discussed. Obviously I could not comment on the decisions that were made after Kevin and I had to leave the meeting for family reasons and it continued without us.
We are all talking amicably as we must above all else make sure that the club continues its revival.
Everyone of us want only success for the club.
Now what we all ask is that you do your part. When Ollie talks about the effect you have on the team it cannot be underestimated. We all know how unique our ground is when we really get behind the boys. We all remember the feeling around the place the night we beat Oldham in the play-off semi-final and that atmosphere is what we ask you to give us again tonight.
Whoever plays tonight give them your all and you can be sure they will give you the same back.
Finally I would like to thank everyone who has been kind enough to call me, text me and mail me. I have b
The Guardian -
Rangers raise a point despite boardroom chaos
"Arindam Rej at Loftus Road
Saturday August 27, 2005
The Guardian
Trouble is mounting at QPR. A boardroom power struggle has unsettled the club to such an extent that this result was peripheral for their fans. The sooner they find out who their next chairman is, the better.
Not that focusing on this point would have cheered them up. They failed to overcome a Wednesday side who picked up three injuries in 51 minutes and were reduced to 10 men for the final 15.
Bill Power is expected to mount a legal challenge after his removal as chairman, during a board meeting this week in which the chief executive Mark Devlin was also sacked. Rangers' director Gianni Paladini has taken control, with Gualtiero Trucco as the interim chairman.
Background worries are not unusual but this month the events have been scarcely believable. Paladini, whose long-held ambition is to run a football club, had his resignation demanded when he was threatened with a gun before the game with Sheffield United.
The club was further startled by this week's news. Power and Paladini had worked together to bring down the previous regime 14 months ago but relations have deteriorated to such an extent that Power, despite remaining a director, has lost his job. More bizarrely Power still claims he is chairman....
Guardian
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - August 30, 2005 -
BRIGHT FUTURE
Gianni Paladini has promised a bright future for Queens Park Rangers following the changes at Boardroom level last week.
Bill Power is no longer Chairman and Mark Devlin's position as Chief Executive was made redundant following a Board meeting at Loftus Road.
But the Director insists that the decisions taken were made with only the Club's interest at heart and he has played down suggestions of turmoil at the highest level.
"I am still friends with Bill. We go out for lunch and we talk on the phone every day. I have no problem with Bill.
"This is not about individuals or personalities, it is about the future of this great Club and all of us - Bill included -want nothing more than to see QPR continue to grow and improve."
Paladini is also sympathetic with supporters who may have been worried about the situation.
He appreciates that the supporters are concerned and has stressed that their feelings are at the forefront of his mind.
"The supporters are what makes this Club great and from the moment I arrived at Loftus Road I have been overwhelmed by their passion and devotion.
"All supporters will worry when they see change and I can understand that. But I believe that change was necessary for long term stability.
"The investors and directors are ambitious - I am ambitious - but we are not turning things upside down. We are going to make sensible steady progress and take Rangers back to where we belong - the Premiership."
Paladini also believes that the root of stability lies with the manager and that is why he hopes to sit down with Ian Holloway this week to discuss a new contract.
"Ollie is responsible for so much that has happened here during the past few years. Our successes on the pitch are down to him and he should be rewarded accordingly."
QPR
BILL POWER STATEMENT, QPR OFFICIAL SITE - September 1, 2005
Today following advice from my doctor and after lengthy discussions with my family and each member of the board I am confirming my departure as chairman of QPR.
I am well aware of the feelings of supporters having received literally hundreds of goodwill messages. But I must be selfish and think of my own health and also the health of two family members, both lifelong R's - my beautiful mum and my lovely father-in-law, who are both in hospital and not in the best of health.
I have been in discussions for the last two months with my fellow board members regarding who could, should or would 'pick up the baton'. I have told Gianni that he should become chairman with immediate effect to help focus everyone on going forward and I have advised him to meet with the supporters groups as quickly as he can.
As I write this, I have just enjoyed a day talking and having lunch with Gianni and on the phone with Ollie discussing possible new signings and things that we thought could take the club forward. I hope, and am sure, that those discussions and my advice will be acted upon and that we all see the benefits for ourselves .
In all honesty, and perhaps selfishly again, I must say it was like a weight being lifted from my shoulders having previously known that a decision I might make as Chairman could affect the hopes and dreams of so many fellow R's. Now it is time to let another friend push us forward. I am not leaving, just taking a well earned rest.
Words fail to express how much I have enjoyed my tenure as chairman, living every fan's dream of helping the club they love. I'm sure I will think of dozens of things I should have said, so for now I will just say a big thank you to everyone I have met and wish you all well.
Once again I ask you to get behind Gianni, Kevin, Ollie and the boys. I know that when we all pull together we are unstoppable.
Come on you R's.
QPR
QPR OFFICIAL STATEMENT - GIANNI PALADINI
Gianni Paladini has been appointed Chairman of Queens Park Rangers Football Club and QPR Holdings Ltd.
Interim Chairman Gualtiero Trucco has stepped down and the Board of Directors have unanimously chosen Paladini to take on the role on a full-time basis.
The changes were agreed at a Loftus Road Board Meeting on Wednesday afternoon and Paladini is delighted by the honour of this 'challenging but exciting' role.
"The Monaco investors have recommended that I be appointed Chairman and I am deeply honoured that the Directors have allowed me this opportunity.
"I hope now that after a period of instability we can all look forward to the brightest of futures at Loftus Road.
"We have a wonderful manager, an exciting and improving squad and a real opportunity to push for a place in the play-offs and even the Premiership.
"I believe these are wonderful times to be a QPR supporter and I just want to play whatever part I can in bringing both success and stability to this Club.
"I fully appreciate that supporters will have been a little bewildered by recent events and I wish that so much of what has happened could have happened differently.
"But I believe we now have the right people in place, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, to take this club forward.
"I would like to thank every single fan for their continued, passionate support for QPR and I would also like to pay tribute to all the staff here.
"Life hasn't been particularly easy for them recently either but every single one continues to work as hard as ever for the benefit of this club.
"It has never been clearer to me that, both in the stands and behind the scenes, this is a wonderful place full of very special people."
qprreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/qprs-boardroom-coup-one-year-later.html
Not Holloway's finest moment
The Times August 27, 2005
Eccentric Holloway torn by domestic disharmony at QPR
By Tom Dart
Queens Park Rangers 0 Sheffield Wednesday
EVEN by Ian Holloway’s unmatched standards it was an extraordinary post-match press conference. The Queens Park Rangers manager launched an impassioned defence of his club and their two feuding directors after last night’s dull goalless draw against Sheffield Wednesday.
Bill Power, the chairman, was removed from his post, and Mark Devlin, the chief executive, was sacked after Gianni Paladini, a director, ousted Power at a board meeting on Wednesday with the help of Carlos Dunga, the former Brazil captain, who flew in from Japan to vote.
Holloway said that the uncertainty was affecting his players and used the analogy of a dysfunctional family. Given that a director is alleged to have been involved in the threatening of Paladini at gunpoint before the previous home game, dysfunctional may be an understatement.
“Mum and dad are splitting up, nobody likes that as kids, do they? I feel like a nanny, I’ve got to calm down the kids,” Holloway said. “I can’t stand the last couple of weeks, it’s all politics. I don’t do politics, I’m not Tony Blair. I’m proud that this is worth fighting for, we’ve come a damn long way. I love mum, I love dad, and if one ends up with [the club] I’ll go and visit the other. I’ll stay overnight. They both put the money in, they both deserve this club.
“When my Mum and Dad had a row there was Mum’s side, there was Dad’s side and the truth was somewhere in the middle. That’s the same here.”
There are suggestions that Holloway may be destabilised by the uncertainty. John Gregory, the former Aston Villa manager, who knows Paladini, was present last night. “I’ve got to consider my position all the time, haven’t I? I’m a blimmin’ football manager,” Holloway said.
Power intends to challenge his removal on the basis that Dunga, although a director, was ineligible to vote. Paladini and Power were present yesterday, visited the home dressing-room and appeared on friendly terms.
Holloway went on to compare the situation, bizarrely, to Men In Black. No need to use the Will Smith character’s memory-eraser on those who saw this forgettable game. QPR, injury-hit like their opponents, missed the chance to go top of the Coca-Cola Championship even though Wednesday were reduced to ten men for the final 15 minutes when John Halls was sent off for a second bookable offence.
SPORTING LIFE
HOLLOWAY LAMENTS QPR UNCERTAINTY
Ian Holloway revealed the boardroom uncertainty at QPR has left him feeling like a nanny in charge of panicking children.
After his side's 0-0 draw with 10-man Sheffield Wednesday, Holloway was left to reflect on a troubled week that has seen the club announce Bill Power's and Mark Devlin's removal as chairman and chief executive respectively.
Director Gianni Paladini appears to have seized effective control of the club - but the confusion increased when Power and Paladini were seen sitting side by side in the directors box.
Holloway also said Power and Paladini had walked into the dressing room "arm in arm" before the match began.
"I feel a bit like the nanny who is trying to calm down the kids," said Holloway, who went on to compare Power and Paladini to quarrelling parents.
"It looks like mum and dad are splitting up and nobody likes that. I hope they get back together.
"They are the two people who should give me stability, but they are bickering away like they want a divorce - and I'm not going to be their lawyer.
"But I like them both. They showed commitment to QPR when nobody else wanted to - and they both deserve this club."
Former Aston Villa manager John Gregory - a Rangers player in the early 1980s - was in the directors' box and Holloway's position may come under pressure.
The club also announced that Paladini's fellow Italian Gualtiero Trucco - part of the Monaco-based groups of investors who put money into QPR last summer - has been installed as interim chairman.
"Whoever picks up this baton has to be able to carry it forward," Holloway continued.
"If not, they shouldn't pick it up. If they can't take it forward, I'll question my position.
"If they question my position, because change sometimes involves that, what can I do about it? It's not in my control."
Discussing the game, Holloway believed his side had become downhearted too easily towards the end of the match.
He added: "Some players showed disappointment before the fat lady had picked up her mic and started to sing.
"Show disappointment in the dressing room. It takes only a second to score a goal."
Wednesday manager Paul Sturrock was left shaking his head after his injury-hit squad suffered four more losses.
John Hills was sent off for a second bookable offence and will be suspended, while Glenn Whelan, Lee Peacock and Drissa Diallo were added to an already lengthy injury list.
Sturrock said: "There's a Scottish character (Fraser) in [the TV comedy] Dad's Army who always says 'we're doomed' and that's how I feel at the moment.
"We've no rhythm because injuries mean I can't get the players on the training ground - but I'm proud of their performance tonight.
"We worked hard on the shape in training, and that benefited us.
"But I was disappointed with Hills. His sending-off was a bit of a zany moment."
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