Post by Macmoish on Oct 21, 2015 18:10:01 GMT
QPR Official Site - OCTOBER 21, 1998
BAGGIES RUIN FRANCIS RETURN
GERRY FRANCIS' first game back in charge of Rangers had a forgettable ending at the Hawthornes as Rangers slumped to defeat away from home again, losing 2-0.
It was Queens Park Rangers though that enjoyed the better of a dull first half, during which West Brom could only muster one shot on target - from the division's top hitman Lee Hughes. During this period Rangers looked more than capable of holding their own and the game had 0-0 written all over it.
Mike Sheron though missed the chance to give Rangers the lead within the first minute. Sheron's shot was deflected on its way through to goal and narrowly missed the target.
Kevin Gallen then saw his shot saved by keeper Kevin Miller's legs and minutes later Steve Morrow could hardly believe it as his drive was deflected off target after crashing agianst Gallen.
The crowd had to wait for over an hour before they had something they could really shout about, and it came when substitute Micky Evans was fed with a ball over the top of the defence by Murphy. Evans timed his strike to perfection and had only been on the pitch for 11 minutes 1-0.
Before that Kevin Kilbane had a goalwards shot from the edge of the box blocked by one of the Rangers defenders and Flynn had also spurned a great opening by shooting wide.
Then the sucker punch that killed off any Rangers comeback as Murphy made the most of a corner and bundled the ball over the line for 2-0.
The most West Brom had to endure from a Rangers attack was a header that Karl Ready sent narrowly over the bar, but otherwise they produced few clear cut chances and rarely troubled Millerin the second half.
Lee Hughes though was frustrated throughout by Rangers keeper Lee Harper, who pounced first to save his snatchshot and then knocked his fierce drive over the bar for a corner.
Francis saw his side get off to the worst possible start on his return to the club, and on this evidence few will expect him not to make some enforced changes.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OCTOBER 16, 1998
FRANCIS BACK HOME
QUEENS PARK RANGERS today announced that Gerry Francis has been appointed the club's new Director of Football. Chairman Chris Wright confirmed that Francis would take up the position immediately.
Francis who sent more than 17 years at Queens Park Rangers, both as manager and player, has been appointed on a three year contract and fills the gap left recently by Ray Harford who resigned on September 28th.
Francis, who has been out of football since leaving Spurs a year ago, said of his new appointment:"I'm delighted to be back at Loftus Road. I spent many happy and successful years here and it's great to be home again. Although there is a major job ahead, I believe the club has huge potential and I look forward to the challenge."
Welcoming Francis back to Loftus Road, Chris Wright said "It is great to have Gerry back. We chose him because of his proven track record and significantly, his achievements as a manager. This talent, coupled with his strong emotional commitment to the club, is a combination we beleive is impossible to find elsewhere."
Iain Dowie, who took over as caretaker manager following Harford's departure last month, has been appointed player/coach working alongside Francis.
Francis' will attend QPR's league fixture at Huddersfield tomorrow, but Dowie, who has been preparing the team for this tough game, will remain in charge in his role as caretaker manager.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OCTOBER 16, 1998
WRIGHT GETS HIS MAN
RANGERS Chairman Chris Wright is delighted Gerry Francis accepted his offer to return to Loftus Road.
Mr Wright spoke to the Rangers Official Website about the behind the scenes negotiations and said he was brutally honest with Francis about what he would be coming into.
"We had a lot of meetings and a lot of talking, I had to explain the full situation here to Gerry. I didn't want to bring him in here and then him find any surprises about the financial position we're in or the players we've got here. There's not going to be any nasty surprises because for him he knows enough about it already."
"I first met him when he was manager here four or five years ago and there was talk about the Thompson family seloling the club and we had conversations at the time about whether I could come in and take over the club and take it forward while he was still manager. Obviously in retrospect it's a great shame that those talks never came to anything becuase it's a great shame that Gerry Francis ever left the club in the first place."
Telegraph/Christopher Davies - October 17, 1998 - Francis returns to direct QPR's fight for survival- IT was like This Is Your Life at Loftus Road yesterday, with a video of Gerry Francis, complete with Seventies sideburns, during his playing days with Queens Park Rangers.
-What followed was a string of one-liners, confirmation that QPR are all but broke and that Vinnie Jones is moving out lock, stock and one terminating contract.
- Francis left Rangers four years ago after he felt his authority was undermined by moves to bring in Rodney Marsh as director of football.
- There will be no such problems this time as Francis returns to the club in that capacity. Introducing QPR's new manager, Francis said: "I know him well. He's a bit of a shady character. Me."
- Francis will be in charge of all aspects of football from the youth academy to managing the first team. Iain Dowie, who has been caretaker-manager, will continue as player-coach with Francis bringing in an assistant.
- Jones, player, coach and actor, will be on his way after turning down the chance to be considered as coach or assistant manager. Neither Francis nor chairman-owner Chris Wright seemed to know why Vinnie was unwilling to stay on - no doubt all will be revealed in a movie or, more likely, an exclusive tabloid interview.
- Francis was in fine form yesterday, relaxed and refreshed after spending most of the 11 months since leaving Tottenham "recharging my batteries and being with my wife and three children".
- Had he spoken to Spurs' chairman Alan Sugar? "Yes, today. He asked me to come back."
- Francis had, he said, turned down "flat" 12 offers to return to management. Then, in the wake of Ray Harford's departure, Wright rang Francis.
- The chairman did not have much of a sales patter. "Hey, Gerry. Do you fancy taking charge of this First Division club who are struggling against relegation, whose gates have halved since you were last manager [between 1991 and 1994] and with no money to spend?"
- That was the gist of it. Francis said: "I looked at the situation and thought about it for two weeks. At the end of a fortnight I was even more shocked. When I was manager of Bristol Rovers I lent the club money to buy a player. I'm not doing that here."
- So why did Francis take on "the biggest, most massive challenge of my career?" It was a toss-up between the heart and head and the heart won. Just.
- Francis tried not to make it sound corny but there was no alternative. "I have QPR in my veins. One way or the other I've been with the club for 17 years. That's a long time. I've always had a soft spot for Rangers.
- "It's a heck of a job to pull the club round to where it was when I left. It was a close decision whether I'd take the job or not. My priority is to get us away from near the bottom of the table and then sort out the club financially." That will be much easier said than done. Wright admitted that mistakes, which was putting it mildly, had been made in recent years.
- "The club haven't been well run for several years," he said. "Not before I came here or even since. I've learnt a lot and had I known two years ago what I know now history would have been different. But this doesn't make it any easier starting from where we are.
- "But I've brought in Gerry Francis and he has blue-and-white-hooped blood. He lives and breathes QPR. He's a top-class manager and the long-standing QPR connection is a bonus."
- Francis, who will become a shareholder in the plc, has signed a contract for three seasons. He is full of enthusiasm and is "particularly looking forward to negotiating the manager's salary".
- He will be at Huddersfield today only as an observer. "I hope the director of football signs my petrol docket, but he's a right so-and-so."
- Rangers barely have two pennies to rub together yet Wright, a Rangers fan since he could kick a ball, even spoke about a 40,000-capacity stadium to the west of Shepherds Bush "which would be full if we were in the Premiership".
- Dreams are for the future. A win and then a few more are what is required right now from a poor side.
- "Results don't lie," said Francis, who was the popular choice as manager but knows he will be judged only on what he does from next week.
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/7540/today-gerry-francis-back-manager#ixzz5UYkbZOWz
BAGGIES RUIN FRANCIS RETURN
GERRY FRANCIS' first game back in charge of Rangers had a forgettable ending at the Hawthornes as Rangers slumped to defeat away from home again, losing 2-0.
It was Queens Park Rangers though that enjoyed the better of a dull first half, during which West Brom could only muster one shot on target - from the division's top hitman Lee Hughes. During this period Rangers looked more than capable of holding their own and the game had 0-0 written all over it.
Mike Sheron though missed the chance to give Rangers the lead within the first minute. Sheron's shot was deflected on its way through to goal and narrowly missed the target.
Kevin Gallen then saw his shot saved by keeper Kevin Miller's legs and minutes later Steve Morrow could hardly believe it as his drive was deflected off target after crashing agianst Gallen.
The crowd had to wait for over an hour before they had something they could really shout about, and it came when substitute Micky Evans was fed with a ball over the top of the defence by Murphy. Evans timed his strike to perfection and had only been on the pitch for 11 minutes 1-0.
Before that Kevin Kilbane had a goalwards shot from the edge of the box blocked by one of the Rangers defenders and Flynn had also spurned a great opening by shooting wide.
Then the sucker punch that killed off any Rangers comeback as Murphy made the most of a corner and bundled the ball over the line for 2-0.
The most West Brom had to endure from a Rangers attack was a header that Karl Ready sent narrowly over the bar, but otherwise they produced few clear cut chances and rarely troubled Millerin the second half.
Lee Hughes though was frustrated throughout by Rangers keeper Lee Harper, who pounced first to save his snatchshot and then knocked his fierce drive over the bar for a corner.
Francis saw his side get off to the worst possible start on his return to the club, and on this evidence few will expect him not to make some enforced changes.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OCTOBER 16, 1998
FRANCIS BACK HOME
QUEENS PARK RANGERS today announced that Gerry Francis has been appointed the club's new Director of Football. Chairman Chris Wright confirmed that Francis would take up the position immediately.
Francis who sent more than 17 years at Queens Park Rangers, both as manager and player, has been appointed on a three year contract and fills the gap left recently by Ray Harford who resigned on September 28th.
Francis, who has been out of football since leaving Spurs a year ago, said of his new appointment:"I'm delighted to be back at Loftus Road. I spent many happy and successful years here and it's great to be home again. Although there is a major job ahead, I believe the club has huge potential and I look forward to the challenge."
Welcoming Francis back to Loftus Road, Chris Wright said "It is great to have Gerry back. We chose him because of his proven track record and significantly, his achievements as a manager. This talent, coupled with his strong emotional commitment to the club, is a combination we beleive is impossible to find elsewhere."
Iain Dowie, who took over as caretaker manager following Harford's departure last month, has been appointed player/coach working alongside Francis.
Francis' will attend QPR's league fixture at Huddersfield tomorrow, but Dowie, who has been preparing the team for this tough game, will remain in charge in his role as caretaker manager.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OCTOBER 16, 1998
WRIGHT GETS HIS MAN
RANGERS Chairman Chris Wright is delighted Gerry Francis accepted his offer to return to Loftus Road.
Mr Wright spoke to the Rangers Official Website about the behind the scenes negotiations and said he was brutally honest with Francis about what he would be coming into.
"We had a lot of meetings and a lot of talking, I had to explain the full situation here to Gerry. I didn't want to bring him in here and then him find any surprises about the financial position we're in or the players we've got here. There's not going to be any nasty surprises because for him he knows enough about it already."
"I first met him when he was manager here four or five years ago and there was talk about the Thompson family seloling the club and we had conversations at the time about whether I could come in and take over the club and take it forward while he was still manager. Obviously in retrospect it's a great shame that those talks never came to anything becuase it's a great shame that Gerry Francis ever left the club in the first place."
Telegraph/Christopher Davies - October 17, 1998 - Francis returns to direct QPR's fight for survival- IT was like This Is Your Life at Loftus Road yesterday, with a video of Gerry Francis, complete with Seventies sideburns, during his playing days with Queens Park Rangers.
-What followed was a string of one-liners, confirmation that QPR are all but broke and that Vinnie Jones is moving out lock, stock and one terminating contract.
- Francis left Rangers four years ago after he felt his authority was undermined by moves to bring in Rodney Marsh as director of football.
- There will be no such problems this time as Francis returns to the club in that capacity. Introducing QPR's new manager, Francis said: "I know him well. He's a bit of a shady character. Me."
- Francis will be in charge of all aspects of football from the youth academy to managing the first team. Iain Dowie, who has been caretaker-manager, will continue as player-coach with Francis bringing in an assistant.
- Jones, player, coach and actor, will be on his way after turning down the chance to be considered as coach or assistant manager. Neither Francis nor chairman-owner Chris Wright seemed to know why Vinnie was unwilling to stay on - no doubt all will be revealed in a movie or, more likely, an exclusive tabloid interview.
- Francis was in fine form yesterday, relaxed and refreshed after spending most of the 11 months since leaving Tottenham "recharging my batteries and being with my wife and three children".
- Had he spoken to Spurs' chairman Alan Sugar? "Yes, today. He asked me to come back."
- Francis had, he said, turned down "flat" 12 offers to return to management. Then, in the wake of Ray Harford's departure, Wright rang Francis.
- The chairman did not have much of a sales patter. "Hey, Gerry. Do you fancy taking charge of this First Division club who are struggling against relegation, whose gates have halved since you were last manager [between 1991 and 1994] and with no money to spend?"
- That was the gist of it. Francis said: "I looked at the situation and thought about it for two weeks. At the end of a fortnight I was even more shocked. When I was manager of Bristol Rovers I lent the club money to buy a player. I'm not doing that here."
- So why did Francis take on "the biggest, most massive challenge of my career?" It was a toss-up between the heart and head and the heart won. Just.
- Francis tried not to make it sound corny but there was no alternative. "I have QPR in my veins. One way or the other I've been with the club for 17 years. That's a long time. I've always had a soft spot for Rangers.
- "It's a heck of a job to pull the club round to where it was when I left. It was a close decision whether I'd take the job or not. My priority is to get us away from near the bottom of the table and then sort out the club financially." That will be much easier said than done. Wright admitted that mistakes, which was putting it mildly, had been made in recent years.
- "The club haven't been well run for several years," he said. "Not before I came here or even since. I've learnt a lot and had I known two years ago what I know now history would have been different. But this doesn't make it any easier starting from where we are.
- "But I've brought in Gerry Francis and he has blue-and-white-hooped blood. He lives and breathes QPR. He's a top-class manager and the long-standing QPR connection is a bonus."
- Francis, who will become a shareholder in the plc, has signed a contract for three seasons. He is full of enthusiasm and is "particularly looking forward to negotiating the manager's salary".
- He will be at Huddersfield today only as an observer. "I hope the director of football signs my petrol docket, but he's a right so-and-so."
- Rangers barely have two pennies to rub together yet Wright, a Rangers fan since he could kick a ball, even spoke about a 40,000-capacity stadium to the west of Shepherds Bush "which would be full if we were in the Premiership".
- Dreams are for the future. A win and then a few more are what is required right now from a poor side.
- "Results don't lie," said Francis, who was the popular choice as manager but knows he will be judged only on what he does from next week.
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/7540/today-gerry-francis-back-manager#ixzz5UYkbZOWz