QPR QUOTES

TURNOVER
Mark Devlin
Mike Pink
Communications Manager, Phil Harris

QPR1st News Update -Latest news update October 15, 2005.....The most recent annual return is up to May 13th 2005 .....The addresses of Wanlock and Barnaby are both in the financial district of New York [Albany, NY]. Barnaby holdings is based at the offices of USA Corporate Services Inc. Wanlock's address has several offices, including a law firm and an accountant. Both companies are LLC's (Limited Liability Companies).http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/newsarticle.asp?id=35

Holloway After the Hull Game (Nov 26)
Holloway again bemoaned the behind-the-scenes problems at Loftus Road.
Gianni Paladini recently became chairman after a power struggle and a Monaco-based group now control the club.
Holloway said: "I'm just waiting for some direction. "Tell me another manager that has had to put up with what I have had to put up with. "I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall and it doesn't half hurt. "Why am I still here? It isn't because of the money, it's because of the passion I have and the belief I have in this club." http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/11/26/SOCCER_QPR_2nd_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=nationwide1


HOLLOWAY
."Holloway offered few words about Gianni Paladini's decision to take legal action against the Evening Standard newspaper after a series of articles questioning the club's dealings with agents.However, the boss is firmly backing the chairman. He said: "One certain paper should just shut up because their facts are so wrong. So wrong, it's scary. "You do not quote five years' worth of agents' fees and call it a year. That's what's presumed, so it'll be very interesting to see what happens with that."http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/content/camden/kilburntimes/sport/story.aspx?brand=KLBTOnline&category=sportfootball&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportklbt&itemid=WeED05%20Oct%202005%2011%3A36%3A33%3A130

HOLLOWAY ON PALADINI & BP

We had two people," Ian Holloway explains, "Gianni Paladini and Bill Power, in the highest positions and they had a great relationship. I liked them both. Their relationship has broken down and things aren't stable any more. I have never been a child who has been in a divorce. But now I feel like their kid."Until last year, Gianni Paladini was a Fifa-registered football agent, who represented high-profile players such as Benito Carbone and Fabrizio Ravanelli. He bought a 22 per cent stake in QPR for around £650,000, but is also closely linked to two Monaco consortiums, Wanlock and Barnaby Holdings, that have invested £1.7m in the club; together, they own 46 per cent of QPR.Paladini, now 60, was a striker on Napoli's books until injury forced him to retire at the age of 22. He settled in the Midlands in 1968, and build up a portfolio of restaurants and clubs. Certain aspects of his CV - the fact that he's a Neapolitan, who went from waiting on tables to owning nightclubs, and brokered many football deals in southern Italy - have led some to leap to stereotypical judgments. As Paladini said recently, "People must think there is Mafia involvement. But I want the best for QPR and I'm getting the right people to achieve this." The chairman describes allegations that he has signed players to QPR with a view to enriching his agent friends as "stupid".I ask Holloway how he gets on with Gianni Paladini."His personality is electric. You want to be in his company." At the same time, he says, "You wouldn't want to do anything wrong. He loves you or he hates you. When he loves you, there is no better company in the world. You can talk about Gianni being a waiter. You can talk about Gianni being Italian. You can talk about Gianni being an agent. But Gianni is a bloke. Gianni is a fella. A nice fella."What if you "do something wrong"?"If you upset him," Holloway explains, "he will hurl abuse at you. He doesn't mean it the following day. Hopefully I can help him learn from my experience of how I used to scream at deaf children."Does he swear in Italian?"Normally in English."Last year, Holloway recalls, he was at home, suffering from chronic diarrhoea, when he answered a call from Paladini."I was sat on the toilet - actually I couldn't leave the toilet. I had this virus. There had been rumours about me going to Wolves. Three days before, I'd bought flowers for some ladies in the office. Gianni assumed they were a leaving present."So you were on the toilet..."And Gianni was going: 'You fucking bastard I am going to kill you. I am going to kill you, you fucking bastard... where are you, you fucking... fucking hell where are you.'"And you said..."I am on the toilet. My wife is in the house. Ask her. He said: 'She could be at fucking Wolves with you.'"In the end, Holloway says, he had to drive up to Leeds, to reassure the Italian. It was a journey he remembers."It was a terrible virus. It was coming out of both ends. I had to stop at every service station. I shouldn't have gone. It was horrendous. I was totally dehydrated. My lips were stuck to my teeth. I ended up in hospital, the following day. I was in for a week. I had six drips put into me."It wouldn't be reasonable to invite any manager to criticise his chairman in public, but..."Well I have seen people saying Holloway 'supports' Gianni Paladini. Holloway supports QPR. But I am a man of principle. If I thought there was any just cause for [the unease some have voiced about the Italian], I wouldn't be here."Scotland Yard, Holloway points out, "has been looking into everything that's happened at the club. If there was anything untoward Mr Paladini had done, would he still be where he is?"It can't be pleasant to be under such scrutiny."It isn't. As a football manager you are like... a doorstop."A doorstop?"You are in between the floor and the door. There's the board of directors, and the fans and the players, trying to push the door."So who does the door represent - the board?"Sorry?"Is the board the door?"Well you've got the door and the floor. I am the wedge. And someone is trying to force the door. But really it needs to be the other way round, because the board are above me."But who is the door? (omega)"Er... OK... forget the door." Holloway draws a triangle in the air. "I am in a three-way struggle involving the fans, the players and the board. I don't know of anybody else who has been in this situation, ever."You did once say that you can never have complete harmony at a football club."Yes. But there is a difference between complete harmony and complete chaos."And at QPR is it complete..."Everybody out there makes it look like it's complete chaos." Gianni Paladini, says Holloway, "is Caesar and at the minute the old thumb is wobbling. The crowd are going wait a minute. I want to be Maximus. But I get a bit of a waft of fish sometimes."This is a volatile situation that can communicate itself to the players via the fans - that's what you're saying?"Yes. Normally you need support when things are going wrong. That is what I've found in my own life. I've needed the support of my wife and family. To me, if you're a football supporter, your love should be unconditional."I'd expected to talk to Ian Holloway for 90 minutes. In the end we are together for four hours, during which time he covers - as well as such topics as the 4-5-1 formation, Sven Goran Eriksson and QPR's increased season ticket prices - the questions of divine fallibility and the theory of evolution."We are an offshoot of apes - allegedly - but who knows? We don't really, do we? How long have we been on this planet?" Holloway muses. "How long are we going to be here? What is it all about? We reproduce. Our offspring carry on. But that will only happen for a limited time. Before the whole thing blows up and we are sucked into a black hole. You know what I mean?"The QPR manager will explore such themes further in his forthcoming autobiography, titled Thanks, Steve."I went to Southampton the other week, with Kim. These kids shouted, 'Oh Holloway, you're a legend. Sign this.' Then they said, 'Thanks, Steve.' It was the same in the Chinese chip shop when I was at Bristol Rovers. They started off by calling me 'Horroway'. But before long it was: 'Salt and vinegar, Steve? How much you earn, Steve?' Why," Holloway asks, "is it always Steve?"At various points during our conversation he speaks of his admiration for Jose Mourinho who - with his inexhaustible transfer budget and terse, supercilious manner - is, in many respects, everything Ian Holloway isn't."Even to be in Mourinho's company must be amazing," he says. "When he gets doubts, how long do they stay in his head? What support does he have to help him banish those doubts?"About £2.1bn and a club with more power than any in the history of the game, I suggest."But he still has to get those grossly paid players to perform."Of the two, I know whose history I find more inspirational, and who I'd rather have as a dinner companion, manager, or friend, and he wasn't born in Setubal. There's no doubt which of the managers is going to have the more captivatingly unpredictable season. It could, I suggest, be a very long year for Ian: there will be little or no money for fancy signings, and the ongoing police inquiry, like the Paladini libel suit, is guaranteed to keep the club in the headlines for the least enviable reasons."The things that matter to me," he says, "are commitment and trust. So the last few months haven't been easy. I don't know what to trust, or what to think, or what to do. It might turn out that certain alleged facts are true. I don't know yet. But I do know that I won't work without trust. I have to believe."What can he teach his players from his own experience?"That winners are made, not born. And that winners are made by not fearing. I can sense fear in the eyes of players. I could see it in Kim's eyes when she had cancer. I have dealt with fear," Holloway adds, "all my life. My own fear has been a selfish dread that I might not be good enough."But life, he continues, "is like the The Emperor's New Clothes. Don't you think that story says it all? I think part of all of us has doubts. Because of the animal that we are. You can't take away from the fact that we are an animal. Aren't we? This is a sofa," Holloway continues. "I am an animal. But we have evolved into sitting by the fire, and thinking, and to be fair when you see a fire... it does make you... you know if chimps had done that, maybe they would be the ones..."Hang on - if chimps had done what?"They'd found fire before... it was us that found fire, wasn't it?"I think Holloway can see that his Emperor's New Clothes monologue has left me slightly perplexed."My main ambition," he goes on, "is to leave this planet knowing that I gave my best and that I was there for my children. And I am trying to make them independent and able to live happily, for many years after I have gone. By the way," he adds, as I'm getting up to leave. "You're stark, bollock naked, mate."Is there anything that has happened at your club recently, I ask Ian Holloway, that has surprised you? "Surprised?" The Queens Park Rangers manager leans forward and cradles his chin in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. "Surprised? No. Surprised is not the right word. You would need a different word. Like shocked," he says. "Or stunned. Or amazed."....
.A few minutes before the kick-off of QPR's home game against Sheffield United in August this year, one of the club's directors, Gianni Paladini, had a gun held to his head, in the boardroom, by a gang allegedly seeking to persuade him to sign a letter of resignation. Four men have been charged with conspiracy to commit blackmail, and joint possession of a firearm with intent to commit GBH.Gianni Paladini has since been appointed chairman of Queens Park Rangers - the latest in a bewildering series of upheavals at board level. Paladini, a former footballers' agent who was once a wine waiter in Birmingham, recently issued a writ against a newspaper which alleged improprieties in his transfer dealings. He inherits a club with debts of around £10m.I ask Holloway when it was that he first heard about the supposed firearm incident. "After the game. We're walking off the pitch. We've just won, 2-1. The ref's given us a goal that was blatantly offside, so I'm absolutely elated. Neil Warnock, the Sheffield United manager, is going ballistic. Anyhow," he continues, "I am shouting at Neil, as we walk off: 'I always supported you. But now I see I was wrong. Everybody else in football is right. You are a twat.'"In the dressing room afterwards, "I'm saying congratulations to my team..." Holloway searches for a way to summarise his speech and settles - perhaps unfortunately - for the phrase: "Well done lads... bang, bang, bang."Then, he adds, "Bill Power [former QPR chairman] gets hold of me. He's in a daze. He says: 'Er... something... has...' I said: 'What?' He said: '... ah... happened. I don't know quite how to tell...' So I'm like: 'Bill, do us a favour. Don't tell me.' That way, when I met the press after the match I didn't know what had - allegedly - gone on."Since then, the CID have been regular visitors to Loftus Road, the club's west London stadium. "It has," says the manager, "been absolutely horrendous."The whole thing sounds like a surreal black comedy."Yes," says Holloway. "I kept expecting Harry Potter to fly in."In a precarious and hostile trade, the general run of football managers tend to espouse the kind of haughty machismo perfected by Jose Mourinho. Ian Holloway is not like this. Holloway paints huge, abstract canvases. He has wept on camera, talking about his love for his wife. He has difficulties with reading and says so in public. Though fiercely combative by nature, he meets life head-on with a frank and disarming vulnerability.In his photograph in the club programme - one place where even the most thoroughly tormented manager can usually strike a pose of imperious tranquillity - Holloway's expression is a mixture of determination and foreboding: he has the look of a man who has just led a breakout from Colditz, and is glancing back to the perimeter wall, only to see that all of his fellow escapees have been machine-gunned.When I arrive at his house in St Albans, Holloway, wearing a blue dress shirt and jeans, answers the door and leads the way to his living room, talking to a colleague on his mobile. I sit on the sofa, under the scrutiny of his rottweiler, Nathan, while the manager, who is 42, discusses the club's situation. (omega)Holloway's end of the phone conversation is the usual blend of candour and mixed metaphors; he has a tendency to start one sentence before he has completed the last, and speaks in a strong West Country accent which lends a kind of poetry to the most banal phrase."Directors are calling me for advice," he says, the last word rhyming with "choice". "It's like they're holding on to my shirt tails. It should be the other way round. It's getting to the point where other managers would start thinking bugger this, I'm off into the river and joining another boat... the tail," he adds, "cannot wag the dog."There are whole web sites devoted to so-called "Ollyisms". Invited to analyse one hard-fought victory, over Chesterfield, he responded as follows: "To put it in gentleman's terms, if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they're good-looking and some weeks they are not the best. Our performance today," he went on, "would not have been the best-looking bird, but at least we got her in the taxi. She was not the best-looking lady we ended up taking home, but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let's have a coffee."When a journalist enquired about his health, following a leave of absence, Holloway told him: "My arms withered and my body was covered with puss-like sores, but no matter how bad it got I consoled myself by remembering that I wasn't a Chelsea fan."He shares his tastefully decorated, large modern house with his wife Kim, son William, 17, and three younger teenage daughters - Chloe, Eve and Harriet. Each of the girls - for reasons doctors have been unable to explain - was born deaf. The family moved to St Albans to be close to a state school that teaches British sign language.On the wall is Promotion, Holloway's abstract canvas in the style of Jackson Pollock. He painted it while being filmed for the 2004 BBC programme Stress Test. The documentary addressed the fits of rage which were disrupting his home life, with the help of psychologists and an anger management expert - who, Holloway recalls, "was constantly trying to get my goat up". The experience might have destroyed some people. Ian Holloway emerged as a national treasure.I tell him that I honestly believe that going on that show is the bravest thing I've ever seen a footballer do, on or off the pitch."Bravest?" Holloway asks, "or most stupid?"It's probably true that Sir Alex Ferguson, say, might have taken some persuading before he consented - as Ian Holloway did - to have his stress levels monitored while he performed an a cappella version of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?""But if I hadn't done that programme," Holloway says, "I wouldn't be sitting here now. Before I did it, I believed that I was a person who was kind, considerate, and believed in free speech. The anger management expert showed me I was a jumped-up, obnoxious little get who wouldn't listen at home because of what happened at work. If I'd carried on the way I was," he says, "I would have destructed everything I had."Stress Test showed him addressing his players before a game."One of their staff was as rude as [beep] to us," he said. "So [beep]ing get on your [beep]ing toes. All my life I've been on a [beep]ing crusade. I want us [beep]ing focussed. Because you can [beep]ing win without being [beep]ing rude."To his deaf daughters, Holloway's furious gesticulations must have made him look like James Finlayson, the bald, apoplectic straight man to Laurel and Hardy, in one of their silent shorts. The painting was part of his therapy."I said, 'But I always have an original to copy.' They said, 'That's your problem.' I sprayed something on the paper and I thought, 'Oh God, I've ruined it.' By the end, I was throwing paint at it. Doing that picture set me free. I had always worried whether I was doing the right thing; always believed that nothing I did would ever be good enough. I realised all of that is bullshit. Most of my life," he adds, "is bullshit."You mean your life in football?"No, I'm talking about that perception I once had of what I ought or ought not to say. Now I feel I have got to tell it how it is."In one scene he faced the camera alone, talking about the effects of his explosive anger."Kim," Holloway said, in one scene from the programme - facing the camera alone, in an emotional state - "don't love the fella I am. A lot of things used to scare me. None of them do now. Only the fact that I might lose her. Without your family," he adds, "you've got nothing. I wouldn't want to carry on living without them. There would be no point."Kim, who has been his girlfriend since she was 14 years old, appears with coffee. "I used to shout her down," Holloway says. "I used to be vile."Has anyone mocked you for appearing on that programme?"Not to my face."Holloway - 5ft 8in tall and not heavily built - has had to rely on passion, integrity and commitment to gain the respect he commands in his dressing room, and throughout the game....

From their current position in the top-half of the table, QPR's more optimistic supporters have started to eye the Premiership above them.Holloway believes the only way he will become a manager at that level is to get QPR promoted. "Nobody," he says, "is going to want to hire a bumpkin from Bristol."Within the game, Holloway's achievement is recognised as extraordinary: if clubs were ranked by their financial means, QPR would be in the bottom four of the Championship. What success they have achieved is the result of the manager's ability to communicate his own galvanic commitment to his players.The £10m loan from the ABC Corporation of Panama carried a 10 per cent interest rate and the resulting annual payment of £1m horrified some directors. The deal was concluded under the reign of former chairman Nick Blackburn, who resigned in the summer of 2004. He was replaced by Bill Power, who was ousted by Gianni Paladini in August this year. Over the past two years, board members have departed with a frequency that is staggering. The surreal preliminaries to the Sheffield United game are indicative of the turmoil within the club, which at the time of writing has no chief executive."We had two people," Ian Holloway explains, "Gianni Paladini and Bill Power, in the highest positions and they had a great relationship. I liked them both. Their relationship has broken down and things aren't stable any more. I have never been a child who has been in a divorce. But now I feel like their kid."Until last year, Gianni Paladini was a Fifa-registered football agent, who represented high-profile players such as Benito Carbone and Fabrizio Ravanelli. He bought a 22 per cent stake in QPR for around £650,000, but is also closely linked to two Monaco consortiums, Wanlock and Barnaby Holdings, that have invested £1.7m in the club; together, they own 46 per cent of QPR.Paladini, now 60, was a striker on Napoli's books until injury forced him to retire at the age of 22. He settled in the Midlands in 1968, and build up a portfolio of restaurants and clubs. Certain aspects of his CV - the fact that he's a Neapolitan, who went from waiting on tables to owning nightclubs, and brokered many football deals in southern Italy - have led some to leap to stereotypical judgments. As Paladini said recently, "People must think there is Mafia involvement. But I want the best for QPR and I'm getting the right people to achieve this." The chairman describes allegations that he has signed players to QPR with a view to enriching his agent friends as "stupid".I ask Holloway how he gets on with Gianni Paladini."His personality is electric. You want to be in his company." At the same time, he says, "You wouldn't want to do anything wrong. He loves you or he hates you. When he loves you, there is no better company in the world. You can talk about Gianni being a waiter. You can talk about Gianni being Italian. You can talk about Gianni being an agent. But Gianni is a bloke. Gianni is a fella. A nice fella."What if you "do something wrong"?"If you upset him," Holloway explains, "he will hurl abuse at you. He doesn't mean it the following day. Hopefully I can help him learn from my experience of how I used to scream at deaf children."Does he swear in Italian?"Normally in English."Last year, Holloway recalls, he was at home, suffering from chronic diarrhoea, when he answered a call from Paladini."I was sat on the toilet - actually I couldn't leave the toilet. I had this virus. There had been rumours about me going to Wolves. Three days before, I'd bought flowers for some ladies in the office. Gianni assumed they were a leaving present."So you were on the toilet..."And Gianni was going: 'You fucking bastard I am going to kill you. I am going to kill you, you fucking bastard... where are you, you fucking... fucking hell where are you.'"And you said..."I am on the toilet. My wife is in the house. Ask her. He said: 'She could be at fucking Wolves with you.'"In the end, Holloway says, he had to drive up to Leeds, to reassure the Italian. It was a journey he remembers."It was a terrible virus. It was coming out of both ends. I had to stop at every service station. I shouldn't have gone. It was horrendous. I was totally dehydrated. My lips were stuck to my teeth. I ended up in hospital, the following day. I was in for a week. I had six drips put into me."It wouldn't be reasonable to invite any manager to criticise his chairman in public, but..."Well I have seen people saying Holloway 'supports' Gianni Paladini. Holloway supports QPR. But I am a man of principle. If I thought there was any just cause for [the unease some have voiced about the Italian], I wouldn't be here."Scotland Yard, Holloway points out, "has been looking into everything that's happened at the club. If there was anything untoward Mr Paladini had done, would he still be where he is?"It can't be pleasant to be under such scrutiny."It isn't. As a football manager you are like... a doorstop."A doorstop?"You are in between the floor and the door. There's the board of directors, and the fans and the players, trying to push the door."So who does the door represent - the board?"Sorry?"Is the board the door?"Well you've got the door and the floor. I am the wedge. And someone is trying to force the door. But really it needs to be the other way round, because the board are above me."But who is the door? (omega)"Er... OK... forget the door." Holloway draws a triangle in the air. "I am in a three-way struggle involving the fans, the players and the board. I don't know of anybody else who has been in this situation, ever."You did once say that you can never have complete harmony at a football club."Yes. But there is a difference between complete harmony and complete chaos."And at QPR is it complete..."Everybody out there makes it look like it's complete chaos." Gianni Paladini, says Holloway, "is Caesar and at the minute the old thumb is wobbling. The crowd are going wait a minute. I want to be Maximus. But I get a bit of a waft of fish sometimes."This is a volatile situation that can communicate itself to the players via the fans - that's what you're saying?"Yes. Normally you need support when things are going wrong. That is what I've found in my own life. I've needed the support of my wife and family. To me, if you're a football supporter, your love should be unconditional.".....http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article324844.ece



Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Highlights of Holloway's Q&AQPR OFFICIAL SITE- QPR World Interview with Ian HollowayWhat’s Going on With Richard Langley I didn't want to lose him and I'm the one who brought him back because I believe he will be, in the future, a fantastic ball playing midfielder.I want him to be able to go forward and back as I want the right balance. Chelsea have got people like Frank Lampard who can do both jobs.Richard isn't as fit as he should be both physically and mentally. Sometimes he can be a bit hesitant and that's not the Richard I know. He had a slight calf strain before the Preston game so he couldn't take part, but he had been involved before then and has been on the bench since.Can you play Langley and Rowlands together?There's no reason why I can't see it in the future. I think Rowlands is sadly missed at the moment. He gives us balance and closes better than anyone I've got when we haven't got the ball. Sometimes my other midfielders don't do that.My choices in midfield are something to be proud of. As long as I've got one or two of them on the bench they will put pressure on those out there.Why do you make substitutions so late on in games?I wanted to bring Georges Santos on the other day against Plymouth, but by the time I got him on there wasn't any time left as the fourth official had told me a bit of a porkie.If we're getting back in the game and creating chances, then I like to change it and I've got good help in my coaches.A lot of the team who is playing didn't have a complete full season. Dean Sturridge is trying to get fit by playing games, which isn't ideal.I've never picked a team that I don't believe is right for the team we are playing against. If it doesn't work I have to sit back and put my hands up and take responsibility.Has Georges Santos got a clause in his contract that says he has to play?No he hasn't, he's a fantastic war horse for us. He's been a great player for us, for nothing, but I think that's very unfair and harsh.He does make mistakes and when he does they are glaring. But I think he's performing above some of the others I've got here at the moment.Do you get a stiff neck talking to all the tall players we've got now?I make sure they all sit down first! But I am trying to increase the size of my players. Our back line used to be far too small. You've only got to look at the Premiership boys to see how big they are.In the modern day game you have to win the ball in both boxes. Peter Crouch has proved that you can have the height and a great touch.Is there a possibility that we could play a more attacking midfield?It depends who we're playing, who's fit, the report I get on the opposition and it depends on the week we're having on the training ground. I need a creative midfield but they need to be able to defend as well.You have to be fit to play the way I want, which is high tempo and a lot of closing down. Having just seen the video of our game against Norwich, I must say I thought our passing game was very good.I think Tommy Doherty will get better, but this is all about having options and being unpredictable for your opposition.What is your footballing philosophy and have you ever sent out a team to express it?I'd want to play similar to Chelsea but in Arsenal's formation. Vieira used to go forward for them but they're lacking that now. I love the way they get the ball down and pass it.You're only as strong as your weakest link and sometimes you break down, but I think we're getting better.Paul Furlong hasn't really been on form, why are you persevering with him?The fact is he hasn't scored as many, but his link play is still there. He was hated when he came here and then became a legend last season. But for me he's proving irreplaceable.If Swansea can turn down £1m for Lee Trundell how am I going to replace Paul Furlong?Yes we need to move past Paul Furlong eventually, but I need to have everybody fit. Have we got enough strength in depth? No, I don't think so.Scott Donnelly shouldn't have to be playing on a regular basis at the age of 16, I'll bet there isn't someone that age anywhere else in the Championship playing at that age.It's the most expensive place on the field and look at how much we've had to spend on it. If Furlong was still 26 how much would he be worth?I'll drop players as I see fit, and I'll stand and fall on my decisions.Do you feel under pressure?That's part of the job, but I don't like it when I hear people saying not to believe me because I'm just trying to get a new contract. I don't control the board I just pick the side.I've had four chairman, two Chief Executives and now I don't have one. But at the end of the day, QPR fans still have a club and that's one thing I'm proud of - totally.I have got the hump from the weekend because I believe certain things aren't right, there are rumours. But this will all take care of itself. You'll all know what happened, it will all be there. All you have to worry about is judging our players fairly.If I had to leave today I'd be very proud of what my team and staff, past and present, have achieved.Who has been a major factor for this club?It's everyone who buys a ticket - so don't leave us. If you don't agree with team selection, no problem. But don't pick sides in an argument you don't know anything about.Will we see any players coming in or out in the next transfer window?The board are trying to sort out all the bills at the moment. But I've been told I can look for some signings in the January transfer window, I just don't know how much I've got.As for letting people go, there are some who aren't happy and have been out on loan and might not like having to fight for a place here.What is the situation with Shabazz Baidoo?We had the chance to send him to Lincoln, but you can't loan scholars out. When he's 17 we can make him a pro and he can go out on loan then. He's working on his finishing and improving very quickly.It's hard to say how close he is, but that's up to him. We nicked him from Arsenal but he's been brought up our way and he seems very positive.There was a rumour that West Ham wanted him but that was just a rumour. I spoke to Alan Pardew and he assured me it wasn't the case.What's the latest on your future with the club?Gianni said he wanted to give some stability to the club, but I feel the most important thing is that the board get sorted and I get some direction regarding the future because that's what matters to the fans.My focus is on the team more than myself. If the board wants to talk to my agent that's fine, but I want to put that on the back burner. I'm more than happy to work for the new board in the same way that I was happy to work for the last board.As long as whoever is in charge is happy to pick up the baton and run with it, I'm happy to work for them.Do you want to increase the size of the squad and in what position?I've got some loan signings lined up if people get injured and we're also looking at some targets. The most I've ever spent was borrowed from a fan and that was £250,000Do you think Marc Nygaard can be a replacement for Furlong eventually?Well he's a different sort of player to Furs, it may be that I need two players to replace him when that day comes. But he's a great player, he's fresh and he's hungry.What did you think of the booing directed at Georges Santos last Saturday?Some players are liked and some aren't, but I don't understand it. If they were booing when he scored then they have a serious problem.What's the latest with the loan signings?Adam Miller and Aaron Brown have been sent back but Marcus Bean is still at Swansea and is doing very well. His contract is up at the end of the season but for now I think it's good for him to be there getting some experience.Have you ever considered watching the game from the Director's Box to get a different view?I have done it before, but I'm a bit superstitious and we've never done well when I'm up there. Plus I feel that the team need the encouragement of the coaches being down there on the touch line.http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~732152,00.html# posted by Administrator @ 11:44 AM 0 comments

PALADINI ON DUNGA BUYING SHARESDunga (supposedly) buys £1.1million stake in QPRThe SunBRAZILIAN World Cup winner Dunga has bought a £1.1million stake in QPR.Hoops chairman Gianni Paladini hopes the move will help end rumours that Dunga is just a figurehead.Dunga has been on the Rangers board since last year — but fans have accused him of having no interest in the club.He has seldom been seen at Loftus Road but has now bought ex-chairman Bill Power’s 17.6 per cent stake in the club.Paladini said: “Dunga’s investment shows he is more than a good advert for QPR. He would like to come to more games but he has business interests in Japan and Brazil.”http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2005520366,00.html[And then the story is repeated here "QPR receive £1.1million Brazilian stake"http://www.worldfootballers.com/news.php?id=10698



BILL POWER
BP on Wanlock and Board power (from last year)Posted on This Board last year...Watcher_of_the_game Posted on 7/2 12:54 re: FAO Bp one quick question though BP.How much power (no pun intended) do you really have at QPR? We know that you invested into the club but it was, by football standards, quite minimal. As the board is heavily influenced by the Monaco consortium who I presume are all quite rich and probbally more waelthy than yourself, how is the power divided?If the Monaco boys wanted something to happen and said they would withdraw all thier money if they didn't get it, would they get what they want? bp650 Posted on 7/2 13:07 frightening as it may seem....... to some and in particular me. The answer to that question is I am where the buck stops, we do talk thru' things but if its down to a vote that is divided it is me.I actually posted this when asked about board meetings very recently on here following an item by Billy Rice on the offish site.Board meetings are held at the club monthly and normally involve Kevin, Mark, Chris P and myself.Wanlock is a pure investment group who having looked at the way the club is now run and with its potential for growth invested. They have never involved themselves with the running of the club although we send them monthly reports including the minutes of board meetings.If they want to get their money out it is up to them to sell their shares. If you're interested I can let them know?Link : BP Exchange IP: LoggedTracy_S Posted on 16/10 10:51Email this Message Replyre: BP on Wanlock and Board power (from last year)bp also posted the following in January of this year."Board meetings are held monthly, the decision makers are always there, whether it is of any comfort to some I'm not sure but those people and them alone, Myself, Kevin McGrath, Mark Devlin and Chris Pennington discuss and decide all topics regarding the workings of QPR.I can categorically state that Moorbound, Barnaby and Wanlock have not interfered on a single occasion, but have continually offered any assistance they can including financially way beyond the recent offer that was fronted by Ross Jones."How things change eh?http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=533519295



The ABC of boardroom intrigue at Loftus Road -(David Conn/The Guardian)The ABC of boardroom intrigue at Loftus RoadDavid Conn, sports news reporter of the year Wednesday October 19, 2005 The GuardianWe know plenty more now about how Chelsea were airlifted from Ken Bates' debt mountain by the billionaire from nowhere, but for their near-neighbours, Queens Park Rangers, no such outrageous fortune has delivered them from turmoil. QPR were threatened with expulsion by the Football League in 2002, having been in administration for a year, and staggered out only by clutching a £10m loan from the mysterious Panama-registered ABC Corporation, which has burdened them ever since. Now, after a string of boardroom showdowns, the club is run by Gianni Paladini, an Italian former players' agent and, increasingly, Antonio Caliendo, the one-time Mr Big of Italian agents who in 1991 received a 10-month suspended prison sentence for attempted corruption. QPR are mostly owned by two New York-registered companies, Barnaby and Wenlock, who operate from Monte Carlo. "I have fallen in love with Queens Park Rangers, its name and history," Caliendo told me, through an interpreter, this week. "We want to rebuild it both as a team and a business." Caliendo, 61, found early success selling encyclopaedias door-to-door, rose up the ranks of the De Agostini publishing group, then in 1979 fixed what were thought to be the first personal endorsements by an Italian footballer, for the international playmaker Giancarlo Antognoni. Caliendo claims that in the 1990 World Cup final between West Germany and Argentina, he represented 12 of the 22 players on the pitch, but he also dates his troubles in Italy from the same year, after his client Roberto Baggio's move from Fiorentina to Juventus, which provoked riots by Fiorentina fans. In 1991, officers from the Italian tax authorities raided Caliendo's offices, he was arrested, then on May 30 he did a deal, accepting a 10-month suspended prison sentence for attempted corruption. Caliendo told me he is intensely proud of his record and defends his reputation for "moral integrity" absolutely. He said he accepted the conviction only on his solicitor's advice, to secure a quick release from prison, and considered suing the government. A year later, in July 1992, an investigation into the collapse of the Italian club, Hellas Verona, led to Caliendo, among others, being arrested and remanded in custody, but, after a long investigation, he was not prosecuted. "I was never convicted of anything in relation to Verona," Caliendo said. "Several high-profile figures were attacked by the Revenue in Italy at that time." Caliendo said he is ready to "accept new challenges", and, like Paladini, a long-term associate, has given up his agent's licence to become fully involved at Loftus Road. Caliendo is shortly expected to become the club's new chairman. It is expected he will pass the Football League's "fit and proper person test" for directors, because his criminal conviction dates from long enough ago to be regarded as spent. QPR are still reaping the consequences of their version of living the dream, after they were taken over and floated on the stock market in 1996 by Chris Wright, the Chrysalis music entrepreneur. He invested £10m but, in April 2001, with QPR having lost £27m, Wright put QPR into administration. A month later they were relegated to the then Second Division. In May 2002, with the Football League insisting the club could not start the new season in administration, QPR accepted the £10m loan from the ABC Corporation, at 10%, £1m, annual interest, secured on Loftus Road. ABC's owners cannot be officially identified, but sources at QPR believe the man behind the company is Michael Hunt, the former Nissan UK director who in 1993 was sentenced to eight years in jail for his role in what was then Britain's largest tax fraud. In July 2003 a QPR fan and businessman, Bill Power, born and bred in Shepherd's Bush, bought some unissued shares and joined the board; QPR rallied and, with Ian Holloway their manager, won promotion to the Championship. Gianni Paladini told me that, like Caliendo, he was looking for a new challenge, and examined Port Vale and Derby - which also has a loan from the ABC Corporation, £15m - then eventually offered £670,000 for 10% of QPR. The club, facing another red tax bill, accepted the investment hungrily. This barely staunched the financial problems, however, so then, arranged by Caliendo, the two New York-registered vehicles, Barnaby and Wenlock, paid £1.7m for 29.9% of QPR, most of which went straight to the tax man. In August, following boardroom upheavals, Power quit, Mark Devlin was made redundant as chief executive, and the last London-based director, Kevin McGrath, resigned last month. QPR's directors now are Paladini, the former Brazil captain Dunga, representing Barnaby, and Gualtiero Trucco, a 34-year-old based in Monte Carlo, representing Wenlock. The club and its fans are reeling from a series of revelations, particularly about ballooning agents' fees paid out since Paladini became more closely involved. In the six months to June 30 2004, the Football League's list of agents' payments show QPR paid just £12,000 altogether. Then, from July 1 2004 to June 30 this year, QPR paid £320,935 in fees. Many of the payments were to agents who are friends or former associates of Paladini. Brian Hassall, a Midlands-based agent, was involved in a long-running legal claim against Paladini, which was eventually settled, and he was paid the highest single fee, £60,000, when QPR signed the Danish striker Marc Nygaard at the beginning of this season. Paladini told me the payment was absolutely legitimate and not connected to his legal battle: "Brian and I settled it, now we are friends, and of course I deal with people I know. Ian Holloway was looking for a big lad, Nygaard was at Brescia, I checked him out with Roberto Baggio, who said he would be perfect for English football. When you sign a player, you pay agents, that's how football works. Now, after all this fuss, we will try not to do it in future, but all the deals were above board and in the best interests of QPR." All the agents' payments are understood to have been registered with the League, as required by the rules, except one, £10,000 paid to Paladini's close friend Mel Eves when QPR signed Dean Sturridge from Wolves. Paladini explained that Eves was acting for QPR as a dealmaker and so the payment did not need to be registered. The League is understood to have discussed QPR's situation with the FA's financial advisory unit, but neither the FA nor the League is taking any action currently. "We are monitoring the situation," a League spokesman said. Paladini told me that he, Caliendo and the investors, are the only game in town: "What have we done wrong? Put money in to save this club? We want the club to succeed, then everybody, including the investors, will be happy." Talks have begun with a developer about possibly relocating from Loftus Road and building a new stadium in White City, which may clear QPR's financial problems and make them money. Paladini said he could understand, "100%", fans worrying that, in the hands of former agents, their club might be used to make money by moving players in and out. But he said: "Nothing under the table is going on. If anybody thinks there is, let them bring the evidence. But, actually, isn't it better to have people in who know football and have made a living out of it? Clubs got into a mess partly because rich people, who knew nothing about football, put money in - and they got ripped off." davidconn@guardian.co.uk.Additional research: John Hooper. Burns' Hoop nightmare When Lord Terry Burns was appointed last year to undertake the "structural review" of football's governing body, the FA, we were told he was a Queens Park Rangers fan; he was also a director of the club through its troubles, appointed by his old university friend, Chris Wright, in 1996, staying on the board until March 2001. QPR went into administration a month later and has still not recovered. Surprising, then, that Burns' mind-numbingly dull report, delivered in August, which focused on bureaucratic minutiae, seemed so uninformed by what might have been a formatively traumatic experience at QPR. "Football in general," he wrote, "continues to enjoy very good health in England." The next day at QPR's first match of the season against Sheffield United, Gianni Paladini was allegedly held up at gunpoint, an incident over which four men have been charged. Burns did not want to talk publicly this week about his time at QPR. As a non-executive director of the football club, it is understood he was largely "meeting and greeting" opposing clubs' directors on matchdays, but he was consulted on financial issues, the appointment of managers and major signings. Burns' structural review, however, deals only indirectly with clubs' financial management, and not at all with the financial gap between the Premier League and Football League, so damaging for clubs such as QPR. And his main answer to the FA's struggles to govern the game? Ah yes: appoint non-executive directors to the board. http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1595541,00.htm l?gusrc=rss

PALADINI PROMISING HOLLOWAY MONEY
Paladini Promises Holloway Funds for JanuaryBen Kosky/ Kilburn TimesFunds ready for HollowayQPR chairman Gianni Paladini has promised funds to help Ian Holloway pep up his forward line when the transfer window opens in January.Rangers have looked short of firepower all season, despite having five senior strikers on their books and Holloway is eager to add another face in the new year.And Paladini, who took over as chairman in September, confirmed that the club are 'keeping tabs' on several possible targets, including a promising youngster in South America and another in Japan."It's up to Ollie who he wants and, provided it's the right player for this club and he fits into our wage structure, we will definitely try to bring him in," Paladini told the Times."As long as it's not silly money, there shouldn't be a problem. We've already brought in seven or eight players this year and if we need to get someone else, it would probably be a striker."Kevin Gallen is Rangers' top scorer this season with four goals, despite spending the majority of his time in midfield, while summer signing Marc Nygaard has banged in three in five starts.But Paul Furlong has struggled to reproduce the form that saw him voted Player of the Year last season, while Dean Sturridge has been wrestling with fitness problems ever since joining the club in March.Speculation has suggested that Holloway may make another move for Millwall striker Barry Hayles, a player he once managed at Bristol Rovers and attempted to bring to Loftus Road 18 months ago.Hayles has hit five goals - including one against QPR - for the troubled Lions this campaign, but turns 34 in the spring and might represent too much of a gamble.Meanwhile, Paladini plans to build on the recent upturn in attendances at Loftus Road by offering a regular £1 ticket concession for juniors.The scheme was initially launched for next month's clash with Coventry and remains in place although the match has been switched to a Monday night for TV coverage.Attendances dropped by around 2,000 earlier in the season, but Rangers' last two home games, against Norwich and Reading, have both topped the 15,000 mark."It's been much better again and if we had 15,000 plus every week, we'd be laughing," said Paladini. "Having a full ground is the most important thing."We might try to sell at half-price for Christmas and we'll make it £1 a head for the kids another time as well - maybe we'll do it for every single game until the end of the season."http://www.camdentimes.co.uk/content/camden/camdentimes/sport/story.aspx?brand=KLBTOnline&category=sportboxing&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportcamt&itemid=WeED08%20Nov%202005%2020%3A00%3A39%3A490


Thursday, November 03, 2005 Barnaby Holdlings Buys ex-Chairman, Bill Powers' SharesQPR Official Site - BARNABY HOLDINGSBarnaby Holdings have increased their shareholding in Queens Park Rangers.The consortium, which already enjoyed a 10% stake in the Club, have purchased the shareholding of former Chairman Bill Power for a sum in the region of £1.1million.This now takes their overall stake in the Club to 27.8%.QPR Chairman Gianni Paladini is delighted with the news and believes it underlines Barnaby's commitment to the Club."Barnaby are investing in both the short and long term future of Queens Park Rangers and I am very pleased to know that they share my optimism about the prospects for this great club."I would also like to personally thank Bill Power for everything he has done and although he is no longer financially involved, he will always be a big part of the club and someone I will always love and respect." http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~736268,00.html


Paladini InterviewedPaladini on his plans on Holloway, on BP, etcExclusive Gianni Paladini interviewKilburn Times/Camden Times nwl.sport@archant.co.uk12 October 2005 QPR chairman Gianni Paladini NEW QPR chairman Gianni Paladini has revealed his plans for the club in an exclusive interview with the Times, writes Ben Kosky.Paladini, who was already Rangers' majority shareholder, took over last month after winning a boardroom battle with previous chairman Bill Power.The Italian explains why he has adopted a 'hands-on' role in the day-to-day running of the club since the departure of chief executive Mark Devlin.Paladini also believes he can make Rangers a profitable company - and pledges that if he fails, the shortfall will be made up by himself and fellow major shareholders.And the Rangers chairman plans to reintroduce a family section at Loftus Road, possibly as soon as next week, to counter falling attendances since the summer rise in ticket prices.Read the full interview in this week's Times.Full article posted at http://www.qpr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?topic_view=threadsandp=119508andt=36750Link : Paladini Interviewed Among the interesting comments...!"... I've had discussions with Ian Holloway about his new contract - .... Ian can be my best friend and I love him to bits, I'd do anything for him and he does the same for me, he's been sticking with me through the tough times."He knows I back him 100 per cent,... "Opinion among fans was divided as to whether Bill Power or yourself should be chairman of QPR. How would you convince the doubters?"I must tell the truth - since I've been here there isn't one fan who's come to me with a bad word to say. .. If you talk to Bill now, he enjoys coming to watch a game and knowing it's not his responsibility."I had a fantastic relationship with Bill Power and Kevin McGrath, I respect them and that will always be the same. .."http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=533539409call spin control if you want, but at the moment he is the only thing we have > TO say the Loftus Road boardroom has seen a degree of turbulence so far > this > season would be a severe understatement.Three chairmen, the departure of > the club's chief executive and a police > investigation give off the odour of Dream Team or Footballers' Wives plot > lines rather than real-life events at Queens Park Rangers.But the dust > appears to be settling, with majority shareholder Gianni > Paladini now installed as QPR chairman and keen to discuss the future of > the > club.Here the one-time Napoli youth team player and former agent > exclusively > reveals to the Times his thoughts on managing and financing the club, his > plans to bring back its' 'missing' fans and keep Rangers in their > traditional heartland.Attendances have dropped by around 2,000 since > ticket prices went up in the > summer - what can you do to reverse this?"Right now I'm trying to work out > the best thing to do, to facilitate people > who are not coming to the ground without upsetting people who already > bought > the tickets. We have to be fair to them - they paid a lot of money."Maybe > we can do something next season to make it up with people who feel > they've been overcharged and we definitely need to do something for the > children. I'm trying to work out a way that we can use one section of the > ground as a family section."If we have one section where we can > exclusively sell to families and kids, I > will do it, guaranteed. I don't know if we can do that in time for > Plymouth, > but I'll see if I can do something for the game after that."Presumably > your ambition is to be a Premier League chairman in the near > future. Have you set a timescale for achieving that?"I don't put any > pressure on anybody. At the start of the season, we felt we > had a chance to improve on last year and when all the players come back > fully fit, we are a decent team, competitive enough to be in the > play-offs."If it's not this year, we'll try again next year until we get > there. I've > had discussions with Ian Holloway about his new contract - we've been > together for the last 18 months and we are moving forward. Ian can be my > best friend and I love him to bits, I'd do anything for him and he does > the > same for me, he's been sticking with me through the tough times."He knows > I back him 100 per cent, he knows the way I think and he knows > there is only one way - to be successful."I try to help him as much as I > can and we will get in the Premier League > together."Opinion among fans was divided as to whether Bill Power or > yourself should > be chairman of QPR. How would you convince the doubters?"I must tell the > truth - since I've been here there isn't one fan who's come > to me with a bad word to say. Bill Power is a fan. What's the dream for a > football fan? To have one of them at the helm of a football club."But > sometimes it doesn't work because you can be personally affected. If you > talk to Bill now, he enjoys coming to watch a game and knowing it's not > his > responsibility."I had a fantastic relationship with Bill Power and Kevin > McGrath, I respect > them and that will always be the same. Bill and Kevin didn't do anything > wrong, but things change and it was time for us to have a go ourselves."My > way is different - I look at this as a business, to be successful and if > I don't do that, I fail, I put my hands up and goodbye. If there's someone > out there who thinks they can do a better job, buy us all out."But why > didn't they come before, when the club was in a lower division and > they'd have had to pay the taxman's bill or the club would be closed down > and forget about promotion?"QPR have been losing money for several years. > Can you see the club breaking > even or even making a profit in the near future?"Forget the past - it's up > to us now and there's no more sweet sugar daddy, > it's all on the shoulders of myself and my other partners, Barnaby and > Wanlock. I'm protecting my own investment and by doing that, I'm > protecting > QPR as well, simple as that."We'll try to take this club forward and make > sure that, in a year or two, we > run it as a profit-maker. If we lose money at the end of the season, there > won't be the old situation where I need to borrow this or that - it's our > fault and we put in money out of our own pockets."If we are successful, > QPR are successful, the fans will be happy and there's > no secret agenda, no skeletons. I couldn't get any help in England, so I > relied on one of my best friends, someone I'd known for years, > [businessman] Antonio Caliendo."I asked Antonio to help me out and he came > up with Dunga, he found > [Monaco-based consortia] Barnaby and Wanlock and they put in money to help > QPR survive."It's no secret that Dunga put money in out of his own pocket > to help me, > because I've known him for many years, as well as Juninho, Branco and lots > of players from Brazil."How is the club being run since Mark Devlin was > made redundant?"We got rid of the chief executive position because I think > we couldn't > afford it. I don't follow the idea of a chief executive or managing > director > or general manager - it's our money, it's our job to be here and make sure > the club is run properly."When I came here there were 54 people on the > staff and the wage bill was > bigger than the wage bill of the playing staff - how can you sustain that? > Now everything functions okay and the club is under control."I've been 30 > years in football and I'm here every day. There are others who > are employed by the people from Monte Carlo and they pay their own way - > it > doesn't cost QPR anything."Long-term, do you see QPR staying at Loftus > Road or moving to a new stadium?"If you've got no money and you're driving > a Mini, you always see someone in > a Rolls Royce and you wish you could buy that. When I go to Southampton, > Leicester and Coventry, then I come to White City and I see workmen > building, I wish they were building a new Loftus Road."We can't build > anything at Loftus Road - we already tried that and there's > no chance to make this football ground bigger, it's impossible. So the > only > alternative would be to move and if not, we stay here and that's not so > bad."If someone said 'I'll give you a brand new football ground down the > road for > 50,000 people, pay off the loan and give you some spare money to buy > players' - then it would be good business and you'd be a fool not to agree > to that."But it must be not far away. The moment you move QPR to a > different area, > there's no more QPR and then it's just like Wimbledon."This football club > has a fantastic history and I cannot come here and change > all this by moving the club to Hyde Park - it's a lovely park, but I don't > think you can play football there. The fans can rest assured, this will > never, never happen as long as I'm alive."http://www.qpr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?topic_view=threads&p=119508&t=36750


PALADINI
QPR 1st's Meeting with Paladini & Caliendo - ReportMinutes/Report from Meeting with QPR Board reps Friday 21st October 2005http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/documents/GandAminutes.docIn attendance:QPR Holdings Ltd Reps:Gianni Paladini (GP) Chairman; Antonio Caliendo (AC) Monaco groups’ consultant; Chris Pennington (CP) Chief financial officerQPR 1st Reps:Geoff Gibbs (GG) Treasurer; Tracy Stent (TS) ChairpersonOther: Tony Altieri; Italian translatorVenue: The Chairman’s office, QPR FC.http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/documents/GandAminutes.doc


Gianni Paladini InterviewedKilburn TimesExclusive -Gianni Paladini interviewKilburn Times/Camden Times nwl.sport@archant.co.uk12 October 2005 QPR chairman Gianni Paladini NEW QPR chairman Gianni Paladini has revealed his plans for the club in an exclusive interview with the Times, writes Ben Kosky.Paladini, who was already Rangers' majority shareholder, took over last month after winning a boardroom battle with previous chairman Bill Power.The Italian explains why he has adopted a 'hands-on' role in the day-to-day running of the club since the departure of chief executive Mark Devlin.Paladini also believes he can make Rangers a profitable company - and pledges that if he fails, the shortfall will be made up by himself and fellow major shareholders.And the Rangers chairman plans to reintroduce a family section at Loftus Road, possibly as soon as next week, to counter falling attendances since the summer rise in ticket prices.Read the full interview in this week's Times.http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/content/camden/kilburntimes/sport/story.aspx?brand=KLBTOnline&category=sportfootball&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportklbt&itemid=WeED12%20Oct%202005%2013%3A11%3A32%3A930Full Interview/Article posted at http://www.qpr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?topic_view=threadsandp=119508andt=36750


."Holloway offered few words about Gianni Paladini's decision to take legal action against the Evening Standard newspaper after a series of articles questioning the club's dealings with agents.However, the boss is firmly backing the chairman. He said: "One certain paper should just shut up because their facts are so wrong. So wrong, it's scary. "You do not quote five years' worth of agents' fees and call it a year. That's what's presumed, so it'll be very interesting to see what happens with that." http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/content/camden/kilburntimes/sport/story.aspx?brand=KLBTOnline&category=sportfootball&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportklbt&itemid=WeED05%20Oct%202005%2011%3A36%3A33%3A130

SEPTEMBER 29 - STANDARD ON QPRjulia_ Posted on 29/9 13:53Email this Message ReplyStandard articleThis is most of it, I'll post the rest later if I have time.PALADINI TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON QPRGianni Paladini is poised to strengthen his control of Queens Park Rangers after it emerged today that former chairman Bill Power has agreed to sell his shares in the club.Wanlock and Barnaby Holdings, the two mysterious Monaco-based consortiums behind Paladini, have agreed a deal to buy Power's 19.5% stake which is worth around £1.2million.That takes Paladini, Wanlock and Barnaby way beyond the crucial 50% shareholding mark, giving the former football agent a free reign at the club.Paladini was appointed QPR chairman at a board meeting yesterday afternoon in succession to Power, who was dramatically removed last month.Lifelong fan Power, who has also resigned as a director, will now sever his links with the club by selling his shares to the new board. "They said they want to buy them," Power told Standard Sport today. "I wanted to sell. Part of the agreement when you buy shares is you have to offer them back to the club first."I'm not involved at QPR any more so it's pointless having my money tied up there. It gives someone else the chance to buy into the club."Paladini revealed Wanlock and Barnaby had reached an agreement with Power. He said: "The Monaco people are buying Bill Power's shares. Everything has been agreed and it's now in the hands of the solicitors."THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PALADINI POWER GAMEHow the former club chairman and chief executive were ousted in an extraordinary and clinical boardroom coup, reports Raoul Simons.Gianni Paladini's boardroom coup at Queens park Rangers is complete following his appointment as club chairman. And with his Monaco-based backers poised to buy predecessor Bill Power's 19.5% stake in the club, the Italian businessman is now in total control.But the extraordinary way the former agent and his associates prepared the ground for their dramatic seizure of power at Loftus Road can today be revealed for the first time.Standard Sport has obtained leaked documents from a Rangers board meeting on 24 August which set out in remarkable detail the way Power and club chief executive Mark Devlin were ousted.The minutes provide a rare and fascinating insight into the way QPR are now being run and are certain to interest the Football League who are watching events closely.Five directors - Paladini, Power, Carlos Dunga, Kevin McGrath and Gualtiero Trucco were present for the meeting. Non-board members including Devlin, company secretary Chris Pennington and Antonio Caliendo, the football agent who acts as a consultant for Barnaby and Wanlock Holdings - the two Monaco-based investment companies which own 30% of QPR - were also there.The meeting was held just 11 days after a gang of men allegedly held Paladini at gunpoint at Loftus Road - now the subject of criminal proceedings.For 90 minutes it was business as usual. Then finance chief Pennington delivered a report in which he claimed the club were on course to lose nearly £2million this year, mainly due to increased player costs.As revealed by Standard Sport last week, the club have vastly increased payments to agents since Paladini bought 16% of QPR last year.At 2.30pm Calinedo left the meeting just as the final item on the agenda, "Examination and modification of the management structure" was about to be raised. A minute later, Devlin followed him after being asked to leave by Trucco.The Italian financial expert, who represents Wanlock on the board and is a known associate of Caliendo, then put forward the following motion: "I put to this board that we have no confidence in the chairman Mr Power as both chairman and as a director and call for his immediate removal."The motion was carried by three votes to one with McGrath understood to have been the dissenting voice. Power was barred from voting.At this point, the meeting broke down as a furious row erupted which culminated in Power and McGrath storming out. Around 25 minutes later they returned to the room accompanied by Devlin.In a desperate bid to cling on to his chairmanship, Power then launched a counter-attack.He claimed the vote was invalid under the company's rules and also called for Dunga to be removed as a director for failing to attend six consecutive board meetings.Dunga hit back, claiming he had not been informed of the previous meetings, while the other directors insisted the vote was in accordance with QPR's articles of association.Standard Sport has since obtained copies of QPR's articles of association.Article 88 states that any director can be removed by "extraordinary resolution" before the end of his period in office. The term is taken to refer to a 75% majority.Given this provision, Dunga's presence at the meeting was crucial in making that threshold. Yet Power also had a right to question the Brazilian's eligibility because artisle 81, sub-section 7, states: "The office of a director shall be vacated if he shall for more than six months be absent without permission of the board for meetings of the board held during that period."With the legal arguments still raging, Paladini dropped a second bombshell. he called for Devlin to be made redundant with immediate effect.Taken aback, McGrath pushed for an immediate suspension of the meeting pending clarification of the legal issues. Power followed up this request by announcing that the meeting was now closed in any case because he had to leave to visit his ill father-in-law in hospital.But Paladini, Trucco and Dunga had still not completed their coup and, astonishingly, chose to carry on the meeting even though McGrath, Power and Devlin all left at 3.37pm.In farcical circumstances they passed a vote of no confidence in Power by three votes to nil before the three-man board approved a motion to make Devlin redundant with immediate effect. Power later spoke of possible legal action to challenge the result but has now accepted his fate and resigned as a director. As we reveal today, he has now agreed to sell his stake in the club. Devlin has left the club and there are no plans to replace him.Here's the rest of the article:Paladini defended his actions, saying: "There are people trying to destroy me but they won't win. My head is held high. We did the right thing at the meeting, it was all done properly."But for QPR fans and, potentially, the football authorities, there remain issues of concern.Standard Sport's investigation last week showed how agents are to be paid £473,000. Some of these agents are friends and former business associates of Paladini.In defence of his actions, the 59 year old stated that all the cheques relating to the deals were signed by Power and Devlin. By implication, the pair were acting as safeguards. With Power and Devlin gone, who's going to sign the cheques now?MINUTE BY MINUTE: THE MEETING THAT OUSTED A CHAIRMANMinutes of QPR Holdings board meeting on Wednesday 24 August 2005, 1pm, Loftus Road Stadium. Present: Bill Power (chairman), Kevin McGrath, Gianni Paladini, Gualtiero Trucco, Carlos Dunga. Also present: Mark Devlin (chief executive), Chris Pennington (company secretary), Antonio Caliendo, Andrea Primicerio. Extract from the minutes.......*2.30pm Caliendo leaves the meeting*2.31pm Trucco asks the board if Devlin can leave the room for the next part of the discussion. Devlin leaves.*2.35pm Meeting adjourned by Power and McGrath who leave the room after a vote of no confidence in Power is put to the board by Trucco and the motion carried by 3 votes to 1.*2.58pm Power, Devlin and McGrath return to the meeting. Power claims he could not be removed from the board in the above manner as per the company's Articles of Association. Power then states the meeting is closed as he has to leave for another engagement. The remaining board members (Paladini, Trucco and Dunga) tell Power that they will continue the meeting and wait for the clarification of the legal issues.*3.37pm Devlin, McHrath and Power leave the meeting. Paladini leaves the meeting shortly afterwards and returns five minutes later. Trucco then repeats a vote of no confidence in Power and asks Pennington "to take the votes count" for each board member. Motion carried by 3 votes to 0. The decision is that the board has no confidence in Mr Power and he will be removed from the board with immediate effect. Trucco is approved as interim chairman. Trucco proposes to the board that "Mark Devlin, chief executive, is made redundant with immediate effect" and this is also approved.*3.50pm Meeting closes.http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=533632904Paladini as QPR's New Chaairman - Times & Independent ProfilesThe Times - Chairman sees himself as agent for QPR revivalGIANNI PALADINI was in typically expressive form. The former Fifa-registered agent had just been appointed as chairman of Queens Park Rangers and the phone would not stop ringing. Call after call came in, from well-wishers, QPR fans and, yes, one or two agents, with congratulations. Paladini — who looks at least ten years younger than his 60 years — talked animatedly in English and Italian. Loftus Road has rarely echoed to the language of Dante, but the club’s long-suffering fans would not be surprised if a scene from The Divine Comedy appeared in the programme for Monday’s Coca-Cola Championship fixture against Crystal Palace. QPR have become the club at which anything can happen.Confirmation of Paladini’s appointment yesterday comes on the back of events straight out of a soap opera. “Not a month has gone by without someone trying to get rid of me,” Paladini said of his 18-month involvement with the club.An acrimonious boardroom dispute turned nasty when, minutes before an early-season home match against Sheffield United, a gang burst into the inner sanctum at Loftus Road, held a gun to Paladini’s head and allegedly forced him to sign a letter by which he would resign from the board. Four men have since been charged with conspiracy to commit blackmail and joint possession of a firearm with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.This week, fresh controversy surrounded the affable Italian. It has been alleged in the press that he is using QPR to line the pockets of various agent friends with deals that the club cannot afford. Typical is the suggestion that one recent acquisition — Marc Nygaard, on a free transfer from Brescia — is said to have resulted in a £60,000 payment to Brian Hassell, an agent.Similarly, it is claimed that £40,000 was paid to Mel Eves, a Midlands-based, for the transfer of Ian Evatt.“These allegations are stupid,” Paladini said. “They are made by people with no understanding of how football works. If they want to paint a picture of me as a crook, they should find something I have done wrong. In fact, I have done nothing wrong, and they have no idea what they’re talking about.”The phone rings again, and it is Nygaard’s agent. The tall striker’s stock is high, with two goals in the past two matches, including a header against Millwall on Tuesday night. His agent is chasing payment. “The first payment is due, but I haven’t had a chance to sort it out. There has been so much chaos here,” Paladini said.First payment? “Yes, the first payment — the deal was for four payments over the term of Nygaard’s contract.” So there was no £60,000 lump sum? “Not at all,” Paladini said, clearly exasperated. “Contracts are never done like that. The deal is for four payments and I haven’t paid a penny yet.”This, according to Paladini, is how all the deals for which he has been responsible have been structured. He adds that he has overseen only three signings. “The others were all signed off by either the ex-chairman or the chief executive,” he said. “I am angry that I have been dragged through the mud like this. They have called me a thief with no evidence at all.“What does it prove, that I know other agents? I have spent my life in football. If you a solicitor, you know other solicitors. I need to know all the agents in the game, and knowing them means I can do a better job for QPR. I understand how transfers work. Football is a business and you need to know this side of it as much as the passion.” The phone rings again, and afterwards Paladini is coy. He alludes to a deal, nearly complete, in which QPR’s £10 million debt to the Panama-based ABC corporation — arranged when the club came out of administration — is renegotiated. The ABC loan costs the club £1 million in interest each year, but Paladini hopes to cut this in half.“People must think there is some kind of mafia involvement here, but I want the best for QPR and I’m putting together the right people to achieve this,” he said. “The moment I came here I felt an affinity for the club, its fans and its history, and I wanted to get involved. I want to be part of the team that takes QPR back to the Premier League.”Between 1958 and 1967, Paladini was on Napoli’s books wearing the No 10 shirt that, thanks to Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh and Tony Currie, has iconic status at Loftus Road. It would be some joy for him — and QPR fans — if this thread had more than merely symbolic resonancehttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,435-1804566,00.htmlIndependent - Paladini takes hot seat at QPRBy Gordon Tynan Published: 30 September 2005The Italian Gianni Paladini has been confirmed as the new chairman of Queen's Park Rangers. Paladini, a former football agent, takes over from interim chairman Gualtiero Trucco following the board meeting last month when former incumbent Bill Power was ousted and Mark Devlin sacked as chief executive.The Monaco-based consortiums Wanlock LLC and Barnaby Holdings, both of which have a substantial stake in QPR, had recommended the installation of Paladini as chairman. "Supporters will have been a little bewildered by recent events," Paladini told the club's official website, "but now I believe we have the right people in place to take the club forward."Reports last week claimed that QPR faced a Football Association investigation into the sums they had spent on agents' fees, reports Paladini has strenuously denied.Leicester and QPR have been charged by the Football Association with failing to control their players' behaviour after incidents in their match last weekend. Each side had a player sent off during the 2-1 win for QPR at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday, with both teams charged for a "mass confrontation".http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/coca_cola/article316041.ecePaladini Appointed Chairman of QPR FC & QPR HoldingsQPR OFFICIAL SITEGIANNI PALADINIGianni 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."http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~720129,00.html# posted by Administrator @ 6:51 PM 0 comments Holloway Criticizes Media Accusations re Paladini/Agents FeesHolloway slams Paladini claimsCamden Times, UK Ben Kowsky 28 September 2005QPR manager Ian Holloway has slammed an apparent vendetta against Gianni Paladini after media accusations that the club had made excessive payments to players' agents.Reports in last week's Evening Standard lambasted director Paladini, claiming that Rangers owe nearly £500,000 to agents, many of them friends or business contacts of Loftus Road's majority shareholder.The following day, the same newspaper claimed that QPR could be the subject of an FA investigation into the recent signing of defender Ian Evatt from Chesterfield.Holloway rubbished the reports, saying: "I think it's really misleading, I think they've done it deliberately and they should sort their facts out. I know for a fact that some of those figures refer to things that happened before a certain individual was even here."Taking figures for five years and equating them to one year is ridiculous - more times than not we've paid £10,000 to an agent because it equals five per cent of what the player was worth over his whole contract."All I can surmise is that they chose to write it like that because it makes good reading and makes QPR fans have a bit of a panic attack. I don't like us doing our washing in public - I'm sick of it."This is a fantastic club. We went into administration a few years ago and, if we go there again, we were told by the administrators that there wouldn't be a QPR - they'd close us down."Holloway's scathing view of the Standard article is understandable, given that their list of players whose agents were alleged to be receiving payment from QPR included Arthur Gnohere, Richard Johnson and Tony Thorpe - all of whom signed their final contracts with the club prior to Paladini's arrival in 2004 and have since moved on.Paladini, who is effectively in control of Rangers since ousting former chairman Bill Power at a board meeting last month, has also refuted the allegations http://www.camdentimes.co.uk/content/camden/camdentimes/sport/story.aspx?brand=KLBTOnline&category=sportrugby&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sportcamt&itemid=WeED28%20Sep%202005%2011%3A32%3A36%3A610QPR's Gianni Paladini on his Napoli Playing Career (QPR1st)QPR1st Latest news update -September 26, 2005Since our meeting with Gianni Paladini a week or so ago, the Trust has continued to maintain dialogue with key personnel at the club. At the end of last week, bearing in mind the departures of Mark Devlin and Bill Power, we contacted the company secretary.....Then on Friday afternoon, during a courtesy phone call between Gianni Paladini and a Trust rep....One other issue that was raised was the Naples thing with GP saying how he understood people were confused on some of the messageboards regarding him playing for them. He was asked what the story was and a rather scattered explanation followed with him saying how he had signed for Naples at the age of 13 in 1958 and that in 1967, due to a broken kneecap, his playing career was cut short. He mentioned how it's quite easy to find the history on this and made the offer to talk this through in detail at a later date.http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/newsarticle.asp?id=29