QPR Report Interview: The Leicester Perspective

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March 2, 2011

A Leicester City Fan Perspective: QPR Report Q&A With Vital Leicester's www.leicester.vitalfootball.co.uk Joe Brewin

Vital Football Leicester's www.leicester.vitalfootball.co.uk Joe Brewin has very kindly responded to some questions about Leicester behind the scenes


Starting simply: How long have you supported Leicester? And how long have you been involved with the Website? How did you get to be the editor?

Given my age, I started getting into it properly at Filbert Street around about 14 years ago now. The late 90s were some of the best years we've ever seen as Leicester fans - four successive top ten Premier League finishes and three League Cup finals in four years. It was a good time to start taking a proper interest in the team. Since then I've never looked back and been hooked ever since. We may have had our share of ill fortune over the past decade but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I started editing the Vital page just over two years ago now during our 08/09 League One campaign. As a Sport Journalism student myself it just seems another useful thing to the CV, and quiet honestly I just enjoy writing about my team.


How do you get on with the other Leicester fan sites: Are there any serious inter-board conflicts (as there certainly are between certain QPR boards!)?

That'd be the same here then! My chosen forum is Foxestalk, but it has certainly seen better days. Its rival, Talkingballs, was started at the same time when the official site message board closed down. It doesn't really bother me particularly, I barely post these days in all honesty. As I'm sure is the case for yourself, I've made some lifelong friendships from it.


Do Leicester have one (or two) special local (or further away) rivals? Is it an equal two-way rivalry? Is that Coventry or Wolves or WBA or someone else?

Ask most Leicester fans and they'll tell you Forest is the one for them, but as we know the main rivalry in the East Midlands doesn't really concern us. Derby and Forest will both say they care little about us, but they enjoy telling us that far too much not to bother about us. Technically our main rivalry should probably be Coventry, but again that seems to be a bigger one for them than us. In summary, we have a handful of local games that mean that bit more than others, but nothing I'd call particularly fiesty in terms of a true local derby.


What do you think of Sven-Goran Erikkson? You worried he's going to move on in the summer if don't get promoted What did you think of his Sousa and Holloway and Allen and all the others. Over the years, you've had quite a bit of managerial and board turnover. And as as QPR fan, I'm speaking as an expert re managerial turnover!

Sven's done his job superbly since he's been here, there are few qualms about his management in his short tenure. We've attracted players we probably never would have without him, he's got the side playing good football and we've got the results to put us within distance of the play-offs. Considering when he took over we were rock bottom, it's been quite some turnaround.

Sousa tried to do too much too soon. With essentially the same squad which performed so admirably under Pearson he managed to transform us into hopeless relegation fodder. With Pearson our style had been far more direct and effective, but Sousa tried to install a different mentality which just didn't suit. Unfortunate, but his departure was inevitable. Allen was a walking disaster. He signed some of the worst players we've seen in a Leicester shirt over the last decade, paid too much money for them and ultimately sent us on our way to relegation.

Hollowaytook over a sinking ship, but he didn't help either. His signings left little to be desired (two unknown Hungarian loanees who proved terrible, and the likes of Barry Hayles to save us from the drop). Looking back though, going down was one of the best things to happen to us. And in fairness to Holloway, his exploits at Blackpool are nothing short of miraculous.


What do you think of the current - and previous- Leicester Owners? WHY are they involved? WHO ARE THEY?! What do you expect? Could they realistically have done more to boost your chances?

Mandaric played the poor downtrodden owner card on many occasions, but truth is he got us on the cheap in the first place and came out the other side laughing. As for the new owners, I am not ashamed to say I was hugely sceptical at first. They played a huge part in ousting Pearson for no apparent reason, but since then they've got it right throughout. The appointment of Eriksson has proved the catalyst for a hive of transfer activity, for which they have backed Sven to the heavens. Their demands are high, but they're certainly willing to put their money where their mouths are. We'll see how it goes for now.


How do you think Leicester treats its fans? Appreciates them? Listens to them? Screws them?

As is the same with most clubs, it swings and roundabouts really. Season ticket prices are fairly reasonable, but match day prices today are unreasonable for me. £30+ to watch Championship football is not right. I hate our goal music too, but that's another issue for another day. Aside from that, I haven't got any huge qualms with the club.


Who are you Dangermen/Most valued/most overrated/most underrated players?

In terms of danger men, it's difficult to look past Andy King. The lad is undoubtedly one of the best finishers in the entire division, and I can quite happily say that I'd rather a chance fall to him than any other player in our team. That includes the likes of Yakubu, who is obviously known to everybody as a significant threat.

Richie Wellens pulls the strings in midfield, and is arguably our most important player on his day. Combative and competitive, but classy and clever, he has the ability to change games. A little further up, Paul Gallagher is enjoying a useful season in the front three, and his creativity is important to us.


Prediction for season promotion/relegation places - And how would that compare with pre-season prediction? In your heart of hearts, what were you expecting pre-season for Leicester?

At the start of the season I said Forest and Cardiff would take the top two places, which isn't looking too much of a bad prediction! I also tipped Sc**thorpe for the drop (probably like everyone else), which I think is going to happen still. Preston look doomed, while Sheffield United have struggled all season long. The bottom three as it is wouldn't throw up too many surprises for me if it stayed the same.

As for the here and now, I think it's tough to look past yourselves for automatic. While I'm still not certain you'll take top spot, I'll be very surprised to not see you in the Premiership next year. But there are some very good teams in this division waiting to pounce on any kind of slip-up, and there is still a long way to go. But at a push, I'll say yourselves, Cardiff and Forest for promotion.


What is your view and the general Leicester view of QPR (If we even feature in your consciousness)? QPR famously beat then-First Division Leicester on their way to the League Cup Triumph in 1967. Our very-first ever game in the old Division One was against Leicester at Loftus Road (with Alan Clarke scoring on His Leicester Debut 1-1). And in the FA cup, a few years later, QPR lost at home to Leicester in the FA Cup to a debutant Joe Waters scoring both goals.

My 90s memories of QPR currently stand in the way of Les Ferdinand, THAT Trevor Sinclair goal and our very own Andy Impey (who, correct me if I'm wrong, picked up your player of the season three seasons in a row?!). As for today, I see you as an ambitious side who will almost certainly get into the top flight in the next three years.

I know Leeds had to break the British transfer record to take Clarke off us, it's a shame he was with us for such a short period of time. I've definitely seen footage of Waters picking up that brace somewhere too!


What are your past Encounter Memories - Best Memory/Worst Memory of Past QPR- Encounters? Who is your favourite QPR Player over the years? (And your least favourite)? Ditto any view of Neil Warnock?

Having only been to Loftus Road on the one occasion (a 1-1 draw in the 06/07 season, Kisnorbo for us and Rowlands for yourselves), I can't say I have too many memories. Getting hit 3-1 at our place that same season was a big low point in our season, a game remembered very well for Marc Nygaard's ridiculous goal. Some people around me even stood to applaud.

Taarabt is a joy to watch when he's on it (unless you're on the receiving end), but in terms of all-time it's hard to look past a player like Sir Les. We have fond memories of him from the season he had with us towards the end of his career, and I respect him as a man a great deal.

As for Neil Warnock, what is there to say that hasn't already been said? I actually like the bloke to tell you the truth, his post-match antics are always entertaining. For me it's always refreshing to hear football personalities who speak their mind and don't patronise us with all the usual cliché-ridden rubbish. He's proven himself to get results on the pitch on several occasions, and for that I have respect for him. Sometimes he can be a tool, but on the whole I have few problems with him.


Are you looking forward to playing QPR?

For the away day it will bring, absolutely. But on the pitch? When you've not won a couple, need a win and have Norwich the following game, hell no. Last season produced two of our best performances of the season (2-1 at Loftus Road, 4-0 at the Walkers), but times have changed so much since.


SCORE PREDICTION for QPR-Leicester?

I'll plump for a 1-1 draw.


Where, realistically, do you think Leicester will be in five years time?

There's absolutely no reason that we can't be in the Premier League, provided things are dealt with efficiently at the top. I don't believe we'll get promoted this year, but things are set up for a cracking season next year if we can continue as we have been going recently. After that, who knows? Football changes so fast.


Do you have any advice for QPR fans, in the event that we do go up? (Spend more/spend less; keep the manager; change the manager, etc)

Before this season I would have argued that spending money is imperative, but Blackpool have virtually blown all my preconceptions out of the window. I still have no idea how they're doing it this year, and in truth I expect the bubble to burst at some point. But generally speaking, investment is usually necessary. A good goalkeeper is always hugely important, while experiences heads never go amiss. Keeping Warnock would be the best thing to do even if results don't go as planned - he's been there and done it before.


What one or two questions do you wish I had asked you (and how would you have responded?!)

I think that's everything covered!


Many thanks again to Vital Leicester's www.leicester.vitalfootball.co.uk Joe Brewin