News of a new takeover has started to trickle down into news feeds today and the reaction from the fans has been somewhat subdued. This has been mirrored by fans of aesthetically pleasing technology who have been sharing their thoughts on the iPad 2 this week. In both cases of Apple and Q.P.R the consensus seems to be that as good as the first one seemed perhaps the second one can be a whole lot better.
We’re not a technology blog so I won’t start inundating you with specifics about the iPad2, instead I’ll be looking at what this takeover could mean for Q.P.R. Firstly the whole thing seems dependent on securing promotion this year. We become a far more attractive investment for anyone if we are pulling in silly amounts of T.V money, one would also hope that in order to keep the cash flow coming investment would need to be made on the playing side. Essentially anyone coming into a top flight club would need to invest a large amount to keep large wads of cash flowing towards their wallet. Should the unthinkable happen and we blow promotion then we really don’t seem attractive at all. We could be purchased and run at a low cost due to our standing in The Championship and the mystery new investors could make a smaller profit whilst not investing very much at all. Essentially it seems promotion is key to the whole thing, no pressure on Neil and the boys then!
Do we want a takeover though? Canvas opinion from any Q.P.R fans and they will certainly be pro any business that sees us rid of Briatore and Ecclestone. It seems a long time ago when The Loft used to sing their names. Since 2007 they have managed to turn themselves from heroes to villains. Briatore achieved this through constant chopping and changing of managers whilst trying to turn Q.P.R into that thing football supporters hate most of all a ‘brand.’ Ecclestone let his mouth do talking, he revealed he was a Chelsea fan, thought he was buying a restaurant and not a football club and has also divulged that the whole project has been more stress than it’s worth, essentially he hasn’t even tried to put on a brave face. A year ago the two of them pretty much decided to stop investing in the team as we languished near the bottom of The Championship. Luckily for us Amit Bhatia stepped to the fore and appointed Neil Warnock. Bhatia is incredibly likable and some R’s fans had been worried by his silence recently, they needn’t be, the club is doing all it’s talking on the pitch. Today Bhatia has come out and claimed he has no intention to sell his shares, this news should be cheered all the way through Shepherds Bush as Bhatia really does seem the proper fit for the club.
So it’s looking like win win at the moment. The two outspoken and clearly inadequate owners are on their way out whilst our cool, suave and likable man is remaining. Of course you just have to ask Liverpool fans about the ills of new men coming in, or even Blackburn fans because the truth is there are worse out there than Bernie and Flavio. The perfect scenario is money men coming in who allow Bhatia to run things as they should be run whilst making a profit for themselves from our promotion to the Premier League.
Whilst we’re on the subject of change one question must be posed, is it the end for Gianni Paladini? Everyone has an opinion on him, mine isn’t favorable but he is constantly mentioned by players and staff in their interviews in a positive light so perhaps he does have a role to play at the club still. As insulting as he may find it, a glorified meeter and greeter could be the way forward for him as he really appears to be an incredibly popular figure at Q.P.R. On the flip side after some truly woeful years he has surely burnt his bridges when it comes to dealing with the playing side of the club.
The final concern seems to be if this will affect the players. Ask yourself this, do you think we have a manager capable of shielding all the attention onto himself and allowing the players to see us through to promotion? Yeah, I think so too.
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