QPR - ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-arr!

Whatever the state of Charlton Athletic and irrespective of the league we will be playing in next season, I wouldn't exchange places with QPR. They are a club where hope has always been close to the surface but delivery of anything agonisingly kept out of reach. No sojourn to the Premier League for them. No ground development, no Target 20,000, no play-offs that I can remember. Just hope that next season might bring an improvement large enough to actually change their fortunes, even if just for a season or two.

The arrival of three, truly wealthy owners promised much. Despite their public declaration that it would be evolution and not revolution at Loftus Road, and that their future would be built on progress and not simply a loose-change investment, Rangers fans must have hoped for far more than they have received. I thought that the egos of these three would be too large not to see them want to buy baubles for their Christmas tree. 

The parsimony of their owners is amply demonstrated by their ticket pricing policy. Having tried to rip visiting Derby fans off earlier this year, their new deal for season ticket renewals makes ours look generous. Minimum adult prices start at £450 and go up to £699! Their early bird renewal offer expires on 17th April, so you will need to commit before the end of this season to take advantage of this year's prices. The VAT reduction from earlier in the year is not being passed on and they have no credit arrangements to allow fans to part-pay by installments.

So whilst Hoops fans continue to contribute heavily to the cots of running of their club,  their Board have been placing all of their eggs in the managerial basket hoping that will make the difference in terms of moving Rangers closer to the PL. Paulo Sousa got the chop yesterday and follows the clueless Iain Dowie, John Gregory and Luigi de Canio out of the hot seat, all in under two years. Given that they have also had two caretaker managers, one of whom, in Mick Harford, was probably the most capable of the lot, it makes for a damning indictment on the men at the top. 

The excuse being trotted out is that Sousa divulged sensitive information relating to the loan of Dexter Blackstock to Forest. This appears to be because Sousa has said it was done without his agreement. Presumably he should have said nothing and gone along with it. His sacking has been anticipated for a number of months, so it's a lame excuse in the circumstances for moving him on. I'd love to see a few out-of-work managers shun the post if it comes their way but that's not really the way it works, especially in the current climate. In the meantime, the footballing world will continue to chant QPR-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-arrr.