It seems as if every day brings another crisis at Queens Park Rangers, today in particular it appeared that tweets and transfers were on the agenda at the west London club. Rangers boss Harry Redknapp is reported to be upset with comments made by the club’s owner Tony Fernandes on Twitter over the weekend. At a press conference this morning, the 65 year old suggested that Airline tycoon Fernandes should quit the social networking site in the wake of a series of flippant comments he posted after Rangers' 4-2 humbling at the hands of MK Dons on home turf last Saturday. Meanwhile, Redknapp has also voiced his concern over the way in which transfers have been conducted during this January’s window.
Let’s start with the Chairman’s comments on Twitter last night, “If I can’t fix it I will be the first to go”, Fernandes wrote, which sounds more than a little like the billionaire’s way of saying, “I’m going to take my ball and go home”. Few would blame Fernandes if he did take his big, metaphorical ball of cash, grabbed the next free seat available on his low-cost airline and simply flew off into the distance. His tenure as owner of the Loftus Road club has brought one catastrophe after another and he has seen little return on his investment after bankrolling dozens of new signings.
It’s unsurprising that with Rangers still five points from safety in the league, Fernandes is beginning to grow weary of the constant criticism his administration is drawing from the club’s fans. “Many fans attacking me. Doing our best,” he said in response to the generally grim appraisals of the club’s situation he had been receiving from supporters, “as I said we won’t stop trying. As I have said many times I take all responsibility and will face the music”.
Although during his press conference this afternoon Redknapp praised Fernandes as both a businessman and a human being, he couldn’t refrain from commenting on his Chairman’s online antics, “The only advice I’d give Tony is get off Twitter”. ‘Arry then went on to share some words of wisdom that many sportsmen could stand learn a thing or two from, “If you don’t want to know what people are saying, don’t be on Twitter”.
The news from Loftus Road doesn’t stop there though. Redknapp has also likened the current transfer window to “gang warfare”. That’s right, Harry “He could do a job for us” Redknapp thinks that the modern transfer market has become far too cutthroat and shady for his tastes. “I mean, I’ve never seen anyfink like it” he said, “every agent it seems to me is tryin’ to screw eachuvva, it’s like gang warfare out there” Gang warfare? Sounded more like he was describing a gang bang to me.
“It is scary. If you’ve got a deal and you’re trying to get a player, another agent will try to scupper that deal if he’s not involved in it to try an’ get you to ‘ave one of his players, it’s unreal” finished Redknapp, talking about the transfer market again at this point it would appear.
I’m just really glad that Redknapp has taken a stand against unscrupulous transfer dealings. Unfortunately his speech made the press conference overrun and he had to reschedule the training ground tour he was planning on giving Mo Diamé and Peter Odemwingie later that morning.*
*This almost definitely didn’t happen.
