Peter Beagrie - Sky Sports Expert

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Posted: 02nd October 2008 14:20

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Iain Dowie QPR

Dowie: balancing act

You can't abuse the fans' loyalty, it's as simple as that. Asking them to pay one price and then moving the bar is not acceptable.

Peter Beagrie
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A disappointing 1-1 draw with Blackpool followed a 2-0 defeat to Derby that ended their unbeaten home run, but I think QPR's problems started the week before.

After that fantastic result against Aston Villa in the Carling Cup, and the reward of a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the next round, I suspect Rangers might not have been as focused as Iain Dowie would have liked against Paul Jewell's side, who are starting to make their presence felt in the division.

And there was also, of course, that big hullabaloo about QPR's ticket prices, which dominated the headlines more than the game itself.

To try and charge fans £40 or £50 to watch Championship football was ridiculous. I understand that clubs now do packages and price banding but it's really disappointing at a time when we're trying to encourage more people to come through the turnstiles - and the credit crunch is biting.

The man on the street, who already ploughs a lot of his hard-earned cash into football, has a smaller disposable income at the moment so the move was especially badly timed. With the levels of investment in place at Loftus Road, it was bad PR, and even more baffling considering QPR aren't topping the attendance tables by a long stretch.

It is one of the selling points of the Championship that clubs are more accountable to the fans. The divide between players and the people who pay to watch them isn't as great as in the Premier League, which has become a bit lost in translation with its vast amounts of money.

Loyalty

You can't abuse the fans' loyalty, it's as simple as that. Asking them to pay one price and then moving the bar is not acceptable.

Instead of hiking up process, clubs should be looking at initiatives and incentives to reduce ticket prices. Championships are usually won and lost on your home form, so to get more bums on seats and create an intimidating atmosphere has to be the way forward.

So from my point of view, whoever suggested a price increase made a massive faux pas.

On the pitch, I think Iain Dowie is still trying to find the right balance. They started poorly against Blackpool and allowed them to get a foothold in the game, before Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored a fantastic goal; the type of long-range effort he's scored whatever level of football he's played.

Iain's had an influx of players from different countries and different footballing backgrounds, some of whom were a bit lightweight, and it took his half-time talk to get a reaction and a draw in the end, thanks to Dexter Blackstock. I saw quite a bit of Blackstock when he was a youngster and went on loan to Southampton. He's a talented individual who is very mobile, does a lot of running outside the box and in the channels but is also instinctive in the box.

People said he couldn't miss when he equalised on Tuesday night but when the ball comes off the keeper at speed, you've got to react and that's what he did. With six goals so far in all competitions, it's already been a very good season for him.

As we all know, the Championship is very unforgiving if you aren't an athlete, you haven't got a physical presence and you haven't got a big heart; Dexter, however, has all those attributes.

Changes

Iain won't change his principles and resort to lumping it forward but he certainly knows it takes all sorts to be successful in this division and we might see him making a few changes after this little series of poor results.

Any pressure that he feels though, will come not from billionaire owners but from within; a pressure to be the best he can possibly be at his job. He knows that if he needs to bring someone in on an emergency loan, or on a permanent deal in January, he'll be able to.

QPR fans might be getting a bit frustrated that, despite co-owner Flavio Briatore being a flamboyant guy, the club has been pretty quiet in the transfer market. It will be interesting to see what happens in January but if you do splash the cash, there's always the worry of being held to ransom by big-money, long-term contracts, or guys who might walk away from the club.

The real guys under pressure in the Championship are the likes of Simon Davey at Barnsley and Brian Laws at Sheffield Wednesday, who, despite all this talk of a takeover, is still operating with no money and the smallest squad in the division. Pressure comes with the territory, of course.

I expect QPR to follow the example set by their last opponents, Blackpool - who produced a shock when they beat Birmingham - at St Andrews.

Simon Grayson's men have set a bit of a benchmark when it comes to playing away from home; they're strong, resolute and have this ability of quietening the home crowd because they get out of the blocks so quickly, which can frustrate the fans, and in turn, the players.

I suspect Iain will pick a stronger side physically, to try and negate the sustained periods of pressure that Birmingham will inevitably have. That will be his game plan: keep it tight, try to frustrate the Blues and then, when tiredness sets in, look to bring in a few flair players, impact players, to come on and try and nick a goal.

It will be a tough task, because Birmingham have the ability to stay in the game and won't get turned over by anyone in this division. Quincy Owusie-Abeyie can take them to a different level and the likes of Gary McSheffrey, James McFadden and Sebastian Larsson haven't really fully fired yet. When they do, Birmingham will be a terrifying proposition.

To send Peter a question, send an email to skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form below...

Peter answers your questions...

MAD FER IT
Hi Peter, it's early days but I like the way Martin 'Mad Dog' Allen has come in and shaken up the squad - we certainly needed it! Do you think the change of manager will mean that Cheltenham could finish somewhere in mid-table and enjoy League 1 football next season? Regards, Richard
PETER REPLIES: I wouldn't put anything past Martin! I found out he'd got the job when I saw him in the make-up room at Sky; well, I say make-up, they probably needed polyfiller for him! He's brought in a couple of players who both got goals at the weekend - Stuart Fleetwood and Josh Payne - so he certainly knows the transfer market. He won his first game in charge, against Bristol Rovers but knows he's got to make them harder to beat - he will have been disappointed to let Stockport back into the game on Saturday. Martin is big on discipline and concentration, so I'm sure he'll do well.

OWL THEY DO?
Hi Peter, Sheffield Wednesday fan here. A great win at the Valley means we've had our best start to the league for years. I think Brian Laws is doing a good job, especially because of all the problems with this supposed takeover. Could we make the play-offs or am I in dreamland? I fancy our chances of beating that lot across the city in a few weeks' time, too. Cheers, Dean
PETER REPLIES: The derby will certainly be a good one, Dean. I was privileged to watch the 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane last season when James Beattie scored that fantastic free-kick to level things up. The Sheffield public generated such passion and I expect the same again, especially with not much separating the sides at the moment. I agree with you that Brian Laws has done a fantastic job, with his hands tied behind his back - he would have been used to that after his time at Scunthorpe. Their first 11 can beat anyone on their day in the division; Jermaine Johnson, Wade Small, Marcus Tudgay play some terrific football. They were very lucky to win at Charlton but the win against Nottingham Forest would have pleased Brian - it was only a few games ago that they got spanked by Reading. They need three or four players if they are going to have any hope of being around the play-offs, though. It's strength-in-depth that they need because you can't, as happened there last season, play people out of position week in, week out in the Championship.

To send Peter a question, send an email to skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form below...

Comments

Ian Woolley (Birmingham City fan) says...

Hi Peter, I am a Birmingham City fan but can't yet work out Alex's style, and I am Scottish, We need a Goalkeeper so he gets midfield players okay, now he's got midfield players he's going for more now where's the logic, we need defenders as well, there is a loan system why not use it ?? Ian Woolley

Posted 03:16 5th October 2008

Dave Taylor (Birmingham City fan) says...

Hi pete. im a birmingham fan, with the players we have, we have the best team by far in the championship and, in my view a better team then the likes of stoke in the premier league. do you think were getting promotion this season?

Posted 23:32 4th October 2008

Jaime Poh (Southampton fan) says...

Hi peter,what do u think of southampton's chances of a playoff spot?

Posted 14:33 4th October 2008

Kev Rees (Plymouth Argyle fan) says...

Hello Peter, Argyle fan exiled in West Midlands. What do you think the chances are of Plymouth Argyle getting any sort of mention this season from anybody on Sky. I sometimes wonder if anyone realises we're actually a Championship side.

Posted 18:03 3rd October 2008

Paul Cowin (Reading fan) says...

Hi Peter, Who do you think has the deadliest strike force in the Championship this year.? I have to say I am biased and think that Kevin Doyle and Noel Hunt will bag hatfuls this year. Noel (Steve Hunt's brother) has only broken into the team 3 games ago but he looks real quality and is a surefire starter for every game now. Kevin Doyle has scored 8 goals in his last 3 home games, he did not score that many in the whole of last season. Is there any pairing better?

Posted 01:34 3rd October 2008

Andy Scates (Coventry City fan) says...

Hi peter. What do you think coventry's chances of promotion are this season or in the future? Is Chris Coleman the right man? Is our attack strong enough

Posted 18:47 2nd October 2008

Jay Phillips (Nottingham Forest fan) says...

hi peter. im just wondering that the way nottm forest are playing at the moment losing 5 away games only won 1 game would you think it is a good time to sack colin calderwood before its to late or do you think its a patch were just going through?

Posted 16:56 2nd October 2008

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