Thursday 4 December 2014 12:51, UK
Harry Redknapp has told his struggling QPR side to forget about Christmas parties and concentrate on picking up the points over the festive programme that could help them avoid relegation.
The Londoners are second bottom of the Premier League with fixtures against fellow strugglers Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace to come in December.
Redknapp, who was furious with his Tottenham side in 2009 when they flew to Dublin for a secret night out only to lose to Wolves on their return, sees no place for club festivities at such a critical time of the season.
"No, I'm not into Christmas parties, not for footballers," he said.
"I think it's more aggravation than it's worth. It's a changing world out there and there's always someone out there with a camera on their phone.
"I haven't spoken to them about it, they haven't mentioned anything about a Christmas party. I think they understand the pitfalls of going out.
"You've only got to be closing your eyes and someone has got a picture of you making it look like you're drunk. It's not worth the hassle."
Rangers host fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday, hoping to climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since September.
"We're in a relegation battle and we need to make sure we concentrate fully," added Redknapp.
"I think we've got a Christmas do on Monday with all the staff who work behind the scenes and run the club.
"It's just a meal, so we're going to go to that. But as far as going out and having a jolly-up, (it) is not something I want.
"It's a big month for us. In terms of the fixtures, the teams we've got are down there with us so it's important we pick up some good points from these games."
