Ian Holloway crossed the line by calling out QPR fans who left early as his team were being outclassed – again – by Brentford.
There is a possible criticism to be made of those who gave up and headed home before two injury-time goals snatched an unlikely point.
That criticism only ought to come from Rangers fans who stayed. Not a privileged, wealthy employee of the club – particularly one who has his job primarily because of his perceived ability to unite and excite the fan base.
A QPR manager glaring down a camera criticising, even insulting, the club’s fans is not a good look.
Aside from how it makes him seem, it makes the club look tinpot and leaves QPR supporters open to derision.
Only around 11,000 of them were at Monday’s game.
Although it was an evening kick-off, on live television and in the build up to Christmas, that turnout highlights a malaise around the club which Holloway was brought back to lift.
More importantly, after the folly of the big spending, it shows the extent to which QPR are again heavily reliant on a small but loyal hardcore who are the lifeblood of the club, even if they choose to leave a match early. For the manager to deride them is not on.
And what the usually well-grounded Holloway lost sight of in the heat of the moment was that there were a number of reasons why some will have left.
Not all will have headed off in a stroppy show of non-support.
Some will have made an understandable decision based on realities of everyday life, such as costs, their work and other circumstances, childcare, travel and numerous other factors people who don’t earn Holloway’s kind of salary need to weigh up.
Holloway was out of order. He should be made by his bosses to apologise, if he doesn’t choose to do so himself.
He also needs to do so for his own sake, because managers who criticise their own fans tend to be weaker for it. Their cards tend to be marked after an outburst like his.
He was wrong, but there were mitigating circumstances many fans will understand.
Holloway is a passionate man. Not in a million years would Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Chris Ramsey, for example, have entered into such a rant.
Those managers and many like them are more cautious – and that was reflected in QPR’s stale performances, which led many to pine for the days when a Rangers side showed the character Holloway has engineered before and is doing so again.
The fight is there. The late comeback against Brentford was another indication of that.
Supporters wanted a manager and a team who care – and Holloway has brought them that. That is surely beyond dispute.
His rant was also partly born out of the fact that, in an industry full of fan-pleasing PR guff, Holloway does sincerely care about QPR fans and believes they have a role to play in the club being rebuilt.
In criticising the fans he was also highlighting their importance to him.
It is also the case that many supporters will agree with Holloway, who even during his years away from the club was often able to judge the mood of Rangers fans perfectly in his assessment of events at Loftus Road.
They will feel they are the most steadfastly loyal QPR supporters and that the manager has spoken for them.
Even so, the owners should not regard his comments as acceptable.
Holloway’s passion and off-the-wall personality can be a good thing. It has served QPR well in the past and has helped mend the club since his return.
In the heat of the moment, immediately after a stirring derby comeback, he lost his composure and said things he shouldn’t have.
It’s no big deal and can easily be moved on from if handled in the right way.
But he should apologise. For his own sake, if nothing else.
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This post was last modified on 10/12/2017
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Can’t see any reason he should apologise. We’re dead lucky to have a manager that cares this much about the club and everything he said was spot on the money. It’s your choice to go home early and it’s his choice to tell you how he feels about that. I’d rather spend six years in the championship under Holloway, watching players that want to be in the pitch than bob up and down the leagues under managers with a squad built for one season.
I agree with Dave why should he apologise a lot of home fans were slagging him of they are a disc race I have been coming here since 1967 and I have never left before the final whistle
Ian Holloway is a very passionate man & I believe him when he states that he loves this club. He has every right to be supported in his desires each game he endorsed the fight & determination this group has. Last night they dug in & fluke or fortune QPR salvaged a point from a game that many were prepared to give up. Last night true grit & determination was displayed & after weeks of telling the loyal support maybe he felt a little disappointed that his support of the fans was not returned yes it was unwise to voice his comments but not unfounded
Real fans stayed and real fans left. I seriously thought about leaving after Brentford scored their second. It was the humiliation of losing to a club that for so long has been below us in the West London football hierarchy; and they were playing much better than us. In the end I decided to wait until Brentford scored their third and then leave. But then the madness happened . . .
Spot on. If he had said it nicely it would be fine. Eg I feel sorry feeling for the fans who left and hopefully they’ll shout till the end next game. We were terrible at times and lacked pace on the wings. We didn’t get behind their back 4 till pav came on and showed what we missed all game. We cross from poor areas or cross poorly. Our forwards stand like statues at times. I worry what we are doing to the young players. We dropped them in a very deep end in the premier league and now the ones we have aren’t ready unless it’s a cup game.
It takes me 2.5 hours to get to and from Loftus Road. By leaving early I can get a train that gets me home by midnight rather than 1.30am. When you're 2-0 down against superior opposition on a Monday night with a long week of work ahead common sense and fatigue can outweigh blind loyalty. Understand Holloway's passion etc but he ought to realise that fans have lives and commitments that do sometimes get in the way. Some may have left early in fury and disgust and may be burning their season tickets, shredding their replica shirts, ranting on twitter etc. Others - quite a few probably - simply made a pragmatic decision late on a cold Monday night. Doesn't make them any less of a supporter.
Back in the 70s, QPR were losing 2-0 to Middlesbrough and scored twice in the last two minutes - it was a great last two minutes. I resolved never to leave early, if I could help it. Fans have a right to leave if they've got the hump. Managers have a right to call it as they see it too. Dave, I think you've gone OTT in this article - a bit like Ollie did, in fact. That's alright - at least you guys care enough to get a bit heated.
'Glory hunter fans', is there such a thing at QPR?
Holloway loves the club and he showed that in his post match conference. Whilst every fan can come and go as they please I applaud him for having a dig. What he must realise is that we don't like watching our nearest rivals beat us repeatedly. We need something to celebrate and be passionate about and it's been all too thin on the ground for years.
I left early and I will hold up my hands and say I was wrong. However, Holloway also has to understand how some fans felt, myself included, about being outclassed by Brentford and the poor team selection, IMO, of some players and others not being given a chance. Let's be honest we did not deserve anything from last night. When Brentford's second went in I got mad, frustrated and couldn't take anymore, especially against Brentford. I apologise, I've never left early in 40 Years but Holloway has to understand how some of us felt.
Rubbish. There's no way Holloway should apologise. In 40 years of supporting QPR, I have never left a game early, and I've seen some dire performances over the years. Fans who leave early because of what is happening on the pitch are a disgrace.