EPL News 24/7Rob Green and QPR are the obvious choices for each other – June 3rd 2012
West Ham Chairman David Gold today announced that Robert Green will be leaving West Ham on a free this Summer, as the England squad member has decided not to renew his contract.
Which leads us to the obvious follow-up question: where’s Green going to be playing next season?
The irony here, is that if Green had decided to leave West Ham a year or two earlier, he would probably have a longer list of suitors – unfortunately though, the vacancies at Tottenham and Arsenal have since been filled. In terms of what makes the most sense in the Premier League, a move to QPR is the outstanding option.
The temptation for Rangers over the Summer will probably be for Mark Hughes to chuck vast quantities of Tony Fernandes’ cash at established players, so as to avoid the threat of another dance with relegation next season. Fine – as long as the cash is spent wisely. With a goalkeeper though, it’s always a gamble to bring someone into the Premier League from another country, because you can never guarantee that the player will transition well; always best to buy from within.
So with that in mind, is there a better option than Green? No, and while the West Ham keeper isn’t in the ‘elite’ category, he’s still a very solid goalkeeper. Put what happened in Rustenburg to one side, and you still have a sizeable upgrade on Paddy Kenny – don’t sneer at Green, he’s still second choice for his country.
For the player, a move across London would be perfect – no uprooting, no big journeys to training, probably very little change to his daily routine. And he’d be guaranteed a starting place.
It would be a big surprise if this doesn’t get done – the only alternative for Green might be West Brom, and that’s dependant on whether Birmingham agree to the permanent sale of Ben Foster.
Joey Barton versus QPR’s fans – March 24th 2012
From Joey Barton’s Twitter timeline:
Joey, Joey, Joey, this is one of those times when you’re not going to win. It wasn’t so much the lack of quality last night, it was the flouting after mis-placed passes and wasted free-kicks.
While the honesty is quite refreshing, Barton has to remember that he’s agented by the universally-disliked Willie McKay, earns a staggering amount for a player with his abilities, and is, of course, Joey Barton.
Yes, you weren’t good, and you’re seemingly a big enough person to admit it – but don’t go down the ‘we’re all in this together’ road, because fans and players don’t even share the same stratosphere anymore. You get paid however badly you perform.
