What the Papers Say

from www.bbc.co.uk
Holloway praises winger Ainsworth

QPR boss Ian Holloway has paid tribute to Gareth Ainsworth after assuring the winger he will be offered a new deal.

Ainsworth, whose contract is due to expire this summer, will almost certainly miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. But Holloway declared: "Gareth would run through a wall for me and this club, and I'm going to look after him. "I don't want to be without him. He's an important player to have around and we're going to need him next season."

Ainsworth's injury may prompt Holloway to move Martin Rowlands back to the right wing. But Holloway admits Rowlands has impressed him since being a chance in his preferred central position.

"He's trying to make a point and I have to say I do like the look of him in the middle," said Holloway.

"He can play on either side and that gives me real options but he wants to show what he can do in the middle and looks pretty impressive."

Thorpe goes to Rotherham on loan

QPR striker Tony Thorpe has joined Rotherham on a month's loan.

The 30-year-old's season has been ruined by injuries and Rangers boss Ian Holloway said: "It will do him good to go there and play some games. He's had a terrible season in terms of injuries. This will give him a chance to play and show what he can do."

from the Ealing Gazette
AINSWORTH IN RANGERS' PLANS
by Dave Mcintyre

Gareth Ainsworth’s season looks over – but the winger has already done enough to secure a new deal.

Ainsworth’s current contract is due to expire at the end of the season and the knee injury he suffered at Rotherham could have been disastrous for him had he not already convinced Ian Holloway he was worth keeping. The Rangers boss this week told Ainsworth he was being offered another contract, while top scorer Paul Furlong is close to putting pen to paper.

Kevin Gallen and Marcus Bignot, whose contracts were also due to expire this summer, have both signed for two more years. But the news is not go good for Rangers’ other soon to be out-of-contract players.

Gino Padula has been told to prove his worth after a disappointing season and as things stand, the Argentine is on his way out. The outlook for Jamie Cureton and Richard Edghill is even bleaker. They look certain to go and although keeper Chris Day has returned from a loan spell at Preston, his days also look numbered. And Tony Thorpe was yesterday (Thursday) expected to complete a loan move to Rotherham. Following an injury-plagued season and the recent arrival of Dean Sturridge, his future is also in doubt although the door has not been closed on him.

But Ainsworth has been spared. "I’ve told him he’s a ‘yes’ – he’s going to be offered a contract," Holloway confirmed.

"Gareth would run through a wall for me and this football club, and I’m going to look after him. "It looks like he might not play again this season but he was in great form and his attitude is such that I don’t want to be without him. "He’s an important player to have around and we’re going to need him next season."

And which division Rangers will be in by then is still not certain after victory at Millmoor boosted their play-off hopes. Martin Rowlands’ goal eight minutes into the second half was enough to secure three potentially crucial points and lift the Rs up to ninth in the Championship table. Rowlands has recently been handed the chance to play in his preferred central position and has responded with his best performances of the season.

Holloway admitted: "He’s trying to make a point and I have to say I do like the look of him in the middle. He can play on either side and that gives me real options but he wants to show what he can do in the middle and looks pretty impressive."

Holloway is still keen to beef up the centre of his midfield – especially as Rowlands may be needed on the right to replace Ainsworth, while both Georges Santos and Marc Bircham are a booking away from a two-match ban. A bid to sign Tom Doherty from Bristol City proved fruitless, and other targets have now been identified including West Brom midfielder James O’Connor.

Rangers also made pre-deadline enquiries about Birmingham’s former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke, but their only expected signing before the 5pm cut-off point was that of promising defender Dominic Shimmin from Arsenal.

A fee was agreed for the 17-year-old and Shimmin, who is regarded as an outstanding prospect, was set to sign as the Gazette went to press.

From the Hammersmith Times

STURRIDGE EYES STARRING ROLE
By Ben Kosky

LAST time Dean Sturridge was involved in a March transfer, he made an impact that changed his new club's destiny and left the watching thousands on the edge of their seats, writes Ben Kosky.

QPR fans will be hoping their new striker can play a major role - just as he did for fictional Premiership club Harchester United in the first series of popular Sky One soap 'Dream Team' some years ago. Sturridge was 'signed' from Derby County just before the transfer deadline and scored the goals that helped Harchester avoid relegation by a whisker, before disappearing the following season to resume his career with Derby, Leicester and Wolves.

But now, rather than escaping the drop, the 31-year-old - who made his Rangers debut as a second-half substitute at Rotherham - is aiming to guide QPR into the Premiership, a feat he has already achieved with both Derby and Wolves.

"I've been waiting for someone to remind me about Dream Team," Sturridge admitted with a rueful grin. "I tried to keep it quiet, but some of the lads at Wolves saw the video and were winding me up a few weeks ago. "I tried to be a footballer in that, not a star, but some people might say, the way I played at Rotherham, I should go back to Harchester United!"

Joking aside, Sturridge admits he remains short of match fitness, having been out of the picture at Molineux since before Christmas, but believes his new team-mates are capable of emulating what Wolves managed two years ago.

"I saw the ingredients you need at Rotherham - players who stand up to be counted and are ready to die for the cause. They had to win the war before they could win the match and that was very impressive to see. "I thought we were well on top and the only way they were going to score was from one of our mistakes. We opened them up in certain areas and played some decent football, but I'm sure there's more potential in this team." S

turridge has signed a contract at Loftus Road until August 2006, including a clause that guarantees him an extension of the deal, depending on appearances next season.

DAVIES TARGETS PLAY-OFFS
By Ben Kosky

DEFENDER Andrew Davies believes QPR have nothing to fear from any of their play-off rivals as the scramble intensifies for a place in the top six, writes Ben Kosky.

The Middlesbrough centre-back, who joined Rangers on loan for the second time last week, went straight into the starting line-up and helped the team keep clean sheets at both Derby and Rotherham.

The four points gained from those two games have pushed Rangers up to ninth place in the Coca-Cola Championship, within striking distance of that coveted sixth spot and Davies declared: "There's no team in a play-off position that we can't get the better of.

"I think the play-offs are definitely within our reach and we've shown that by getting results from the last couple of games. We've defended well as a team and, as long as we can keep doing it, that's the main battle.

"The whole back four's done well, the keeper's helping us out as much as he can and we just have to keep playing as we have been, picking up as many points as possible."

The 20-year-old originally moved to QPR in January and his arrival coincided with the team's revival from their mid-season slump, with seven points gained from four games before Boro recalled him as cover for their UEFA Cup campaign. Rangers then bid twice to sign Davies permanently but, although their second offer was accepted, club and player were unable to agree terms and eventually settled on the compromise of a second loan deal until the end of the season.

Amid reports of excessive wage demands, Davies and Rangers boss Ian Holloway have both stressed that the main stumbling block to the deal was relocation to London rather than money. And Davies added: "It's really good being back with the boys at QPR and I'm enjoying playing regular football again because obviously I hadn't played a game for four weeks.

"I'm aiming to settle in and hopefully the club will offer me something, then it's up to me and my family to sit down at the end of the season and make a decision as to whether I come up here full-time."