Soccer News: Manager Says Star is Overweight

QPR manager Harry Rednapp was clearly unhappy after his bottom-of-the-Premier League team lost 3-2 to Liverpool after a gunfight of goals in the last 10 minutes of the game at Loftus Road. But he unloaded both barrels on his Moroccan midfield star Adel Taarabt after being quizzed at the post-match press conference about the missing player’s fitness.

It’s fair to say that ‘Arry is not a fan!

“No, he’s not fit: he’s not fit to play football, unfortunately,” said Redknapp of the 25-year-old, who has only featured three times this season. “He played in a reserve team game the other day, and I could have run about more than he did. So no, I can’t pick him.

“I pick people that want to try, and deserve to be at a good football club like QPR, and want to work, and come in every day and want to work, and train, and show a good attitude. And that’s what I got today from the players. When he starts doing that, whether he ever can do it, maybe he’ll get a game. The other lads, I’ve got a fantastic group of lads here, absolutely superb, all of them.

“I can’t keep protecting people who don’t want to run about and train, who are about three stone overweight. What am I supposed to keep saying, keep getting your 60, 70 grand a week but don’t train? What’s the game coming to?”

He’s talking about 60 to 70,000 pounds-a-week sterling – the equivalent of about US $100,000!

That sounds a pretty heavy incentive to get in the gym!