VIDEO: QPR's The Four Year Plan Documentary, an Interview with Director Mat Hodgson

Last night I watched The Four Year Plan, a controversial documentary about the takeover by Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and the Mittal Family. It was really impressive and gives good insights on a football club fighting to get into the Premier League and all problems it faces, some of them own created. The film tells the story of a club saved from extinction to making it into the Premiership from 2007 to 2011.

Here in the Sports Tonight interview the Director and Producer of The Four Year Plan, Mat Hodgson, talks with Aidan Magee about the documentary.






Sadly the 96 minute documentary is not available online, but if you do get a chance to watch it I recommend you do!!!

Turmoil at QPR after Amit Bhatia resigns

Promoted Queens Park Rangers FC were looking to establish themselves in the Premier League following their return back to the top tier after 15 long years. But boardroom troubles could hamper the clubs future with even manager Neil Warnock's job not safe anymore.

The clubs chairman and CEO Ishan Saksena was fired by the board as they weren't happy the way he handled the clubs affairs in the FA constituted panel on Alejandro Damián Faurlín though the club was only given a fine of £875,000 after two of seven charges were proven, but no points penalty given which ensured the clubs promotion.

Then the club also decided to hike ticket prices by 40% on average which has meant that some tickets prices have been doubled. All this happened in opposition to the wishes of the Mittal family for whom Mittal's son-in-law Amit Bhatia was a member of the board, but he has resigned following these events.

It has been Ishan Saksena and Amit Bhatia who have ensured that the club returned to the Premiership under manager Warnock, while the other co-owners in Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Italian Flavio Briatore let them get about their work. Now they want to be more involved with the running of the club as they are back amongst the big boys. The Mittal's actually offered Ecclestone £50 Million earlier this week for his shares in the club, but that offer was turned down.

Bhatia could not hide his frustration at the latest developments in a statement. Amit said, "It is clear from recent board meetings that my vision, strategy and direction for the club is very different from that of the other shareholders and board members. The recent decisions to sack club CEO and chairman Ishan Saksena and significantly increase season ticket prices are just two of the decisions I disagree with. While it saddens me to leave QPR, I do not wish to be associated with decisions made by the board and with which I disagree so strongly."

"The Mittal family had been in discussions concerning the possible acquisition of the club. However, we have been unable to reach agreement on this matter and therefore those discussions have now come to an end."

"Although no longer a decision-maker at QPR, I shall continue to be a 33 per cent owner and a fan of the club. In due course, we will appoint a board representative to monitor my family's investment in the club," Amit ended.

Manager Warnock has had his biggest supporters in Saksena and Bhatia, both are currently gone with Saksena a possible replacement for Amit Bhatia on the board. But Briatore will once more push for an Italian manager to come and coach the club. The names of Claudio Ranieri and Marcello Lippi have been linked with QPR over the last few weeks with Saksena and Bhatia denying again and again that Warnock would be replaced by a high profile manager. Now that is possible again.

QPR fans aren't happy as Briatore has done more damage to QPR while he has been in control at the club then anyone else and now his vision is to turn QPR into a 'Boutique' west London club. Sometimes the Italian influence in football isn't automatically better then the Indian, here it is actually much worse...

Mallya to buy QPR stake?

The rumour of the day out of London is that Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya is interested to buy the stakes of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and former Renault F1 chief Flavio Briatore in English Championship club Queens Park Rangers FC. The southwest London club are currently co-owned by Ecclestone, Briatore and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi N. Mittal.

But in February Briatore left the day to day management of the club after having had signed and thrown out 10 managers in less then two-and-a-half years. He was not liked by the Loftus Road faithfuls and handed over the running of the club to the Mittal family where son-in-law Amit Bhatia is Vice-Chairman of QPR Holdings Limited. His personal friend Ishan Saksena has since taken over as Chairman of QPR after having been Managing Director.

And since then QPR have signed Neil Warnock as manager and this seems to have done the trick as they have had an incredible start to their Championship campaign so far topping the league with 26 points from 10 matches, eight wins and two draws with 24 goals scored and only three conceded. Surely an impressive record and something which the club will want to build on. The aim surely is to maintain the momentum and a reorganisation of the ownership of the club could help ahead of bigger things in the Premiership, if the club achieves its aim to get back into the top tier.

A couple of years ago Mallya was linked to QPR but not as a potential buyer, but for a sponsorship deal through his Kingfisher brand. But as the club had signed Gulf Air on a three year deal, the club couldn't bring on Kingfisher as a sponsor as the brand also runs an airlines under the name. But now things could change if Mallya takes over the stakes of Ecclestone and Briatore. This would lead to a strong Indian pact amongst the Mittal's and Mallya's. And so far QPR haven't really spend highly in the transfer market, which could change next summer if the club plays in the Premiership.

Mallya through his United Breweries Sports division already owns Formula 1 team Force India, Indian Premier League cricket side Royal Challengers Bangalore, has interests in horse racing plus has 50% stakes in Indian football giants East Bengal Club and Mohun Bagan AC.