Goodbye Gigi
Gutted would be an understatement.
Only time will tell if our fine football club has made a massive error of judgement here and it really doesn’t matter whether Luigi De Canio was pushed, shoved or walked on his own accord.
You see, shrewd men know a rough diamond when they see one and we certainly had one of those in Gigi. Whether the club felt there was enough time to polish that diamond is another matter however.
For me though, the months under De Canio served up some of the most satisfying and potentially exciting football I can remember as a QPR fan and I told him so, through his interpreter, as I said my own goodbye.
Perhaps the language barrier and culture was a problem, but the most important stuff, which is on the pitch, was heading in the right direction. We will always wonder just what could have been once he picked up a proper grasp of English. We will always wonder just what could have been had he been together for a longer period of time with his squad. We will always wonder just what could have been next season and beyond.
What we do know, is in the short time he was with us, he produced not only a remarkable turnaround in results, but in form and performances too. Everything was heading in the right direction and the development of the playing style and progress we made cannot be underestimated in any shape or form. It was really outstanding.
De Canio could not have done a better job. He performed above all expectations and has set the pulse racing for us again and created a new benchmark for future managers to be measured against.
His short time at QPR will live long in my memory. Football with sophistication and sound preparation. There may have been a few hiccups along the way, but it was worth seeing it evolve and I really believed he had it in him to lead us back to the Premiership. He could have done some serious damage given the time and providing everything was right.
Seeing him depart in such a humble fashion, seeing his respect and seeing just what a genuinely nice man he is makes it all the more difficult to stomach. I have nothing but admiration for his footballing style and after today, I have much admiration for the man too.
Goodbye Gigi. Good luck and all the best.
photos from the day
Goodbye Gigi
