With Richard Langley THIS week I caught up with an old friend – QPR s former tough-tackling, no nonsense left-back Rufus Brevett. Speaking to Rufus gave me an insight as to how an improvement in the financial prospects of a club could actually affect perf

With Richard Langley

THIS week I caught up with an old friend - QPR's former tough-tackling, no nonsense left-back Rufus Brevett.

Speaking to Rufus gave me an insight as to how an improvement in the financial prospects of a club could actually affect performance on the pitch - after all, he went through a similar transformation when he joined Fulham after a long spell at QPR.

Millions of pounds have been pumped into various clubs in recent years but we know this doesn't always bring success. Having financial backing is one thing, but WHAT will make the Rs into genuine title contenders?

According to Rufus, when he got into the team under Tigana he felt comfortable with his playing level.

This continued until the �3million signing of Jon Harley forced Rufus to lift his performance and took him to a level he had never managed to sustain before - as a result, remaining first choice for the remainder of his career there.

Rufus said players were bought on the manager's philosophy and those that didn't fit it were swiftly moved out of the Cottage. Tigana's confidence was passed on to the players who, within six months, were staring down at the rest of the league with an unassailable lead.

His main point, though, was that an abundance of money at a club makes players realise they are not indispensable, in turn forcing a reaction to their performances.

We as QPR supporters may find it hard to acknowledge the success of local rivals Fulham, but lessons should be learnt from their rise to the Premier League.

Their selection of manager played a big part. Mr Tigana made it clear from the start that they would play their way out of the league, a sentiment that also reflects Paulo Sousa's philosophy. Many people ridiculed the audacity of the Frenchman but, as time would prove, they went up in style.

If you look at the major leagues all over the world, the teams occupying the top places tend to be those that play the best football. This is where I think that bringing Sousa in will stand us in good stead.

With similar traits to Tigana in the way he wants to play the game and an even bigger pot of money, the future of football down at Loftus Road is looking extremely bright.

IF you have a question you'd like to put to Richard, you can email it to us at nwl.sport@archant.co.uk