Flann Carroll

Cook and sons 💙🤍 After announcing he's leaving this summer, we invited Steve's sons for a surprise interview 🥺 In full on qpr.co.uk and YouTube 🎤

Steve Cook is leaving QPR at the end of the season. Played a huge role in bringing experience and stability to the defence after a bumpy time. Incredibly took a 'big pay cut' to play at Loftus Road 👏👏

What an outstanding video from QPR and Louis Theroux 👏👏🥹 #qpr

@SteveCook28 @W_QPR1882 That is a quality sign off statement right there, well done. You brought your professional attitude to our club and hopefully all those that trained and played with you have taken valuable lessons on board and we can continue this journey to take us to higher levels, thank you

After three years, the time has come to move on from QPR. In my career, I have been fortunate to win promotions and enjoy successful campaigns in the Premier League. But ‘success’ is relative. And my time at Loftus Road really highlighted to me what fans want from you as their player. It isn’t always about winning leagues, achieving promotion. It’s about giving absolutely everything for their shirt, respecting the badge and respecting the fanbase. If you do that, proper fans will have your back. I have always seen QPR as a proper football club with proper fans – my time at Loftus Road confirmed it. It is far easier to be a fan when things are going well on the pitch. But it takes a special fanbase to stand with you during the hard times. We have had three tough battles at the wrong end of the table. On each occasion, the QPR fans turned up when we needed them, stood with us and successfully helped us across the line. To be named Supporters’ Player of the Year in my first season is something I will always be proud of, and to captain the club was an honour. As a player, you want to leave a club in a better state than when you arrived. I feel I achieved that with the help of all the coaches and team-mates I have worked with over the last three years. As I move on to the next chapter of my career, I want to say a huge thank you to the owners, the board, the management, coaches, staff and the R’s fans. It has been one hell of an adventure. We have had ups and downs but I have loved the journey. QPR will always have a special place in my heart and I wish you nothing but success in the future.

Ben Lynch becomes Ireland’s first skier to qualify for any Winter Olympics final ☘️ Needing a top 12 for the final, this second round 75.75 was enough for 11th place 👏 Final is 18:25 today, live on RTÉ Player 🎥

@TheMandyGall He sees opportunities to get in people who will take on two jobs, accept low pay and no union membership

Denis O'Brien wants communities who have an issue with mass immigration to be 'nipped in the bud'...and that there needs to be an educational campaign to stamp out 'racism'...not a word about stopping mass immigration....Denis the Menace....

I think this sums up the state of Ireland. 19 previous convictions, including five for theft, never worked a day in his life, Earlier in the trial he said he never worked as he had not learned how to work, he was asked if he was receiving social welfare here, he replied: “It’s the law in Ireland to pay you because I don’t have a job.” “So the Irish taxpayer is looking after you?” counsel for the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) asked. “Yes, thank you, sir,” he responded. For 20 years, Iosca said he received disability benefits from the State and had struggled with his health. A lot of questioned need to be answered here in Ireland since he was 18 a career criminal it seems never worked a day in his life obviously someone had to pay for his house, he fathered three children, drove a Audi A6 how did social welfare allowe this to happen. The Story Constantin Iosca moved here from Romania in 1997 for a ‘better life’, but will be spending nearly three years in jail after bringing a fraudulent personal injury claim ‘I swear to God, I never lie’ – how fraudster’s attempts to play Ireland’s personal injury system were exposed Constantin Iosca jailed after falsely claiming injury from road accident 10 years ago As he sat in the ­witness box testifying during his personal injury case – taken over an alleged road accident while cycling – Constantin Iosca declared: “I swear to God, I never lie.” It was a bold statement to make in front of a legal team that was waiting to prove how he actually had a very loose relationship with the truth. His 19 previous convictions, including five for theft, also demonstrated he was someone with a history of dishonesty. The father of three moved to Ireland from Romania with his family when he was a teenager in 1997, in search of a “better life”. Yesterday, his life took a turn for the worse when he was jailed for two years and nine months for deception after bringing a fraudulent injury claim. Arriving at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) wearing a Christmas jumper, ski sunglasses and using an umbrella to shield his face, he had no comment to make. Up until this point, by his own account, his time in Ireland had been enjoyable. He briefly lived in Arklow, Co Wicklow, before settling in Lusk, Co Dublin. For 20 years, Iosca (46) said he received disability benefits from the State and had struggled with his health. Doctors advised him that he ­needed to lose weight, so he decided to invest in a bike. On the day of the alleged accident, he planned to cycle from Lusk to Skerries and back again. In his evidence to the High Court during the injury case, he told how he spent his days “at home, watching TV”. Sometimes he went to see friends or took his pet chihuahua on a short walk. He alleged that he broke his back in an accident when he was younger and had been advised by doctors in Romania that he should not work. When asked if he was receiving social welfare here, he replied: “It’s the law in Ireland to pay you because I don’t have a job.” “So the Irish taxpayer is looking after you?” counsel for the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) asked. “Yes, thank you, sir,” he responded. At around 5pm on June 1, 2016, ­Iosca claimed he was cycling from Lusk to Skerries when a car allegedly struck him from behind. Despite the fact it was a Wednesday evening at rush hour on the R127, a busy stretch of road, there were no witnesses to this accident. He believed the injuries he suffered were worthy of a High Court level of payout. The vehicle involved was described as a black Volvo saloon with a yellow number plate, but the driver allegedly left the scene. Iosca would later claim that another motorist stopped to help and brought him back to his home at Scholar’s Walk in Lusk. However, he did not take this man’s details and could not recall his name. At 3.30am the following morning, he arrived at Beaumont Hospital’s emergency department by ambulance, complaining of pain. When he returned home, he contacted gardaí to make a statement, and alleged he was told to “make a claim”. Just over a week later, solicitors acting on his behalf notified the MIBI, a not-for-profit organisation set up to compensate the victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles, that he intended to proceed with a personal injury case. Despite swearing on the Bible that he was a man who did not lie, the conflicting version of events he spun to doctors and other professionals soon raised suspicions. For example, he initially said he was given a lift home from the scene of the alleged accident by another driver. Yet he told a doctor who treated him said he walked back to his house after the incident, even though he allegedly suffered a leg and back injury. When the claim was lodged with the Injuries Board, the MIBI took the decision not to proceed with the application because of the inconsistencies in Iosca’s statements. After High Court proceedings were initiated, the MIBI arranged for surveillance through a private investigator. In autumn 2018, Iosca was ­recorded walking unaided without crutches. Yet in January 2019, footage was captured of him attending a medical appointment in Dublin city centre in a wheelchair. The video showed him removing crutches from plastic wrapping, before picking up a wheelchair and placing it in the boot of his car. When he arrives at the doctor’s clinic, he gets into the wheelchair and is wheeled to the building. Iosca then uses crutches to climb the steps. A short time after the medical appointment, he is seen in footage in another part of Dublin city centre walking unaided. After returning to his home, he lifts the wheelchair and crutches out of the car and brings them into the house. Iosca swore an affidavit that stated: “I am aware that it is an offence to make a statement in this affidavit which is false or misleading and in this respect I know of nothing that is false or misleading.” When the video footage was shown in court before the now-retired Mr Justice Kevin Cross, Iosca decided to withdraw his claim on the third day of evidence. He was ordered to pay the MIBI’s costs, which amounted to around €43,000. In October 2020, Iosca was arrested and charged with deception under Section 6 of the Criminal Justice Act. It took five years for the case to come before the courts due to delays by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) preparing a book of evidence, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Last November, after he pleaded not guilty to fraud, a jury found against him. This week, Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in jail, suspending the last nine months. It was revealed in court that Iosca was a man of limited means and had largely been relying on disability benefits, but the MIBI is determined to recover its costs where possible. “The MIBI is committed to holding to account those who are responsible for fraudulent claims or claims that don’t stand up to scrutiny,” its CEO David Fitzgerald said. “Sometimes the people involved will not be people of means, meaning we don’t have an obvious, immediate solution. In those circumstances, it should also be noted that we will continue to scrutinise the individual in question and should their personal circumstances change we can and will act down the line when the opportunity arises. “If people submit spurious claims to the MIBI and end up owing us, then we are quite prepared to be a cloud that continues to hover over them for a very, very long time.” Mr Fitzgerald said the MIBI has adopted a fighting fraud strategy in recent years, an approach he said was paying off, with fewer suspicious claims being submitted. “People know how we will act if they come to us with a suspicious or fraudulent claim and how hard we will come after them if we think what they are saying is false,” he said. Between 2020 and 2024, a total of 339 claims submitted by 539 claimants have been withdrawn, reduced, discontinued or dismissed by the courts. The MIBI estimates this has saved around €19m. During that same period, it received a total of 11,105 claims and provided around €300m in settlements to victims. “Our funding effectively comes from law-abiding motorists, who contribute to the running of the MIBI through their motor insurance policies,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “That is why fighting fraud is so important. It helps reduce costs, while also making our roads a little safer.” He described the result as a “good day for justice and a bad day for insurance fraud”.

On this day in 2011 🗓️ Adel Taarabt. Trivela assist. That's all you need to know.

@The_Forty_Four Yes because he prevented the player from competing for the high ball and it was deliberate not accidental, most defenders put their hand or arm on the opponent’s shoulder, manager sh be mad at his player not the ref

Is this seriously a red card offence 😭😭😭

@QueensParkDood Club needs to invest in artificial light lamps that can generate growth in shaded areas but where they’d store them is another problem

Can anyone explain how the turf at Loftus Road got so bad seemingly so quickly? #QPR

@realMaalouf Very simple, get out the floor spray and start spraying and washing

A Muslim migrant enters a restaurant in Monaco and starts praying on the floor. The manager politely asks him to leave, but he refuses and says that Muslims have the right to pray wherever they want. How do you even fix this kind of behavior and mentality?

@caulmick @Independent_ie Too late for many workers and pensioners

Promises & Lies Finance Minister Simon Harris signals return of tax cuts after backlash over budget - Cónal Thomas We want money from hard work going to families, not to the taxman,’ says Tánaiste “Next year, I believe we will be in a position, all things being equal, to get back to that regular rhythm of tax packages that people have become used to over the last four years.” #Taxation #SimonSays #Budget26 independent.ie/irish-news/fin…

@robertburke84 Too late for many

“Return of tax cuts” LMAO. Fine Gael hasn’t delivered a substantial tax cut in more than a decade in government. Small cuts which barely keep up with inflation, accompanied by stealth tax increases elsewhere. independent.ie/irish-news/fin…

@VoWalesWren Check your facts, first Christmas behind bars, in prison for contempt of court If he listened at court hearings and followed court orders he would be free and in a position to continue his legal case but he’s chosen the wrong options, his family’s misbehavior in court don’t help

@realJosiahBurke @EnochBurke The price for going against courts orders, at least get your facts correct, contempt of court, repeat that “contempt of court”, he has chosen a very strange path to fight his case and being in the wrong will not make him right

Earlier today I visited my brother @EnochBurke in Mountjoy Prison. A tough visit. He’ll be there for Christmas. Locked in a 12x6 foot cell for 20 hours a day. The price of saying No to “they/them” pronouns for a child and refusing to sell out to LGBTQ+ tyranny.

@secondtierpod Check out the replay of it from behind the goal on Sky highlights package and it looked very much like an intentional shot

Did Amadou Mbengue mean this?! 🤯

@TheLiberal_ie Thought this was why the Government wanted all the migrant arrivals the last 2 years, are they not qualified or have they lost their papers to show that trade they qualified in

Please come home! Calls for more construction workers from abroad as 35,000 new homes are delivered theliberal.ie/please-come-ho…

@MayMayspeaks The match

@DubCityCouncil 1- bedroom home is hardly ‘family size’

It has come to the attention of Dublin City Council that there are reports circulating online about the future tenants of a new housing development at Parkside, Clongriffin, Dublin 13. The development is being delivered by Clúid Housing Association, an Approved Housing Body. The development includes a mix of 1- and 2-bedroom homes, supported by funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Dublin City Council. These homes will be allocated in accordance with the Council’s approved Scheme of Lettings. Only people already on Dublin City Council’s housing list are considered for available homes. Housing will be offered to the person with the highest position on the housing list, based on waiting time, family size, and suitability.

@SenatorKeogan FF FG chasing top European posts on the back of generous contributions to foreign aid

The EU signed off on €90 billion in support for Ukraine for 2026–27, with three countries opting out. What happens after 2027—will they put in even more money to that “corrupt” country? Also, Ireland pays the most into the EU budget on a gross per-person basis—about €53.20 a month each, compared to the EU average of €25.20—so we’re paying over the odds. Great wee country! Any chance of #PeaceTalks