Manager with a mission

A reader says new Queens Park Rangers coach Harry Redknapp has the track record to make a difference at the struggling club. Other letters topics: boom and bust, billboards and visiting Macedonia.

A reader says Harry Redknapp, right, has demonstrated the value of a good coach. Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images

Care needed to avoid another credit bubble

A banker quoted in Dubai looks for boom without bust (November 19) says there are signs that the credit bubble of 2007-8 will not be repeated.

Of course, there are no guarantees of this, and many people will be rightly sceptical about putting their eggs back into the Dubai property market.

If things are managed properly, with appropriate oversight, there is no reason why there cannot be sustainable growth.

But if people continue to borrow beyond their means to buy property at ridiculous prices, then the whole boom-bust cycle will inevitably happen again.

T Holt, Dubai

Billboard sets a bad example

While driving around Abu Dhabi on the weekend, I noticed a huge billboard promoting an international clothing company.

It comprises a series of photographs of fashionable young adults participating in different outdoor activities.

Among them, a woman is depicted standing astride railway lines and a man is shown balancing on the guard rail of a mountain road.

These are both dangerous activities. Playing or lingering on railway tracks kills about 50 people in the UK alone each year.

Driving in Abu Dhabi traffic is traumatic enough without having to view irresponsible advertising that may encourage impressionable people to think it's cool to do something stupid.

Trevor Carmichael, Abu Dhabi

Congratulations to entrepreneur

I am writing in response to Tweet that turned out to be worth a million (November 23), about Loulou Khazen Baz, the winner of the television reality programme The Entrepreneur.

The story told how she saw a tweet from du and decided to download the application form for the programme.

Her website Nabbesh.com is a great initiative and I wish her good luck with it.

Entrepreneurship is not widely supported in general, as many businesses are not used to working with entrepreneurs, and they can see them as a threat.

It requires patience and hard work to start getting clients. You have to be committed to it.

However, hearing "no, no, no" all the time is the best way to prepare yourself to hear the word "yes".

Romain Saada, Dubai

How a coach can make a difference

Here to help: Harry Redknapp (November 25) is a reminder of how a great manager can lift a poorly performing sporting team.

While it's the players who get all the attention, Redknapp's track record shows that a capable coach is worth his weight in gold. And, presumably, that's what Queens Park Rangers are paying him for.

Blair Thompson, Dubai

The Force remains with George Lucas

I enjoyed Star Wars on trial (November 25), about the love-hate relationship fans of the film franchise have with George Lucas.

I've had many discussions about this issue with people who hated the three prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy.

My attitude: Lucas created the entire Star Wars universeand all the characters in it, and he has every right to make as many films as he wants, or - as he has now, by signing over the rights to Disney - allow others to do so.

And we have the right to choose to see them, or not.

Michael Peterson, Dubai

Macedonia has much to offer

I appreciated reading A stop in Skopje (November 23), as this is a wonderful city full of history, culture and experiences both modern and ancient.

The hospitality is second to none. Make sure you have some of the best kebabs you will ever taste, and be sure to experience the most amazing burger and fries combination at Sedem fast food right next to the Greek embassy.

Matka Canyon, just outside the city, is an amazing natural wonder which contains a diverse array of wildlife, mysterious caves and another impressive restaurant.

If you can travel a bit further in Macedonia, I recommend Heraclea Lyncestis, a city founded by Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father). I also recommend Ohrid city and its lake, which is a Unesco world heritage site, and Kokino, an early Bronze Age observatory.

One final tip for travellers: while there, never refer to the country as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

This forced-upon name is very offensive to most Macedonians of all backgrounds.

The official constitutional name, the Republic Of Macedonia, or just Macedonia is respectful.

John Coulter, UK