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Post by bowranger on Oct 31, 2020 15:03:00 GMT
Ahh so that explains it...
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Post by bowranger on Oct 30, 2020 12:44:21 GMT
I thought that may be the consensus (even is a small one) and would not push it either way. Maybe after the next international break when we will probably have Dykes out for a couple of games as we play 9 games in ultra quick time would be the time just to give him one or two games making it clear there is no pressure just in to help the squad - go and enjoy yourself type approach. The other piece of the equation to me is to see how the Thomas/Dykes partnership works out with our without Bonne> Warburton seems to have high hopes if he can get them both fit at the same time. Yeah, I could see that. Obviously depends on the state we're in come then but would be nice to at least see a glimpse of where he's at. I definitely want to see more of Thomas when he's fit. Combative, quick and versatile.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 30, 2020 9:45:22 GMT
Probably closer to Harr's view. Kelman definitely has something but feels like someone we really need to ease in. Maybe off the bench but my worry would be that right now, on a bad run, it could put a bit too much on his shoulders. He was brought in to contribute, definitely, but he's mainly here to grow long term. Effectively chucking him in as responsible for scoring goals in a team that's struggling for goals is a huge thing to saddle him with.
Much as I was disappointed with Bonne last time out, we've not got a lot of striking options and figuring out how he interacts with Dykes in the 'one' is probably something we need to try and give time to get right. He has scored goals at this level before.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 29, 2020 9:30:23 GMT
Bright's position is different to that of Manning's in so much as we will get a compensation payment for Bright, because of his age. Small consolation, I know. True but I think at the moment we should be more interested in whether he is going to play , and play to his ability in the coming months. At the end of the day I think certainly we and probably he will regret the a he did not go to Belgium - First Division and European footballl v's sitting in the park or on the bench and 5 million cash  v's 250k compensation - if someone takes him. If the club are sticking to their guns, he won't be playing, whether he's up for it or not. It would be a huge climbdown from Warburton if he changed his mind after going so public on it and at this point I'm not sure he can, whether it makes sense or not. Cynic in me still says he doesn't turn down the deal unless he (or his agent more likely) believes they have a sure thing lined up for January. Which, for all the mitigation of Mclaren and us not offering much, would leave a sour taste.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 15:27:40 GMT
My two cents are that a lot of that is a combo of PR and an eye on what motivates and de-motivates the team. I think as a general rule, most of what managers say in press conferences is guff - it's mostly defensive fire fighting, the only manager I can think who deviated from that is Ollie. Question I always ask is, what's the purpose and what would we want them to say? I'd probably get a bit of a kick out of seeing Warburton or any manager putting a rocket under the players who have let them down, on an emotional level. But does it help? Bottom line is that we just see the PR-managed package of managers fulfilling their media obligations, it doesn't really mean much. I doubt it bares much, if any, resemblance to what's being said in the dressing room.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 15:18:26 GMT
7/10, lucky that’s not based on wins 1/9 I would think that he has a few games to turn it around, no win in the next three and we will be second/ third from bottom with a team not scoring yet continually conceding could spell disaster, guess it’s all up to the boards expectations. One thing that he is not getting though due to Covid is booed off at half time. Wycombe maybe,  can Sheff Weds have another -12 then we could be talking...... But Coventry and Barnsley two of the worst teams in the Division just beat us. Board expectation is definitely the key thing here, I agree. Only speculating on Bhatia now being in the driving seat nowadays, but my guess would be that he's less swayed by fan opinion (like we knew Fernandes definitely was) and from his interviews he seems more concerned with the bigger picture. On a match to match fan sentiment level, that will still play a role, but impression I get is that his focus will be on the long term survival of the club during a really ropey financial situatuation, exacerbated by the pandemic and the lack of fans, where we still have investors pumping in money every month to survive. In that landscape, he's bought into the long term strategy of buying low and fattening up for market, like we saw with Eze. But like we saw with BOS and Manning, we also see it takes a while to get right and takes years. The year to year management of those contracts, the year on year development of those assets probably trumps any league position for the board, at the exception of getting relegated. Guess the short version is that the above means leaning hard into the Hoos/Ferdinand project of which, now he's been given the summer window, Warburton is a key part in - and that 'process' exists as a strategy whether we are pretty much anywhere between the playoffs and 20th. Which isn't much fun for us and probably means more tough days than good days. But unless we are in direct threat of relegation or a full-on collapse e.g the last half season of Mclaren, I can't see him risking disrupting that bigger picture. Dunno where I stand on it, but that's where I imagine the board's heads are at. Could of course be absolutely wrong though!
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 9:26:28 GMT
Yeah, agree with the bulk of that.
I just don't like people turning it into some kind of freedom of speech issue when it ain't. I'm as annoyed as anyone and I'll happily debate the why's and how's of us having a crap performance til the cows come home as you know. Just find the style of dropping angry venting one liners that ends up with people having a personal go at eachother not what I want out of a MB cos I can go and engage with that on Twitter if I wanted to but I choose not to.
It becomes this false simplifying where people turn it into a situation where you're either a happy clapper or righteously angry and that there's nothing in between. The spread of opinions on here isn't like that.
But to be fair, more than happy to admit that that may just be my problem.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 9:09:13 GMT
Nah, no-one stops anyone from having an opinion and it's boring having that trotted out like it's the issue. Everyone thought it was crap last night and you have never been stopped from posting your opinion.
I mean getting to a point where posters are tarring eachother off.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 8:52:25 GMT
With lockdown, the LFW reports are one of the bits that is at least consistenly worth looking forward to. Entire matchday experience has changed (well, gone for now) and I really miss that, but at least that's still dependable.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 28, 2020 8:46:31 GMT
Why's this allowed to happen on here every time we have a crap result? It's embarrassing.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 21:24:31 GMT
A bad night for our club. I thought we looked good up until the penalty. Dickie was naïve. but he has got away with a few and I hope he learns from this. To play for that long with 10 men was always going to be tough but we did not handle it at all well. Dykes and Albert worked their socks off, but Carroll was for ever looking for a killer ball behind a defence that out numbered us. To that end, I thought we needed fresh legs not spraying the ball to the opposition. All 3 subs did well and are pushing to start on Saturday - Masterson will have to start anyway! Thought a few of our players did not adapt well, Bonne needs serious coaching and should have gone off earlier. You cannot have a player strolling around when we are down to 10. Barbet was completely knackered and did not chase back towards the end and if not for Dieng it could have been six or seven. There is nothing any manager can do about the penalty incident. It did feel like a double punishment though. I think Warburton had a bad game and I think several players let him down as well. On to Cardiff game, feeling pretty low tonight though. Yeah, agree with that. Particularly on Carroll - he was playing his role but you can't afford that when you're down to 10.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 21:20:18 GMT
Yeah, very very poor. One of those ones that's worse cos you know it's dead well before half time but you just have to suffer the rest of it. Prolongs it.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 20:49:15 GMT
How do you genuinely see this changing, bowranger? I ask in all sincerity. I think you're missing my point. I'm not saying I know whether it's going to change or not or that I'm convinced we are going to be great or anything else. I'm saying that based on basic experience, we don't tend to be this crap forever and I choose not to be convinced of how the season is gonna pan out this early. Same way I didn't immediately assume we were nailed on relegated when we were getting humped 7-1 by West Brom or going six or seven unbeaten under Ollie and every time the same people to turn up to tell me we are terminally shit. To me it makes as much sense to say back, considering QPR playing crap and starting poorly is hardly news in our recent history, that why is now the time to start throwing out firm, convinced predictions? And why should I believe them? Every season since Warbs, Ollie and McClaren has been here some folk have told me we are nailed on to be relegated at this point in the season. Every time. Doesnt mean I think we are good or 100% not gonna go down, just think it's folly (and frankly, just too depressing), to think any of us really know.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 20:42:21 GMT
You might be right but people said the exact same thing the last three seasons didn't they. Yes but what’s the key difference between those seasons and now? I’m not one for sensationalism, but how much of this are you going to keep watching and convince yourself that a team that can’t score or defend is going to somehow win games in this division and stay up? I'm not convinced either way, didn't say I was. I dont think it is all rosey. Just historically conditioned of every single season having people preach doom and certain relegation for almost the exact same reasons. And have learnt that making a hard prediction either way less than 10 games into the season rarely ends up being accurate. And probably just on a personal level, if my attitude was so confidently negative whenever we had a crap start to the season, I wouldn't bother. May as well tune out now and do something else with my Saturdays if I was that sure. It isn't "positive v negative" perspectives. To me it's more that there's more going on in football and more to a discussion than just repeatedly reiterating how crap we are.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 20:35:52 GMT
Think based on the arguments being offered, the key thing of it not necessarily being wise to knock off a manager after you've just given him the summer window is just going to go away because we've had another crap game early in the season. Kinda the entire point. More the everything will be alright feeling. After tonight fans en masse are going to be calling for change, whether you or I like it or not. Fans are turning on Bonne already and Charlton fans rubbing it in telling us we were fleeced as he’s nowhere near Championship standard doesn’t help. We’re bang knee deep in trouble, make absolutely no mistake about it. Whether you or I agree with it or not, at some point if these results and performances continue there is only one inevitable ending. And at this rate it’s getting harder to defend his position (pun intended, sadly). Think it is more nuanced than that at this point in the season, though coloured by being in the middle of a deeply crap performance and online fans being desperate to make a snide point out of it. Sure there will be clamouring (though not sure why we'd be arsed what Charlton fans online think about anything), there always is. But in the same way I'm not convinced we're going to piss the league when we string wins together, I'm not going to confidently have us down for league one either because football is more complicated and weird than that. But also acknowledge there's not much point chatting about it when everyone really just wants to vent and wallow.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 20:08:28 GMT
Kind of feels like we’re cutting off our nose to spite our face here. That means BOS, Eze, Manning, Hugill and Wells have all ‘gone’. That was all our goals and assists from last season. We can’t score as it is, so this is just going to compound the problem. Oh well, we look like we’re going down anyway, so may as well do it in true QPR style by going the rest of the season without ever scoring again. You might be right but people said the exact same thing the last three seasons didn't they.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 20:06:59 GMT
Think based on the arguments being offered, the key thing of it not necessarily being wise to knock off a manager after you've just given him the summer window is just going to go away because we've had another crap game early in the season. Kinda the entire point.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:41:10 GMT
We've gone to bits now. 2-0 and both Barbet and Dieng at fault for me. Barbet lost his man, Dieng beaten easily at the near post.
Very bright start and just fallen apart after the pen.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:32:49 GMT
Chair off for Masterson.
I think the shape change is to keep the back four intact.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:28:18 GMT
Meltdown in 5,4,3...
Sinton effectively called this out in the last game - Dickie is solid but he cannot stop grabbing people. Minor grab on the shoulder, striker drops. Pen, red card and 1-0. Suicidal stuff after being allover them.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:10:23 GMT
Quite like this shape on paper to be honest.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:09:28 GMT
BOS will not be playing, cant blame him really, he wants to play for a team with ambition. So i am going for a loss, that seems to be our trend at the moment. 2 out of 7 is hardly a trend. It also doesn't tally with being ambitious. Us not storming up the league doesn't stop us being a good shop window and getting yourself a good deal elsewhere. Eze got his head down in a team he knew full well wasn't going to take him to the top level. He still got his big move and benefited heavily from the development he got here. But of course, some will always want to contort stuff to look as awful as possible.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 19:05:55 GMT
As much as I admire QPR's stance on this. It never really worked out to well with doing this to Manning ie dropping him the team suffered and we lost out money wise. Surely we only have January to sell BOS and not playing him is only going to get zero bids coming in for him. I don't think dropping our best midfielder benefits us. Obviously this is based on this thread being correct. I'm a bit torn on it tbh. Purely on a resource level, it seems a shame because personally I didn't see anything in his performances that were unprofessional, but of course that can change. Once you've publicly made your bed on the issue, the club have to lie in it. But similarly, if rumours turn out to be true on what went on I can see why we have drawn a hard line on it. Fundamentally, we have to show players that it works both ways. The club have been super open that you will get game time here, we will develop you and we will happily let you move on if the deal is fair. But that has to come with players being fair back. That's complicated by how BOS and Manning had it under McClaren where deals could and should have been in place and extended earlier to avoid this kinda mess. But without knowing what's gone on internally, it is hard to judge innit.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 16:53:43 GMT
Be a massive shame if so. I know we aren't offering much wages wise but not like we'd stand in his way if any half decent offer came in. Reeks of a pre-contract agreement somewhere else if he is that happy to leave the money on the table. We'll have to try and push for some kind of (inevitably cheap) deal come January if so. If we are sticking to our guns, that's him out of the team which is a huge blow imo.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 27, 2020 10:43:38 GMT
They were hard enough to predict at the start of the season, even harder now they've lost their manager and change their hiring strategy overnight. Lots of the stat-obsessed lot were adamant they'd surprise people this year cos of their moneyball thinking and style of play, but now Struber's gone I dunno what they're up to.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 26, 2020 9:15:33 GMT
Out of curiosity who is going to snap Eddie Howe up? I guess he's in a bit of an odd place cos he's basically had 25 years either playing or managing Bournemouth with that short Burnley stint in between. Imagine he'll be enjoying a break! No idea where he would turn up next but would be a big decision for him. He's an Everton fan but he hasn't really got a sniff there. Have half a feeling he could end up at Newcastle when/if a takeover happens, as that would be a big project. But no idea.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 25, 2020 8:23:48 GMT
The way I see it, last season we played and decided our formation too much basing on our opposition. As I see it, today it was somewhat same thing. In my opinion, we should try to lock our formation and style of play and play with it, no matter who we are against. Let our opponents have the headache to cope with QPR style. On this part, I'd argue it's the opposite. Last season and this, we've almost always had a defined style and formation (4-2-3-1, occasionally 5-3-2 last season). We pretty much have a Plan A, and Plan B is just 'do Plan A better'. Key criticism for the Preston match was that we approached it in almost the same way as Bournemouth - couldn't have two more different sides but we didn't want to change our shape or identity. I think we need to be a bit more flexible and cynical in how we adapt to opponents, though agree that having a consistent identity and style is mainly a positive.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 24, 2020 16:09:03 GMT
I mean on that one, a side that has scored just three but also only conceded four - the third lowest in the division. Works both ways.
But always disappointing not to win at home, sure.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 24, 2020 16:01:40 GMT
Regardless of the performances, just can't get excited with this season when you can't watch live. Just stay up, and hopefully things will be brighter next season! It's a real blow innit. Still get the moments of nerves/excitement but it really just isn't the same.
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Post by bowranger on Oct 24, 2020 16:00:44 GMT
Both sides had a good 10 mins each of dominating the other that half. Particularly last 20, we found it very hard to unlock the massed ranks of Brum's 10 men behind the ball - occasions we did, final ball just wasn't there. Excluding Dykes hitting the bar and BOS' shot off the line, Chair probably had the best chance but skewed his shot horribly wide (minor deflection off the pass but a bad finish - you could see that from how he collapsed at the final whistle). Some scary pinball moments in our box. Fundamentally just not quite the guile to break down a very rigid and well-disciplined Brum side.
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