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Post by rickyqpr on Aug 9, 2023 9:15:04 GMT
Always a half full merchant but looking for the upside is not easy at the moment.
The club has painted itself into a crazy corner - due to the mismanagement of FFP.
There is clearly even less wriggle room than most of us hoped, and the drip through to WLS is eroding even the optimists in our group.
We have been told that we cannot afford £350k for Wycombe's Forino-Joseph - who not only played for them last night but scored their second goal.
We cannot afford the loan fees that Premier clubs are demanding.
We have had to abort a £300k acquisition of Peterborough's Knight - who came on as a substitute last night.
We want to acquire Steve Cook but cannot afford his wages. Cook is left sided where we have Fox, Paal, Clarke-Salter and Gubbins - we only have injured Dunne on the right.
The free agents opted for other clubs - some in the league below!
We have sent out the message that we have to sell before we buy - and it seems that Field will be the sacrificial lamb. So now the game is to hype up interest from more than one suiter.
Of course, the board decided to spend more money we did not have by sacking Critchley and his team. Ainsworth almost certainly wanted the job more than anyone else.
We have even paid off players to leave when we did not have replacements.
But Ainsworth's style is at odds with the players we currently have - and also at odds with how the academy has been developed over the last few years.
If we sell Field and replace with players suiting Ainsworth's approach, then if he falters, he will be removed and then we start again with his players - probably to yet another style.
It is a very dark tunnel at the moment.
We hired Ainsworth knowing what he wanted to do. He had to have a big clear out. That has only partially happened.
The number of players in has been astonishing really, and shows just what a FFP mess we are in.
I still think the owners would spend if they were allowed to - relegation is not in their interest, nor is losing all this monthly money.
The only hope is that we sell soon and spend wisely - and then give Ainsworth the time to make it work.
I remain hopeful, but even I am struggling to comprehend how we made such a mess of this.
Yes, it was going to be a tight year, but at present there can only be one outcome unless something changes.
Or has something changed that we are unaware of?
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Post by robindubois on Aug 9, 2023 11:43:58 GMT
Ricky I think we are totally on the same page and despite my recent posts I am still a glass half full man.
Regarding your last sentence I feel sure something changed suddenly and maybe we are aware of why but not what. There is a remarkable coincidence between the timing of TF's departure and our sudden failure to complete signings that Dave Mac and others were saying we were wrapping up "in the next couple of days" but that was weeks ago. As I say maybe it is just coincidence and is pure speculation on my part and I doubt we will never know.
Otherwise as you say we paid off players to go who did not need to go in player terms, and have not replaced them so I would ask the question whether we took the hit to change personnel to Ainsworths wanted list and free up salary or whether we paid them to go them go for timing and savings for FFP purposes. Again I doubt we will ever know.
While a lot of the talk is of FFP and failure to sign players Ainsworth is still making noises that we will get one or two through the door before the window closes and many are forgetting we have signed 6 players during this window (including Richards) and recalled Kelman but we have not improved the team in doing so. We will see what Colback brings> If just for an example we started with Kelman who last season in a promotion winning team only managed 7 goals in 46 games in League 2 - he is hardly going to set the Championship on fire. We still have the same weak spots in the team as we had last season and apart from centre backs there has been little or no mention of possible recruits for other weak spots such as right back. So we may have to settle for what we have and either play a few out of position or change formations.
But putting that all to one side the real worry is what we see on the pitch. Yes Ainsworths mission was to rebuild but after the summer and pre-season I would have hoped to at least have seen a status quo from which we could build or even the start of an improvement but instead we have taken fairly major steps backwards imo. It appears that despite all the comments the players have either not bought into Ainsworths style of play, or do not understand what he wants or purely do not want to play that way. On the one hand prior to the Watford game players and coaches were saying we were in a good place and raring to go - and 1 minute into the game we were finished.
Losing 4-0 was not an unexpected result in my mind but it was the manner of what happened that worry's me. Apart from the team selection which baffled me and the lack of tactics there were times when the Watford midfield players were given the freedom of the pitch without an R's player within 20 yards, allowing them to pass the ball around at will and pick off our defence with through balls, balls over the top or down the wings and behind. The issue was not so much having injured defenders but that the defence we put out had absolutely no protection in front of it.
At the other end we were non existent and when our great young hope Armstrong did get one on one with their keeper, who was stranded in no-mans land, most strikers would have had the time to control the ball and either pass it. or blast it into the goal or complete fairy straight forward lob. Our man could not do any of those things and there was no one following up close enough to get to the loose ball. I am not picking on Armstrong but just using these couple of points to explain why our on field problems worry me as much or even more than our financial problems.
Seeing on a stream that some of our most loyal supporters who had paid good money to watch were leaving at half time, while others were singing "we want our Rangers back" and "you don't know what you're doing" during our first match of the season sums it up.
The playing side and financial side are closely interwoven. Play good attractive football and be decently placed in etc league and we will get half decent crowds and some income and maybe some sponsorship. Turn out the dross that we saw on Saturday and the fans will stop wasting their money, sponsors will dry up, income will drop further, our FFP position will worsen and if we do then get relegated it will be a very long hard road back or even just to survive.
As it stands, and as I commented a few days back I do not expect the board will make any changes. Unless we sell probably 2 or 3 players we will not see any incomings and those that we would get would be a downgrade on what we sell.
On that sad note I better find a bar to top up my glass before it drops below half full.
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Post by rickyqpr on Aug 10, 2023 9:36:31 GMT
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Post by robindubois on Aug 10, 2023 12:38:20 GMT
Feeling more optimistic if this happens. A sudden change and I can only think that player power and maybe the voices of experience from Bergovic, Coback and Cook have had an impact - plus the noise from disgruntled fans. If he sticks to this he deserves much credit for making the change even if it means that he has to admit his plans were not exactly working www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/ainsworth-ready-to-change-style-as-part-of-qpr-shake-upAinsworth ready to change style as part of QPR shake-up By David McIntyre 10/08/2023 Gareth Ainsworth is set to make changes in order to turn things around at QPR. Gareth Ainsworth is ready to change direction after QPR’s poor start to the season. The Rangers boss has faced criticism for his direct style of play – and angry fans made their feelings clear during Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing at Watford. And he is set to respond by making major changes in order to play to his squad’s strengths. The pragmatic move by Ainsworth will involve more of an emphasis on build-up play and getting the best out of the likes of Chris Willock and Ilias Chair. Centre-back Steve Cook’s arrival this week is seen as hugely important in terms of adding experience and leadership as well as shoring up the defence and enabling Rangers’ creative players to focus on their strengths. Ainsworth also wants Jack Colback, who has been building up his fitness following his recent move to west London, to add bite in midfield, again giving more freedom to the attacking players. Cook will train with his new team-mates on Thursday and is expected to make his debut against Cardiff this weekend. |
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Post by nomar on Aug 11, 2023 7:39:52 GMT
I’m probably one of very few fans who thinks that going down might be the only way this club moves forward, so I’m trying to be pragmatic about it all.
The club cannot keep doing what it’s been doing the last 10 years and expect to suddenly become successful.
I think things will get better, but they may have to get worse first (I know, how much worse can it get?!)
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Post by robindubois on Aug 11, 2023 7:59:37 GMT
I’m probably one of very few fans who thinks that going down might be the only way this club moves forward, so I’m trying to be pragmatic about it all. The club cannot keep doing what it’s been doing the last 10 years and expect to suddenly become successful. I think things will get better, but they may have to get worse first (I know, how much worse can it get?!) I can see where you are coming from but my fear is that if we do go down the financial and player and fan hits will be so bad that we may never come back up or even survive too long. I would say we are as low as we can get safely, and the building has to start now from where we are. If that means just finishing a couple of places higher than last season and then adding slowly from there it will be ok with me. I (and anyone in their right mind) do not expect that we will suddenly be challenging the top 6 this season but if we get there in say 4 years that will be real progress given our current constraints. Ainsworth's comments that he will change style to suit the players capabilities rather than what we have seen of trying to change players to his style is an encouragement. How radical the change will be is to be seen. I just wish he had decided that 6 weeks ago and not wasted most of the pre-season trying to develop something which may now be abandoned. |
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Post by Lonegunmen on Aug 13, 2023 18:12:00 GMT
Never doubted Ainsworth for a minute!!  |
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Post by blatantfowl on Aug 13, 2023 19:56:59 GMT
If you want an optimistic reminder of the true spirit of football and specifically to be an R then just watch the interview with Sinclair. That kid engenders everything that’s good about the club.
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