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I am all for constantly bashing the club but you do like to paint some pretty broad brushstrokes when doing so:
Critchley has only managed one other club, Blackpool, who he dumped to be a number two at Villa. Now back at his level, Div 1. Small sample size to judge him a success. JFH: not a resounding success at his other clubs after us such as Northampton and Burton where he was sacked after terrible runs that left them bottom. McClaren: disaster at Newcastle, Derby (second time round, and fired the first time), Forest. Nobody would employ him as a manager now. Holloway: great at Blackpool and Palace until usual implosion; total disaster at Leicester and Millwall. And Grimsby. Unemployable. Warburton: a good manager who achieved reasonable success at each club - but also left each under a huge cloud having fallen out with everyone. May have left QPR under the best terms even. How far do you want to go back? Paulo Sousa did alright at some other clubs but averages a season and a half at each and has been through a dozen...
Most managers fail at most clubs. Pep and Klopp look good, De Zerbi and Arteta for now - let's see in two years. Everyone else gets fired. Let's be real, let's deal with facts and with football generally and not pretend QPR are a grim outlier here. Every club in the 92 kiss a lot of frogs. When the manager loses a load of games, he gets canned. If you get one manager in five right, hooray! Hold on as long as you can to them.
There are not clubs succeeding with our failures.
[Post edited 31 Oct 2023 12:03]
Those managers didn't fail because they were bad managers though, they failed because the clubs at the time were basket cases.
Out of that list probably only Millwall and Holloway the exception.
I'll use McClaren as as example but it applies equally to the others, you don't go from England Manager / Dutch Title Winners / European finalist to sacked at Derby because you are a shite manager.
I believe in general managers get too much credit when things go right and too much stick when things go bad, but I also believe the lion's share of blame when good managers are unsuccessful is down to the club or bad luck.
We are an outlier. The average lifespan of a QPR manager is just over a year this century.
I write in broad brushstrokes because this forum isn't built for long essays. It's only an opinion anyway.
Agreed, should've sent the loan players back and told the rest of them to buck up their ideas and play for their futures because the manager is here to stay.
Instead we backed the players and look where that's got us.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Those managers didn't fail because they were bad managers though, they failed because the clubs at the time were basket cases.
Out of that list probably only Millwall and Holloway the exception.
I'll use McClaren as as example but it applies equally to the others, you don't go from England Manager / Dutch Title Winners / European finalist to sacked at Derby because you are a shite manager.
I believe in general managers get too much credit when things go right and too much stick when things go bad, but I also believe the lion's share of blame when good managers are unsuccessful is down to the club or bad luck.
We are an outlier. The average lifespan of a QPR manager is just over a year this century.
I write in broad brushstrokes because this forum isn't built for long essays. It's only an opinion anyway.
[Post edited 31 Oct 2023 12:23]
We probably largely agree (though Steve McClaren has not been a good manager for a decade), but I just don't think QPR are especially nuts.
Yes, those managers failed because those clubs were basket cases. That's because most clubs are basket cases in English football. There are no shiny cities on the hill in the Championship! In our division, only two managers have lasted longer than two seasons currently and I bet one of those goes soon.
We are not an outlier. Everyone churns through managers. Keeping a manager through a long, miserable, fractious bad run does not mean that eventually that manager will succeed: it means the manager is wrong for the club. Neil Critchley was a bad fit for QPR. Gareth Ainsworth was a bad fit for QPR. Time would not have fixed either. I can see how we ended up with the first appointment - honest mistake made on the back foot; I can see why Les Ferdinand left over the second.
Let's hope they get this one closer to the bullseye. But I'm glad we fire terrible, failing managers rather than grimly holding on.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Brommapojkarna
There's our financial problems solved in printed shirt sales.
Just read they had to pay around 250000-300000 pound in compo to Hammarby. He had 1 year left on the contract i think. So it seems there is a small coffer somewhere.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Thank you lassel.
I quite like the idea of a front three that you are suggesting as a possibility. And very good to read that he is aware of our current situation.
There's our financial problems solved in printed shirt sales.
Thanks for the update. Very insightful!
Brommapojkarna are my local team, managed by Olof Mellberg and brought through Kulusevski and Gyökeres (who would’ve dragged his balls through broken glass to sign for us, not Coventry btw when we resigned Austin) in recent years and have turned into a bit of a talent factory here in Sweden.
Djurgården, one of Hammarby’s Stockholm rivals, took 3 of Bromma’s latest crop last winter for a combined €1.5m. I know Brexit has made it harder but I wonder whether Marti will look to Sweden for some young gems.
Brommapojkarna are my local team, managed by Olof Mellberg and brought through Kulusevski and Gyökeres (who would’ve dragged his balls through broken glass to sign for us, not Coventry btw when we resigned Austin) in recent years and have turned into a bit of a talent factory here in Sweden.
Djurgården, one of Hammarby’s Stockholm rivals, took 3 of Bromma’s latest crop last winter for a combined €1.5m. I know Brexit has made it harder but I wonder whether Marti will look to Sweden for some young gems.
They can't be worse than the diamonds that GA was going to unearth from the lower leagues here, which comprised Paul Smyth.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Hammarby got to the semis last season so poor old Marti will have a coronary when he realises QPR are officially not allowed to advance past their first game in any cup.
Just read they had to pay around 250000-300000 pound in compo to Hammarby. He had 1 year left on the contract i think. So it seems there is a small coffer somewhere.
[Post edited 31 Oct 2023 14:11]
I assume you mean coffer, but I could think of more than one at QPR I wouldn't be unhappy to see carried out of the building in one!
Brommapojkarna are my local team, managed by Olof Mellberg and brought through Kulusevski and Gyökeres (who would’ve dragged his balls through broken glass to sign for us, not Coventry btw when we resigned Austin) in recent years and have turned into a bit of a talent factory here in Sweden.
Djurgården, one of Hammarby’s Stockholm rivals, took 3 of Bromma’s latest crop last winter for a combined €1.5m. I know Brexit has made it harder but I wonder whether Marti will look to Sweden for some young gems.
Very interesting comment on Gyökeres. Can you expand on this?
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
I'm less annoyed about Ainsworth not getting the bullet immediately after the Blackburn game after reading this... it's clear that the groundwork was being done and in retrospect keeping him in situ for a couple more games was probably preferable to going with Hall/Ramsay/whoever and giving the impression that we were rudderless.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
I'm less annoyed about Ainsworth not getting the bullet immediately after the Blackburn game after reading this... it's clear that the groundwork was being done and in retrospect keeping him in situ for a couple more games was probably preferable to going with Hall/Ramsay/whoever and giving the impression that we were rudderless.
This is why I wish people would reel in in a bit and not think they know how to run and/or manage a football club/team or at least criticise when they don't know the full in's & out's. We just don't know.
Very interesting comment on Gyökeres. Can you expand on this?
Yes, I know his dad through Bromma - when he went to Swansea on loan and Brighton weren’t happy with the loan. His gf was playing for Brighton women and had an offer to stay or to go back to Sweden and he was spending his life on the M4 and M3 and really wanted to come back down south and her to extend, ultimately he ended up at Coventry and she went to Eskilstuna.
That summer she had a couple of offers to come back to London clubs and again he would’ve snapped your hand off for a deal here or any other London club but he ended up back at Coventry and she went to Juventus.
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Neil Banks, who I've quoted in our piece, is a QPR fan many of you will know from down the years, now a season ticket holder at Hammarby. We've got half an hour with him on the Patreon now for all subscription tiers...
Another Brit in Stockholm here- former ST holder in the Upper Loft and just wanted to add a few bits.
Firstly, I was lucky enough to be ITK for the first time in my life as my wife is on the board at Hammarby so I’ve known for a few weeks the deal was happening but all parties agreed to keep quiet out of respect for both teams. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet Marti a few times and I know he wanted this move and has been watching our games this season, so I think he will come in and hit the ground running - he has also turned down a couple of offers since the deal failed last year, including a Spanish top flight club.
His Hammarby team have played some lovely football but last nights game summed them up in that they can be open defensively at times, and Marti will never send his team to the corner flag to see out a match….
Also not sure if it’s been said but after the team was gutted last season he has not played much with a ‘traditional’ CF, rather 2 wingers who interchange with a ‘10’ or a build up striker so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chair as a ‘false 9’ at times and a Chair, Willock and Smyth/Richards front 3 interchanging. Potentially Dykes sold in January to raise some funds to reinvest?
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong doesn’t feature much in all honesty, I think he might end up out on loan come Jan 1st as Im not sure where he would fit into a Marti team….
On the prospect of signings, I would look at Oscar Petterson (23, winger, 9 goals this season) and Samuel Holm (26, CM, 6 assists) from Brommapojkarna both young and raw but malleable. Allsvenskan teams have been fitting Bromma for their best youngsters for the last few years. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone like Freddie Hammar came on a short loan over winter from Hammarby.
My only concern would be that the more questionable members amongst the fan base will quickly turn on him when rather than our winger kick and running, he checks back inside and recycles play….otherwise I think we have a huge coup on our hands here.
Thanks for sharing this. Have to say it's all very encouraging, and only serves to further my increasing excitement about a manager I had not only not heard of 24 hours ago, but also referred to on another thread as a "random Swedish guy"....
Do we know why he would have turned down a top flight Spanish club?
Agreed, should've sent the loan players back and told the rest of them to buck up their ideas and play for their futures because the manager is here to stay.
Instead we backed the players and look where that's got us.
Big problem with Critchley, same as Ainsworth really , was that he wanted to play direct football, 4-4-2 with wingers and a move away from what Beale and Warbs were doing. Albert was a regular on the right, Willock or Chair on the other wing and it didn't suit any of them, we looked a mess. he had Sam Field on the wing in one game
Players get the blame for that spell but the manager was dreadful
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