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Comment | The season that was - Preview
at 06:32:26
Great preview thanks Clive and superb work throughout the whole season. Through the dark times you provided levity and sanity. Thanks. Consonant thanks Carol LOL. |
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Comment | Stop me if you've heard any of this before - Report
at 00:13:30
Clive, this got me laughing (particularly the Hudlin bit), despite the latest round of inept shite from the Rs. Thanks.
Because otherwise there's precious little to laugh about. Such poor organisation, absence of structure to our play, and such poor passing. Even teams not choosing to play possession have to pass well, when they do have it. I guess that's one reason why I was mystified with the decision to leave Willock off. Realise he has been off recently but we really needed someone to hold the ball a bit and pick a pass.
Not sure where to go from here. Not at all sure Ainsworth has what it takes to turn around such a relentless tide of poor form, going back nearly two years.
Wife says I should choose another team! Thanks...... |
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Comment | And we never spoke of it again — Preview
at 02:43:00
Terrific Clive. Just want to add my thanks for your work, which has made this dumpster fire of a season bearable. The Patreon subscription is the least I can do for writing of this quality. Congratulations. |
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Comment | More Peterborough pain turns the natives restless - Report
at 22:44:45
Great report thanks Clive. Fair, honest, grim.
The thing for me is that we have become slower and slower. Nick and Andy on Comms often talk about how "we are yet to get into our passing rhythm". I am struggling to work out what this tempo actually is. Slow of ball, slow of foot, slow of mind. There used to be a bloke who played for Sydney FC who passed it sideways so often that fans took a drink if it actually went forward! This is us now. What was truly odd vs Peterborough was we did not start like that. We began more like the now storied Reading game, which appears more like an aberrant high water mark now than any level we could aspire to weekly. But our humans moved about well, often forwards, as did the ball. Nice.
To see us sink back further and further was EXCRUCIATING. Particularly because there is clearly real quality in this team, especially when Willock is playing.
My own view is that key to our failings has been central midfield where the ball always seems to drop to them, the headers are always won by them and the good through balls are nearly always played by them. JoJo at the "got there quick as I could" fouling stage of his career. Hendrick might have been a good player but we haven't seen it. Even against crap teams, you generally have to at least compete in the midfield or risk getting overrun. We have failed to dominate here too often, right through this season (despite Field often being excellent). Glimpses of quality not enough to compensate for soft belly. Such a pity, given opportunity for play-offs. Hurts.
QPR 2 Fulham 1. Dead cert. COYRs
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Comment | Glaring errors cost QPR third straight 2-1 loss - Report
at 02:14:39
Terrific report as ever Clive, thanks. I still bloody love this team too (as per another thread). But I am a bit confused. So if we were going long, why did it appear as if Gray was so isolated so often? As you say, long clearances from Seny then came straight back at us. Seems odd to set up to avoid playing through some of our best players (JoJo, Willock and Chair). But if you are going to do this, then target forward needs help - another forward, maybe Albert wide etc. What exactly was the starting plan vs WBA?
But not panicking in any way. This team is a great to watch. You Rrrrrrs! |
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Comment | Happy New Year my R's - Preview
at 11:19:58
Completely disagree with Hadders above. Your columns are about the ONLY things good about being a QPR fan at the moment. Thanks Clive and bonne annee!! |
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Comment | Ramsey takes the long walk, but the root cause of the problems remains - Column
at 23:33:03
Clive, writing this must have been painful. Terrific insightful work. People like me, supporting QPR for years here in Oz, really appreciate the depth of insight you bring to this soap opera. The last few seasons we have played dreadfully. But the fish rots from the head as they say. Wembley showed how much Rs support exists, ready to get behind a team that plays with skill and commitment. Shame these two elements have been so hard to see over past couple of painful seasons. |
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Comment | A line in the sand — Signing
at 00:14:21
Mass Luongo was Australia's star in winning Asian Cup for first time this year. Genuinely exciting player - No10. At risk of Strine bias I know, but can't wait to see him in Hoops next year and for some years on.
Also, in relation to cows coming home etc, I know Barton appeared to really try in most games but his passing was the worst by any midfielder I watched in any team in the Premier League this season. Wildly overambitious and almost always inaccurate. At least Henry never really tried this. |
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Comment | Another late goal conceded all but condemns QPR - report
at 04:19:58
Thanks for your report Dave. I disagree strongly on one point about how Rangers won the midfield battle. I thought this game completely exposed our lack of quality in this area. At one stage Barton decided it was less time consuming to be caught with the ball so he just started passing it directly to Liverpool players. Sandro is one of the best exponents of the Inspector Gadget school of tackling, where the ball is out of your reach but you somehow manage to extend a limb and get there. But he is always on his arse doing this, with almost no telling forward passes from him all season. Henry did what he does. But so many defensive central midfielders meant Fer was only effective link up to isolated Austin. Rather than win the midfield, QPR hung on, diving about, occasionally winning possession but then having no clue how to get forward. Liverpool's midfield by contrast looked like a misfiring executive vehicle and lightweights like Coutinho, when they got going, simply left us for dead.
Too late for tactics. Glad I kept up my subscription to the now-called BeinSports as they have the rights to the Championship here in Australia. |
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Comment | And Jagielka heads it away - report
at 23:40:34
Terrific analysis Clive, much as you and the guys presented on this week's QPR podcast.
It is that stunning lack of pace that has been a consistent problem. In transition as you say, it means we are so so easily caught on the break. The 4-4-2 approach leaves our midfield shallow and vulnerable. And then our attacks are ponderous. I have watched nearly all our games this year and struggle to remember much genuine counter-attacking at all. We simply cannot hit other teams at speed. Everton hit us at speed.
Watching this season has been truly awful. I look at Burnley and Palace and can see teams with similarly limited player lists not only set up properly but also clearly trying hard. Of these two qualities, the former has clearly not been the case at QPR and the latter has also too often gone missing.
Your 4-2-3-1 suggestion very elegant and straightforward, playing to our strengths. Zamora has been pilloried on this site. Of course he is past it but we have been playing a system designed to accentuate his demise. The bright sparks in our team, Taarabt, Vargas, Austin, Phillips, Fer have been poorly accommodated. We have brought this on ourselves. I cannot wait for it to STOP. |
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Comment | Ways to lose away games, number 11 in the series - report
at 03:21:20
Terrific and fair report Clive. Adel offered new ways forward, better link up play as well as good control and passing - not always but mostly, especially in first half. But this was completely new system from the usual knock it long to Bobby and get Charlie around the scraps style we have been playing. Fully agree that Redknapp seems to offer no structure or system. Queens Park Strangers indeed. Put this together with transfer market profligacy and an apparent lack of enthusiasm by the players and it is a potent mix pointing to relegation. All the other teams look like they try harder than us, leaving aside if they have better players or not. Burnley great example. It is not a great time to be a QPR fan.
And don't get me started on Barton's passing....... |
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Comment | Same old, same old from travel-sick Rangers - report
at 02:37:05
Great report Clive. Two great lines in particular - about both teams looking like they were playing in the same direction and that Barton was giving the ball away for sponsorship. He was uncannily shithouse.
We are so slow in midfield. Fer, Niko even Barton all players who want to stop the ball before playing. Our movement is ponderous. Certainly shown up by Swansea. I think that is why people keep saying how valuable the Chilean boys are because they do offer this movement. We cannot just sit back and defend but we lack the weapons to hit teams on the break.
Has Harry run out of ideas? |
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Comment | Recent QPR progress halted by eighth straight away loss — report
at 22:51:25
Typically fair report Clive - thanks as ever. Every player considerably below par with exceptions of Green, Dunne and probably the now quite consistent Henry. Terrible 90 minutes of viewing, with little control, generally poor passing and almost no goal threat.
I know I am a broken record. But "lacking creativity" is the epithet most often tossed in by 'Arry and all in regards to the team. Long balls up to Zamora to chest down to Charlie etc only every going to be one tactic, with limited shelf life in this division. By creative players, we would def include Niko and also probably Vargas. Fer is unconvincing for me so far. Which leads me to Adel. Again (apologies). But has he lost so much weight as to disappear completely? Perfect link man between forwards and rest, can pick a pass, can shoot. Surely better bet than Fer on this form. Not even on the bench, nor at training according to youtube vids put up by the club, nor playing in behind closed doors match the other day. Not in Moroccan squad. Should someone report lost property?
At this rate we are one Austin injury away from relegation. Must find more routes to goal.
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Comment | 'Modern day penalty' robs QPR of Chelsea scalp - report
at 04:43:47
Thanks Clive for another terrific and fair report. Def thought we were good value for a draw and cannot fault the effort.
I do feel a bit sorry for both Isla and Yun who you rated among the lowest of our 'band of brothers'. Marking Hazard and Oscar not an easy job - both played vwell, particularly Hazard.
By contrast you give Fer a more than generous 7 in my view. Apart from his predilection for the woodwork and dance moves (including his repeated stepovers), hard to pin down too much positive yet in his Rs career. Now if only we had a genuinely creative No10 to set us in motion. Oh....... |
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Comment | Austin steps up as QPR move off the bottom — report
at 22:07:45
Thanks Clive, fair report. Agree totally re YSY - very solid. But overall, can't help but suggest performance vs Liv much better. Passing much more crisp and accurate. We could barely string anything together in the first half. 2nd half was better. But strange to play well one week and lose and not so well the next and win. Football......
Zamora is so good at holding the ball up that the plan you outline seems reasonable. But it is limited. We need more than one trick. You can guess where this is heading - come back Adel, all is forgiven. |
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Comment | Lacking ideas, shape, commitment or a plan, QPR lose limply at West Ham - report
at 01:05:51
Thanks Clive - excellent summary.
The one thing you expect from professionals is that they should try. There certainly seemed little real effort, apart from a few such as Austin and Onuoha who "ran about for 90 mins". Kranjcar tried to create things but looked slow and was very closely attended. Taarabt only other real injection of creativity and enthusiasm along with some good hold-up play by Zamora in second half. But overall performance was shambolic and sad.
What now? We desperately need a manager who can first motivate professionals to do their job. They then need to create some organisation around the team and the way they need to play. Doesn't look like Harry is keen to do much of either at the moment. Doesn't look like Tony F is in firing mode either.
Wait for the January window - Crouch, Defoe, more of Harry's old school? Would they come if we are already adrift and would it be too late?
Finding it hard to watch as this unfolds. It is Mental Health Week here in Australia. Irony. |
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Comment | Sublime Kranjcar ensures unhappy return for Hughes — report
at 00:28:03
Thanks Clive for your report. Your comparison with Leicester very appropriate. Fact is, having now watched many Prem League games played this season, I am yet to see a team move the ball with less speed and precision than Rangers. I am worried. Harry has now made it clear he doesn't think the Rs have enough quality up front but to me, this applies pretty much across the board, though agree that Caulker looks very good. And when you see the speed and quality of the good teams, it is just frightening. Could be a long season unless things lift appreciably.
ps. Great to see Niko respond to my criticism of last week so superbly :)
Wonderful goal. Shawcross butcher. |
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