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Reply | Frey
at 18:15 5 Feb 2025
I noticed that moment in the second half. He was ticking. Seriously fired up. I’m not sure but I think it might have stemmed from earlier in the second half someone cracked through the back of him late by the dug outs. Ref played on as we did a big switch. Frey was fuming with the ref and the defender who did it and ran from there into the box to get up with play shouting and pointing at the ref and the defender.
As a mate of mine who is a neutral said, he bounces games like he’s working at the old Walkabout.
Invaluable having some of that in your side in the Championship. |
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Reply | Frey
at 14:26 5 Feb 2025
What I like is that no team with him in it is getting bullied. |
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Reply | Madsen
at 00:24 5 Feb 2025
I think it’s horses for courses.
Frey is clearly the number 1, with the best all round game. He makes it stick, helps us get 10 yards up the pitch, is a threat in the air, and ensures the ball doesn’t come back quickly (mainly by manhandling the centre half).
Kolli is technically much better than Lloyd, although Alfie has improved a lot this season. But Kolli is less suited to playing at “9” than Lloyd, who is beginning to show he can do a job there.
At Hull Kolli started at 9 and offered little. Lloyd can on and changed the game. His pace, physicality and directness was something they couldn’t handle, but they’d contained Kolli with ease.
I think Kolli has the higher ceiling and might go further in the game, but he’s not a true 9.
If we’re really dominating a side I think Cifuentes would bring on Kolli. If it’s a bit stretched or we need to stretch the oppo, he’ll bring on Lloyd.
Either way, keeps them both keen. |
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Reply | Ronnie “ beckenbauer” Edwards
at 00:09 5 Feb 2025
Perhaps they sell him then, but I still doubt it AND we need a minimum of 2pts per game for play offs from here, let alone win the damn thing.
Slim. |
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Reply | Ronnie “ beckenbauer” Edwards
at 00:01 5 Feb 2025
Looked class tonight. Sadly cannot see how he’s ours next season. Much more likely to be lining up for Southampton against us. |
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Reply | Madsen
at 23:59 4 Feb 2025
Also worth remembering Morgan was not a Nourry/data signing. He was recommended by Bradley Allen. We signed him off the back of that on a free on a nothing salary to the EDS. Marti recognised the talent and gave him an opportunity and then when he looked good we signed him on a longer term deal.
You simply cannot consider that part of the summer recruitment process. He was also signed further back.
Oh, and you missed Santos, and Ashby, as well as Celar. [Post edited 5 Feb 0:00]
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 22:54 3 Feb 2025
Not if the line (and truth) was that contract negotiations were ongoing and in good faith.
As I have said, I think it was more us than him as to why he hadn’t re-signed. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 22:41 3 Feb 2025
I really hope he does extend his contract now.
I just think the club have messed this up. If the only issue holding up the extension was 3 or 4 years we should have got it done and then could have negotiated now or in the summer with a strong hand. 31 is not over the hill for a defender; he would still most likely have been useful then, in the event you never actually sold him.
Now, unless Dunne’s agent is an idiot, which I highly doubt, we will almost certainly have to pay more to extend him than we would have one month ago, and it’ll need to be his length of contract.
Oh, and Nourry also has given himself a problem. If Dunne doesn’t sign the extension and is clear he’ll walk in the summer, do we stick in the reserves to make a point to other players? Are we consistent in approach *cough, Kolli* or do we have one rule for Dunne than we might for others?
[Post edited 3 Feb 22:43]
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 22:36 3 Feb 2025
If Sheff Utd’s interest has ended now, who thinks we’re now going to extend Dunne on a confidential 4 year deal?
Failing to extend Dunne having turned down decent money for him only to see him walk on a free is going to look pretty stupid.
I wouldn’t be surprised any extension will now cost us more in wages too. Holding is only on loan, so Sheff Utd could choose to just sign Dunne on a free now in the summer. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 16:51 3 Feb 2025
Quite.
Especially when it sounds like our attempted replacement for Dunne is Djiksteel, who is, wait for it, 28 years old. What contract length will he want? We’ll never know. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 15:06 3 Feb 2025
Well, exactly. If a 5th year option is the players, we should absolutely say “no chance”. Who in their right mind would agree that?!
If it’s the club’s option, then this is just a debate about whether we want to extend 3 years or 4. I’d prefer 3, but, if he could walk for free in 5 months, and it would have given me leverage in negotiations in Jan, I would have just agreed 4 years before the turn of the year and been done with it. You can still sell him if the offer is right. And 30 or 31 for a defender isn’t over the hill. It’s prime career territory, or should be if they’ve learnt anything along the way. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 14:35 3 Feb 2025
Isn’t that the point? If he has no resale value at 30 or 31, what’s the difference? If that poster is correct, we offered a contract until he’s 30 (when he has no resale value) but won’t extend it a year, when he will also have no resale value.
He is still likely to be a first teamer and valuable on the pitch at 31. Cook is 33, isn’t he? We’ve had lots of defenders adding value into their 30s. So what is the exposure?
The plus 1 bit is irrelevant if on the club’s side and surely no one agrees it on the player’s side! So a 3 or 4 year deal. If that’s the only sticking point, and salary is agreed, that seems odd to die in a ditch over.
I completely agree that we if we can’t extend him we have to sell him. You can still sell them when they have extended though. [Post edited 3 Feb 14:36]
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 13:35 3 Feb 2025
I’d heard the same thing on the offer. It would end up somewhere between the two figures come end of the season.
I hadn’t heard the Dunne situation. If that is the case, I’d be interested in why we don’t move to a 4 year deal (one extra, that’s all, he’s 27, not 30 today) and have the option of a 5th on our side. Can’t be his.
If money isn’t the issue, why not agree that? We have Madsen on a 5 year deal supposedly. Centre halves at 31 are still in their prime. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 11:24 3 Feb 2025
No one can blame Dunne if we go.
We had either not offered him a contract (he said this, and I tend to suspect it) until now when Sheff Utd are there, too 2, waving a bigger contract and potential for Prem football. Of course, he would be tempted.
If we can get 2m for him, then that is a good return.
The only failure we have made here is not renewing him in December (or earlier) before the Sheff Utd interest ramped up. Then we’d be able to command a bigger fee now or in the summer…or he remains our player.
The difference to Austin’s, BOS, Manning, Willock, etc, is that none of them wanted to sign an extension with us at the time and ran their contracts down. I think Dunne would have renewed. It was us who weren’t the interested party…until our performances picked up with him key and we realised there was market value in him. |
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Reply | New Year transfer window rumours
at 11:19 3 Feb 2025
My understanding was we have the 3rd year option on Colback, and Cook’s was just a 2yr deal to begin with.
If they have options it was a stupid contract since we loaded their yr 2 salaries to make them cheaper in year 1, to make FFP. If the 3rd year is on the 2nd year’s terms, we have made a rod for our back.
FWIW, I would extend Cook. I think he’s invaluable. But I certainly would not renew Colback. We have to be able to find better 3+ years younger…and he’s a back up anyway. |
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Reply | New Year transfer window rumours
at 10:22 3 Feb 2025
Agree. That was what my last paragraph was calling out.
However, our game model/recruitment strategy should not just exclude signing any experienced pros. We know what can go wrong with a load of young ballers and no experienced physicality in the side.
If we let Colback go at the end of the year, and if we also let Cook walk we would need to sign some players in their 30s who are strong at the physical side of things, the game management, and who are leaders.
Just running with kids under 24 could be a disaster. |
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Reply | Esquerdinha
at 08:57 3 Feb 2025
Am more concerned by the article posted on the another thread with quotes from inside the club he’s at, that they’ve agreed to eventually sell him because he’s been a problem off the pitch.
Aren’t we meant to be really focusing on players’ characters now before we buy them? Or do we skip that bit if we think they’re a bit good? And love to know how we carried it out with Brazilian lad playing over there.
This feels like a punt. |
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Reply | New Year transfer window rumours
at 08:53 3 Feb 2025
I actually disagree. He would fit the formation and tactics very well.
In our 4141, it is all made to work by Morgan and Field being the middle of that “4” and having to get up into the box and out wide to support the winger, and back to protect alongside Varane. Morgan is slightly pushed up, hence it being asymmetrical, and Field is a little deeper so does more protecting. Both those get about the pitch and help close down the oppo quickly.
Luongo’s strengths were tackling and running. He was top of the league one year for tackles made. He would suit the system well as cover/competing with Field and Morgan. The bloke has also been a starter at this level with a team who won promotion. Only player in our squad who can say that is Cook. And look at the impact he has had.
HOWEVER, big point here, what is the point of signing him unless we can sign permanently within our wage structure (unlikely)? Even if that is possible, he is 33 at the start of next season. Would he be a starter? Ahead of Morgan or Field? Not sure. Would he be useful. Potentially, as an experienced head to replace Colback on lower wages, maybe. But as Nourry has said himself, we should really only be signing players on loan who will be under contract here thereafter. |
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Reply | Dunne off?
at 09:21 2 Feb 2025
I find this thinking of “football” as only being when you have the ball at your feet baffling.
95% of a game of football, all but one footballer on the pitch do not have the ball at their feet.
Football is as much what you do without the ball as with it. Simply ignoring that part of the game is breathtakingly short sighted.
We struggled at the start of this season precisely because we had an unbalanced side with too many players who were technically good with the ball at their feet but useless without it.
We corrected that balance and went on a phenomenal run.
As I have said many times, it’s no good having ballers if you can’t win tackles…you never get them the ball and have to play out from the keeper and you’ll never be winning possession higher up the pitch when the oppo are most exposed.
Running, closing down space, tracking runners, tackling, competing for loose balls…it’s all critical “football” just like touch, passing, crossing, and shooting are. You need a balance. The former is what makes formations and tactics work. Obviously you’d like every player to do all of those things really well, but that is naive. Hardly anyone in world football does it all, and any close only play for the top top clubs.
Field, Smyth, Cook, and Dunne are very solid, reliable players at this level. It is ludicrous for a club of our budget to want to move them on UNLESS we get big offers for them or they run their contracts down.
(Edited to correct a litany of typos) [Post edited 3 Feb 8:44]
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Reply | (Feasible) players you most wished had/hadn't played for QPR
at 08:21 22 Jan 2025
Paulo Wanchope - if Houston has got that call right we might have returned to the Prem much quicker and our whole history could have changed.
Clive Mendonca - if signed when Holloway was looking at it, might have enabled us to go up two divisions, so long as the signed wasn’t instead of Paul Furlong (can’t remember the timelines).
John Barnes - feels like he should have played for us. |
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