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Reply | Joey Barton
at 18:51 19 Jan 2024
Barton is a pr*ck and if you socialise with him as well then you must be a fairly similar character.
Was a midfield Robert Earnshaw, stood out in the Championship but was crap to underwhelming in the Premier League. |
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Reply | Dozzell
at 18:47 19 Jan 2024
Definitely hid and a shurker but would have him in the team over Colback all day, every day.
What's worse, is he has *some* level of ability, you can't just lose him. But if they lose him and go and sign Myles Peart-Harris on loan from Brentford then that will
just be about the final straw.
Not sure how much more p*ss taking the board can do and then they think that one up. |
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Reply | Jordan Henderson to Ajax
at 16:17 17 Jan 2024
No I get that, I was more saying the point the press definitely are as the 700k has grabbed headlines. Apologies wasn't saying the take home was peanuts. |
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Reply | Jordan Henderson to Ajax
at 14:59 17 Jan 2024
The money is obscene regardless but to be fair to him, it's no where near 700k. There's also a lot of tax implications so his take home, especially now he's leaving will be no where near the numbers reported. He lives in Dubai and flies over for training and matches (but make sure you do your recycling pls).
Some other players have been looked at this window and they've openly rejected really good moves because of the tax issues and how much you have to pay back should you leave the country. The Saudis aren't going to be stupid with their money, you're not going to be able to come over nick silly money and then disappear in a few months.
I don't think he's anywhere near relevant for England anymore, so hoping that doensn't come off but he tried to get a move to Spurs on deadline day in August but there was no chance he was going to be allowed to go in the same window. |
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Reply | Jack Diamond
at 11:14 10 Jan 2024
I recently attended an 'after-party' event with a number of west London based footballers. We walk into this room and I kid you not, 100+ females were just sitting on chairs waiting for the footballers to come in. It was like a meat market. At about 3am I ended up chatting to one of the women who was just sitting there, asking why she was still there, talking to no one at 3am. She said she was an office admin assistant and had to be up for work at 6 but wanted to shoot her shot.
It's basically they sit there, try and start a convo with a player in the hope it'll go somewhere. Utterly insane.
There was another instance where a player had a bit of controversy around an OnlyFans girl, however, his mother that had never left Senegal before, arrived on the morning it broke. The sheer panic as he realised he would have to explain to a very traditional thinking African middle-aged that you can go on your phone and buy explicit videos and images of females you like the look of. |
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Reply | Resolution, revolution, evolution – Preview
at 00:08 6 Jan 2024
Great post, Clive. The whole Hoos’ being FEO, Chairman and DoF… I mean come on. There’s amateur hour then there’s that.
The points around Willock and Chair leaving early is just such a marker for where our standards are at the moment.
I know of a PL player that was suspended for his last clubs game at midweek home. He had to be in the changing room & pitchside an hour before the game, they were comfortably losing and regardless of the result had to be in the changing room by 80mins waiting for the team to come in. You’re all in it together, you’re a team. How to of our better and most appreciated players think it’s fine to not just do that, but clearly be seen. It’s not like you’re hidden in a box.
I think you have to start with “What does QPR mean?” Or “What do we stand for?”. You look a Brentford, clever recruitment through Scandi regions, have kind of owned the football as a second sport fan (London Irish, Chelsea fans thst don’t go) in order to build attendances and fan interest, then commercialise them long term from here. Palace to a degree are they same, you know the type of players they will have. The ultras are a bit cringe but you know what you get.
You then have to build from there once we know or have identified what that is. I think some of the points on the pitch are bang on and I couldn’t suggest anything else, but I’d also look at a few other areas where improvement could be made very quickly for little effort.
The first thing I’d do is revamp the whole content around the club. Training pics, MC press conferences, post match pics. It’s boring. Clubs need to be a publisher in their own right, there’s little to talk about on the pitch so let’s share the stories of the fans off it. Off the top of my head, I’d commission a series with 4 different fans from very different backgrounds to run on YouTube or META. The old boy that takes his grandson and talks about the teams of 82, the single mum who takes her kids as it gives them a chance to bond, the bloke who uses it to maintain his mental health and see his mates. QPR means so much more than what we see or currently getting. Every week different fans are going to document their matchday experiences. Let’s make it a two way thing. Social media is in the name, we seem to think it’s just one way.
Let’s modernise how we approach content too, utilising content creators to show different aspects of the match day experience. Maybe it’s using someone like pitchside.images or shooting a game solely on film AND professionally so you cover everything. We need to engage with younger fans. I’ve seen people say about posters and billboards around west London, peoples attention is on their phones, let’s target them their. Localised paid media.
Regarding comms, then look at getting someone like Jimmy Dunne or Paul Smyth (players that use Twitter) to have two way convo with fans. People will say their sh*t, anyway, but them fans that tweet something positive, engage with a like or reply. It shows they are listening and care.
The second phase would be having one of the leaders/more respected players/ captain coming out and launch a campaign with the club that the first team want to donate 4x tickets a game to fans that need it.
The players would pick who they want to give them to and the official club account would run editorial on why they were picked and their story, promoting the QPR community. To limit criticism, players would record a message of who they have picked and why with a “see you at the game!”.
I’m sure they did it, but the same culture guardians should be ringing fans that could be vulnerable and season ticket holders at Christmas just checking in. I’d then launch focus groups of fans of all different ages and backgrounds focusing on marginalised groups. Each fortnight they get different questions and a surveys, the more they answer and time they give, the better rewards. Having constant feedback from different sections of your audience gives you a cheat code. Use it.
I’d then look at the merchandise. Where to start, it’s atrocious. It needs a total revamp. I’m not talking collaborations with Dior but you need to have fairly aspirational pieces or capsules. Crystal Palace went down the Creative Director route. You’ve got one of the most iconic kits in football history, mentioned weekly on every social account yet we sleep on it. Clubs need to be lifestyle brands.
Bizarre we plead poverty but have one of the worst merchandise and club shop operations. Add the ticket and website for thst too.
On that note, I’ve never understood why fans that go week in, week out (looking at you Clive) have never been rewarded. You have their address, send a gift box with the new home shirt in the day after their released with a hand written note from the CEO thanking them for their ongoing support. I’m not saying we give 1000s away, but 10 can’t hurt.
I’ve spoken before about the commercial offering, but I’m surprised we’ve not tried more to engage with the local community through front of shirt sponsorship. Perhaps you do a raffle style for small to medium businesses to win shirt or sponsor space at a fraction of the cost you’d want. The terms can be beneficial to companies, you have assets, let’s start to use them or we see screwed.
Linked to this, the current LED adverts are so old, I worked on one in the covid season and it’s still shown. Can’t we donate these to local business or charities? We are just showing these over again, maybe it can go to a QPR fans construction company or childrens charity in Hammersmith?
I appreciate a lot of this is off the cuff thinking probably b0llocks, but we can’t just keep doing the same stuff, getting sh*t results, sleepwalking into nothingness. You can do something, you improve fan sentiment, you can help the atmosphere, improve commercial opportunities and in turn stay in the league. [Post edited 6 Jan 0:10]
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Reply | Be honest
at 19:43 4 Jan 2024
Absolutely spot on, couldn’t agree more.
The stick Ferdinand got in the end was somewhere between moronic and racist from some of the fans on social media. The respect Ferdinand carries in football is crazy, there’s a reason he’s so often welcomed as a pundit or for comment. I don’t think he got everything right but the fact he faced up, week in, week out despite what was being said about him showed his class.
Regarding the other members of the board, everything comes down from the top. I remember talking to Chelsea players who would say if Roman came to training it was basically “stand by your beds”.
Now with Boely (spelling?) it’s the same, the nerves some of them had to meet him was crazy. Do you think anyone give a f*ck about meeting our lot? They’re never here.
The club could not be operating more poorly if it tried. Everything from sponsorship/endorsement, match day experience, content, general marketing of the club SOOO much more could be done. I don’t believe or adhere to Hoos’ school of thought that basically nothing matters, we just keep trotting along cos this is the only way.
There’s about 5 things you could do off the cuff to change perception, begin to get fans more involved, which then leads to more commitment, fuller stadiums, better atmosphere, more chance of winning games, then hopefully better chance of staying up. |
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Reply | Where did it all go so right? - Interview
at 15:23 27 Oct 2023
"We thought that would be Conor Coady, but he can't get a game, which says everything you need to know about our squad."
Cheers, just as we're about to strap into a Kakay - Field - Larkeche back 3. |
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Reply | Each goal more farcical and easier to score than the last - Report
at 18:06 9 Oct 2023
Fantastic report Clive but what a dismal time to be supporting us atm - let alone traipsing all around the country.
I haven't ever really been in the Ainsworth camp even before his hiring, but much like Antti, I really didn't think it would be as bad as this. A limited squad, playing limited football, but running themselves into the ground and giving their all for the club.
Whilst Ainsworth has never been a tactician, his whole schtick is about buy-in, team over individual, culture etc. If the players aren't doing that or on board, then it's pretty clear they aren't having him. You're just then left with sh*t players playing sh*t football. Which is where we are at.
I mentioned on Twitter over the weekend that if you took the likes of Larkeche, Kakay, Smyth, Duke Mckenna, EDS, Armstrong and Kolli... they are all really League 2 players. They made up 45% of our team on the pitch on Saturday, so in some ways whist I have never thought Ainsworth is right, you could get Pep in here and he still has to choose between Kakay and Larkeche.
The latter was so bad, that the player who's spot he took, as they were so equally atrocious, was actually brought back in to make us more solid. |
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Reply | Steve Cook
at 09:36 11 Aug 2023
To be honest mate, I'd be well up for someone showing me the grey at the moment!  |
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Reply | Steve Cook
at 07:41 11 Aug 2023
It worked, not sure it still a recipe for success. We’re using references from nearly 50 years ago. The game was completely different. |
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Reply | Steve Cook
at 14:42 10 Aug 2023
This x100.
Am a bit unfussed about the signing, turned us down a few months ago after giving his word but okay we need bodies.
Another over the age of 30 that has to be parachuted in on a multi-year deal because we're so desperate. I could be wrong but I can't remember there being a queue to get him either, yet for some reason we're acting like Maldini has walked into the building? Is this is what we've become?
As you say Clive, we talk like we've got this incredible generation of players coming through that he needs to mentor, there's fck all to work with. We're fine on that regard.
Don't get me started on the stupid PR line about asking Begovic about what it's like here, the whole place is burning down, the fans are in disarray, players want to leave. |
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Reply | Ainsworth Metro Interview
at 12:06 10 Aug 2023
I'm amazed this guy does so much media.
We were battered by Oxford, got embarrassed by Watford and are probably going to lose at the weekend.
But it doesn't seem to slow him down, absolutely loves an interview. |
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Reply | Aaron Ramsdale - abuse in football
at 11:28 4 Aug 2023
I worked with Aaron and his agent around his move to Arsenal, one of the things that continually came up in conversation was the abuse he was experiencing on social media.
When we were looking into it, actually a lot of the fans that were abusing him were often fans based outside of the UK. We then put a plan in place to win over those at the Emirates, in the hope that the rest would fall into line, which might have gone too far in some regards but still I think the fans certainly appreciate him.
Another timely reminder that these guys are just human and everyone has a cross to bear. |
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Reply | Lauren James discussion at work.
at 07:45 4 Aug 2023
Try not to post that much any more, but this and another thread heavy made me inclined to log back in!
Quite random, but I actually had a 1 v 1 with Lauren about 8 weeks ago and let me tell you, her talent is ridiculous. He’s strength, pace, agility, she’s an absolute phenomenon. Her and Reece, genetics wise, are on a completely different level.
I also went to a few of her Champions League games and the FA Cup Final, the biggest difference for me is the speed in transitions. But Lauren seems to have the physicality that’s almost comparable to the mens game. Reece will tell until he’s blue in the face that from a technical perspective there’s a lot worse than her currently playing in the Prem.
Whilst I think the womens game has loads of talented female players, Lauren’s the only one I’ve seen that *could* play in the mens game because she had the whole package. If we’re talking physically, is she going to look more out of place than say Albert Adomah?
Aside from that, she’s also a lovely, lovely kid. Lives a simple life and just loves playing football. She’ll probably be the highest earning female footballer ever (commercial deals included, one of few ethnic minorities etc) and I’d predicted her to be the best female player we’ve ever produced. |
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Reply | Dele Ali on The Overlap about his problems
at 12:50 13 Jul 2023
Really interesting and of course absolutely horrendous that he went through all that.
What's more interesting is I find that theres a lot more footballers with this mindset (wanting to get out of the game etc) that most would care to realise.
Although some of the caveats for this was the tabloids looking to break the story before him, somewhat forcing him to come forward and speak out. Also, Sky Bet being so heavily branded throughout.
When you're being so open about addictions, does feel a little off. |
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Reply | Paul Smyth......
at 15:44 23 Jun 2023
There's probably two ways you can look at this and depending on what side you fall is whether you see this as a good or poor signing.
I think if you take the more holistic view, is Paul Smyth a player QPR should be looking to sign? It's certainly a step down in calibre from the likes of Willock, Chair, Roberts, Jamal Lowe etc. A guy that scored 10 from largely left wing in League 2. He didn't score bundles, he didn't assist loads. He's got bags of pace but is diminutive. He's played 69 times (across 4 seasons) in League 1 and scored 8 goals. If this wasn't an ex-QPR player, would we be so keen to see him sign? Are any other championship clubs going to be after him?
The argument that he's cheaper than Shodipo (which I fully agree he probably is) is a bit of a red herring as well. Shodipo is poor and hardly a regular. If we were saying someone was better than Conor Masterson, hardly the greatest of measures.
All that being said, if you look at it as the microcosm of this season, then he probably makes sense. This is clearly about just staying up, getting anyone we can in that will be cheap and have some outstanding physical attribute. There's a chance he can make the step up, a small one but theres a chance. He has the right attitude
Despite the talk of selling Chair for £8m and this player for £5m, the club is clearly fcked financially hence why our RB options look like being Kakay and Drewe.
We are slow AF when you watch us, if you can have him and Armstrong in, that's a bit of a handful. When you consider the DoF has gone, you may as well going balls in on it. Maybe there's an argument that the DoF knew what was coming this year and thought I need some self-preservation here. The money has gone, it's going one way. |
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Reply | Archer and Drewe
at 15:15 23 Jun 2023
If any prospective signings are judging whether they should sign for a club or not by watching "Undr The Cosh" then they're probably not the sort you'd want anyway. |
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Reply | JoJo Gone
at 13:06 20 Jun 2023
It's all getting a bit silly on here with the whole GA & 'Dobbo' love in, feels like you can't dare critique or say your opinion otherwise you're going to get hammered.
What did happen:
- Ainsworth did take over 8 points clear and got within inches of being relegated
- Him and 'Dobbo' had never really been taken seriously by clubs looking to replace their manager. That's fine, everyone needs a break.
- They do play a very long-ball game, again no problem, but you don't have to like it. Some didn't like Warbs' style and centre halves having 300 passes a game. I get it. The belief that he never had the opportunity to play better football, what he had 10 years? He could have reset at some point?
- We did get tonked 6-1 by one of the worst teams in the league and then lose 3-1 to another.
- the DOF has left after disagreements over targets (admittedly so we've been told), the ball playing centre half has been sent on his way.
If you can't look at all that, and the rest I CBA to type, and not slightly see why some fans are apprehensive over the season then its you with the blinkers on.
I really hope GA does smash it, because he will definitely have Loftus Road rocking if he gets it right, but let's not make out that anyone who sees it slightly different is a complete moron. |
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