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Reply | Varane
at 17:15 2 Jan 2025
But let’s not starting putting him and Declan Rice in the same sentence just yet...
You just have!
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 17:11 2 Jan 2025
Turkeys voting for Xmas.
Crumbs from the big table to make those in the cash club to feel better about where they have come from.
Couldn't give two shites about whether the pyramid survives or clubs go to the wall chasing the pathetic dream.
The cash gulf is killing competition and the PL clubs just want to sustain that - why would they behave any differently? We wouldn't. But it does not change the fact that it is killing the pyramid slowly, but surely season after season. It WILL soon be a closed shop of the same three going up and coming down.
Yes, it will take one bad season to get you relegated, but you'll have to work incredibly hard not to get promoted straight back up even if you had Tony Fernandes and his clown crew in charge...
And there is no way on earth Benham or any of the Prem Owners wants to keep the EFL "strong" - do not be so ridiculous. Why should they worry about anyone else? It shouldn't be up to the clubs, of course, but the FA is just their puppet now; we all know who runs the game... |
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 17:05 2 Jan 2025
You lucked out in the timing of your rise.
Never before has there been such a financial gulf between the top flight and the second tier. As an example QPR got it right in the 70s, through the 80s and into the first few seasons of the Cash League. When we did not bounce back at the first time of asking (thanks, Mr Houston and Mr Rioch), we can clearly see how we "missed the boat".
The fact that there have been 51 teams in the Prem says it all - there HAS been a turnover of clubs, but the majority happened in the first 10-20 years. Aside from Lootown, yourselves, Brighton and Bournemouth, when was the last "new" team to get promotion? Blackpool, Bradford? (Just checked - Cardiff 2013-4),
The cash differential means that you are going to have to work REALLY, REALLY hard not to get promoted back. With player sales, etc. you'll be operating with a c. £100m budget advantage in a league where a club can only lose £39m over three seasons.
The absolute definition of "LUCKED OUT" as far as I can see...
...and (seriously) good luck to you - we were utterly magnificent in my formative years between 1974 and 1995 and it was great. |
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Reply | How have things changed so drastically in last ten games
at 17:21 1 Jan 2025
This. Especially with our team. It amazes me how much a factor this is - we have been so, so brittle in the past. One defeat setting off a run of defeats, which have been nothing to do with bad luck; just abysmal, abject performances. Even in the middle of "good runs" we chuck out a Stoke (a), Hull (a) last season and a Derby (a), Pompey (h), Swansea (a) and first halves against Oxford (h) and Bristol C (a) which are as bad as anything and yet we start picking up points.
Just goes to show the low quality in this league. Probably why Sheff W are only 3 points off the playoffs currently and Millwall are as high up the league as they are. Even Oxford, who chucked out one of the worst performances I seen at this level against us are now FIVE points above the line.
But that was a really good performance today. Got in control with a strong, physical first half and just when you think we have gifted Watford a way back in from Smyth's only aberration of the day, we go straight back up there and score.
Its the gap between us at our best and us at our worst that will baffle everyone - there is a MASSIVE gulf. |
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Reply | Hoops vs Hornets Match Thread
at 14:54 1 Jan 2025
Thought that, but it was him giving the ball away that led to their goal. Otherwise a shoo-in.
Personally I find it hard to look beyond Jimmy with honourable mentions to Varane, Frey, Ashby and Paal - the latter two putting their best displays of the season in... |
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Reply | Hoops vs Hornets Match Thread
at 13:35 1 Jan 2025
Nice way to start the New Year.
Keep it going Rs and fingers crossed Jimmy comes back out... |
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 16:31 31 Dec 2024
"Lose" more is an interesting take. If an owner wants to spend their money on their little hobby, is it really "losing" money? Admittedly, borrowing against the clubs assets or increasing the debt the clubs owe is tantamount to "losing", but if the overspend is fully paid for by the owner, who is "losing".
At the moment it is INCREDIBLY hard to see a way out of this mess the PL / Sky has created. The cash disparity in the Prem between the "top" 6 and the rest is bad enough, but it is absolutely nothing compared to the gulf to the Championship. As Clive said, every team coming down will look to have around a £90m advantage on teams who are only allowed to overspend by £13m a season and even with the biggest mismanagement, I find it impossible to see how they will NOT go back up - BIGGER, BETTER SQUADS over a 46 game season when injuries take hold on everyone else.
Yes, Brentford, Brighton, Palace, Bournemouth etc. have been well managed to get where they are, but f-me they have lucked out WHEN this all happened. QPR was exceptionally well managed through the late 70s until the mid 90s, but dropped out at exactly the wrong time.
I cannot see things changing unless the spending rules change, which they won't or the PL supports the EFL, which it won't. The most galling thing for me isn't that Liverpool, Chel***, Man U, Man C, Arsenal, etc. don't care, but that your lot and all other "little clubs" seem to have forgotten where they have come from and won't support the EFL just in case one of the other clubs takes their place. Whilst they have, they'll keep and f**k everyone else... |
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 14:56 31 Dec 2024
...but (predictably) Ipswich are 18th, Leicester are 19th and Soton are 20th.
Survive the first season you have half a chance especially as the three coming up are likely to be cannon fodder for the cash rich existing members of the cash league.
But we're rapidly approaching the closed shop. Luton didn't spend the cash on their squad, but I am shocked how badly they are doing this season though. Generally, it'll now be the same old faces bouncing up and down... |
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Reply | Budgies vs Rs Match Thread
at 19:00 29 Dec 2024
Yes, it remains a shocking league. Rarely do we get outclassed in a game, but its even more rare that we are comfortably in charge. It's just slop. We're not clinical by anyone's definition and we've been let off the hook by teams just as much.
Today's possession stats were better and there were spells when we actually strung passes together. Although the prevailing discussion on here is how Illias "holds on to the
ball too long" and other such shite, the reality is that we keep the ball far, far better when he gives an option, controls the ball well and rarely loses it. No coincidence that even lil' Kenny Paal resembles a competent footballer when Illy is there. If only we could combine that with a striker than reliably holds up the ball and some progressive midfielders running off that striker. Kolli has much energy, but the ball rarely sticks with him; Frey is not back up to speed and even when / if he gets there, I am not convinced he is the hold up man we crave.
So, we're play shite and win and we'll play shite and lose. Same with most teams in this league; just got to hope we're less shite than the oppo more often than not for the rest of this season.
A welcome point today; three would have been too much to expect from that starting XI. The fact that we got close says so much more about Naarwich than us... |
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Reply | Budgies vs Rs Match Thread
at 15:58 29 Dec 2024
Pleased, just frustrated as f**k conceding that late.
All our points seem really, really hard earned though, don't they? |
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Reply | Budgies vs Rs Match Thread
at 08:33 29 Dec 2024
A day for a back 5, surely?
Nardi
Ashby Dunne JCS Field Saito
Morgan Varane
Madsen Kolli Chair
Will still get pumped.
4-0 |
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Reply | Sorry Paal
at 17:27 27 Dec 2024
He is utterly garbage and I have been saying it for yonks.
Doesn't get close enough to the attacker, continually backs off and is so easy to get past with a drop of the shoulder. Continually the wrong side. Continually up the pitch scrambling to get back.
Can't cross (generally bar one or two corkers), cannot beat a man (has he EVER run past anyone in his time here?) and generally passes backwards or sideways.
Yet many on here like him - I just do not get it and am expecting the Esox obligatory downvote on this one and a few others! I suspect that you are seduced by his nice touch, but that deserted him yesterday.
Add in the can't be arsed attitude he has shown throughout this season and we HAVE to find a way to get rid of him and replace him with something / anything in January. People will say, let Fox / JCS / Larkeche / Colback play there and you'll see how good Kenny is, but that is rubbish. Saito and Beenie have played there and looked better than Paal this season.
An absolute liability and one of the worst this season.
A charlatan. |
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Reply | Happy Christmas Loftforwords
at 23:36 23 Dec 2024
Great thread numpty,
Merry Xmas to all and a happy 2025.
I spent my childhood thinking I'll be well old in the year 2000. Twenty five years later I am not so sure I was that old then...
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Reply | Varane
at 11:52 22 Dec 2024
Love him.
He is finding time on the ball and is a great competitor out there.
Improving all the time... |
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Reply | Ilias is Back
at 07:37 22 Dec 2024
Cut to the chase; Saito was very poor. Listen, I love him and think that he's played really well at times this season, but not yesterday.
He is getting up to speed himself and looked to be bullied out of the game yesterday.
No question; a fully fit Chair walks into this team, probably in Saito's position.
He started slowly yesterday, but that left side improved so much when he came on. |
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Reply | Where are the "Nourry out" comments now ???
at 22:18 21 Dec 2024
Said it on an earlier thread. Fundamentally there is only ONE barometer for ANY football club - how the first team is doing.
Freefall towards relegation and inevitably someone MUST GO. Not Marti, no, so who? The owners have all gone bar Reuban and some bloke we never hear from and they're just putting the money in, so we need them. Hooa and Sir Les have been hounded out to leave us with Dougie Howser CEO.
We are being run the same way we were a few weeks ago, the players are the same we signed in the summer. Varane improved, Celar scored so he was alright (2 goals in 20 games...), Madsen improved, but still not worth what we paid, Saito improving, Morrison a revelation.
The injured players are on their way back to be replaced by other, newly injured players.
BUT the results have improved, so naturally the noise will stop. |
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Reply | QPR v Not Preston again Match Thread
at 18:16 21 Dec 2024
Yes. He got an assist after being out for three months. I suspect you thought he was hanging on to it for too long just before he flung it over.
Let's talk about Paal and Saito today before you have a go at our one proper footballer who has been out all season.
Everyone played their part in that turn round and if you think anything other than the left side improved immeasurably when Chair came on, I despair. |
| | davman
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 2563 | | Comment Votes: | 22 | | Prediction League: | 13 | | TOTAL: | 2598 |
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