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Reply | QPR bolster midfield with Varane capture – Signing
at 12:08 5 Aug 2024
With Hayden I guess there is free and there is "free". We don't know if Newcastle were prepared to buy him out entirely of his contract - if they were he should have been open to a very big reduction in wages. But hypothetically if they offered to pay him only a percentage of his contract - and frankly, who could blame them? - then Hayden might be looking for much higher wages than we were prepared to offer. Its why I think whatever happens to Hayden - whether he comes here on loan, goes elsewhere either on loan or permanently, or stays in Newcastle reserves - it probably comes down to a calculation on the final day of the window: what is the highest wage offer open to Hayden, and if Hayden wants Newcastle to cover the shortfall, whether Newcastle are prepared to pay that much to get him off their books.
Agree Varane the clear winner in likely future value. Downside oc is he is far less proven. Clive produced some stats (think in his end of season report) showing Hayden's contribution and it was incredibly impressive. One of those players who, to employ the cliche, does all the stuff fans don't notice. But guess our finances dictate we have to go for potential. Plus getting older players is not entirely risk free either, as Stefan and Charlie second time around proved - albeit Hayden is considerably younger than both of those. |
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Reply | QPR bolster midfield with Varane capture – Signing
at 11:16 5 Aug 2024
Read elsewhere that the player his stats most resemble in world football is - Isaac Hayden. Hopefully there was a bit more due diligence than that but it does slightly suggest the word came down "we can't afford Hayden, find me a cheaper, younger version."
I like the height aspect - Dunne's aerial ability made a big difference and so should Varane.
Whist attack remains a massive problem its tried and trusted football management to sort the defensive side first.
In the absence of further recruits I hope we line up with Field and Varane holding with EDB further advanced.
Varane seems a positive signings - my only reservations are he couldn't get in his team towards the back end of last season, and he has about the same experience as EDB, so we are not buying the finished article here. And if we can't get Hayden on loan in a cut-price deal at the end of the window it means a lot will rest on Varane seeing as Colback looks spent. |
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Reply | Announcement at Brighton Friendly
at 09:50 2 Aug 2024
Absolutely.
For weeks now the general election thread has been far more active than the transfer window one.
Even though last time I checked the general election was settled.
There seem to be a minority of posters keen to contest a culture war.
Arguably its a good thing if people get out of their silos and debate with people of very different opinion.
But some seem far more animated on here about their political opinion than they are about their football club.
Perfectly legitimate - indeed sensible - to regard politics as more important than football, but as Clive says this is actually a football forum. As a liberal I should report that not a word written on this board by the Faragists has changed my mind on anything; and it would be arrogant in the extreme to imagine anything written by a liberal on here has changed the minds of the Faragists.
To get it back on subject, I'm fairly indifferent about the Italian and don't think its imminent. But I am curiously excited by the Varane potential signing. Even though I have never seen him play, nor had I heard of him until we were linked to him. Which probably makes me the worst kind of football fan just getting excited about players for the sake of it, who Clive has quite rightly satirised on here many times. But such a relief we seem to have moved on from the Jeff Hendrix years and are trying to develop young, skilful, technical players. Until he turns out to be the next Andre Dozzell... |
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Reply | Orange wine
at 23:09 30 Jul 2024
This is one of the many reasons why I love our club.
My daughter just back from one of her first adult holidays and was going on about orange wine in Italy. I told her she was a stuck up cow (mildly affectionately). My wife went out and bought a bottle and said stop being a boring old sod. Now I’m reading a wine expert’s take on a QPR forum.
Not many football forums I suspect would offer that.
Such a diverse fan base but if we can stay off politics we seem to rub along ok |
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Reply | On the basis of pre-season/the current squad, where will we finish this season?
at 21:51 27 Jul 2024
This game certainly a reality check and tempered my expectations.
But just so many variables its impossible to predict.
With the team that played Reading? Bottom six at best as zero creativity or ability to drive forward.
With Chair, Celar, EDB and Koli playing from the start? Just about mid-table.
With the above plus a box to box midfielder who can turn and move forward, plus either a good right winger or number 10 and a season with few injuries? 14th-9th maybe. |
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Reply | Match Thread - A Royal Preseason
at 18:18 27 Jul 2024
Colback wins whatever the opposite of MoTM is. Why do so many of our midfielders somehow believe they have done their job and earned their wages if they simply tap the same ball back to the defender in the same way that they received the ball? Is it that Jack is not confident enough to turn? Or can't be bothered? Or is unfit? Or isn't coached? Its not like the Reading press was so intense or of such high standard that this was impossible, surely? If that is the poverty of his intent not deserving of a starting place IMHO. |
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Reply | Match Thread - A Royal Preseason
at 17:08 27 Jul 2024
We didn't even look that fit. So sluggish. Am not convinced that if you have no one capable of hitting a forward pass in a friendly that you will suddenly find the killer pass - or even a progressive pass - against WBA in a fortnight. |
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Reply | WTF is a head of methodology?
at 11:41 27 Jul 2024
I get that as a fan even more obsessed with the Rs than the likes of me this kind of stuff might be irritating, but just as prime ministers are judged on the big decisions, so are ceos. Signing Marti, insisting transfers are done according to data, recruiting youth, looking at the psychological make up of players, refusing to be bent over by rapacious agents, getting actual money for completely ineffective players and securing a proven goal scoring centre forward (until now…) - all of this he has achieved and which apparently alluded Hoos, Baird, etc.
Very early days and it could and probably will all go wrong because we are Queens Park Rangers - but if he successfully rebuilds the squad and achieves a top 10 finish this season, are fans really going to be talking about the ticketing for Birmingham? I do get that as you, unlike me, follow the team away as well as at home you have more skin in the game, reflected in some of your beautifully evocative descriptions of miserable journeys to hell-holes. But the best way IMHO to make most fans happy is to run a football club that wins matches and shows progression. There at least appears to be a strategy now - compare and contrast to a couple of years ago with Amit basically saying: “I give up. i’ve been in football for over a decade but essentially I haven’t learned anything or know anyone useful. We have tried the only strategy that could work and we failed at that too so the answer has to be Gareth Ainsworth.” That was the moment I nearly despaired of this club, more even than when we were relegated to League One. If we pour over every decision made by a club of course there will be things some don’t like - I know you have a principled objection to the non-releasing of contract lengths - but on the available evidence I think, at the very least, Nourry deserves the benefit of the doubt, his management-jargon, nonsense-laden press releases notwithstanding. |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 12:52 26 Jul 2024
I don't want him back either but very harsh assessment here IMHO. When played in a five thought he was excellent. Crucially when he left us you soon saw what that loss of passion and fight meant. |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 12:22 26 Jul 2024
Loved Yohan but when has it, as the songstress Sade told us, been as good as the first time with a returning player? Steve Wicks, Clive Allen, struggling to think of any in recent times. Smyth debatable. Wonder as a fanbase if we are more nostalgic than most or if it is a common football phenomenon. Whenever a popular player retires the cry goes up "make him a coach". |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 11:04 24 Jul 2024
Precisely, Dozzell was more ruff and tumble gelling his hair. Not sure how much those stereo-types about English players still apply. Many have been coached to "play football" and we have had many a midfielder ala Tom Carroll who regarded the prospect of a tackle much as Ann Widdecombe would a venereal disease. I don't care about nationality, its all about the attributes of the individual. |
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Reply | Jimmy Dunne
at 13:13 19 Jul 2024
Interesting. Perhaps thats the system we will play next season with Heverton and Paal playing wing backs with Field and Coleback holding and Chair/ Andersen playing further inside, more as 10s, with Celar up top. Pragmatism seems to be one of Marti's key qualities so maybe he wants to have the option of 4 or 5 at the back depending on the opponents? |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 13:07 19 Jul 2024
If the figures quoted are anywhere near accurate amazed we haven't been charged with daylight robbery... |
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Reply | Armstrong
at 13:04 19 Jul 2024
The media dept will have a grid with days to announce things to optimise interest through the summer - personally think they have done a very good job. Logistically it also takes time - they have to have a sit down interview with the player ready, for example, a background article about his career, photos, quotes from the manager etc. Not sure it takes any longer these days, its probably just that word tends to get out early as there are so many outlets/ social media tipsters. If this is honestly the biggest complaint about the club at the moment - that they are being a little tardy in announcing the potentially 20 goal a season striker they have just signed - then that's probably as near a win as the club is likely to score with sections of the fanbase. |
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Reply | Trump shot at.
at 10:42 19 Jul 2024
Except our so-called "independent" nuclear deterrent can only, in practical terms, ever be used with American co-operation and even authorisation. |
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Reply | Trump shot at.
at 10:40 19 Jul 2024
You really are most insightful if you can tell I was typing through gritted teeth. My teeth did not need to be gritted one bit to say the shooting of Trump was horrific. It shouldn't need saying that we must use logic in a democracy, not violence. Besides, quite apart from the human element, pragmatically this was a disaster for anyone (like me) opposed to Trump. As soon as I saw the defiant - defining - image of Trump with his arm aloft it was clear to me that he had almost certainly just won re-election.
Agree name calling doesn't get us anywhere. I would never use the word "Nazi" to define Trump and we should be very careful about the use of that word. I wouldn't as yet call him "far" right, any more than he should call Democrats "far left extremists". He is, IMHO, "hard right" for sure, with the potential to be something more.
Where I disagree is people on the right IMHO often struggle to see cause and effect. Just as crime rates typically rise with levels of poverty, so if your language is all "fight, fight, fight" it shouldn't be entirely surprising that in a country where crazed, lone gunmen are not exactly an unknown phenomenon, someone will take you at your word - it could have been a Trump supporter taking a shot at Biden, it so happened to be a nutter (motivation unclear) taking a shot at Trump. That is not to justify an act of violence but it is to say that this assassination attempt hasn't come from nowhere and perhaps the Trumpeties need to be a little more self-reflective about the culture that produces such violence - a violence that is particularly American. So its not an ad hominen attack or "whataboutism".
There was a very good article in the FT a few days ago analysing opinion polling data (stay with me). It showed that Trump's single biggest appeal was his macho, tough man image. Its why he is massively more popular with men than women, for example. So if your whole schtick is "I'm the tough guy", "I could shoot someone and people would still vote for me", "spent a great day at the firing range" etc etc etc its not entirely surprising that some lunatic out there took all this talk of violence not as metaphor but literally. Again, to be clear, it was clearly wrong.
Is Trump now big enough to see his lucky escape as the moment to bring people together? That to me would be proof that Trump was genuinely courageous. |
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Reply | Trump shot at.
at 09:35 19 Jul 2024
You had me up until “dehumanising Trump”.
Think he has done a pretty good job of that himself.
How would you characterise his attitude to immigrants (calling them sub-human etc) if that is not “de-humanising”. His entire modus operandi is to belittle others and see them as transactional commodities: “how useful are these people to me?”. The violence against him was terrible, no question, but let’s put it in context: since he came to the presidency, the number of security incidents against members of Congress have sky-rocketed. Am not sure that’s entirely coincidental.
Will he finally now grow up, dial down the hate and attempt to unite the country? A big test for such a fundamentally little man. |
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Reply | Trump shot at.
at 08:57 19 Jul 2024
My god just had a gander at this thread.
Can’t believe some really believe it is a conspiracy (on either side).
Surely we have all seen enough to know that shit happens, particularly in this febrile, hate-filled environment - in part fuelled by Trump - when guns are almost as easy to acquire as candy.
Never underestimate how many nutters there are out there. Let’s not sound like nutters in here! |
| | Stainrod
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