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I'm not saying that we will win any of the Bristol City, Watford & Preston games, but we will have to work hard not to get something out of those three games. I certainly don't have any hopes for the other six matches.
I do struggle to envisage a win though & realise that work hard & Rangers current performances are a contradiction!
I've had to give myself a severe talking to this morning! Last night I was thankful for how we had improved in the second half, with a higher tempo & greater effort. Yes, I knew we should have been behind by at least 4 at half time & that we never looked like scoring, but we had tried!
This morning, I can't get over how absymal the opening 45 minutes were & every bit as bad as in the 3 previous games although it would have been impossible to have been worse! I next questioned how could I have given any praise for trying? That should be the very least of our expectations, but I was surprised that we had! I also hadn't expected that we would "improve" with every substitution that we made. Not that any of them have given any indications that they will perform as well if they started games.
In my mind, I'm repeatedly seeing Mbengue being taken apart in the opening minutes & looking as if he was deliberately trying to get a 2 match suspension. Then I see Clarke-Salter looking so uncomfortable & confused by supposedly playing left back. Next is to see Smyth make & win a tackle, which was the only attempt to do so by any of them! Not that he did anything with the ball, but Kolli touched the all more in 5 minutes than anyone (apart from Walsh) had managed to do.
Where do we go from here? I've not really got a clue, but it must be worth trying playing a back three although that would mean Stephan going against his instincts.
Did Sam Field want to go to another club to play football? Yes, I'm sure he did & it shows his attitude is what we need from our players. Would Sam Field have wanted to move to another club if he had been playing regulary? I don't know but I doubt it. Personally, I would have wanted to leave as well if I was sidelined in favour of Varane & Hayden.
Where I do agree with you is that Edwards is better on the ball than any of our other defenders & midfielders (apart from Madsen), but not playing Cook as we might lose out in other areas although it might stop the goals is a frightening attitude! Stop giving away goals is our first priority at the moment & it doesn't matter how good Edwards is on the ball if we don't win possession.
What we have to do now is play our best defence & if that means not playing someone that we paid £4.5m for, then so be it. Personally, I've no objection to trying Edwards in midfield (it would be very hard for him to be worse than Varane), but he wouldn't be part of our best defence!
Thanks Clive & I will admit to being apathetic at present, but I don't think that anyone who knows me would call me passive about Queens Park Rangers! My apathy has increased little by little every season for more than a decade, though there have been times (few) that I've seen glimpses of progress.
Back in January, after the Wrexham & Coventry games (the best we've played this season), I stated that I could understand what Stephan was trying to achieve. This definitely is no longer true & his substitutions are getting more bizare. Would I get rid of him? No, what would be the point of replacing him? All we would do is rent the third coach of similarity to replace him. Rather like wanting to change the car you own but are unhappy with, with the same model.
I've been reading all season that we have a better squad this season than last. Have we? Possibly, in that when "all are fit" theoretically we have better subs available. The team, apart from having Burrell & Kone upfront, is about the bloody same, but defensively weaker! We need options when making changes, rather than having an identikit come on. Recently I stated that we only had a few players that would be considered top six championship club players. I've reviewed this & now can't think of one!
Am I happy with Ruben as owner? Not really, but I also fear losing his funding. My main gripe with him, is that he has continually employed incompetent people to make foorballing decisions. Unlike others, I don't include Ferdinand in that as he was often overruled by those above him. Was he particulay good? No, but look what has happened since he went!
I don't like advocatting people losing their jobs, but surely we need to trim our non playing staff drastically. And this is not referring to box office staff etc!
I do feel for all of you that are going to Birmingham and/or Leicester. I will be back in The Bush for Portsmouth on the 21st, but I'm expecting the day to go downhill after leaving the pub at 2.40pm.
Physical performance coach Performance scientist Head of Analysis Operation Analyst Performance Therapist Recruitment Analyst Head of Recruitment Director of Sporting Operations Performance Physiotherapist x 2 Analyst Head of Goalkeeping Performance Therapist Head of Methodology Nutritionist Performance logistics & Player Care Lead Individual Development Coach Head of Performance Services (ooh la la!) Head of Integrated Services
Head of Defensive Coaching Head Coach First Team Coach
+ Methodology Lead U17- U21 Academy Methodology Manager Player Pathways Manager
I struggle to understand how any Championship club (especially one not receiving monies from the Premier League) can employ this amount of non playing staff. And 20 positions are listed above Head Coach! I do understand that might not reflect where the postion sits in the club hierarchy, but it feels that way at the moment! Every few years a club is relegated that was comfortably clear of problems & then stopped playing/trying. That shouldn't apply to us this year, but it's not easy to envisage where another win (or even a couple of draws) will come from.
Yesterday I made the decision to stay at home & watch on Sky rather than face bus replacement on Greater Anglia. A decision I never expected myself to make, but I'm pleased that I did! I think that shows my apathetic attitude to what is happening at Rangers currently & my lack of faith in our off the pitch management. Not that onfield management is inspiting me either!
I'm intrigued as to what the attitude of fans is at Birmingham & Leicester if we serve up the same as the last three matches. I suspect it wouldn't be accepted as readily as earlier this season.
I know most will disagree, but Edwards wouldn't be in the team IF we played our best defenders. What is for certain is that a Dunne/Edwards partnership at centre half isn't working.
Today was a strange afternoon! The first goal should have been disallowed for handball (laws of the game even though I disagree with the law) & the second came from a corner that should have been a goal kick, but it would be impossible to put that forward as mitigation. Firstly, Whittaker should have scored the first & the headed "clearance" from Dunne at the corner was atrocious. Thirdly, the result was what we deserved.
The substitutions then confused/amazed me. Morgan, Vale & Mbengue had created some openings in the second half & why Smyth replaced Morgan instead of Saito was beyond comprehension. Flogging Kone to the end of a game that had long been lost, rather than giving him a little rest was also questionable.
Thanks Clive for a really good introduction, but you've left me sat here bewildered. I didn't think that I knew anyone that had been to Riley's Snooker Hall. Or anyone that had wanted to go there!
I'm sure that we must have had other games in the 4.00pm/4.30pm Sunday slot, but I certainly remember getting our first home win of the season in October 2011. A win on Sunday would possibly be as big a surprise to the world as that day was. Mind you, we might need 'boro to be reduced to nine men as well!
I understood that all games on Bank Holidays were shown live on Sky.
"Under the 2024/25–2028/29 Sky Sports EFL deal, all matches played on Bank Holidays—including Easter, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day—will be shown live. This covers all 72 EFL clubs, with games broadcast across Sky Sports+ streaming and main channels, ensuring extensive coverage on key holiday dates. "
This came up for me when I googled the Sky EFL deal
I missed my first home match of the season due to illness, but I managed to find a stream. Lucky me! Thankfully, as the first half progressed the freezing of the stream increased & so I gave up at half time.
My only suprise at that time was that we were only two goals behind! I'm so looking forward to being back at LR this Sunday.
The man who increased ticket prices by a phenomenal amount after promotion back to The Championship (League One at the time).
That doesn't mean that he didn't know anything about football, but I feel that due to Paladini & "the guns in the boardroom" he has been given a pass for his stewardship.
As you know, I can usually follow & understand your financial breakdown, but you've surpassed that this year! From memory, this was the easiest set of figures you've produced to understand.
What genuinely surprises me is that many people don't have any interest in League, but have some knowledge of Union. At least, the Six Nations.
Look at any game from either code & I can't understand how anyone doesn't think that League is faster & more skilful. And you don't waste half the playing time in mauls, rucks, scrums, throw ins!
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theoretically we have better subs available. The team, apart from having Burrell & Kone upfront, is about the bloody same, but defensively weaker! We need options when making changes, rather than having an identikit come on. Recently I stated that we only had a few players that would be considered top six championship club players. I've reviewed this & now can't think of one!