| What have we learned so far? — Analysis 17:08 - Aug 22 with 15967 views | Northernr |
Well, QPR may not be making signings, but LFW is. Delighted to say that Dan Lambert, who we saw publishing excellent analysis on QPR on a substack last year, has agreed to do a series of pieces for this site through the season.
Here's the first, looking at early learnings on what Beale is trying to do/change. Give it a read, it's really good stuff, complete departure from LFW's usual beer stories and cock jokes, and it's a young and talented journo with a big career ahead of him who deserves your support.
@DanLambert_ on the Twitter if you want to give him a follow or say something nice.
 What have we learned so far? — Analysis 22nd Aug 2022 17:03Delighted to say that Dan Lambert has agreed to bring a series of his tactical analysis pieces to LFW this season, starting with this piece on the early changes and learnings from Michael Beale’s initial games in charge.  23
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 16:21 - Aug 23 with 2134 views | essextaxiboy |
What are Dans qualifications in the coaching /tactics world ? Has he insider knowledge ? |  | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 17:24 - Aug 23 with 2002 views | terryb |
Thank you Dan. I will need to take a second read, but at first glance it looks like the gospel that I've been preaching since the late '60's! Of course Beale has tweaked it, but it is a development of the game that has been evolving for decades which Ajax & The Netherlands nearly perfected in the early '70's.
I have no coaching experience or qualifications apart from taking two under 14 sessions when the "coaches" were unavailable! However, I played adult football for over 30 years starting at the age of 15, with team mates & opponents ranging from full internationals to the last selections in a "pick up" game.
From the very start the philosophy was to "keep the pitch as wide as you can" while in pocession & to "keep the pitch as narrow as you can" while out of pocession. That is certainly what Jago, Sexton & Venables aimed for their sides to do. As did/do the top sides throughout my lifetime.
Over the years I moved from a goalscorer (never a centre forward, playing best as a lone forward*) to eventually becoming the "narrowest" left back that I've seen play! Almost all of this was due to instinct rather than coaching, but I was encouraged by ex professionals to play that way.
If it was natural for me (and most of my team mates) to adopt to this method, it should be second nature to professionals that have played that way since childhood.
* Yes, playing only one forward was about in my earlier days! |  | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 17:35 - Aug 23 with 1982 views | francisbowles |
It's interesting to note that the last three examples in the article, with pictures, alll highlight Laird. It was his first game for the club on his second day with the squad.
I believe this proves that this kind of tactical detail is commonplace in the professional game. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 18:12 - Aug 23 with 1926 views | toboboly |
All well and good for the coaching team to come up with various strategies. But how often has it worked and how often will it work. At some point you need to look at what you have available and decide something needs to change.
Based on what we have seen already I am erring towards either the tactics not working at this level or our players are unable to fulfil them in a real game setting.
I would also remind the coaches that having everyone back for corners/fk's etc is working very well. |  |
| Sexy Asian dwarves wanted. |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 18:30 - Aug 23 with 1891 views | robith |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 17:35 - Aug 23 by francisbowles |
It's interesting to note that the last three examples in the article, with pictures, alll highlight Laird. It was his first game for the club on his second day with the squad.
I believe this proves that this kind of tactical detail is commonplace in the professional game. |
Laird is going to be key for us this season, you can see that already |  | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 19:28 - Aug 23 with 1825 views | Match82 |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 09:21 - Aug 23 by ngbqpr |
The detail in all this is precisely to create the best opportunities for the Willocks and Chairs to create magic.
It's why Pep is so good.
It's what Sexton did to allow Stan to be Stan...and, credit where it's due, what Warnock did to allow Adel to be Adel.
It's not control for the sake of controlling - it's a firm foundation on which to allow the creativity to flow.
When you write a poem, is it completely stream of consciousness / freestyle? Or does it nod to the structures that have been inherent in the art form for centuries? |
Downvoted by accident, this is an excellent post and analogy |  | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 19:39 - Aug 23 with 1795 views | charmr |
Les out 😃 | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:05 - Aug 23 with 1701 views | essextaxiboy |
What is pitch geography or generic locations ? | | | |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:32 - Aug 23 with 1657 views | traininvain |
I’d be interested to know if there’s any correlation between people getting upset with this analysis and those posters digging out Streatham because he went to watch Fulham vs Brentford last weekend with his kids on freebie tickets. Maybe time to take a few deep breaths! [Post edited 23 Aug 2022 21:32]
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:45 - Aug 23 with 1629 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:32 - Aug 23 by traininvain |
I’d be interested to know if there’s any correlation between people getting upset with this analysis and those posters digging out Streatham because he went to watch Fulham vs Brentford last weekend with his kids on freebie tickets. Maybe time to take a few deep breaths! [Post edited 23 Aug 2022 21:32]
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Have you read that thread back since?
I didn't notice much that you wouldn't expect. I thought it was quite a good thread actually. |  |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:59 - Aug 23 with 1599 views | Dorse |
Look, I may not know much about football.
What? |  |
| 'What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!' |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 22:06 - Aug 23 with 1583 views | A40Bosh |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 18:35 - Aug 22 by dmm |
I enjoyed that and appreciated Dan's excellent insight. There's a little too much tactical jargon in places and I would have liked a bit more plain English, but that may well just be me.
A very well worth read and I hope he writes some more for us this season. |
It's not just you.
I have decided that going to a QPR game should be like going to the cinema without my 23 year old nephew who did media/film studies sat beside me. I just want to watch it for what it is without having to analyse and understand the back story of the directors approach to this particular film or how many frames per second the director decided to use when shooting certain scenes and blah blah....
Hopefully I just enjoy watching until the very end and there is no disappointing twist in the final scenes that leave me coming away disappointed. |  |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 22:44 - Aug 23 with 1518 views | nadera78 |
An interesting read. I only have two points really; first, I don't consider Johansen dropping into the middle of the two CBs to be creating an overload. More often than not, it's really just him getting in their way and allowing the opposition to get eleven men behind the ball whilst three QPR players are effectively taken out of the game. We end up being pushed backwards and playing the ball sideways and backwards in our own third.
Secondly, if Dan Lambert could be so good as to look at our goal kicks next time, I'd appreciate that greatly. To me, having our two CBs standing on our six-yard line, the FBs slightly wider and slightly further forward, and at least one but often two of our CMs dropping onto the edge of the penalty box is a nonsense. Rotherham pushed players forward to mark those players, Dieng rolled the ball to someone, who rolled it back to him, then to someone else, and eventually someone kicked it forward only this time under pressure. Again, we end up being pushed backwards more often than not and end up playing off the back foot. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 23:42 - Aug 23 with 1480 views | ozexile |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 22:44 - Aug 23 by nadera78 |
An interesting read. I only have two points really; first, I don't consider Johansen dropping into the middle of the two CBs to be creating an overload. More often than not, it's really just him getting in their way and allowing the opposition to get eleven men behind the ball whilst three QPR players are effectively taken out of the game. We end up being pushed backwards and playing the ball sideways and backwards in our own third.
Secondly, if Dan Lambert could be so good as to look at our goal kicks next time, I'd appreciate that greatly. To me, having our two CBs standing on our six-yard line, the FBs slightly wider and slightly further forward, and at least one but often two of our CMs dropping onto the edge of the penalty box is a nonsense. Rotherham pushed players forward to mark those players, Dieng rolled the ball to someone, who rolled it back to him, then to someone else, and eventually someone kicked it forward only this time under pressure. Again, we end up being pushed backwards more often than not and end up playing off the back foot. |
Totally agree, someone should tell managers that just because the rule came in that you can now play a goal kick inside your own penalty area doesn't make it compulsory. I'm sure we'd create more by going long and pushing up to the halfway line. Maybe I'm just a Luddite. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 23:58 - Aug 23 with 1473 views | traininvain |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 21:45 - Aug 23 by CliveWilsonSaid |
Have you read that thread back since?
I didn't notice much that you wouldn't expect. I thought it was quite a good thread actually. |
Personally thought some of the comments were a bit unnecessary but agree that it turned into a good thread.
Not dissimilar to this thread in all fairness but this place does feel a bit toxic at the minute. Probably time for a break for me. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 06:52 - Aug 24 with 1379 views | Northernr |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 23:58 - Aug 23 by traininvain |
Personally thought some of the comments were a bit unnecessary but agree that it turned into a good thread.
Not dissimilar to this thread in all fairness but this place does feel a bit toxic at the minute. Probably time for a break for me. |
I think a lot of it comes back to the stuff I put in last week's preview. There's a lot of anxiety about, a lot of anger, a lot of worry - both with QPR, and with real life. People can be deeply unpleasant to each other at the moment.
Don't like an analytics piece, well fine there'll be something else along in a minute (believe me the feature we're publishing today couldn't be more different), because that's the beauty of LFW. You can see I've got annoyed with some of the comments because I specifically went out and found a different voice to do us some different content from that I produce over the summer, the lad's young and keen and talented and with his first swing he's done 2,500 words with 31 annotated screen grabs, so yeh I was annoyed with Myke's "thanks Dan but this is bolox" because it's unnecessarily mean in that circumstance and I wanted to protect him a little bit. Just bloody subbing the thing and cropping the pictures was an afternoon's work so God knows how long it's taken Dan to bring it together. Just be a bit nicer, I think you and everybody else would feel better.
On here I think it would be valuable to bear in mind at all time that there are other articles to read if this one isn't for you, other threads to read if this one isn't for you, there really isn't a lot of difference between a 6 or a 7 in a match report, and we're all QPR fans. Bit more solidarity and sticking together through tough times, not tearing each other apart. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 06:58 - Aug 24 with 1374 views | Dixie_CT |
Thanks for the article, interesting content.
There has been a big swing towards the science of football in the last five years, xG and the language being two examples.
Not against it at all and think it comes from a place where there was very little and still an old boys club in regards to employment in academies and first team jobs. Many more people involved now who weren’t ex pros and the game will be better for it.
However, where we have moved away from are the psychological skills that are needed for performance. The traits of solid leadership seem to have disappeared and captaincy just given to the oldest player; Stef, Wallace. Nothing wrong with that in essence but age alone doesn’t make you a leader. I maintain that Warnock’s winning side was as much to do the leadership and character of Derry and Hill, as it was with Taarabt’s wizardry. Yes Clint and Derry were old but the knew what was needed to drag a team through a game, get the crowd going and get in the head of the opposition.
This QPR team could do with a couple of bastards, and as much as we love a maverick at QPR, we don’t mind our men (oo we) either! Macca, Fenwick, Dennis, Mad Dog Allen etc |  | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 07:00 - Aug 24 with 1373 views | Northernr |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 06:58 - Aug 24 by Dixie_CT |
Thanks for the article, interesting content.
There has been a big swing towards the science of football in the last five years, xG and the language being two examples.
Not against it at all and think it comes from a place where there was very little and still an old boys club in regards to employment in academies and first team jobs. Many more people involved now who weren’t ex pros and the game will be better for it.
However, where we have moved away from are the psychological skills that are needed for performance. The traits of solid leadership seem to have disappeared and captaincy just given to the oldest player; Stef, Wallace. Nothing wrong with that in essence but age alone doesn’t make you a leader. I maintain that Warnock’s winning side was as much to do the leadership and character of Derry and Hill, as it was with Taarabt’s wizardry. Yes Clint and Derry were old but the knew what was needed to drag a team through a game, get the crowd going and get in the head of the opposition.
This QPR team could do with a couple of bastards, and as much as we love a maverick at QPR, we don’t mind our men (oo we) either! Macca, Fenwick, Dennis, Mad Dog Allen etc |
It's interesting, I raised the point of us being perceived to be a 'quiet team' when I met Beale recently. Not for the first time, I think he did it in our summer interview with him as well, he was quite disparaging of the idea that people like Wallace, Barbet should be kept around ahead of somebody like Paal and JCS, just because they're more experienced and with a louder voice. I wonder if that's something he'll change his mind on the deeper he goes into his managerial career. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 07:28 - Aug 24 with 1346 views | Dixie_CT |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 07:00 - Aug 24 by Northernr |
It's interesting, I raised the point of us being perceived to be a 'quiet team' when I met Beale recently. Not for the first time, I think he did it in our summer interview with him as well, he was quite disparaging of the idea that people like Wallace, Barbet should be kept around ahead of somebody like Paal and JCS, just because they're more experienced and with a louder voice. I wonder if that's something he'll change his mind on the deeper he goes into his managerial career. |
There is a balance right, between having players with potential and sell on value, versus the hairy bastardness of winning games and indeed the nurturing nature that more established players can provide given they aren’t really playing with as much anxiety as a younger player might be.
Warburton spoke about it a lot with the group last year but I think that ran out with the more experienced group either being injured, struggling to perform, or on their way out.
Stef is a good example at the moment. He is obviously struggling with his performance and his body isn’t allowing him to do what he was know for at Celtic, Fulham, and when he joined us on loan. He isn’t doing it intentionally but whatever is going on for him individually, is impacting on his ability to support the younger players. In the dressing room, he is more likely to be found listening to calming whale noises than putting his arm around du du du du, Sinclair Armstrong.
I suspect Beale will have to adapt his mantra slightly and that could be what makes or breaks him, his willingness to change and accept it isn’t just systems and science. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 10:46 - Aug 24 with 1161 views | TheChef |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 07:28 - Aug 24 by Dixie_CT |
There is a balance right, between having players with potential and sell on value, versus the hairy bastardness of winning games and indeed the nurturing nature that more established players can provide given they aren’t really playing with as much anxiety as a younger player might be.
Warburton spoke about it a lot with the group last year but I think that ran out with the more experienced group either being injured, struggling to perform, or on their way out.
Stef is a good example at the moment. He is obviously struggling with his performance and his body isn’t allowing him to do what he was know for at Celtic, Fulham, and when he joined us on loan. He isn’t doing it intentionally but whatever is going on for him individually, is impacting on his ability to support the younger players. In the dressing room, he is more likely to be found listening to calming whale noises than putting his arm around du du du du, Sinclair Armstrong.
I suspect Beale will have to adapt his mantra slightly and that could be what makes or breaks him, his willingness to change and accept it isn’t just systems and science. |
People always questioned Onuoha as skipper because he didn't appear that loud on the pitch, but clearly he led by example and did a lot off the pitch that fans didn't see.
I think we are still too nice as a team, especially in terms of how we deal with refs and challenge their decisions. It's not something I like but other teams do it effectively to our detriment, we need to be better at it too. |  |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 12:46 - Aug 24 with 1072 views | Northernr |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 10:46 - Aug 24 by TheChef |
People always questioned Onuoha as skipper because he didn't appear that loud on the pitch, but clearly he led by example and did a lot off the pitch that fans didn't see.
I think we are still too nice as a team, especially in terms of how we deal with refs and challenge their decisions. It's not something I like but other teams do it effectively to our detriment, we need to be better at it too. |
We currently have a fines system in place for arguing/surrounding/dissenting referees. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 12:58 - Aug 24 with 1007 views | TheChef |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 12:46 - Aug 24 by Northernr |
We currently have a fines system in place for arguing/surrounding/dissenting referees. |
*makes Marge noises* | |
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 13:19 - Aug 24 with 942 views | kernowhoop |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 12:46 - Aug 24 by Northernr |
We currently have a fines system in place for arguing/surrounding/dissenting referees. |
Surely that is the better approach? QPR to gain a reputation for questioning nothing; no shouting at or otherwise intimidating the ref; no pretending to be seriously injured when barely touched; no clasping at the head, tumbling to the ground when the head has barely been touched; no pretending to have cramp in the 80th minute when leading in the match and no claiming 'handball' when it clearly wasn't (the fans are just as guilty of that one, of course). It would be refreshing if at least one team would take a stand against all the crap that we see week in, week out. QPR could decide to take that stand. | | | |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 13:20 - Aug 24 with 941 views | JordanFoster |
A brilliant read, top work Dan and Clive for getting him on board.
Having been in that position before of writing for this site, I can't tell you what a big deal it was to me, so I hope he doesn't take any of the derogatory comments to heart and this is largely aimed at the 'boll0cks' and 'nonsense' comments. Apologies if this is just it rearing it's ugly head but I used to get it all the time and it hits a never.
Always find it funny, that people who have no experience of working in any aspect of football, shout the loudest on how their opinion is actually fact. You get it on the decisions players make in-game, transfers, contracts, hierarchy, club structure, management styles, media handling and now tactics.
If you think, a game that is worth gargantuan sums of money in sponsorships and TV rights, is having players just being told to go out and kick in the same direction then the only 'boll0cks' being spoke is in your head. It's ludicrous.
I sent the article to a friend who's a player, currently playing in the top flight and English is their second language. Asked if there's anything he didn't understand, quick as a flash he replied, said he knew instantly what was being asked and said it's pretty common. Now, the terminology might need to be tuned down a bit but the content is concrete.
You don't know, what you don't know. [Post edited 24 Aug 2022 13:22]
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| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 13:31 - Aug 24 with 893 views | PunteR |
| What have we learned so far? — Analysis on 06:52 - Aug 24 by Northernr |
I think a lot of it comes back to the stuff I put in last week's preview. There's a lot of anxiety about, a lot of anger, a lot of worry - both with QPR, and with real life. People can be deeply unpleasant to each other at the moment.
Don't like an analytics piece, well fine there'll be something else along in a minute (believe me the feature we're publishing today couldn't be more different), because that's the beauty of LFW. You can see I've got annoyed with some of the comments because I specifically went out and found a different voice to do us some different content from that I produce over the summer, the lad's young and keen and talented and with his first swing he's done 2,500 words with 31 annotated screen grabs, so yeh I was annoyed with Myke's "thanks Dan but this is bolox" because it's unnecessarily mean in that circumstance and I wanted to protect him a little bit. Just bloody subbing the thing and cropping the pictures was an afternoon's work so God knows how long it's taken Dan to bring it together. Just be a bit nicer, I think you and everybody else would feel better.
On here I think it would be valuable to bear in mind at all time that there are other articles to read if this one isn't for you, other threads to read if this one isn't for you, there really isn't a lot of difference between a 6 or a 7 in a match report, and we're all QPR fans. Bit more solidarity and sticking together through tough times, not tearing each other apart. |
I thought Myke redeemed himself a bit when he told everyone he's an unpublished poet..
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