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What are everyone's expectations now that we a quarter a way through the season ?
For me personally, I think we very much underperforming, players from last season regressing with Dunne & Varane being the biggest culprits.
We finally have a bit of pace in the squad and also a couple of decent strikers but we just never seem to improve and now look the most unfit squad in the league . This is a very poor Championship ( look at the top 10 ) yet other clubs with similar budgets are out performing us again .
We should easily be top 10 this with an outside chance of pushing for the play offs but at the moment we seem way off .
[Post edited 9 Nov 20:04]
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:17 - Nov 12 with 2385 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 11:39 - Nov 12 by Northernr
Would have been good if they could have decided that before extending his contract. Twice.
For summary then.
We have Cook and Nardi both playing, but leaving at the end of the season. Fields contract extended twice, but only used as a emergency LB. Frey contract extended, but only really suitable to play The Mummy, not football. Kolli. 4 year deal not playing. Smyth. Contract ending, but playing. Morgan. U20 England but rarely playing.
It's all looking a bit omnishambles. I'm amending my expectation to include that Nourry will sack JS in May, just because he can. Deflection.
Expectations for the rest of the season on 08:46 - Nov 12 by thehat
I know but I think this team and the league we are playing in suits a more pragmatic approach. Set pieces are so important in both boxes and I think the midget 10's are part of our problem. The 3,5,2 0r 5,3,2 formation from below:
GK from
Nardi Walsh Hamer
Back 3 from
Cook Mbengue Morrison Dunne JCS Field (left footer if JCS remains sidelined)
Wing backs from
Smyth (great defensively has pace and a longish throw) Saito RND Esquerdinha
Centre mid from
Hayden Varane Morgan Madsen Field (if not in the back 3)
Strikers from
Kone Burrell Kolli Frey
Bench
Chair, Dembele, Vale, Poku plus others from above not in the starting 11.
[Post edited 12 Nov 8:51]
Agree. I've posted a couple of times this season that I could see us going 3 at the back without your detail. If we went 3 5 2 it would also allow 1 of Chair, Dembele, Poku if he'ever fit, or Saito if he's not utilised as a wing back to play as attacking midfield. Same in a front 3 if we went more of a 3 4 3. As you say RND could probably play WB, he could probably also play LCB in a 3 as could Field or JCS if he gets fit. I think 3 at the back gives plenty of options and should solidify us at the back where, SU excepted, we have been porous, plus better allows 2 up front.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:29 - Nov 12 with 2299 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:17 - Nov 12 by Wilkinswatercarrier
For summary then.
We have Cook and Nardi both playing, but leaving at the end of the season. Fields contract extended twice, but only used as a emergency LB. Frey contract extended, but only really suitable to play The Mummy, not football. Kolli. 4 year deal not playing. Smyth. Contract ending, but playing. Morgan. U20 England but rarely playing.
It's all looking a bit omnishambles. I'm amending my expectation to include that Nourry will sack JS in May, just because he can. Deflection.
I can't see JS getting sacked unless results really go south.
Expectations for the rest of the season on 12:17 - Nov 12 by Lblock
Every time I re-read bit's of this thread it convinces me that the club are a circus again with no clear plan. It seems we can't see it if there is!!!
The clear plan at this level, for almost every club, has to start with PRAGMATISM. Without a solid base you're going to get your arse served to you on average once every three to four games. That means having a solid keeper and solid defence so you can dog it out when that time comes around - pace in key areas as an outlet is also handy. These "times" are when you are playing the bigger clubs with bigger stronger squads - either home or away.
Going into the season having not strengthened at GK, both fullbacks (YET AGAIN) or centre mid (in fact weaker there with Colback released) was madness. I know the model is Nourry choses players and gives them to JS and team to develop but this was always fraught with risk and so it is proving.
Whilst I may have started the "The Sky Is Falling In Club" my genuine concern weeks ago was the clubs below us and the likelihood they will either kick into gear and/or splash cash again in January to ensure they get out of trouble over the back nine of the season. That remains the case.
A death spiral this year will be one too many I think. We need the Chef Weds takeover to take two months and further points deductions and then we need another two worse than us - still !!! Lot's will disagree and spin out this "better squad" line. I still don't see it and remain utterly unconvinced with certain additions and indeed the overall make up of the squad. I'd hope there's a grown up in the room in the Club meetings between now and last week of December (Ruben.... fancy a bit of Regent's Street this year maybe?) and we can set a plan in place for the run in side of the season.
Here's hoping.
Well, I'm not as despondent as that.
I think for all the big chat, corporate speak, methodology appointments etc, "Lionel Messi of football execdom" puff pieces as soon as we win a couple of games, the simple fact is, and always has been, we're being run by some very, very, very inexperienced people. And, to a certain extent, they're winging it.
Now, maybe that'll end in success. Some of the best stuff in my career has been done while winging it in the middle of the night on a deadline.
But Wilkins sets it out quite nicely above how chaotic it is. They're onto a third goalkeeper of the year, and he's basically semi-retired, after fcking that position up. They've got players playing in the first team they don't even want here. They've renewed contracts (and, I promise you, the contracts they're giving out are not short things) of players who they've then decided they don't want here, sometimes just weeks later. Several players they've given it the biggun about (Morgan, Sutton etc) are now nowhere near our team (or anybody else's). The development squad they gave the big sell to after that cup final win, not a single one of them is anywhere near our first team (or anybody else's). The loan deals they've achieved for these prospects are appalling - complete afterthoughts. They've brought in a "head coach" (and corrected anybody who dared call him a manager) to enact your game plan, and he's ditched it after four games. They've banged the drum about having the youngest average team in the league, only three months later to end up with a team with Ben Hamer, Steve Cook, Rhys Norrington Davies, Isaac Hayden, Michael Frey etc getting gametime against all of those prospects...
Winging it. Might work, hope it does, might not.
This post has been edited by an administrator
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:39 - Nov 12 with 2260 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:29 - Nov 12 by TheChef
I can't see JS getting sacked unless results really go south.
There. I've put the mockers on it now
Results have to go well for him now.
He's ditched the game model. We can all pretend the game model is more of a feeling and a vibe and a spring mist on an April morning kind of thing, but it's not. Nourry is on the record that it's a specific formation or variance of it, and a specific style of possession based football. We have been spending money on Jon De Souza and various "methodology leads" at academy level to enforce it. That is absolutely not what the first team is now playing. We play 4-4-2, we don't want the ball, and as soon as we get it we bang it - no team in the Championship now goes back to front quicker than we do. On the occasions we do have possession we basically windmill round in front of Derby County for an hour.
He's been brought in with a record of developing players and working with youngsters. Nourry is again on record at the fans forum saying the teams that succeed at this level are the ones with the youngest average age so that's what we want. Since Coventry it's been very much out with Morgan, Esquerdinha, Kolli etc and in with the stodge.
None of this will have gone down well upstairs. If it stops bringing results he'll be in trouble pretty quickly IMO.
This post has been edited by an administrator
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:48 - Nov 12 with 2173 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:39 - Nov 12 by Northernr
Results have to go well for him now.
He's ditched the game model. We can all pretend the game model is more of a feeling and a vibe and a spring mist on an April morning kind of thing, but it's not. Nourry is on the record that it's a specific formation or variance of it, and a specific style of possession based football. We have been spending money on Jon De Souza and various "methodology leads" at academy level to enforce it. That is absolutely not what the first team is now playing. We play 4-4-2, we don't want the ball, and as soon as we get it we bang it - no team in the Championship now goes back to front quicker than we do. On the occasions we do have possession we basically windmill round in front of Derby County for an hour.
He's been brought in with a record of developing players and working with youngsters. Nourry is again on record at the fans forum saying the teams that succeed at this level are the ones with the youngest average age so that's what we want. Since Coventry it's been very much out with Morgan, Esquerdinha, Kolli etc and in with the stodge.
None of this will have gone down well upstairs. If it stops bringing results he'll be in trouble pretty quickly IMO.
This post has been edited by an administrator
"Nourry is again on record at the fans forum saying the teams that succeed at this level are the ones with the youngest average age so that's what we want."
Interesting. Just asked Copilot.
Recent Seasons (Champions & Average Squad Age)
2024–25: Leeds United – approx. 25.4 years [transfermarkt.us] 2023–24: Leicester City – approx. 25.6 years [the72.co.uk] 2022–23: Burnley – approx. 25.1 years [transfermarkt.us] 2021–22: Fulham – approx. 25.0 years (Fulham were among younger squads that year) [transfermarkt.us] 2020–21: Norwich City – approx. 24.6 years [the72.co.uk]
General Pattern
Over the last decade, Championship winners tend to have squads aged between 24.5 and 26 years. The overall league average is usually around 25.7 years, so champions are often slightly younger than the league average, reflecting a mix of experienced core and younger, high-energy players.
Why This Matters
Younger squads often indicate a strategy focused on development and resale value. Older squads can suggest short-term promotion pushes with experienced players.
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:39 - Nov 12 by Northernr
Results have to go well for him now.
He's ditched the game model. We can all pretend the game model is more of a feeling and a vibe and a spring mist on an April morning kind of thing, but it's not. Nourry is on the record that it's a specific formation or variance of it, and a specific style of possession based football. We have been spending money on Jon De Souza and various "methodology leads" at academy level to enforce it. That is absolutely not what the first team is now playing. We play 4-4-2, we don't want the ball, and as soon as we get it we bang it - no team in the Championship now goes back to front quicker than we do. On the occasions we do have possession we basically windmill round in front of Derby County for an hour.
He's been brought in with a record of developing players and working with youngsters. Nourry is again on record at the fans forum saying the teams that succeed at this level are the ones with the youngest average age so that's what we want. Since Coventry it's been very much out with Morgan, Esquerdinha, Kolli etc and in with the stodge.
None of this will have gone down well upstairs. If it stops bringing results he'll be in trouble pretty quickly IMO.
This post has been edited by an administrator
Correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC what Nourry said was that he had looked at the data for what had worked in the Championship in the past and it was some variant of possession based football and a 4-3-3 formation (I'm going with the flow and winging it here).
For me this is about being too reliant on data and too dogmatic about how you apply it.
Formations come and go and you have to be flexible and able to adapt.
Catenaccio was all the rage for Inter Milan in the 60's.
Arsenal cleaned up with the WM formation in the 30's.
But the game evolved and no one uses those systems any more.
We don't need someone who can crunch some numbers and tell us what worked in the past. We need someone with the vision to take us forward and that requires a deep knowledge of the game which we don't currently have in our senior management.
I read somewhere that when Warnock got us promoted in 2010/11 we were the only one of the 92 professional English teams to start every game that season with the same formation.
Warnock had never used 4-2-3-1 before and he had certainly never put his faith in a mercurial talent like Adel Taarabt, but he could see that Adel could get us promoted and went with it.
Just looking at what everyone else does and trying to be like them is a recipe for mediocrity, unless you have the budget to buy the best players for each position you're trying to fill.
JS looked at our squad and quickly concluded that we couldn't make Nourry's ordained style work. If the suits at our club had any sense they would back the football guy's judgement instead of trying to prove that their knowledge of numbers has found some deeper truth because it hasn't.
As for game models and getting all age groups to play the same way. Surely it would be better for our youngsters to get a broad education in as many systems and tactics as possible to deepen their understanding of the game. Any players who come through that and are deemed good enough can train with the first team and learn our patterns of play that way.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 15:31 - Nov 12 with 1997 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:39 - Nov 12 by Northernr
Results have to go well for him now.
He's ditched the game model. We can all pretend the game model is more of a feeling and a vibe and a spring mist on an April morning kind of thing, but it's not. Nourry is on the record that it's a specific formation or variance of it, and a specific style of possession based football. We have been spending money on Jon De Souza and various "methodology leads" at academy level to enforce it. That is absolutely not what the first team is now playing. We play 4-4-2, we don't want the ball, and as soon as we get it we bang it - no team in the Championship now goes back to front quicker than we do. On the occasions we do have possession we basically windmill round in front of Derby County for an hour.
He's been brought in with a record of developing players and working with youngsters. Nourry is again on record at the fans forum saying the teams that succeed at this level are the ones with the youngest average age so that's what we want. Since Coventry it's been very much out with Morgan, Esquerdinha, Kolli etc and in with the stodge.
None of this will have gone down well upstairs. If it stops bringing results he'll be in trouble pretty quickly IMO.
This post has been edited by an administrator
There is lots I don't understand about Nourry and what goes on, but if the game model is his, he's hired a manager to employ that (and, presumably, got rid of one who didn't agree) and said manager won't do that - why doesn't he sack him?
Or is he allowing some pragmatism within the overall game model?
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:29 - Nov 12 by TheChef
I can't see JS getting sacked unless results really go south.
There. I've put the mockers on it now
Given how few Championship managers last longer than 18 months, it is not beyond the realms of possibilities.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 15:51 - Nov 12 with 1935 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 15:17 - Nov 12 by KensalT
Correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC what Nourry said was that he had looked at the data for what had worked in the Championship in the past and it was some variant of possession based football and a 4-3-3 formation (I'm going with the flow and winging it here).
For me this is about being too reliant on data and too dogmatic about how you apply it.
Formations come and go and you have to be flexible and able to adapt.
Catenaccio was all the rage for Inter Milan in the 60's.
Arsenal cleaned up with the WM formation in the 30's.
But the game evolved and no one uses those systems any more.
We don't need someone who can crunch some numbers and tell us what worked in the past. We need someone with the vision to take us forward and that requires a deep knowledge of the game which we don't currently have in our senior management.
I read somewhere that when Warnock got us promoted in 2010/11 we were the only one of the 92 professional English teams to start every game that season with the same formation.
Warnock had never used 4-2-3-1 before and he had certainly never put his faith in a mercurial talent like Adel Taarabt, but he could see that Adel could get us promoted and went with it.
Just looking at what everyone else does and trying to be like them is a recipe for mediocrity, unless you have the budget to buy the best players for each position you're trying to fill.
JS looked at our squad and quickly concluded that we couldn't make Nourry's ordained style work. If the suits at our club had any sense they would back the football guy's judgement instead of trying to prove that their knowledge of numbers has found some deeper truth because it hasn't.
As for game models and getting all age groups to play the same way. Surely it would be better for our youngsters to get a broad education in as many systems and tactics as possible to deepen their understanding of the game. Any players who come through that and are deemed good enough can train with the first team and learn our patterns of play that way.
You're right, he did say that. But he also subsequently hired a Head of Methodology to help implement a game plan across all age groups, as well as sign a load of players in theory to play it - it's quite early in the piece still. 442, 4231, 433...they're not hugely different. They all play with full backs and wide players. I think you can be fairly fluid between these systems. Wing backs and three CBs in a 352 is totally different.
You're right, Warnock did base his formation around what we had. I don't think he nor anyone else would look at a squad without an experienced wing back in it, but containing Poku, Saito, Chair, Dembele, Kolli, Vale and Smyth (never mind Bennie and all the DS and 18s wingers we have) and conclude we should set up with wing backs but not wingers.
Listening recently to Gary Neville describe how different and difficult he found playing wing back, how he played his worst ever game when forced into WB for England, should be instructive. I don't think you can just drop Saito or Smyth into the role.
We need and will sign a new keeper, an RB, possibly an additional CM (though Hayden and Morgan are apparently underemployed). Feels...OK? We're 16th, 4 points off 7th, nine away from bottom three. I really don't see the panic nor gloom after a few bumpy results in a tough run of fixtures.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:11 - Nov 12 with 1888 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 15:51 - Nov 12 by TK1
You're right, he did say that. But he also subsequently hired a Head of Methodology to help implement a game plan across all age groups, as well as sign a load of players in theory to play it - it's quite early in the piece still. 442, 4231, 433...they're not hugely different. They all play with full backs and wide players. I think you can be fairly fluid between these systems. Wing backs and three CBs in a 352 is totally different.
You're right, Warnock did base his formation around what we had. I don't think he nor anyone else would look at a squad without an experienced wing back in it, but containing Poku, Saito, Chair, Dembele, Kolli, Vale and Smyth (never mind Bennie and all the DS and 18s wingers we have) and conclude we should set up with wing backs but not wingers.
Listening recently to Gary Neville describe how different and difficult he found playing wing back, how he played his worst ever game when forced into WB for England, should be instructive. I don't think you can just drop Saito or Smyth into the role.
We need and will sign a new keeper, an RB, possibly an additional CM (though Hayden and Morgan are apparently underemployed). Feels...OK? We're 16th, 4 points off 7th, nine away from bottom three. I really don't see the panic nor gloom after a few bumpy results in a tough run of fixtures.
I'm not suggesting we do anything rash. And I certainly don't think a change of manager is required.
My point is that we don't have enough football experience amongst the decision makers at the top of the club.
I think I would be happier if Nourry concentrated on being the CEO and left the DoF side of things to someone else. But that's not going to happen any time soon.
And I don't hold with this idea of a game plan for all age groups. It sounds great, but only if you are going to use those youngsters in the first team. Otherwise you're just wasting the opportunity to give those youngsters a broad education by only training them towards whatever the first team is currently doing.
When Ajax was churning out world class players every other season part of their education was to rotate around all the positions in the youth team to see how the game is played from those perspectives.
If you want to get the best out of youngsters they need the chance to learn new things and show what they can do. Not just become interchangeable parts in a machine.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:37 - Nov 12 with 1825 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 15:51 - Nov 12 by TK1
You're right, he did say that. But he also subsequently hired a Head of Methodology to help implement a game plan across all age groups, as well as sign a load of players in theory to play it - it's quite early in the piece still. 442, 4231, 433...they're not hugely different. They all play with full backs and wide players. I think you can be fairly fluid between these systems. Wing backs and three CBs in a 352 is totally different.
You're right, Warnock did base his formation around what we had. I don't think he nor anyone else would look at a squad without an experienced wing back in it, but containing Poku, Saito, Chair, Dembele, Kolli, Vale and Smyth (never mind Bennie and all the DS and 18s wingers we have) and conclude we should set up with wing backs but not wingers.
Listening recently to Gary Neville describe how different and difficult he found playing wing back, how he played his worst ever game when forced into WB for England, should be instructive. I don't think you can just drop Saito or Smyth into the role.
We need and will sign a new keeper, an RB, possibly an additional CM (though Hayden and Morgan are apparently underemployed). Feels...OK? We're 16th, 4 points off 7th, nine away from bottom three. I really don't see the panic nor gloom after a few bumpy results in a tough run of fixtures.
At the given moment in time were those fixtures really a "tough run"???
Before a ball was kicked I would've agreed with 100%. However, you need to see where Saints and Blades were(are) at that moment in time - both were eminently gettable and should really have resulted in more points than the paltry one gained. In respect of Ipswich my feelings were they were in a false moment and are climbing out of it.
The other thing is - have you seen how we have been playing? Even in winning games (ie Swansea) we have reverted back to making bagging 3 points akin to shitting out a snooker table. I know winning any game is tough, (Quote - "Y'eve gutter f'kin die for 3 points" King Warnock), but I am yet to see a wholly convincing performance from us the whole of this season.
Twelve games in you surely should have the signs of a settled squad, fully fit, patterns of play and natural team leaders doing leadership things.... your Steady Eddies being there on the pitch and relied on Home n Away. If you're not seeing that with 25% of the season done then I think you've got problems and the alarm bells need to be at a soft peal and the red warning light on the dashboard asking for your attention. That does not mean it's time to start chucking people overboard but maybe certain things need to change and change fast. I have no idea what the answer is as I'm not privy tot he internal workings of the club. Maybe Nourry, Williams and J are highly resepcted and the playing squad fully behind them. Maybe morale is at an all time high witht he players on the verge of being 100% fit and ready to wipe the floor with all before them these next few months. Maybe Hamer is the answer and the defence will become a totally coherent force with him behind them with MadBenge crusing through games. I dunno.
I don't find it early in the piece for reasons noted above. I'm not say we need to panic. I do understand the gloom from the pessimists like me. Where I am at is "Concerned from Ealing" as we all know how the good ship QPR can always find an iceberg in the calmest of Tropical waters and now is not a good time for that due to what sits below us in the table and in front of us next few months.
We'll see.
Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:52 - Nov 12 with 1759 views
Well by all accounts the players like Stephan, supposedly their views are more mixed on other senior staff.
Of course you have a new manager, new to the country/league/squad so he'll need to time to learn and adjust, you could argue he's not doing too badly especially after the 7-1 defeat. In theory we'd have been on a firmer footing if Cifuentes had stayed and overseen pre-season, but who knows with this nutty club of ours!
Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:11 - Nov 12 by KensalT
I'm not suggesting we do anything rash. And I certainly don't think a change of manager is required.
My point is that we don't have enough football experience amongst the decision makers at the top of the club.
I think I would be happier if Nourry concentrated on being the CEO and left the DoF side of things to someone else. But that's not going to happen any time soon.
And I don't hold with this idea of a game plan for all age groups. It sounds great, but only if you are going to use those youngsters in the first team. Otherwise you're just wasting the opportunity to give those youngsters a broad education by only training them towards whatever the first team is currently doing.
When Ajax was churning out world class players every other season part of their education was to rotate around all the positions in the youth team to see how the game is played from those perspectives.
If you want to get the best out of youngsters they need the chance to learn new things and show what they can do. Not just become interchangeable parts in a machine.
I get all that about the youth. It's very much what Chris Ramsey was preaching when he was here: young players playing out of position, against the wrong age group, winning not as important as learning...kind of the Dutch idea (though I did hear JFH and Jaap Stam both say on podcasts recently say that was actually a bit of red herring during their time as Dutch youth players - neither rotated much. Every guest on Stick to Football, meanwhile, seems to have started in one position and ended up elsewhere).
"My point is that we don't have enough football experience amongst the decision makers at the top of the club."
I don't think that's true, really. We lost Les and Ramsey, two experienced football guys. But replaced by Jon De Souza - he's a very experienced football man. Alex Carroll is still running the Academy and is very experienced now: between the two of them, I reckon they do quite a lot of the planning between youth groups and seniors. Then in the seniors, there's loads of football experience. The idea is that Betsy and Bould stay whoever the coach is.
I'm not in Nourry fan club, but it's not true he makes all the football decisions unaided, is it? One of the things he's been thorough about is getting senior football people in. In terms of board members, we haven't a football person on it in...well, when?
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 17:02 - Nov 12 with 1733 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 12:45 - Nov 12 by Hunterhoop
Quite.
Wilkins may well be right that the club don’t want Field anymore. Seems pretty clear to me.
But a) it’s seems a bizarre, stupid, and not-at-all strategic about turn from giving him a big contract extension early in the summer. If he’s on a big salary (rumoured to be) and no one else can afford it, then you’re stuck with him having made it clear you don’t want him. That is a stupid position to put yourself in, especially if we end up relying on him. The club’s leadership seems to be making a habit of this mistake.
And, b) and there is where I disagree with Wilkins, it is a big mistake freezing him out. As LBlock says, as anyone who has watched a lot of Championship football knows, you need a solid base, you need bollocks and work rate to go alongside the ballers. Sam Field is arguably our best defensively minded player. Field The Shield at the height of Warburton’s success. A key part of Beale’s top 6 spell, and that great run where he started every game under Cifuentes culminating in the Leeds thumping where he scored. He gets through so much work off the ball and is the sort of player you need if you’re going to play with all these tiny tricky 10s and wide players. Yes, he is limited on the ball. But look at Preston, Millwall, even Stoke…they have a balance. Not everyone is a baller, nor should they be. Functional football is successful in this league. You have to strike a balance. Field is a part of that. He’s in the prime of his career. He’s always available. He’s reliable. He was the Players’ runner up for Player of The Year last season. He’s already ours.
Even forgetting point a), why is he the sort of player you want to freeze out?
You have to wonder, what does Varane bring to the party that Field can’t do better, especially from a defensive point of view?
Varane very occasionally moves the ball forward, but regularly passes backwards, quite often without scanning first to determine how much time and space he has. It’s really starting to grind my gears watching him.
For me we still lack a leader out on the pitch, someone who will drive us on and ensures we maintain a level of intensity. Regardless of shape or personnel we are too timid and lack aggression, RND being the only possible exception. He epitomises what it is to be a Chamionship player. You cannot expect to win games unless you match the work rate and intensity of the opposition and this is where we come unstuck more often than not.
We start every game the same way, timid and pensive for the first 30 minutes, rarely on the front foot. How many times have we had to concede a goal before finally waking up and having to chase the game?
It’s frustrating and becoming tiresome. Watching QPR is becoming a chore again. JS needs to find some answers and quickly.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 17:03 - Nov 12 with 1727 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:37 - Nov 12 by Lblock
At the given moment in time were those fixtures really a "tough run"???
Before a ball was kicked I would've agreed with 100%. However, you need to see where Saints and Blades were(are) at that moment in time - both were eminently gettable and should really have resulted in more points than the paltry one gained. In respect of Ipswich my feelings were they were in a false moment and are climbing out of it.
The other thing is - have you seen how we have been playing? Even in winning games (ie Swansea) we have reverted back to making bagging 3 points akin to shitting out a snooker table. I know winning any game is tough, (Quote - "Y'eve gutter f'kin die for 3 points" King Warnock), but I am yet to see a wholly convincing performance from us the whole of this season.
Twelve games in you surely should have the signs of a settled squad, fully fit, patterns of play and natural team leaders doing leadership things.... your Steady Eddies being there on the pitch and relied on Home n Away. If you're not seeing that with 25% of the season done then I think you've got problems and the alarm bells need to be at a soft peal and the red warning light on the dashboard asking for your attention. That does not mean it's time to start chucking people overboard but maybe certain things need to change and change fast. I have no idea what the answer is as I'm not privy tot he internal workings of the club. Maybe Nourry, Williams and J are highly resepcted and the playing squad fully behind them. Maybe morale is at an all time high witht he players on the verge of being 100% fit and ready to wipe the floor with all before them these next few months. Maybe Hamer is the answer and the defence will become a totally coherent force with him behind them with MadBenge crusing through games. I dunno.
I don't find it early in the piece for reasons noted above. I'm not say we need to panic. I do understand the gloom from the pessimists like me. Where I am at is "Concerned from Ealing" as we all know how the good ship QPR can always find an iceberg in the calmest of Tropical waters and now is not a good time for that due to what sits below us in the table and in front of us next few months.
We'll see.
As I've said before, we were bottom and five points adrift at this time last year. Two wins, two defeats changes everything. You can't tell anything in November.
I think we're an improving team who will get better over the season as players bed in and we sign a keeper. I certainly feel much more confident than I did in November 2024, but I missed Coventry and Derby so vision may be impaired by that. But let's see.
This is interesting, I think.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 17:14 - Nov 12 with 1679 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 16:54 - Nov 12 by TK1
I get all that about the youth. It's very much what Chris Ramsey was preaching when he was here: young players playing out of position, against the wrong age group, winning not as important as learning...kind of the Dutch idea (though I did hear JFH and Jaap Stam both say on podcasts recently say that was actually a bit of red herring during their time as Dutch youth players - neither rotated much. Every guest on Stick to Football, meanwhile, seems to have started in one position and ended up elsewhere).
"My point is that we don't have enough football experience amongst the decision makers at the top of the club."
I don't think that's true, really. We lost Les and Ramsey, two experienced football guys. But replaced by Jon De Souza - he's a very experienced football man. Alex Carroll is still running the Academy and is very experienced now: between the two of them, I reckon they do quite a lot of the planning between youth groups and seniors. Then in the seniors, there's loads of football experience. The idea is that Betsy and Bould stay whoever the coach is.
I'm not in Nourry fan club, but it's not true he makes all the football decisions unaided, is it? One of the things he's been thorough about is getting senior football people in. In terms of board members, we haven't a football person on it in...well, when?
You make a fair point about Betsy and Bould.
But do they have any influence over decision making or are they just implementing what they're told to do!?
I think Nourry has done some commendable things on the business side of QPR, although the club's communication strategy has been misguided and Nourry himself doesn't come across as a great communicator from the little I've seen of him.
It's Nourry as DoF where I have greater doubts. His recruitment has been patchy. And I don't think "data" is some silver bullet that is going to solve all our problems.
I'm not against the use of data but that should always be with the input of a domain expert. So for me someone with deep knowledge of the game and lengthy experience should be in the DoF role.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 18:41 - Nov 12 with 1530 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 17:14 - Nov 12 by KensalT
You make a fair point about Betsy and Bould.
But do they have any influence over decision making or are they just implementing what they're told to do!?
I think Nourry has done some commendable things on the business side of QPR, although the club's communication strategy has been misguided and Nourry himself doesn't come across as a great communicator from the little I've seen of him.
It's Nourry as DoF where I have greater doubts. His recruitment has been patchy. And I don't think "data" is some silver bullet that is going to solve all our problems.
I'm not against the use of data but that should always be with the input of a domain expert. So for me someone with deep knowledge of the game and lengthy experience should be in the DoF role.
I believe it’s known as the Peter Principle….
Lovingly recreated by the Dunning Kruger producers as the Peter Principal on Family Guy.
Please don’t take a job above your abilities and expect it to work out well or even as you expected…even if you are Messi2.0
Now, where’s all my Bitcoin and hierarchy gone ? And what about that personal brand, eh Beanz ?
Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 21:39 - Nov 12 with 1315 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 18:41 - Nov 12 by Rsole
I believe it’s known as the Peter Principle….
Lovingly recreated by the Dunning Kruger producers as the Peter Principal on Family Guy.
Please don’t take a job above your abilities and expect it to work out well or even as you expected…even if you are Messi2.0
Now, where’s all my Bitcoin and hierarchy gone ? And what about that personal brand, eh Beanz ?
The Peter Principle presupposes that there's a hierarchy that you rise through by being competent at your job and that you stop rising when you run out of competence and can't go any higher.
Nourry seems to have by-passed all of that by being parachuted into the top job with a sketchy CV at best.
And he seems to be insecure about that fact. Which I think is why he keeps trying to over inflate the experience that got him there.
However he got the job he needs to get over this apparent "imposter syndrome"
If in 24 months from now we're pushing for the playoffs with youngsters coming through into the first team and millions earned in player sales then no one will care if his journalistic career was a paper round on the White City Estate and his career in football started with completing the set of Panini stickers for the 2012 World Cup.
He's got the top job. Do it well, learn how to delegate, take good advice, move the club forward and all will be forgiven.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 22:32 - Nov 12 with 1235 views
My expectations are pretty much in line with previous seasons. Sequences of good and bad runs with the team eventually limping to a 15th - 17th place finish.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:36 - Nov 13 with 936 views
Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:20 - Nov 12 by QPROslo
Agree. I've posted a couple of times this season that I could see us going 3 at the back without your detail. If we went 3 5 2 it would also allow 1 of Chair, Dembele, Poku if he'ever fit, or Saito if he's not utilised as a wing back to play as attacking midfield. Same in a front 3 if we went more of a 3 4 3. As you say RND could probably play WB, he could probably also play LCB in a 3 as could Field or JCS if he gets fit. I think 3 at the back gives plenty of options and should solidify us at the back where, SU excepted, we have been porous, plus better allows 2 up front.
You named 18 outfield players and Chair wasn't one of them - that's hilarious edit wrong post
[Post edited 13 Nov 13:40]
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 13:39 - Nov 13 with 918 views
Back three suits a few of our defensive players - RND as a LWB, Jimmy Dunne right sided CB, Steve Cook as an anchor in the middle not getting dragged out of position, JCS the perfect left sided CB if anybody ever finds a pulse.
It doesn't, however suit many players further forward. You've recruited a whole load of tiny tens to play in some form of 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. A back three system means you're going to struggle to fit in more than one of Saito, Chair, Poku, Smyth, Vale, Kolli, Dembele... You;d end up playing some of these as a wing back which I don't think would go well.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 17:07 - Nov 13 with 672 views
For the not playing Kolli one, isn't that a decision beyond JS in many ways? If we're to believe some of the talk anyway. Maybe that one isn't on him. Daft either way.
Esquerdina has probably suffered from RND coming in, but he has to be played at the right time against the right opposition, not thrown back in out of his depth which was a dreadful call.
Morgan is the one I understand even less. Yes he had a mare against Coventry but who didn't, and I don't remember him featuring much until 10 mins at the end against Southampton, which was a game that would have suited him I thought, and he looked sharper and more direct than Varane in those 10 mins anyway.
Or play him at RB if you're looking to move Jimmy over and you don't want to or can't put Mbengue there. Morgan should be playing more anyway I think.
Anyway to answer the original question I don't feel that positive at this point. There seem to be cracks all over the place. Think we'll flirt with relegation but be relatively safe by Easter, i.e. yes, not very original: 16th.
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Expectations for the rest of the season on 18:18 - Nov 13 with 595 views
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