| Anatomy of a season – Report 23:38 - Apr 26 with 9298 views | Northernr |
 Anatomy of a season – Report 26th Apr 2026 23:37QPR were dominant, enterprising, entertaining and ahead for long periods of Saturday’s final home game with Derby County, before succumbing to all of the flaws and failures we knew about already. Next season’s prospects hang on the response.  7
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 00:07 - Apr 27 with 7769 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Thanks Clive.
Fair and accurate. |  |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 01:59 - Apr 27 with 7606 views | simmo |
You get the feeling Paul Smyths boy has never walked anywhere in.his entire life!
Good report. Was nice to see LR resplendent in the sun while we played well and attacked with the abandon we complained about missing the last few weeks.
Also spot on with injuries. It's a problem, it shouldn't be covered up for the sake of 'optics', or to protect a friendship, etc. It's probably the thing that's cost us more than anything this season, and stopped us knocking on the door of the playoffs with a group of young and sought after players.
It's had a knock on effect not just in league position, but with everything else we're trying to do. Players are not developing and putting a ? next.to their names when it comes to reliability. Young lads like Bennie can't go on loan because they need to cover. The team can't gel.and find consistency and cohesion... You can have the best young prospects in world football, but if they can't get on the pitch, there won't be a player trading model....Own the mistake, make the necessary changes, and FIX IT. We don't care how it looks, we just want to see the team given a chance to succeed. |  |
| ask Beavis I get nothing Butthead |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:15 - Apr 27 with 7127 views | stevec |
You do wonder how we all coped with one man on the subs bench and tackles flying about here there and everywhere.
Think we overplay the injury situation, all clubs suffer it at times, the real issue is having sturdy competitive players on standby, then you don’t notice it so much.
We place too much reliance on young players to fill in who are never going to make it at this level or anywhere near it. We have some of what we considered as our ‘best’ youngsters out on loan, sitting on the bench at the likes of Harrogate and Morecambe. How long did we spend fawning over Dixon Bonner?
Knowing us well have Larkeche as our first choice left back next season, it’s frightening.
The thinking is all wrong. |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:19 - Apr 27 with 7109 views | thehat |
Thanks Clive - Perfect summary.
Frustrating to leave HQ in the sun with another loss (it affects my kids more than me these days) but after doing all the heavy lifting we finished the game soft as shit which continues to be our achilles heel.
The performance team needs a complete overhaul in the summer. Our fitness both mentally and physically has been poor all season.
Nice to not be flirting with relegation this season but it is still probably only a C- on the year end of term report from me.
I said at the time we should of had John Eustace after Mark Warburton. He was right under our nose and we yet again took the hard way.
Such an annoying way to finish the season but thats QPR...... |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:31 - Apr 27 with 7057 views | daveB |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:15 - Apr 27 by stevec |
You do wonder how we all coped with one man on the subs bench and tackles flying about here there and everywhere.
Think we overplay the injury situation, all clubs suffer it at times, the real issue is having sturdy competitive players on standby, then you don’t notice it so much.
We place too much reliance on young players to fill in who are never going to make it at this level or anywhere near it. We have some of what we considered as our ‘best’ youngsters out on loan, sitting on the bench at the likes of Harrogate and Morecambe. How long did we spend fawning over Dixon Bonner?
Knowing us well have Larkeche as our first choice left back next season, it’s frightening.
The thinking is all wrong. |
I do agree about the reliance on young players and them not being good enough, many of them not even national league level but injuries have killed us this season.
It is an opportunity missed, we could easily have finished in the top 10, I see teams in there no better than us, Hull are pushing for the playoffs and we beat them twice. I didn't think Derby were anything special or Wrexham. Everyone has different reasons why we will finish so low but I think a big part of it is not having the fitness and mindset to play at the same intensity every game especially in 3 game weeks.
On top of that losing key players at key times has left us short of options and contributed to the first problem.
I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can if we achieve that bigger clubs will want our players, they won't want players finisghing 15th every season. |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:43 - Apr 27 with 6998 views | Paddyhoops |
We were superb for an hour and then we looked like midgets in comparison to their giants.
Great summary as always. | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:14 - Apr 27 with 6888 views | TheChef |
Thanks Clive, spot on.
For what was a dead rubber for us, I came out of that game immensely depressed! Should have been home and hosed with twenty minutes to play, but as usual we find ways to lose a game of football. Like you say, kudos to the Derby keeper who found ways to keep the ball out, shades of Danny Coyne for Grimsby all those years ago. The only slight silver lining was that it keeps Derby in the hunt for a play off place which might exclude fkin Wrexham (I'm not getting my hopes up though).
Inevitably we'll lose at Ipswich this weekend, and the season ends as a damp squib. Sadly I don't trust the people in charge to a) fix the injuries issue or b) sign the right kind of players for next season.
SIGH  |  |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:18 - Apr 27 with 6873 views | Northernr |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:14 - Apr 27 by TheChef |
Thanks Clive, spot on.
For what was a dead rubber for us, I came out of that game immensely depressed! Should have been home and hosed with twenty minutes to play, but as usual we find ways to lose a game of football. Like you say, kudos to the Derby keeper who found ways to keep the ball out, shades of Danny Coyne for Grimsby all those years ago. The only slight silver lining was that it keeps Derby in the hunt for a play off place which might exclude fkin Wrexham (I'm not getting my hopes up though).
Inevitably we'll lose at Ipswich this weekend, and the season ends as a damp squib. Sadly I don't trust the people in charge to a) fix the injuries issue or b) sign the right kind of players for next season.
SIGH |
I actually enjoyed it as a game, far more than the Bristol and Swansea ones, because we played good football, tried to win, tried to attack, so I was in a pretty steady, sanguine mood when I came out. But perhaps that's just losing so often, and sadly I don't feel the same about QPR as I used to so it's affecting me less when they get beat. | | | |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:45 - Apr 27 with 6781 views | TheChef |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:18 - Apr 27 by Northernr |
I actually enjoyed it as a game, far more than the Bristol and Swansea ones, because we played good football, tried to win, tried to attack, so I was in a pretty steady, sanguine mood when I came out. But perhaps that's just losing so often, and sadly I don't feel the same about QPR as I used to so it's affecting me less when they get beat. |
Yeah I'm a lot more sanguine about QPR these days, but that defeat just really annoyed me.
Oh well... | |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:59 - Apr 27 with 6720 views | TK1 |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:31 - Apr 27 by daveB |
I do agree about the reliance on young players and them not being good enough, many of them not even national league level but injuries have killed us this season.
It is an opportunity missed, we could easily have finished in the top 10, I see teams in there no better than us, Hull are pushing for the playoffs and we beat them twice. I didn't think Derby were anything special or Wrexham. Everyone has different reasons why we will finish so low but I think a big part of it is not having the fitness and mindset to play at the same intensity every game especially in 3 game weeks.
On top of that losing key players at key times has left us short of options and contributed to the first problem.
I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can if we achieve that bigger clubs will want our players, they won't want players finisghing 15th every season. |
"I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can..."
We definitely do need to aim to sell someone, but as most of those someones are injured it's not obvious how we do so. A good club could sell Madsen and Burrell this summer and improve position next.
Let's look at Coventry, who sold the two best attackers in the league in 23/24, Gyorkeres and Hamer, then two of their best midfielders in O'Hare (Ok, he walked for free) and Palmer in 24/25, then main DM in Sheaf and CB Binks in 25/26...didn't harm them. They made big money each summer and moved on up.
Improved their position each subsequent season and have now won the league.
You can do both if the club is right. The club is not right. It's exciting in some respects, but it's not fit for purpose in others. | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 10:26 - Apr 27 with 6616 views | daveB |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:59 - Apr 27 by TK1 |
"I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can..."
We definitely do need to aim to sell someone, but as most of those someones are injured it's not obvious how we do so. A good club could sell Madsen and Burrell this summer and improve position next.
Let's look at Coventry, who sold the two best attackers in the league in 23/24, Gyorkeres and Hamer, then two of their best midfielders in O'Hare (Ok, he walked for free) and Palmer in 24/25, then main DM in Sheaf and CB Binks in 25/26...didn't harm them. They made big money each summer and moved on up.
Improved their position each subsequent season and have now won the league.
You can do both if the club is right. The club is not right. It's exciting in some respects, but it's not fit for purpose in others. |
Selling someone should be as a consequence of doing well, that shouldn't be the target. If you do well and compete in this league that will lead to players being sold.
Coventry sold those players as they were doing well, around the playoffs every season, getting to a cup semi final. If they finished 15th and sacked off 1 in every 3 games no one would have been interested in those players | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 10:37 - Apr 27 with 6585 views | BeauRanger |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 08:31 - Apr 27 by daveB |
I do agree about the reliance on young players and them not being good enough, many of them not even national league level but injuries have killed us this season.
It is an opportunity missed, we could easily have finished in the top 10, I see teams in there no better than us, Hull are pushing for the playoffs and we beat them twice. I didn't think Derby were anything special or Wrexham. Everyone has different reasons why we will finish so low but I think a big part of it is not having the fitness and mindset to play at the same intensity every game especially in 3 game weeks.
On top of that losing key players at key times has left us short of options and contributed to the first problem.
I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can if we achieve that bigger clubs will want our players, they won't want players finisghing 15th every season. |
Exactly right… if the team are playing well the transfers will look after themselves, particularly with all the scouting & data models teams are using these days. Back in the day players like Sinton, Ferdinand & Peacock moved on from GF’s excellent side in the PL.
Kane & Burrell will already be appearing on other teams radar but a good season overall with a higher league finish would make them even more attractive.
Setting out your stall, with a stated aim as a development club geared towards selling players as the priority seems to be the wrong way around to me, the main aim should be to develop the players as far as possible (keep them fit & available!) to build a strong team. Others will then come sniffing around for the best, it’s the way it’s worked for years. |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 10:40 - Apr 27 with 6573 views | Hunterhoop |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 09:59 - Apr 27 by TK1 |
"I don't agree the clubs aim should be to sell someone, the objective should be to finish as high in the league as we can..."
We definitely do need to aim to sell someone, but as most of those someones are injured it's not obvious how we do so. A good club could sell Madsen and Burrell this summer and improve position next.
Let's look at Coventry, who sold the two best attackers in the league in 23/24, Gyorkeres and Hamer, then two of their best midfielders in O'Hare (Ok, he walked for free) and Palmer in 24/25, then main DM in Sheaf and CB Binks in 25/26...didn't harm them. They made big money each summer and moved on up.
Improved their position each subsequent season and have now won the league.
You can do both if the club is right. The club is not right. It's exciting in some respects, but it's not fit for purpose in others. |
Completely agree.
I find it bizarre that there are the same people defending Nourry and the progress (?!) this season, and yet they are also saying we cannot sell Madsen.
Err…if you are a development club or a club set on a player trading model, you absolutely sell Madsen. You sell your best players each summer, reinvest a chunk of it, and sign 2 or 3 good players with high potential, who become as good or better than the bloke you sold, and you have increased the number of good players in your squad, so depth gets better. That is the gig.
You’ve given a great example of Coventry, but we all know Brentford did it too over a few seasons. That is the strategy we have been told we are running with.
You can’t, as soon as you sniff the possibility of the play offs, or have someone be head and shoulders above the rest of the side, say “actually, no, we can’t sell him.”
If you don’t want to be a player trading club, you can’t do much of either side of the model: buying or selling. Nourry has done lots of the buying already…
The model is sell your best players at the end of the season, reinvest in 2 or 3 good players for each sale, pocket some cash and improve the squad in the process. And this improves your overall league position.
Now, I agree with DaveB in that this model cannot always be jam tomorrow. You do actually need to improve on the pitch. The objective is to improve league standing and gain promotion. The strategy (the “how”) is player trading (as a way to improve your squad on our budget and compete). Typically, you do well on the pitch, then you sell (because a team doing well will attract more interest for their players and be able to command a higher fee), then you buy, and hopefully improve again, then you sell again, and you keep repeating.
QPR haven’t really followed this, in spite of what is touted.
2023/24 - 56 points
2024/25 - 56 points
2025/26 - 58 points with Ipswich (A) to come.
Nourry has been involved these 3 seasons. He recruited Williams to the club, when working for Retexo, in the summer of 2023, and became CEO in Jan 2024.
We have spent almost £25m on players across the 2024/25 and 25/26 seasons. We’ve barely sold anyone (Dykes, Armstrong, Kelman, for £2.2m plus whatever it turns out Kelman went for).
So we’ve done the “buying” part of the model, just not the “improvement” or “selling” bits yet.
We might be able to scrape by on PSR not selling big this summer, but we’ll need to sell in Jan and then do big sales in the summer of 2027.
So, if you get a decent offer, you can’t make the mistake we’ve made in the past. Madsen goes, Burrell goes, and you actually walk the walk with the Player Trading model you claim you are operating.
Of course, how much faith any of us have in the reinvestment but being done well…that’s a different matter.
Oh, and Madsen is 2 years into his rumoured 4 year deal now, so if you don’t sell him, you must extend him. If you do that, by let’s say 2 more years, he’d be 30 when that extended deal would run out. Not much resale value then. If you don’t sell this summer, you could extend and then definitely sell next year (he’ll be 27). But you better hope he has a good season and doesn’t get injured. Ah… |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:06 - Apr 27 with 6477 views | TK1 |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 10:26 - Apr 27 by daveB |
Selling someone should be as a consequence of doing well, that shouldn't be the target. If you do well and compete in this league that will lead to players being sold.
Coventry sold those players as they were doing well, around the playoffs every season, getting to a cup semi final. If they finished 15th and sacked off 1 in every 3 games no one would have been interested in those players |
They finished 12th with a lot of those players in 2021/22, but yes. Obviously a club doing well sells their players for higher fees. Maybe next season we can motor on and get the three more wins and a coupla draws that would put QPR in the top eight (say, Wrexham, Derby, Preston at home, draws at Brum, WBA does it this year: within grasp).
It's not far off. But, still...
QPR lost £20m last year. So selling has to be the target just as much, sorry. I want to see the club do well in the league - who doesn't? But it has to sell players now, and it is exactly what the development/trading model demands.
At the moment, Kone is probably the most likely big sale this summer and if that transpires we need to suck it up and celebrate. | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:31 - Apr 27 with 6368 views | daveB |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:06 - Apr 27 by TK1 |
They finished 12th with a lot of those players in 2021/22, but yes. Obviously a club doing well sells their players for higher fees. Maybe next season we can motor on and get the three more wins and a coupla draws that would put QPR in the top eight (say, Wrexham, Derby, Preston at home, draws at Brum, WBA does it this year: within grasp).
It's not far off. But, still...
QPR lost £20m last year. So selling has to be the target just as much, sorry. I want to see the club do well in the league - who doesn't? But it has to sell players now, and it is exactly what the development/trading model demands.
At the moment, Kone is probably the most likely big sale this summer and if that transpires we need to suck it up and celebrate. |
I do agree we need to sell players, no issue with that at all but to get the best value you need to do well in the league. Thats why I think it's a missed opportunity this season as you say we could easily have finished top 10 and then the value of these players is a lot higher.
The sales will always come if the team does well | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:34 - Apr 27 with 6352 views | captainmycaptian |
Thanks Clive for the great prose really enjoyable reads. As not a great wordsmith my self you're amazing at summing up the erratically eccentric connection that we share with this bonkers club. Over 40nyears for me and I still havent learnt. Just hope next season we have less injuries and are more consistent and possibly push for a play off spot. | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:44 - Apr 27 with 6326 views | JezHoops |
. “No surprise the winner turned out to be Paul Smyth’s son, Jack, given he never moved anywhere at any less than a sprint and cheated throughout”
🤣 | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:50 - Apr 27 with 6301 views | AshteadR |
Difficult to argue with any of that Clive. Enjoyed the game, but lost again.
The toddler race was like the start of the Grand National. | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 11:59 - Apr 27 with 6271 views | LoftCause |
Finishing your last home game of the season with 10 men on the pitch, not because of a red card, but because your joint top-scorer has had to go off with a repeat injury after only 2-3 appearances back after a long period in treatment is a pretty damning indictment. We have to sort that out for next season. How much better could this year have turned out with a fit Burrell for all of it?! | | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 13:21 - Apr 27 with 6038 views | NorthantsHoop |
Clive a great summation of all that is QPR at the moment. My heart sank in the upper Loft when I looked at our non existent front line when Burrell went off injured and our midgets had to contend with 4 Derby defenders the size of the ancient Rhodes Colossus. When that Derby equaliser went in you just knew we would fold, think we all knew it in the crowd as we went deathly quiet. |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 13:49 - Apr 27 with 5948 views | BostonR |
Great report and so accurate.
I can’t believe Ruben will allow the mis-management of player welfare to continue. Three managers in a row all saying the same thing. Eventually the “penny” has to drop.
He rarely travels to the U.K. so something must be afoot. Does he agree a change in another manager or decide to shake up the under performing management team currently burning through £22M of his money?
What do you think? |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 13:58 - Apr 27 with 5914 views | TheChef |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 13:49 - Apr 27 by BostonR |
Great report and so accurate.
I can’t believe Ruben will allow the mis-management of player welfare to continue. Three managers in a row all saying the same thing. Eventually the “penny” has to drop.
He rarely travels to the U.K. so something must be afoot. Does he agree a change in another manager or decide to shake up the under performing management team currently burning through £22M of his money?
What do you think? |
Obviously Ruben and family care enough to keep the lights on every month, but it doesn't feel like Ruben ever wants to get too involved unless he absolutely has to. I mean what does a nepo baby do all day anyway?
And never mind our best players getting sold, I'm amazed no one has yet recognised Nourry's precocious brilliance and he's not been poached by a "better" club...
Of course given Hoos was the man who hired him, how long before he starts to think that maybe there are better options out there (and ideally split the CEO and DoF roles again)? | |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 15:54 - Apr 27 with 5657 views | Superhoop83 |
Thanks Clive. Spot on and maybe it will prove to be a turning point, although I doubt it.
Just one more to go... |  |
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| Anatomy of a season – Report on 19:15 - Apr 27 with 5316 views | Noelmc |
Spot on report which did exactly what it said on the tin.
Those calling the shots need to sort out the injuries and fitness issues or this time next year they could well be selling 2027-28 season tickets for League One. Let's see them try putting a positive spin on that!
I thought the Opta goalkeeping stats were interesting and seem to back up the impression most of us have from watching the R's this season. A new keeper should certainly be high on our summer shopping list. |  | | |
| Anatomy of a season – Report on 21:55 - Apr 27 with 5093 views | ManinBlack |
In reality we only conceded 50 goals in 41 games which doesn't look so bad. The overall total has been exaggerated from conceding 20 goals in just four games to Coventry, Southampton, Ipswich and Middlesbrough. The number of home defeats again is troubling as well as the defending if we ever want to challenge the top half of the league. |  | | |
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