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Reply | New stadium for London
at 21:47 2 Dec 2025
You certainly know the area much better than I do so I won't disagree with you.
There is this document from April on the Waltham Forest site:
https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-05/WFHS3-2.pdf
Not a very exciting read but it does go into why Brisbane Road can't be redeveloped.
It does say that there are a number of potential sites for relocation but those sites aren't currently intended for such use.
So you are right to say that even with council support there is a long way to go
"1.1.5 There are a number of proposed allocation sites that potentially meet the broad parameters of a viable relocation site for a new stadium, but as currently drafted, the wording for these allocations would not support a new stadium development. It is appreciated that the wording of these allocations is unlikely to be amended to include a reference to a football stadium being appropriate. Therefore, it would be helpful to include a broad statement of support for the Club’s relocation within the bespoke policy allocation covering Brisbane Road." |
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Reply | New stadium for London
at 20:49 2 Dec 2025
What you say is fair.
But they have the backing of the local MP and the council. Just getting the local politicians on board is a lot further than we ever progressed with our plans for Old Oak.
It's only a guess but when the politicians are putting their name to it and they are announcing a six year timeframe it's likely this has progressed further than they have yet made public.
The Spurs stadium development took twelve years from inception to hosting its first match:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tottenham_Hotspur_Stadium
"The construction of the stadium was initiated as the centrepiece of the Northumberland Development Project, intended to be the catalyst for a 20-year regeneration plan for Tottenham. The project covers the site of the now demolished ground White Hart Lane and areas adjacent to it. It was conceived in 2007 and announced in 2008, but revised several times, and construction of the stadium, beset by disputes and delays, did not commence until 2015. The stadium opened on 3 April 2019 with a ceremony before the first Premier League game held there." |
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Reply | the (not so) bons mots of Julien Stephan
at 20:04 2 Dec 2025
I think good investigative journalism went out of fashion with Watergate (no offence Clive).
It is possible to agree with everything you say about what is wrong with the modern game and still accept the fact that players are running a lot more than ever before, sprinting a lot more than ever before, and unfortunately dying from heart failure at a significantly higher rate than ever before.
And yet as bad as it is now it could still get worse. I read somewhere that for years FIFA has been investigating the feasibility of playing to a one hour clock which stops every time the ball is out of play, and for the game to be split into four quarters of 15 minutes with a lengthy half time break.
That would guarantee the fans their sixty minutes of action, which is more than we get now. But it doesn't sound like progress to me. In fact I think there would be a lot of opposition to it. Which might be the only reason it hasn't been tried already. [Post edited 2 Dec 20:06]
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Reply | the (not so) bons mots of Julien Stephan
at 18:52 2 Dec 2025
I agree with some of what you say about the Norwich selection and performance but I'm going to push back on your glib remarks about player fatigue.
In all your years watching football you might have noticed that the game has got a lot faster and more intense.
What you might not be aware of is the sharp increase in the number of player fatalities from onfield incidents.
In the whole of the 20th Century there were 67 fatalities worldwide.
In the last 25 years there have been 152.
There are a range of causes such as collisions or lightning strikes but the biggest risk factor is cardiac arrest.
There's a Wikipedia page with the full list but the breakdown over time is as follows:
pre 1900 - 22
1900-49 - 31
1950-99 - 36
2000-09 - 45
2010-19 - 71
2020-25 - 36
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_association_footballers_who_died_after_on-
"The primary causes of on-field deaths have evolved over time. Improvements in infection control and emergency surgery since the early days of organised soccer have mostly eliminated the fatal complications that were once common after routine sporting injuries. Squad rotation and substitutes have also reduced the need for seriously ill players to start, or remain in, games, and lifestyle factors are now tightly controlled.
However, deaths from heart failure have increased as the intense pace of the modern game has placed higher demands on players' aerobic conditioning. Following an increase in heart-related deaths,[1] both during matches and training, in 2007 the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) considered mandatory cardiac testing,[2] already in place for years in some countries, such as Italy.[3] By 2009, FIFA pre-competition medical assessment included family history, heart rhythm, sounds, and electrocardiogram results.[4] The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) required extensive medical tests, including electrocardiogram and echocardiogram for players in the Europa League 2011–12.[5] Constant monitoring has been advised.[6]
The FIFA Sudden Death Report (FIFA-SDR), was carried out by Saarland University and published in 2020.[7] The report recorded worldwide deaths attributed to sudden cardiac arrest or other unexplained sudden death while playing (or shortly after playing) football during the period from 2014 to 2018. There were 617 cases during the five-year period. In the majority of cases where an autopsy was carried out, the cause of death was coronary heart disease.
Most non-cardiac deaths are the result of blunt trauma to the head or torso, resulting in life-threatening conditions such as intracerebral hemorrhage and peritonitis, caused by colliding with other players, goalposts or stadium architecture. Challenging another player by targeting their body, an important part of soccer for most of the 20th century, is penalised automatically under modern refereeing guidelines, as is "dangerous play" such as playing the ball with a foot above shoulder height.
As with other forms of outdoor recreation, fatal lightning strikes are a rare but persistent problem, especially at training grounds where there is no stadium structure to draw the lightning away." |
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Reply | Furs leaving
at 08:41 2 Dec 2025
"I do think some of the revising of history over Marti's time at the club is a bit ridiculous."
It's completely ridiculous.
Has everyone forgotten that Nourry was desperate to take the credit for recruiting Marti?
Now they're trying to portray him as some sort of dud who had to go.
It's all smoke and mirrors. |
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Reply | 20 team divisions
at 15:56 1 Dec 2025
I'm not saying midweek games are the scapegoats. But more midweek games mean less recovery time for players - who are running and sprinting a lot more in matches since the introduction of five subs.
The number of international breaks are part of the problem.
And if we did reduce to a 20 team Championship the TV companies and football bodies would just create more or bigger international tournaments. So I don't think a smaller league would even benefit the players.
And the point has already been made on this thread that the clubs won't like it either. Fewer games will mean lost matchday revenues.
The clubs would probably end up agreeing to even more live televised games at all sorts of crazy times just to make up those losses. Forcing fans to put up with even more travelling problems and short-notice rescheduling of fixtures.
So in the end who really benefits from a smaller Championship? |
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Reply | 20 team divisions
at 14:43 1 Dec 2025
There is a viewpoint that the introduction of five substitutes has led to more intense football with players running further than ever before and also running more sprints than ever before.
The fact that half your outfield players have to play the full match at that pace while the other half are replaced by fresh players with instructions to "fackin run arahnd a bit" © H. Redknapp (clearly a genius ahead of his time - not!)
Three game weeks just add to this problem.
The fact that there is an increase in soft tissue injuries (which medical science will tell you are avoidable) would suggest that players are already struggling with the increased intensity and increasingly breaking down.
Finally, if you have shorter domestic seasons but keep the three-game weeks then what you will end up with is even more international tournaments and overseas tours. More money for FIFA and the big clubs and even more pressure on the players. |
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Reply | Wrexham government grant
at 13:34 29 Nov 2025
"The Financial Times reported that revenues in the last year could reach £50m – including 100,000 shirt sales for a city with about 66,000 in its urban area."
Who the hell is buying these shirts? |
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Reply | Furs leaving
at 11:39 29 Nov 2025
QPR is a football club not a religion.
People are allowed to have different opinions and question the leadership.
My problem with Matt Winton's piece is that it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. It's all feeling and emotion without displaying any serious thinking.
I'm not saying Matt Winton is stupid and it's clear that a lot of people do agree with what he has to say. But it's very easy to pick apart what he wrote and see it as nothing more than wishful thinking
Paul Furlong has a long association with the club and has achieved success and popularity here. For him to be leaving mid season with no clear explanation as to why is bound to raise questions as to what is going on and why.
I would much prefer that we did have real transparency and proper discussion around these things rather than being a happy clappy congregation grateful for whatever we are served up on and off the pitch.
We pride ourselves on being a maverick club.
Maverick's are independent and think for themselves. They don't settle for being told what to think and believe. |
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Reply | Furs leaving
at 09:29 29 Nov 2025
Someone much younger and savvier about these things than me suggested that the Matt Winton piece did seem a bit clinical and not very well thought through.
For a laugh they suggested I run the piece through an AI content detector.
If you want to try it yourself this is the software I used:
https://copyleaks.com/ai-content-detector
If you can't be bothered to check it yourself I will paste the result below. But I do feel a bit of a plum for putting so much thought into replying to a piece generated by a robot!
This doesn't mean that the piece doesn't reflect Matt Winton's true feelings on the subject but if he had put more thought and effort into it he might have recognised the contradictions and weakness of the points he was making before he put it online.
But Matt Winton might say that he is not a journalist but a fan telling it how he sees it and feels it which is fair enough!
AI Content Found
Percentage of text that may be AI-generated.
85.6%
AI Phrases Detected
Beta
GenAI often overuses certain phrases learned during training, which is one of dozens of signals used to identify AI text.
16
The number of times a phrase was found more frequently in AI vs human text.
4x
33x |
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Reply | Furs leaving
at 21:07 28 Nov 2025
I don't know Matt Winton personally but fair play to him for setting out his stall.
MW covers a range of issues and there are bits I would agree with:
- QPR are fun again (at times)
- There does seem to be some genuine young talent coming through the DS
- Christian Nourry has done some good things
- Les Ferdinand's reign was underwhelming
- Thankfully for all of us the owners continue to pick up the tab
There are also bits in MW's piece that I would disagree with or question the logic.
- Marti's gardening leave
This is a really big contradiction by MW.
He starts by saying:
"Nobody outside the club knows the details, not the contractual obligations, not the HR context, not the legal restrictions, and not the internal dynamics. Matters of employment law and severance are always confidential in every business, across every sector."
Later in his piece he says:
"Getting rid of Martí already looks like an unquestionably smart move."
And:
"Stephan is a clear upgrade on Martí, and Martí’s struggles at Leicester only reinforce that reality. This wasn’t luck. It was a strategic call made by people who actually understand what’s going on inside the club."
So on the one hand he tells us that for legal reasons no one outside the club knows the facts of Marti's departure.
On the other hand he tells us Marti was dumped by the club and it was the smart move to make.
You can have one or the other there Matt but you can't hold both positions at the same time.
- Win rate/points
Matt correctly points out that we have more points than the same stage last season. Which is true.
But to put this in its proper context we all knew that the fixtures this season had been kind and Julien Stephan was getting a gentle introduction to life in English football.
I think we need more than a third of a season to make a fair comparison. If JS significantly improves on Marti's points total then we can talk about him being an upgrade. So lets wait and see.
- Goals
Matt correctly points out that we are scoring more goals, which is true. But to put this in its proper context we went into last season with two senior strikers and for large parts of that season one or both of them was unavailable.
For further context, both our senior strikers last season (Frey and Celar) were signed by this CEO/DoF!
- CN better than Sir Les
Can't argue that the club seemed stuck in a rut in the eight years of Les.
However, just because the last guy had his faults doesn't mean the new guy must be better.
I'm prepared to give CN the benefit of the doubt for now but his tenure has seen some questionable first team recruitment with lack of strikers last year, only one senior LB in each of his two seasons, and a curious obsession with short players when everyone else seems to be getting bigger and stronger.
So for me it is far too soon to say CN is a clear improvement on Sir Les.
I hope CN learns as he goes and I hope he does move the club forward and bring success. Time will tell.
- Finally on Furlong's departure
For me this is the key phrase in the WLS piece:
"Earlier this year, Rangers’ youngsters won the Premier League Cup under Furlong, beating Brentford in the final.
Since then there have been discussions about his future role, and changes to the development structure, with Anthony Hayes appointed as methodology manager, focusing on the Under-17 to Under-21 age groups."
The way I would be inclined to read that is that Furs has been made redundant as a result of changes in the development structure.
That might not be the case but it's how I read it.
For the Furs farewell piece on the website I'm glad that Furs was given the final say instead of ending with a comment by CN. I think that was the correct way to do it.
Overall Furs seems to be taking it with good grace and I'm sure we all wish him all the best for the future. [Post edited 28 Nov 21:10]
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Reply | Furs leaving
at 20:33 28 Nov 2025
For the benefit of anyone who hasn't read the Matt Winton piece the link is here and I will paste the text below the link:
https://medium.com/@matt.winton/why-i-support-qprs-leadership-and-why-so-much-of
Why I Support QPR’s Leadership — And Why So Much of the Criticism Misses the Point
I wanted to put some of my views down in longer form, mainly because it’s impossible to distil this outlook into a tweet without getting dragged into misunderstandings. Over the last week or so, I’ve again found myself in heated back-and-forths on X, trying to dampen a groundswell of criticism that I simply don’t think is warranted. And what strikes me is this: so much of the criticism of the club is based on things supporters have no real understanding of behind the scenes.
This isn’t a new pattern; it’s been consistent over the last year. We’ve had waves of anger over issues where the club quite literally cannot divulge details, often for legal, strategic, or employment-related reasons. Yet, even with complete information absent, the reflex is always to assume the worst.
The Transparency Myth
Injuries and contracts:
For months, fans complained about a lack of transparency. The club stated clearly that they preferred to keep details private for strategic reasons, something many clubs around the world do as standard. The club actually took learnings from that communication backlash and has already been far more transparent about injuries this season.
Martí on gardening leave:
The outrage machine went into overdrive when Martí was placed on gardening leave. Nobody outside the club knows the details, not the contractual obligations, not the HR context, not the legal restrictions, and not the internal dynamics. Matters of employment law and severance are always confidential in every business, across every sector. Yet somehow, QPR fans expect full disclosure and assume wrongdoing when they don’t get it.
This week’s uproar about Furlong:
WLS published a story saying he might be leaving. No explanation, no real info. For all we know, he could be ill, he could have a new job, or the club simply may feel it’s the right time for a change. But again, despite having zero facts, fans rush to blame the club, accuse leadership of disloyalty, and side with the employee.
It’s extraordinary how easy it seems to be to assume the club is in the wrong without knowing a single thing about what has actually happened.
Why My View Has Changed — And Why I Back the Leadership
Now, on a personal level, this comes from someone who has a long history of being critical of the owners. And, to be fair, there have been periods where criticism was justified based on the information in the public domain.
But right now? I’m throwing my support behind the club, and particularly behind the people running it behind the scenes, because I see genuine progress, genuine competence, and genuine strategy. And after a decade of inconsistent direction, that matters.
For years, fans have said:
· “We need a club model that isn’t dependent on the manager.”
· “We need clarity about who’s actually responsible for decisions.”
· “We need to modernise our operations.”
Well, now we finally have exactly that. For the first time in ages, accountability is clear. We know who leads on what. We know where decisions sit. And we’ve put in place a structure that is ahead of what many competitors are doing, which is vital given our budget constraints.
And crucially, we’re not relying on a single personality to hold everything together, unlike the Holloway or Warburton periods, where things worked largely because the manager was strong enough to mask deeper structural issues. Once they left, everything fell apart. That’s not a sustainable model.
This time, it feels different.
The Evidence: Tangible, Measurable Progress
Criticism thrives in the absence of information. So let’s focus on what we do know, using actual data and on-pitch evidence.
1. The Managerial Decision: Replacing Martí Was Spot On
Getting rid of Martí already looks like an unquestionably smart move. The numbers are clear:
· Win rate / points:
QPR went from 2 wins in 17 to 7 wins over the same stage. Points per game more than doubled from 0.71 → 1.47.
· Attack:
Goals scored increased from 0.94 → 1.24 per game — a big shift in productivity.
· Defence:
Goals conceded improved from 1.65 → 1.47 per game. This despite shipping 7 in one game.
· Overall:
We’ve gone from being in relegation form last season to being a competitive, stable, mid-table side this season.
Stephan is a clear upgrade on Martí, and Martí’s struggles at Leicester only reinforce that reality. This wasn’t luck. It was a strategic call made by people who actually understand what’s going on inside the club.
2. Talent Acquisition: A Recruitment Structure That Actually Works
In the last two years, recruitment has transformed. The structure, the process, the profiles, all of it.
· The squad is more balanced than at any point in the last decade.
· The depth is night-and-day from previous seasons; we can finally rotate without collapsing.
· Young talent in the DLS pipeline, Smith, Akindelini, Isak, Esquardinho, is genuine, not hype.
· The club is smarter, leaner, and far more strategic than during the Ferdinand era.
Yes, Ferdinand inherited a mess. Yes, he did some good things. But after eight years, the club was still lopsided and under-resourced. In two years, Nourry has achieved more with less.
3. Youth Structure: Real Progress, Real Results
The academy and DLS setup is producing consistent, meaningful results across age groups.
· The U18s are strong and cohesive.
· A group of U16s went to Manchester United and won.
· There’s a conveyor belt forming between U18 → DLS → first team.
· We have numerous young players on loan in the National League performing incredibly well.
Under the previous structure, after eight years, we had virtually no meaningful pipeline to the first team. Players were poorly developed, given overly long contracts, and retained far too long. Now we’re seeing a strategy that works.
Performance × acquisition × development, all trending upward.
4. Operational Decisions: Small Things That Make a Big Difference
A good example: removing away fans from the Lower School End.
It’s a simple, clever decision that instantly made Loftus Road a more difficult place for visiting teams. These marginal gains matter.
Most Importantly: QPR Is Fun Again
On a personal level, taking my kids to Loftus Road this season has been a joy. They see:
· Goals in the Loft End
· Wins
· Attacking football
· A team playing with identity and pride
It’s night and day from the previous two years where home wins were rare and goals even rarer.
The Owners: Still Investing, Still Writing Off Losses
People love to assume the owners are inactive or detached. Yet they continue to write off losses and keep the club afloat while moving us toward becoming as self-sufficient as possible. That matters. It’s real commitment, not PR.
So Why the Relentless Negativity?
I genuinely don’t understand why so many smart, well-informed fans choose contempt as their default response. Why do they assume the worst of decision-makers without knowing any facts? Why do they ignore the clear, measurable progress in favour of hypothetical grievances?
We must stop whinging about the unknowns and start supporting the many positives backed by actual evidence.
My Conclusion
I support the current leadership because:
· I see measurable progress.
· I see strategy.
· I see accountability.
· I see improvement across every key metric that matters.
· And I see a club moving in the right direction both on and off the pitch.
We’ve spent years begging for exactly this model of operation. Now that we have it, it’s time to get behind it.
Enough complaining about what we don’t know.
Let’s support the things we do know, and the people delivering them. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread 25/26
at 12:51 28 Nov 2025
The article says that Old Trafford will remain on the list even if it doesn't get its proposed rebuild between now and 2035.
It's a summer tournament so hopefully that leaky roof won't be too much of a problem. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread 25/26
at 12:39 28 Nov 2025
I know FIFA has some very strict rules about minimum pitch size which is why Anfield never gets a look in for these tournaments.
But yeah, there are some odd ones on that list. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread 25/26
at 12:14 28 Nov 2025
Birmingham's yet to be built stadium is one of 22 venues named in UK's bid to host the 2035 Women's World Cup
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c2lv0jez5edo
2035 Women's World Cup stadiums
Windsor Park (Belfast)
Sports Quarter Stadium (Birmingham)
Villa Park (Birmingham)
American Express Stadium (Brighton & Hove)
Ashton Gate (Bristol)
Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff)
Principality Stadium (Cardiff)
Easter Road (Edinburgh)
Hampden Park (Glasgow)
Elland Road (Leeds)
Hill Dickinson Stadium (Liverpool)
Chelsea Stadium (London)
Emirates Stadium (London)
Selhurst Park (London)
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
Wembley Stadium (London)
Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
St James' Park (Newcastle)
City Ground (Nottingham)
Stadium of Light (Sunderland)
Old Trafford (Trafford)
Stok Cae Ras (Wrexham) |
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Reply | (No subject) (n/t)
at 10:08 28 Nov 2025
I don't claim to know why Furlong is leaving.
My point was that Nourry has been here a while now and the "new broom" bringing his own people in didn't seem right.
But having said that, I took another look at the WLS piece and this is the crucial bit:
"Earlier this year, Rangers’ youngsters won the Premier League Cup under Furlong, beating Brentford in the final.
Since then there have been discussions about his future role, and changes to the development structure, with Anthony Hayes appointed as methodology manager, focusing on the Under-17 to Under-21 age groups."
Which could be read as Furlong being made redundant rather than sacked (if his role disappeared as part of these changes to the development structure.)
So on balance you're probably right. This is just Nourry growing his power base at the club and bringing in more of his own people.
The fact Anthony Hayes joined us last summer as Head of Methodology (U17-21) still makes me think the plan was to move Furlong on last summer but that pesky trophy winning business got in the way.
Glancing at Hayes' LinkedIn page he seems to have gone straight from getting his degree into coaching. That doesn't mean he isn't a good coach, just that he's another one who's background is in theory rather than having done the hard yards on the pitch like Furs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hayes-bb443a63/
There's nothing wrong with a bit of theory here and there but for professional sport I think you need to retain some hard earned playing experience within the coaching structure and Nourry seems to be taking that away (apart from Steve Bould!)
Lets hope all these methodologists come good.
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Reply | (No subject) (n/t)
at 20:29 26 Nov 2025
Nourry hasn't just turned up this week.
He has been CEO here for over a year and was mooching around in the background for a long time before that.
And during Nourry's time at the top Furlong delivered a trophy and has seen several of his youngsters progress into the first team - something the club has seemed keen to take credit for.
Whatever the reasons for Furlong being moved on I don't think you can put it down to a new broom being in charge. |
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