Was working for the last 24hrs and only saw the game now. Wow. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!. Our lack of discipline is costing us badly. We can't expect to loose to opposition like Wolves and Fulham at home and stay in this division. Sadly, the optimism i had a few weeks ago is slowly but surely draining out of my tired body. I don't mind stating that at this moment in time we simply don't deserve to stay up. There are many many reasons why our season has unraveled before our eyes. Most are as obvious as hell. One that is perhaps not as obvious is our lack of leadership on the pitch. I look at our best 11 and to be honest i can't see a natural leader among them. Now that we are in the trenches we need somebody who can set the example on the pitch week in and week out. I just can't see it. Most teams have at least one player who can drag the team by the scruff of the neck when backs are to the wall. Many teams have more than one and benefit from it. The only squad player who i would put in this category is Derry. Sadly his best days are behind him. He always played with consistency and demanded the highest standards from others. Barton should have been our Roy Keane. With his experience he should have galvinized the team and set hight standards. His form has been average at best and IMO he does not merit a starting place in our team at the moment. Some people may mention Anton, but remember he came from 4th choice CB at Sunderland for a reason. His mind has also been elsewhere over recent weeks with the terry saga. So IMO we are leader less on the pitch, and it is showing. I really can't see how we can survive with consistently poor displays, especially at home. Sorry for the slightly negative post, just bewildered at how our club has once again shot itself in the foot. We simply cannot do easy.
Hi nuts. Can't argue with any of that mate. I think I'd risk Derry in place of Barton. I know he's past his best, but he at least would care. Barton doesn't give a flying **** about our club and it shows in every game he plays. He shirks challenges and acts the big "I am" whilst flouncing around like a prima donna achieving nothing other than to undermine other players' confidence. I think it's time for him and SWP to warm the bench for a while and playh some players who either have something to prove, want to play for their place or simply care about losing. Something like this, with everyone available: --------------------------Cerny------------------------ Onouha ------Ferdinand------------Hill------------Taiwo ------------------------Diakite------------------------- Mackie-----------------Taarabt------------------Traore -----------------HH-------------Cisse------------------ The only captain I see there is Hill!!
Also.........for the game against Everton: ------------------------Cerny---------------------- Onouha -------Ferdinand --------- Hill --------Taiwo ------------------------Derry---------------------- Smith-----------------Taarabt---------------Traore ----------------Mackie---------HH----------------- Not a big fan of Smith, but he can't do any worse than Barton in the position above!!
Not saying that this would work mate....just saying that we need people who WANT to FIGHT for the cause!!
Giving the captaincy to such a self centred individual was a mistake from the start. Guess NW will never have to justify that decision to the fans.
In fairness, Barton should be a natural leader - committed, hard working, vocal with a huge desire to win so I can't blame Warnock. Pity Joey decided to hang up his boots in August to focus on his social media career. I'd still give the job to Ferdinand but wouldn't complain at Hill if he's going to get a run in the team.
I've literally just said this on another thread, but Hill is a leader. I think he's better in central defence than at left back. Against Fulham he never stopped talking to our players and trying to encourage them. A real captains performance from him.
Can't disagree with any of the above comments. As a min SWP has to be dropped. He has been given a fair crack of the whip at this stage and has consistently under-performed. I can understand why MH might be a bit hesitant to drop Barton. The last thing he might need now is a media circus around dropping his captain. However, i think it would show real balls from MH if he placed Barton on the bench even for one game. Can't see Hill staying in the team for too long. Yes, he is made in the Mackie mould and will give 100%, but he turns like the titanic. Think Young has to come back into the team when fit and Onouha moved back to CB. We are conceading goals. We need our four best defenders on the pitch when available, Young, Onouha, ferdinand and AN other. Never thought i would say this, but i think Derry should start next game instead of Barton and be given the captains armband. Bring Barton on after 60 mins if needed. As the thread says, IMHO we don't have a leader on the pitch. This is a very worrying comment. When times are tough you need your leaders, we simply don't have any.
Maybe. Again i don't think that he is vocal enough to be Captain and before his injury he was beginning to look dodgy. The choice is so so poor that Young would have to be considered as a decent option.
Col§! i don't undestand your comment about Barton not trying when again he ran more than anyone on the park yesterday, according to the Stats, and has done for many games in a row! For me it looks like he gets more tackles in than anyone else.
One of the problems with these Opta stats is that they only show one dimension of an area which is a little more complex at times. Barton does indeed cover a lot of ground, but in the main it is to try and retrieve the ball that he's justed handed straight to the opposition. They say that stats don't lie but in this case I think they mask a very ugly truth in that our primary playmaker doesn't have the ability to match his vision.
I agree Danfango, but we don't have anyone better to replace Barton with. He is running more than anyone and tackling well. For me MH should play him, but get someone else to take the free kicks and corners, Adel, or Akos if he's on the park. Also MH needs to tell Barton to leave off Adel if he's giving him stick, as I have read on here.
In the summer we must buy a gifted proven (youngish) leader to be our Captain, even if this costs us best part of £10 million. Its what we have needed, its what we havent got and its what we will need to get this team of individuals playing as a team and playing for QPR! Barton must go at the earliest opportunity
I can only assume you don't make it to the ground that often Oslo and that the internet streaming of games is not giving you a clear picture. Not only do we heve several players who could do a better job than Barton (Derry, Mackie, Diakite once he adapts and even Smith at a push) but you also need to take account of his negative impact both on the game (no commitment, awful distribution, embarassing dead ball kicks) and on his fellow players. Come back Martin Rowlands all is forgiven.
Pretty much what I was going to say. Oslo.....if you were at the games mate, you'd see Barton pulling out of tackles or not even making a tackle as opponents run past him. He was constantly giving Adel stick on Saturday and, as a result, you could see Taarabt's confidence shrinking as the game went on. Now I admit Taarabt blew hot and cold yesterday, but he was our ONLY threat going forward and played a pass to SWP that barton could only dream of being capable of playing! Barton is a poison who needs to be removed!!
