unless we get an 80% fit Chair or Willock, the rest can stay injured as far as i am concerned.Their attitude stinks.
Ok. You got me there Col. Last time was under 9's, I guess "semi-pro". But let's get back to the issue and point I was trying to make. Here are some sobering facts about our play and problems with shooting/scoring. You may wish to disregard/ignore or feel they have no relevance to the statements that I made in my post above. Since the World Cup break, we (QPR) played Burnley at HQ first up. A 0-3 drubbing. Ok, Burnley was/is a top side. We were outplayed by superior guile and proficiency. But, if you include that game in the following stats., this is the reason we are "staring down the barrel" of relegation. Games played : 17. Goals for : 12 (0.71/game) Goals against : 35 (2.06/game), ...almost 3 times as many goals/game. Total shots for (on target) : 192 (44), that's 22.9% on target Total shots against (on target) : 170 (84), ... 49.4% on target almost half their (opposition) shots were on target! Poor defending or better opposition strikers or both? Shots on target per game (for) : 2.6 Shots on target per game (against) : 4.9, almost twice as many against us! This should prove (if there was any doubt) that we CANNOT shoot straight. Can't be arsed to do every team's stats., but I reckon that's close to, if not, the worst in the championship. Even this pales when compared to, possibly our worst statistical performance of all time (may be stretching that, but compiling these numbers has put a rocket up my colloquial and I'm seriously questioning my decision to support/follow this team, but nevertheless, I'm too far gone to let them go). That performance was against lowly Huddersfield. Those numbers aren't even part of the above compilation. Back on Wednesday, 9th of November, at home, we had 71% possession, 36 shots to their 11, of which ONLY SIX (6) were on target to their FIVE (5). We had 14 corners to their 4 and we still managed to LOSE 1-2. WE CAN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT!!! How are we supposed to get points??? Hence my rant about "shooting hard from a distance". Perhaps with more practice we will improve our accuracy! And if you don't "get stuck in" at training, how do you suppose you'll do that against the opposition come match day??? I know, ...how about we pass it back and forth between our players, and if that doesn't work, then hoofball. Yeah, that'll do it! Some more stats., if you can be bothered to read. Percentage possession : QPR v opposition last 17 games with score in parentheses, QPR always first, beginning with Brum. 60/40 (0-1 Birmingham), 62/38 (1-6 Blackpool), 40/60 (1-0 Watford), 51/49 (1-3 Rotherham), 54/46 (1-3 Blackburn), 39/61 (1-3 Middlesbrough), 55/45 (0-3 Sunderland), 65/35 (1-2 Millwall), 47/53 (1-1 Huddersfield), 60/40 (0-3 Hull), 33/67 (1-1 Swansea), 63/37 (2-2 Reading), 44/56 (1-1 Sheff.U), 68/32 (0-3 Luton), 54/46 (0-0 Cardiff), 48/52 (1-0 Preston), 43/57 (0-3 Burnley). Eight of those games we had greater possession, but lost (miserably in seven) and only won two (Watford and Preston) when we had LESS possession. Do you not think that we feck around with the ball too much with no great idea of what to do? The good teams, and some of the mediocre ones, seem to be happy to watch, then pounce on our errors (usually a turnover from a bad pass or hoofball). Absolutely sick of the way we are playing a.t.m. and have just about given up on playing at this level next season. Still, come 1 April, I'll still be urging them on from half the world away. QPR in the blood; I'm (we're all) strange that way!
Getting 'stuck in' at training is totally different to training hard. For one, we have a very fragile set of players, prone to injury. Just imagine losing a further 2 or 3 cos you wanted them to get stuck in during a session. You can work your bollox off in training by pressing, chasing in shape and numbers to turn the ball over. Hunting in packs rather than as individuals. Shooting has always been a funny one. First and foremost you have to work a position to shoot, easier said than done when you struggle to string 2 passes together. Secondly, you can't predict possible scenarios in football, so a training session is not as intense as a real match, so it's difficult to make the situations as realistic as the 90 mins on a Saturday. You can practise shooting unopposed, on the training pitch 24/7 but it will probably never materialise as a situation during a match day. It will enhance technique but under pressure, that soon dissapears. Speed of thought is what seperates good players from quality players.
We have had players in the past with a fast speed of thought, usually ahead of play in their brain compared to their team mates. Tarrabt, Eze and Wegerle as a few examples. Willock has that ability but similar to Adel, changes like the wind. Chair is another with a fast speed of thought, not in the same league as the 3 I mentioned but it's someone to work with. Decision making would be my priority with Chair.
Fair points Bob, and my statements were made out of frustration due to the perceived lack of effort by our players. Of course I don't want any of them to get injured at training and yes, the power between the ears is much greater than the power of the frames, but everyone on this board must be just as exasperated at the situation that has befallen our once proud club. From the summit in October to the mire of relegation fodder at the pointy end of the season. Three different coaches did not help; one duplicitous, another ineffective and a third who is probably wishing he'd taken conductor's job on the Titanic (too soon?). Okay. We've had lots of bad luck with injuries as well. But the players we have should be able to man up on their counterparts effectively in defence and at the other end, should be able to hit the side of a barn with a shotgun. Unfortunately they seem to be using peashooters. And the barn is somewhere in row 13. These are supposed to be professional Championship grade footballers and paid as such. Our defence is a worn out sieve with incontinence. I realise it's sooo much easier to be a "keyboard defender" and lay blame on the players, but I can't see any semblance of structure in our defences apart from games like Watford, in which you make the argument that Watford were pretty poor that day and we got some luck. For many years, nothing seemed to change, until lard-arse came in. But he had other thoughts, and with that we became a house built on sand, being propped up by toothpicks. And back to the future we came. To our usual ineptitude and nonchalance, to which we've become miserably accustomed. Maybe I went too far in my statements, but as we are not getting anywhere doing the same things over and over, maybe something as unconventional as my audacious suggestions may well be the panacea we are after. We are on the verge of desperation and as we are all aware, "desperate times call for desperate measures". Or, as you all may be thinking, ...he's crazy. Well, I do support QPR, if that's any indication.
Good one Wherever. Nil all. Improved showing, but same points outcome. I'd take 4 draws in the next 8 games.
