I really can't fathom out how we're expected to be ready for Preston with our current set-up. No strikers and having sold a 20+ striker to one of our relegation rivals. We were toothless for much of last season and we seem undercooked for the start of this one. Looks like more of the same...
I think the detail of what I'm saying is getting missed. At no point did I say Madsen is a quality player. Any player deserves criticism, if not pulling their weight. He's not good enough for what we need in the middle. But his form picked up a bit towards the end of last season and he contributed. I've seen him have a small handful of decent games. However, he's been here a while now and can't seem to adjust to this league. But he can do nothing right in people's eyes. I've been at LR, watching him put several good passes together with people still groaning all around me with each touch he makes. I've seen him send in a pass that leads to an assist and the moans come as soon as his foot touches the ball until it gets banged in. Every season, there is a player that we just seem to pick for slagging off. I get that he is largely ineffective at this level but what's the point of specifically trying to criticise him blindly, even when he's doing something right or even when he's not the worst on the pitch. I honestly think Morgan played worse than him yesterday. I like Morgan but he's been out of form for several months now. He seems to panic a bit. I couldn't count how many times he gave away the ball yesterday. But everyone picks out Madsen. He's a player at QPR. The managers pick him. What can we do? Hopefully, there's still some business to be done in the transfer window, to bring in a replacement.
If the team and him start well it’ll change. Obviously expectations are higher for a big money (by our standards) signing than a kid who wasn’t meant to be in the first team last season. My gripe with him last season wasn’t so much with the ball, which most of the time was crap, but without it. There were months on end where frankly he was cowardly when the going got tough. There are far harder crowds than ours to please. And yes, he did pick up towards the end. We all hope it’ll click but I don’t think it will and there’s a reason every club had a look and no one else made the plunge.
As I said previously, there was a time where I didn't want to see him play for us again. But he seemed to pick up, like we've said. He clearly can play football to a decent level but I think it comes down to both confidence and effort. Yes, of course we have patience for Morgan. However, I wouldn't be starting him at the moment unless we have no options. Maybe we actually don't have any options! Can Vale play a central midfield role? As I understand it, he's seen more as an attacking central midfielder.
From the descriptions of him he’s like an old fashioned utility player. I’m a Morgan fan and while he’s got a lot to improve on has some great ability IMO our other midfielders lack. I guess how much he plays depends on what happens with Varane along with the inevitable fitness issues we’ll have by about the third week.
I wish we had the luxury of sending Morgan out for maybe half a season loan in league 1. I think it'd do him good, build his confidence up. I think Varane is staying. They've publicised him too much recently. He's a player we can't afford to lose. In fact, we can't afford to lose any midfielder until a replacement comes in.
We haven’t kicked a ball in anger yet and the amount of mentions of “Relegation battle”, “Relegation rivals” we are doomed etc is slightly unbelievable to be honest, let’s leave it until 10 games in before we start the usual doom and gloom !! We have a new manager, new players let’s see how he and they perform in the heat of battle before writing them all off Whinge over
not many highlights then not much of a crowd either third of the highlights taken up before a ball is kicked
Of course, Turkish, you're absolutely right, let's give it time. I'm normally a glass-half-full kind of guy as far as QPR are concerned and I think my match report (above) was fairly upbeat. But, let's be realistic for a moment: only one of those new players made it into the starting line up on Saturday; with the possible exception of Varane, none of the many subs materially improved the team; and we've taken a gamble on a manager with no experience of the Championship. Does that suggest to you that we are likely to be any stronger than we were last season? I think we need to brace ourselves and hope that one of our many mis-firing, absentee centre forwards hits a career-defining hot streak and that Julien Stephan can sprinkle some magic dust on the rest of the team. Come what may, I've got my season ticket and I'm going to be there, at HQ, cheering the boys on.
