If we can win the league with the players we had in 2010, then surely we should walk it this year. As long as we pick up some creativity, which is clearly lacking at the moment, then it's looking good for promotion. Good signings, well balanced squad, better team atmosphere.....good times are coming again
It almost feels like a must this season, if we don't i cant see the same coaching and playing staff being in place. We've had an incredible start and have put ourselves in a great place. Points in the bank so important as we found out last time around. With the players we've brought in we should be ok. I feel nervous now, will be happier when further into season and more points on the board. COYR's
How sentiment has changed. I am fearful of the expectation that is building up inside me. Shouldn't I know better? Shouldn't we all know better?
I still think there's a big difference at this point that with our team back in our promotion season. Think about how many goals we had to our name at that point. We were scoring for fun and trouncing teams all over. So why were they performing better than our current team? Because that was the best, most tight unit our team has been since the early 90s. Yes, we've got a lot of quality individuals now but I think we've only half recovered from the disease our club had over the last couple of seasons. I think the fact that we're scraping wins shows that we're not at the full capability of these players. And that means I'm optimistic because I can see us getting better. But it's also possible that we'll only remain a good but not exceptional team this year and thus might squeeze into the playoff places. We're not a finished product by a long way. I think we're a way off from recovering from the mess that we've seen.
Up to now we have shown very little attacking quality, but that is about to change. We will destroy some teams in this league.
If you actually had to judge solely by what we have seen on the pitch so far I doubt the term 'best team' would crop up very often. The players we have picked up last week do make things look more exciting but I think we have every right to reserve judgement given the disappointments we've been through in the last couple of years. My biggest worry is that HR seems to have lost appetite for the kind of attack-minded tactics that he was once famous for. Don't get me wrong - I'd happily accept promotion by grinding out results - just don't expect me to wax lyrical about it when I have been brought up with the flair that has been the QPR hallmark until recent years.
I have spoken at length to a work chum who is a Spuds fan and he thinks that Tom Carroll, albeit a bit of a lightweight, can play a pass to our forwards with aplomb. Let's face it our strikers are starved of the ball at the moment and TC could be the key to this. Added to this mix Ekotto and Kranjcar, and we should WALK this league.
The next five games are very important. Four are at home and away to Yeovil and so maximum points should be the thinking. One would expect the likes of Forest and Blackpool to drop points in that period so we may be able to start to open a bit of a gap to put us in good shape for the remainder of the season.
Could some of us be accused of straying dangerously close to the over-confidence corner? Swords started a thread with that title a while ago and at the time I didn't see it but I'm not so sure now.
I am actually happy with the way we have been performing thus far. The year we went up - yes we performed exceptionally well and trounced a few teams, but better teams also sussed us out. Watford beat us simply by shutting down Faurlin immediately. This in the Prem meant that defensively we were under more pressure. This time around Harry has proven we can go away to big teams e.g. Bolton and Leeds at the start of the season and keep clean sheets and win despite not playing particularly well. I'm sure the focus in training will switch to attacking minded and Steve McClaren will sort that out for us and we will be a force to be reckoned with.
No one has the given right to win the league, you have to earn it. It's a marathon, not a sprint. These are both football clichés, and like every footballing cliché they're usually true and for good reason. They're right, and they apply to us. There was a lot of trepidation among Rangers fans before the start of the season. No one new what this one would bring, and we still don't, although we have a slightly better idea now. Many people, both our fans and outsiders predicted us to do a Wolves. But after such a fantastic start, that does seem unlikely. What we do have now is a real spine to the team, and some very good players to play alongside them that seem up for the challenge. Which is a major feat when you consider all the comings and goings during pre-season. We've seen a huge shift in all aspects of our club. If the team can improve game on game, then we're in for a cracking season.
I think there is no doubt we are going to have a good season. I have some reservations on how we will fare with regards to injuries and suspensions. For example, if we lost Holiett, Onuaha and Barton for any length of time I'm not so sure we would be the same team. I believe our main opponents for the auto promotion spots will be Wigan, Forest, Watford and Reading. We play Reading in November and Forest and Watford in December. Our game against Wigan is due to be rescheduled because of the Europa League so it could happen anytime. Before making any bold predictions about the big P, I will wait until after the Christmas period when we have played at least 3 out of our 4 main rivals. After we have played those teams, we will have a better idea how good or bad we really are.
Looks good so far but I'm not getting carried away - yet. Lets not forget one of our wins was due to a youth team player coming off the bench to score a tap-in in the 90th minute and another was a scrappy Clint Hill goal from a free kick. We haven't exactly outclassed teams yet from what I've seen but the signs are there.
Wouldn't go as far as to say best team since the 90's just yet.....but after the last 2 seasons there has been a huge change in our mind set and I believe that if we are somewhere top 6 after Christmas TF & Harold will go all out to secure promotion with good signings in January to ensure it happens. Whatever happens I am beginning to enjoy Saturdays again......
This team/squad has the potential to be as good as or even better than the team from the ´90s. I am extremely pleased with the first five games, not just the points tally, but the fact that we are winning without being brilliant. The first five games were always going to be the benchmark, onwards and upwards from here seems logical, especially with the three loanees and hopefully another loaned striker. I am always (over?) optimistic, but, this squad and management team are too good for this league.
