Get It Sorted, Mark!

Every football fan can talk about the travails of supporting their team. Every football fan can summon examples of their club snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Every football fan can moan with some justification about how their side underperforms, how their manager makes inexplicable substitutions, how the board hasn’t a clue how to run a football club and how the club’s benefactors fail to put money where their mouths are.

And then there are fans of Queens Park Rangers Football Club.

Don’t talk to us about disappointment. Don’t talk to us about misery. Don’t talk to us about what’s deserved and what’s a whopping great toe punt in the Teds.

Forget about the joke that was the Briatore reign and the revolving door into the room marked “Team Manager”. Forget the fact that the Faurlin Affair prevented us fully enjoying the run-in to the Championship title last season. Forget the uncertainties of a close season in which Briatore et al were more focused on optimising their ROI%; and less on bequeathing a team properly equipped for the challenges of the Premier League. Forget the first game spanking given to Premier League QPR Mk. 1 at the hands of Bolton Wanderers. Forget that Warnock’s frenetic August transfer activity and the promise shown by Premier League QPR Mk. 2 in the first handful of games thereafter quickly gave way to indiscipline, underperformance and mediocrity. Forget that our messianic first-team manager turned out to be as human as the rest of us. Forget that arguably our best player’s season ended prematurely in a meaningless game in Milton Keynes. And forget that the club captain makes the skipper of the Costa Concordia look like a responsible helmsman.

All of the above should be swept aside by a tide of optimism.

We should be optimistic because Spunky is a top-class first team manager with a pedigree of galvanising struggling teams flirting with relegation. We should be optimistic that our new benefactor logged out of Twitter and put down his iPhone long enough to sign the cheques to acquire Premier League QPR Mk. 3. We should be optimistic because a steady list of quality players, with proven Premier League and/or international experience have rolled up outside Loftus Road and not asked the taxi driver to keep the meter running. We should be optimistic because our midfield genius has jumped from the Marrakesh Express with renewed vigour and his artistry intact.

So…

Why don’t we have eleven players on the field that can trap a ball, quickly bring it under control, look up and find a team mate with an incisive through ball? Why don’t we have tactics that encourage the team to play further up the park and that relieves undue pressure on the defence? Why does even the most feeble of opposition still generally record higher possession statistics, higher territorial advantage statistics and higher shots (and shots on target) statistics than us? Why does our manager, when considering an albeit modest smorgasbord of playing talent, put the dry cheese sandwich that is Rob Hulse on the field when the game prawn vol-au-vent that is Jamie Mackie is available? [I would even have settled for the twiglet that is Tommy Smith ahead of “No Pulse”] How can a top-class and expensive journeyman striker, rescued from his Italian misery, show such naïve indiscipline in grabbing the throat of the man that’s just given you a free kick? How can we lose 2-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers – a frankly average side that we beat convincingly 3-0 at their place?

We are QPR. And we are not happy.

We deserve players that consistently show they’re worth their wages. We deserve players that can keep their heads and not change the course of a match in a split second of immature stupidity. We deserve players that avoid a 3-match ban 120 minutes or so after first donning the hoops. We deserve greater enterprise, greater guile, greater teamwork, more fight.

Bloody get it sorted, Mark!

 

How many negative threads do you need to start Über? Fair enough you are pissed off, but one outlet for the moaning would be enough. I am off to drink heavily for a few hours and forget about QPR until the next game. I find it's better for my mental health.

 

C'mon, dry cheese sandwich or prawn vol-au-vent? Should been the stale pizza Macheda!...

 

Could you possibly be further from the truth? Jeez what a load of rubbish.

 

Whilst I don't agree with every point, what a well crafted post.

 

I find its good therapy for me when Nursie is busy with the other patients.

 

By way of example, Norway, here's the last 5 games* prior to today. Yeah, maybe the "attempts" and "on target" stats show better stats than I've suggested (although I carefully used the word 'generally') but what they cannot record is the quality of those attempts. With the exception of the Wigan game I'd say the opposition's attempts/on target stats were at least comparable to the Rs.

But the "possession" percentages hardly suggest confidence on the ball in my opinion.

Possess. Attempts On target
QPR QPR Opp. QPR Opp.
H Wigan W 3-1 40% 19 9 7 2
A Villa D 2-2 31% 4 26 3 12
H MK Dons W 1-0 47% 10 13 6 2
A Newc L 1-0 39% 15 11 6 1
A MK Dons D 1-1 50% 6 4 2 3

The corresponding stats for the Wolves game show 31% possession, and 13/6 attempts/on target vs Wolves' 13/5.

[*source: The Guardian]

Thanks anyway for your intelligent and reasoned response.

 

Uber good post Uber. Plenty to agree with and some not. However, let's hope that we do not start getting ominous tweets from the boardroom. TF expects a return for his money. As he is unwilling to wait, a few more good performances without the rewards and MH will need to start checking the length of the dole queue. That will be as big a mistake as the last one. Tony, if you are reading this, remember. You are not the manager. Keep the faith. An expression you used recently. Mark will turn it around.

This was a good team performance and an absolutely heroic one from Adel. We will get there. I for one am prepared to forgive Cisse. It was never a sending-off offence and he should not be pilloried because he reacted to a bad challenge in the way he did.

 

Hi Uber, A great post! I have been with Rangers since 1947/8 and now had enough! NW team had more fight in them then this lot! Hughes? He will be off soon, trust me he is not the man for our team! I flew back from Portugal for this match and cost me plus seat, lunch fares etc for my self and my son - in-law over £500 and had to watch this rubbish, yes rubbish! I do not care what you lot think, all I can say I have Sean better football at Millwall,, even Chelsea!!!!! and that is saying something!!!!!!! Will be back end of season to see us go down AGAIN!!!!!!!! Please come back NW. all is for given,

 

The disciple issue alone has cost us at least 4 points - not convinced we would have beaten Norwich but draw was as definite as can be - and today.

I am surprised that Sparky has not got the discipline sorted out immediately. Let's hope the whole team learn from this stupid reaction today.

Too gutted to post much, will do more tomorrow after a curry, beer and a night's sleep.

 

Typical over reaction on this board yet AGAIN. Jesus guys please show some maturity and common sense. MH has been with our club about 5 minutes. In the first 30 minutes today we looked very very good. He had the balls to start Adel and even seemed to give him a little freedom to play the field. MH cannot be blamed for the result. IMHO what Cisse did was stupid but did not warrant a straight red. There was no aggression in what he did. MH already looks to have our team playing much better and looking more solid. We would have won that game very comfortably today without the red card. MH cannot be blamed for that.

 

Nuts, I like the way you set out your arguments, but why do you have to start by criticising your fellow Rs? Maturity and common sense? Please tackle the ball and not the man.

 

Uber, i'm not having a pop at you or any other member in particular. Everybody has an opinion and i respect that. But this board is notorious for over reaction after a bad performance and result. I'm just hoping that members keep their arguements logical and realistic.

 

Where is the organisation that Hughes was supposed to bring? Villa and now Wolves opened us up at will, not to mention MK Dons!

 

Thats a good point Ciarri, and IMO the answer is because we don't have a defensive midfielder. Derry is just not good enough. He is now being substituted earlier and earlier in every game. Barton is putting in the miles but is not aggressive enough to make the tackles needed. He is not the player he used to be. Buz can't play this role. Teams are opening us up straight through the middle. We need a hardman, enforcer type player. I just hope and pray that this Dialike guy is the answer, otherwise we are in the poop.

 

Really enjoyed reading your post Uber, cathartic I think is the expression - bottom line today was the sending off. Onwards and upwards, you Rsssssssss

 

Agree with a few points there. We just dont seem to be getting much luck this season, the season we have been waiting for 15 years. Its gutting to see us dropping so many crucial points.

 

Come on uber, give it up mate.

Im in the cafe saint honore in edinburgh had a wonderful dinner of pressed confit of duck leg terrine and sirloin curly kale with wild garlic dauphinoise potatoes and turnip purée wih a very nice Cabernet Shiraz

I am however very cheesed of with mr cisse

 

I dont think it is a negative post,i think uber,s being farly realistic and unfortunately what he says is true.