I wouldn't say we've gone backwards but we haven't been hurtling forwards like most of us hoped when he was appointed. We're a marginally better side now than under Hughes, but not by much.
To a certain extent, I agree about us not pressing teams hard enough - especially against Spurs and Villa. However, I fully believe that HR would have kept us up from the beginning, but the squad assembled by Hughes, regardless of their ages, was so imbalanced and overloaded by central midfielders, most of whom have been terrible, that there was little HR could do to change things. As Swords says (I think), HR will have to shoulder some blame, particularly for loaning out Cisse (lazy git, but still a good sub). Having said all this, I don't believe that HR is getting the most from Adel, which is something Hughes did, IMO. We need him higher up the pitch, creating and scoring goals; and with the amount of coaches HR has, you think this might be one of the priorities they would address.
Sums and averages aside the nail has been hit re the players not performing. Flyer's theory of young players look sound and credit to him however experience at this level was also really important and the reasons that the likes of Colin, Hughes went out to attract the players they did. Most of us didn't think our championship winning side had any future apart from me and yet those players have performed well generally. The debate i am sure will roll and roll and where the bucks stops doesn't really matter. Why this squad hasn't performed I will never accept that calling them names etc is the answer nor will i accept that its about the wages. There is a mystery here to be unlocked and it certainly isn't as straightforward as just get new players ... it baffles belief and without total success then I am sure Harold will get slated big time the more it goes on. No point in looking at other teams, other models we have the players, yes maybe a few bits missing and a few arguments over who should have been signed or could be signed to a club that looks doomed to most on the outside. If you start to list our squad looking at the individuals maybe in a fantasy football team way and also send yourself back so our dismal form is not know ... who could call what has happened? It's simply a curse or Voodoo? Cesar Who would not want him in this division Bosingwa Champions league winner x 2 Samba, Granero ,Park and Loic Remy ... bollocks i am not going to list them all but its my view that these players could probably go into other teams and be very successful in fact I would go as far as to guarantee it and we would have posts on here saying .... well he was rubbish for us. Routledge was some how brushed aside and DJ campbell was brought in and Kasper sent off I cannot count the mistakes and i am confident none of us really know the real answers ... we have enough money and have just throw 20m into two players both of which now look ill as the sickness of low confidence is taking its toll. 11 games to ignite and there has to be fireworks ... this is too baffling ... My decision if i had to decide: Pablo Di Canio
That's a great post.. Pablo is the kind of maverick we could do with right now. Do or die. I'm not too sure that Harold knows what to do. He seems to be Sparky mk 11.
It's not quite the mystery your making it out to be. Your best ever squad, according to Mbia in an interview he gave to the Independent, simply didn't play for MH - they didn't respect or fear him, apparently. Bascially, most of them have continued in the same vein - personally, I think most of the players have accepted their relegated: where was the hunger, passion, and drive against Utd? We should have been in their faces, but, yet again, our players are bottling challenges and ball-watching, characteristics of a side who think that their current plight is, or will be soon enough, someone else's problem.
I am a bit mystified by Harry tbh. I was pleased he was coming as I thought he'd be able to motivate the players, but I'm not sure he REALLY believes that we can stay up. He has a reputation for playing attacking football, but we've seen NONE of that to date. He must start to go for it in games, or else I'm going to think that he's simply protecting his own reputation by not getting us hammered.
Fair point. I do hope that that's not the case though. Its interesting you should say that because I was going to start a thread on the very thing. What do y'all make of Harry when he says after games such as the Liverpool debacle and again last Saturday evening, that he believes we'll stay up? "Call me crazy but I think we'll do it" he says. Now, he's either lying through his teeth for some reason or he actually genuinely believes we can. Now I know as a Manager you can't throw in the towel or at least be seen to be throwing in the towel but the way he says it leads me to believe that he actually thinks he can keep us up. Why else would he say it like that? He could do as all other Managers would do in that situation and trot out the old lines such as "we'll keep plugging away" or "we'll not give up" but he goes one step further and says he really believes we can do it and that it might sound mad but he can still do it. I thought he was mad saying it after the Liverpool shambles and I think he's even madder now. What do you guys think? Does Harry really believe we can stay up?
No way of really knowing. However, the way he sets us up against Southampton and Sunderland may tell us more.
No, I don't think he does. I'm no expert but the way he jumps around during interviews suggests he's rather uncomfortable. Trouble is HR's reputation, whether he likes it or not, is caught up with being a great motivator and to indicate that he's less than confident would destroy his mystique. Alternatively, he could be totally confident and has just been luring our relegation rivals into a false sense of security before he unleashes total football upon them.
So this is what we want then... [video=youtube_share;8IPzpaD4UOE]http://youtu.be/8IPzpaD4UOE[/video] and at the end..... [video=youtube_share;3sndSXsLSD0]http://youtu.be/3sndSXsLSD0[/video]
Yes. Unfortunately, however, I feel like I'm watching a remake of 'A Bridge Too Far', except our relegation won't be seen as a glorious failure!
Exactly right. Although, against Utd we just didn't look like a side that were fighting for every ball. The others down the bottom do, but we just seem to stroll around, which I think is the result of having too many players who think they're too good to be in this predicament.
We all know that he dies in the end. But it is a glorious death (of course these things exist only in film and sport) and everyone loves him more as a result. Without a radical change can't see this being the case for our team.
I think it's the niggly feeling I have that Harry doesn't really believe that we can stay up which is doing my head in the most, as the team seem to be playing with that outlook too. For ****'s sake, let's at least go down fighting Harry!!
Maybe a hint that he wants to build it completely his way is coming through As said the jury is out until the end with me but these players he has are easily good and experienced enough to do this . I still believe composure is the way to do this and there is a good chance we will do this Going down fighting isn't and shouldn't be a option at this stage
Wonder how he will play it if we end up needing a win at Liverpool on the last day. I actually prefer, cool, precise, fast, measured attacking football to the blood and guts stuff, and I don't really believe thats a sustainable option anyway. But I need something to quicken the blood.
It doesn't have to be blood and guts stuff.....but for the love of God....get some players into the opposition's box at least!
Have we gone backwards with Redknapp? without a shadow of a doubt...look at the table it tells all.....overrated money grabbing that saw an opportunity to top up his bank balance....
Whoah St Eustace! Slow down there for a second. I'm not going to let you get away with suggesting a confirmed fascist with Mussolini tattoos would be a suitable person to be the manager of QPR football club... no way would that be acceptable to me.
I think the Rafael Benitez Interview sums up how daft football has gone for me : In my book he is 100% right and we should stick with our team ... when its becomes factual then only then can the real debate start... we have to lift Loftus Road and away from home too http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21611064
