I like the fact that the owners have ambition. Chris Wright had ambition and look where that got us. Building a new training ground is a must as is investing in youth development. But in the transfer market QPR need to know there place. For many years we built our foundations on polishing rough diamonds from the lower leagues and selling on. This is an area QPR need to re-visit. We get, at maximum capacity, a smidge over 18,000 in HQ. We cannot sustain, even with the EPL TV money, the wage bill we have had in the last 3 years. QPR need to build an extensive scouting network and find those rough diamonds, talk of signing the likes of Van Dar Vaart are ludicrous and if we carry on we will end up down the route Pompey have gone. I love this club, I grew up watching rough diamonds like Sir Les, Macca, Maddix, Holloway, Barker, Peacock, Bardsley, Parker, Sinton ,Sinclair and dare I mention Devon White!! There is talent out there, we just have to find it!! Come on you R's!
Good post, but I can't remember the last time we polished a rough diamond from the lower leagues and sold on, certainly not sold 'up'. Mackie was a sideways sale, or even downward. Sterling was an 'up' but never got to our first team. Can anybody tell me who was the last real polished diamond that we sold up? Probably somebody obvious, but can't think who?
Good post, I'm racking my brains for the last player we really bought up and sold on, and it's a struggle. It seems these days those who will develop are snapped up very early, and the only look in smaller clubs get is by taking them on loan to aid development. We have done this recently with Morrison and before him Townsend. Those we have owned, have all been heading in the opposite direction career wise, a new approach would be good to see though!
Hard to bring on anyone when the average age of a signing 32! Yun is a possibility and I don't think he was a manager signing.
Crouchy was a great example of a player we brought up and sold on to reach bigger things Others have made valid points, loan players don't often do too badly with moves or progression to their first teams after playing for us.
Feel sorry for Fernandes tough for him to win. His comments fully endorse what your saying but with the media darling Arry in charge wanting to sign players ‘he knows’ and ‘experienced’ players it is completely counter that. If TF does what is perceived to be the right thing and support the manager we will in all likelihood sign a bunch of pensioners but if he publicly over rules him the media will jump into support of their hero Arry who will give them a good quote, lean out of his Range Rover on deadline day, call into talksport every 2 minutes to give an opinion and get excited about every club except Rangers. Saw he even popped up on Jack Whitehall’s ‘Backchat’ BBC there programme the other day. This is a 67 year old millionaire. What the **** is he doing chasing after all this lime light?! I really hope our signings have a sensible balance and they aren’t just enough to get Arry through 1 season before he bows out (severely doubt TF will extend his contract). Agree we need to think long term but a 67 year old manager with an unlikely prospect of an extension hasn’t sounded to interested in the medium/long term. Good news is TF and even Beard do seems capable of keeping their head down and telling Arry he cant always have what he wants. Bit of a public kerfuffle last year when they said no to Wayne Bridge who Arry wanted. This year Joe Cole’s gone elsewhwere who I’m sure Arry would have creamed his pants over and they’ve publiclally said no to likes of Lescott. To achieve what we all want TF and Beard need to be strong enough to reign Harry in and keep him on the right track with signings.
Sadly, though I agree with your sentiment Mortlake, we can't really do that any more. The simple reason is that that particular source of talent has been completely spoiled by the likes of Chelsea raising kids expectations. Young players who are any good get snapped up for Big 4 academy sides, then basically get ruined through becoming disillusioned or getting their ego massages to the point where they think they are bigger than any other club. If we want to follow that route, then the marketplace has switched from Harrow Borough to east Europe and Asia. And whilst we are very well placed to take account of the Asian player pool, the difficulties of work permits tend to make this source too much trouble. As I said - I sympathise, but the top division has moved on....
There is still room for top British talent. Look at saints, boys go there knowing they will get a first team chance. The money chasers will still do a parrot but that's a good thing, we will keep the ones interested in their careers. Who in their right mind would sign for us if they are in their early 20s , never mind teens. Of course that will only change with... well you don't need me to tell you.
Reign him in? We'd be better off if they thanked Arry for his past services, pay him off, and bring in a new man to build a team that plays the ball forwards to each other and have a decent chance of staying in the PL for more than 1 season.
Another post degenerating into a Harry bashing thread I see! Sterling was our rough diamond but i believe he went based on money and the chance to be at Liverpool not because he wouldn't get in our first team. Why couldn't we attract teens / early 20's they have probably got more chance to get into our team if they prove themselves than Chelski or Man Utd nowadays who are always looking for a marque signing. Only need to look at Townsend and Walker who were young and apparently good enough to be in our team, can even include young Tom Carroll if you want - correct they weren't our players through our youth team but they also spent most of their time out on loan whilst coming up through Tottenham - cue similarities to Hitchcock!? Anyway agree we need to find hungry up and coming players and not old gits looking for final payout with no heart but then if Harry can pick from the youth team at Tottenham based on who he knows then I won't be complaining as would have loved Walker and Townsend permanently. Not so much YTC!
I think the general point that a lot of threads on here seem to be leaning towards is having a squad with hungry players and preferably one with a lower average age than we have now. We already have the nucleus of a young side (Suk Young, Onouha, Simpson, Austin, Hoillet, Phillips) and we now need to add to that list. Green, Barton, Dunne, Hill and Faurlin have the mix of Premier League experience and club know how to support the new signings. We need to target players such as Will Hughes, Tom Ince, Andros Townsend, Harry Maguire, Gary Hooper, Craig Bryson.
