I don't think it is necessary. Yes, we need experience in the team, but not to the exclusion of all the young talent we have in the squad. If DW can't utilise that younger talent in a team with the necessary leavening of experience, he needs to go.
I don't think you were understanding what my comment was getting at. 1: Our team had about as much backbone as a jellyfish last year so we have recruited more experienced players to try and rectify it. 2: Injuries to younger players (Gunn, Rowe, Sargent) would have reduced our starting age meaning that we played older players. I mean Idah could have played, but Hwang scored so that looks like it was a good decision
I was going to reply, but you have done it well, Zog. You could add that Núñez, Gibbs and Fisher have had considerable playing time this season and Warner has made his debut as well.
So who exactly lacked backbone last year Zog? Who should have been providing the backbone? Would you expect Sara and Núñez, playing in a new league in a foreign country, to supply backbone as well as talent? As I pointed out at the time, the strategy of signing experienced players with backbone was a reflection, not on our youngsters, but on the experienced players already in the squad. Do you think Cantwell was making it up when he said it was the senior players, not the younger ones, who threw in the towel in the EPL? I doubt if anyone thought the idea in summer 2023 was to field starting elevens with the highest average age in the division. The idea was to provide more guidance and support to the talented but inexperienced, not push them down the order.
I think you're just after an argument because we managed to win yesterday whereas we would have capitulated last year and lost 1-2. People are being too nice to you and you don't like it so are itching to have someone to annoy. The older players we got in were specifically brought in for their personalities and know-how (as stated pre-season) and we had injuries to some of the younger players so the team was more experienced than normal and we won hurray!
Interesting that since we beat QPR they have won their next 2 games, 4-2 against Stoke & 2-0 against Preston NE. Maybe our win against them wasn't as bad as many felt it was ?
Performance-wise, QPR out-played us on virtually every WhoScored metric, from possession and shots, including shots on target, to passing and corners won. The only exception was in aerials won, where we, mainly courtesy of Duffy, proved superior. So what exactly are you saying carrow? That we actually played better than many people felt? One shot on target in the entire game hardly supports that? We played poorly; they outplayed us; IMO we would have been flattered by one point, never mind three!
It was certainly a poor performance, but the statistics were influenced by the fact that we were protecting a lead most of the match and therefore minimising risks. Given the poor run we were on before the Cardiff game there was a desperation to hang on to the lead. An ugly win to be sure, but a very welcome one as well. We needed those 3 points, as did QPR.
No question the three points were very welcome. And yes, the statistics do reflect the risk-averse strategy once we took the lead. But, as you say, whether successfully defending a one goal lead against the second-least potent team in the league warrants re-appraisal of just how 'bad' we were, is another question. We could of course have been even worse -- had we conceded! As carrow points out, QPR have gone on to win their next two games, so it looks as if they left Carrow Road in better heart and with more self-belief than when they arrived.
Just found it interesting that they scored 6 goals in the 2 games they played in after us, but couldn't score against us. Maybe we were poor because they were better than all our doom mongers thought they were. I seem to remember at the time everyone was looking at QPR and suggesting that we should be beating teams like them convincingly. Anyway not that it matters we got the points off the only statistic that matters. We are only 4 points off a playoff place and 10 above the relegation zone. Can see us going on a bit of a run once we get our key players back from injury.
Hernandez hit the post & Idah scored the winner but those "doom mongers " eh "Shouldn't of sacked Farke and shouldn't sack Wagner at present. We currently have 5 most likely first 11 starters injured and I would say of the 5, 3 are key players. Most Championship teams would struggle under those conditions. We do however need to get rid of a few of our constant under achievers i.e. Hernadez & Idah."
