Reality Check

I'm the original glass half empty man but if you can't get excited about our prospects at the start of a new season of Premier League football and with - on paper at least - the strongest QPR squad in a generation or more (perhaps the strongest ever) then there really isn't much point in being a football fan. Come and see me on Sunday morning if things haven't gone well - I will be the first in line for the misery prognosis. But in the meantime I'm going to enjoy a shot of summer optimism.
 
QPR Matt said:
I’m with you on this one Staines/DT/Northy et al.

Compared to the start of the season last year (or the end of the August window) we have Onuoha and Nelson added to the existing lineup and the bit part players have been offloaded. Traore is one year older and if Hughes can get Taarabt to do rudimentary defending then I’m sure he can get a man who started his career there to become more solid defensively. We have 2x30+ and 2x20+ CBs if you consider that this is Onuoha’s prefered position.

Hughes has always organised his teams well and with a settled Summer, he will have been working on the various partnerships so that we don’t rely on one leader to be present in the pairing (i.e. they should all be leaders).

If Young (he’s still here isn’t he?) and Dyer (I’m suspending my personal prejudices for a moment) are considered then there is even enough full back cover.

The cries for a centre back are valid and we should always be looking to improve our squad and first team but it is more than adequate as it stands.

Similarly, the cries for a defensive midfielder are also fair but shouldn’t make or break us. We have Park and Diakite who are box to box players – it’s a classic central midfield partnership and neither one is going to stand up front and leave the defending to others (Newcastle has something fairly akin to this last year and Man U played a similar midfield set up for years). Add Faurlin to that and we also have a playmaker who gets stuck in who likes to stay deep (a poor man’s Alonso or a tackling Carrick if you want to call it that).

Should we compare ourselves to Newcastle? Why not – they overachieved massively with very little in the way of big money signings. It’s an example of what can happen if everything goes right. That’s not to say everything will but I personally can’t say it’s impossible either.

As for a top 10 finish, we were 10 points off that last year and I can recall 6 points lost straight off where we were in winning positions, had a man sent off and subsequently lost the game. That would mean, all things the same (unlikely I know but it’s not an unreasonable stance) that we need to be at least 4 points better than last year’s shocking rollercoaster. Surely that’s not out of the bounds of normal expectation (and improved discipline is firmly planted within that expecation) given the way we finished last year and the improvements made since.

The whole plan was for a settled Summer to allow optimal pre-season and we’ve got that. Everyone has had a chance to gel and we’ve done this while others have had to watch us do our business early. Let’s not lose the nerve because every other club is now scrambling desperately to get in their targets. One or two more may arrive but we’ve got stability which is a major asset at this stage.

It’s not normal for us to be upbeat as QPR fans but this is the best position we’ve been in for years (and we’re only looking upwards). It might go wrong but then again it might not and compared to this time last year, it would have to go drastically wrong for us to find ourselves in the same position whereas the potential to pass what were our wildest dreams last year are very much a reality.

PS Good to have you back Sooper!
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Fantastic post! Spot on!
 
QPR Matt said:
I’m with you on this one Staines/DT/Northy et al.

Compared to the start of the season last year (or the end of the August window) we have Onuoha and Nelson added to the existing lineup and the bit part players have been offloaded. Traore is one year older and if Hughes can get Taarabt to do rudimentary defending then I’m sure he can get a man who started his career there to become more solid defensively. We have 2x30+ and 2x20+ CBs if you consider that this is Onuoha’s prefered position.

Hughes has always organised his teams well and with a settled Summer, he will have been working on the various partnerships so that we don’t rely on one leader to be present in the pairing (i.e. they should all be leaders).

If Young (he’s still here isn’t he?) and Dyer (I’m suspending my personal prejudices for a moment) are considered then there is even enough full back cover.

The cries for a centre back are valid and we should always be looking to improve our squad and first team but it is more than adequate as it stands.

Similarly, the cries for a defensive midfielder are also fair but shouldn’t make or break us. We have Park and Diakite who are box to box players – it’s a classic central midfield partnership and neither one is going to stand up front and leave the defending to others (Newcastle has something fairly akin to this last year and Man U played a similar midfield set up for years). Add Faurlin to that and we also have a playmaker who gets stuck in who likes to stay deep (a poor man’s Alonso or a tackling Carrick if you want to call it that).

Should we compare ourselves to Newcastle? Why not – they overachieved massively with very little in the way of big money signings. It’s an example of what can happen if everything goes right. That’s not to say everything will but I personally can’t say it’s impossible either.

As for a top 10 finish, we were 10 points off that last year and I can recall 6 points lost straight off where we were in winning positions, had a man sent off and subsequently lost the game. That would mean, all things the same (unlikely I know but it’s not an unreasonable stance) that we need to be at least 4 points better than last year’s shocking rollercoaster. Surely that’s not out of the bounds of normal expectation (and improved discipline is firmly planted within that expecation) given the way we finished last year and the improvements made since.

The whole plan was for a settled Summer to allow optimal pre-season and we’ve got that. Everyone has had a chance to gel and we’ve done this while others have had to watch us do our business early. Let’s not lose the nerve because every other club is now scrambling desperately to get in their targets. One or two more may arrive but we’ve got stability which is a major asset at this stage.

It’s not normal for us to be upbeat as QPR fans but this is the best position we’ve been in for years (and we’re only looking upwards). It might go wrong but then again it might not and compared to this time last year, it would have to go drastically wrong for us to find ourselves in the same position whereas the potential to pass what were our wildest dreams last year are very much a reality.

PS Good to have you back Sooper!
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Brilliant Matt!!!
 
DT we put up with your bollox about finishing 8th all season, now you're saying we were 5 games from 8th place which is bollox again, we were never anywhere near 14th place in the second half of the season and you're deluded thinking we were anything but dancing on the relegation trapdoor. We had to wait till the last minute of the season to be safe, I don't ever want to go through that again.

My OP says I think we'll be ok but a run of injuries and suspensions doesn't take long to erode confidence, one or two more quality defenders would be a big step to ensuring we don't nosedive and then may actually have a top ten chance. I'm confident MH will bring the right players in, but worried what may happen if he doesn't...
 
This thread has thrown up a number of fantastic points, so if I cover a few of them then apologies but I'm only offering a viewpoint from a younger view point (being 20).

I think that our strong is considerably stronger than last seasons squad in terms of ability, but a point which I don't think has been made yet (don't crucify me if it has) is that last seasons squad towards the end of the season were fighting for their lives in every single game. We have brought in players who will not be used to that environment, and god forbid they have to get used to it, but I hope we get off to a good start as I fear we could become unstuck if our newer, more experienced players get involved in a scrap at the bottom.

On the much more positive side, I feel in Rob Green we have a much assured keeper, who will win us more games than what Paddy Kenny did last year. In Ryan Nelson, despite his age I think Clint Hill proved last year experience counts for a lot, especially in the centre of the defence. If Onuoha is playing alongside him and gets taught positional sense, his pace could compliment Nelson's power and presence nicely.

In midfield it's clear for everyone to see we have strength in depth. Park, Hoilett and Diakite are all fantastic acquisitions, and hopefully Faurlin will be fitter than ever under Hughes (especially as he emphasises a lot on fitness) and feel like a new signing.
I hope the speculation surrounding Taarabt will stick to a minimum as he was vastly disrupted last year, and with a year under his belt I hope to and expect to see big things from this gentleman this year.

Up front, Cisse looks better than ever and AJ I think will be a very good signing and can always bang in a few goals during the season.

I am optimistic about the season and I fully expect us to finish between 13th- 9th, but I think our season will depend on a good start, especially against Swansea and Norwich where there are 6 points crying out to be won.
 
I'm loving ALL your posts on here, as both the doubters AND the 'others' (I couldn't think of a name for us) have some very valid points, Matts being probably the best.

The point is, as has been already said, lets just enjoy this current optimism for what it is. This time on Saturday night we will be one tiny step closer to knowing if we are getting it right. I'm more excited about the future of this club than ever before 'cos this is gonna be a bloody exciting season, with hopefully a lot of highs and very few lows. I'm like a 5 yr old waiting up on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa to come and shower me with gifts and i,for one, am loving this feeling.
We are ALL QPR, and knowing you bunch of 'erberts on here, we ALWAYS will be.

Now come on.....Ra Ra Ra......We're gonna win the League :) (ok,ok...even i'm not that optimistic)
 
Sooperhoop said:
DT we put up with your bollox about finishing 8th all season, now you're saying we were 5 games from 8th place which is bollox again, we were never anywhere near 14th place in the second half of the season and you're deluded thinking we were anything but dancing on the relegation trapdoor. We had to wait till the last minute of the season to be safe, I don't ever want to go through that again.

My OP says I think we'll be ok but a run of injuries and suspensions doesn't take long to erode confidence, one or two more quality defenders would be a big step to ensuring we don't nosedive and then may actually have a top ten chance. I'm confident MH will bring the right players in, but worried what may happen if he doesn't...
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Worried well grow a pair .. last year is history but you will never convince me that i was talking bollocks ...
In fact to the way the division panned out again I was proven right.

I couldn't see us losing against Wolves, Sunderland, Bolton, Norwich or Fulham ... there's your 15 points!!!
Then look at the games above and tell me how many of those games we finished with 10 players???

If you can't see where we went off target last season for Christ sake do some QPR research ... NW, men sent off and a new unsettled team!!!!

Your last comment albeit your opinion is one in my opinion to be totally ashamed of ... how do you get to a run of injuries ??? and so you are beginning to worry ??? we have Ali Faurlin back FFS

"I don't want to go through that again" you say ... what a ****ing drama queen ... if we face that again then bring the ****er on i say and we will escape again because we have a winning mentality in us now ... honestly ask yourself why the **** are you supporting QPR?? Get some bloody passion inside you ... you limp lettuce man .... we didn't go down and we have **** all to be worried about ... you have to start trusting the team and get behind them was else have you got??? if you right come end of the season then expect a very big apology but don't don't don't write a load of damming **** before a ball is kicked what does it do? what is it with you people?.

To win my Wet Lettuce Award before a ball is kicked i take my hat off to you but i suppose someone had to pick up where Swords left off
 
DT said:
Worried well grow a pair .. last year is history but you will never convince me that i was talking bollocks ...
In fact to the way the division panned out again I was proven right.

I couldn't see us losing against Wolves, Sunderland, Bolton, Norwich or Fulham ... there's your 15 points!!!
Then look at the games above and tell me how many of those games we finished with 10 players???

If you can't see where we went off target last season for Christ sake do some QPR research ... NW, men sent off and a new unsettled team!!!!

Your last comment albeit your opinion is one in my opinion to be totally ashamed of ... how do you get to a run of injuries ??? and so you are beginning to worry ??? we have Ali Faurlin back FFS

"I don't want to go through that again" you say ... what a ****ing drama queen ... if we face that again then bring the ****er on i say and we will escape again because we have a winning mentality in us now ... honestly ask yourself why the **** are you supporting QPR?? Get some bloody passion inside you ... you limp lettuce man .... we didn't go down and we have **** all to be worried about ... you have to start trusting the team and get behind them was else have you got??? if you right come end of the season then expect a very big apology but don't don't don't write a load of damming **** before a ball is kicked what does it do? what is it with you people?.

To win my Wet Lettuce Award before a ball is kicked i take my hat off to you but i suppose someone had to pick up where Swords left off
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I love it DT, but it's still bollox...:grin:
 
This season is one to be excited about for sure, I cant wait for Saturday, and then Norwich where we will hopefully finally win there!!!!

I am very confident in the players, and MH to deliver a great season for us as he certainly knows what it takes and has proven he can get teams to mid table and higher.

But lets take small steps and not try to make one giant leap at the same time. As TF has said many times 'Rome wasnt build in a day'.

I dont think anyone on here is doubting the squad, just being cautious - and I cannot see anything wrong with that at all - after all we are QPR fans!
 
DT:3292039 said:
WE MUST AIM FOR 6 POINTS FROM OUR FIRST TWO GAMES then I expect us all to be going to City for a point before beating Chelsea at home
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You and elnino have it spot on - a lot hinges on those first two games. Get the first home/away win millstones out the way and then the world is our lobster (Homer Simpson).
 
If any of you read my posts on here last season you'll know which camp I'm in. Get ready to enjoy another crackerjack season at Loftus Road. We're in a for a few nice surprises this season and not from who would expect.

Hold on tight to those Stallions me old chums, we're in for one helluva ride!
 
I think Hoillet is an exciting addition to the squad. Otherwise the new players brought in strengthen the Squad but for me don't really improve our starting 11. We remain critically weak at CB (except Clint), and at least until Ale is fit and Barton back, we are very thin in CDM.

All in all we are a bit better equipped to avoid the bottom 3 than last season, but then the opposition ought to be too. I reallly hope we strengthen at CB and CDM before end August, otherwise I think we are likely to be fighting relegation again, though with a slightly better chance of survival than we were looking at after the window closed end August last year.
 
My god, if there's ever a war fought in trenches again, let me be stuck next to Oddball. Or, possibly the other end of the trench from him!

I've said before, and I stick to my guns. I recon that at the moment we're looking at just under mid table. If we sign a good cb, and he fits in rapidly, then we're looking top 10. And if we get 2 solid cb's of the Samba ilk who gel, Ali gets fit quick, Taarabt has another Championship winning season and Cisse sorts his discipline and still bangs in the goals, then we could, possibly, do a Newcastle.

Time will tell.....
 
I've said I don't expect us to be in the relegation mix, I just don't want us flirting with it again. Last season I must have aged 10 years on the run-in, I really can't take another rollercoaster season, they're taking their toll on me...:grin:
 
Sooperhoop said:
I've said I don't expect us to be in the relegation mix, I just don't want us flirting with it again. Last season I must have aged 10 years on the run-in, I really can't take another rollercoaster season, they're taking their toll on me...:grin:
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Mavis Riley

Have you tried Bob Martins?
Or get yourself a comfort blanket
 
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