Farewells and departures seeming to be en vogue on this forum at the moment. We have probably all had our moments when we have been less satisfied with what is happening on this forum than at other times, I certainly have. A number of months ago the knee jerk reactions to losses, tactics, substitutions etc was really grating on me and I started to look around. I had previously signed up on the âRangers Boysâ forum to drum up support for the petition (remember that?), but I knew that I would not be happy on that forum. I had a quick look at Loft for Words but, apart from being home to the admirable Clive Whittingham, did not seem right for me. I joined QPR Report. I enjoy the quality of discourse on their average thread, I enjoy the high standard of thought and intellect applied regularly, but this is not enough. I do still post there from time to time, but it is sporadic at best. What I failed to appreciate at that time was the quality of diversity we have on Not606. Elsewhere there is no Eamon, there is no Col, there is no Beth, there is no Ninj, there is no 999s, there is no Hawkster and there definitely is no Brixton. Others will have to forgive me for not mentioning them by name, but you get my drift. In my opinion we have the best variety of posters on this forum, I have my favourites as you do yours, the great joy of this forum is that they will not be the same. I think that he acid test will be if the ânewbiesâ stay. They will have been posting elsewhere, if they are still here in a month or twoâs time, we are better than where they were before. Val, Igor, Yappy etc. are you staying? I, like others, have looked elsewhere, but the grass is definitely not greener elsewhere, Personally I have stopped looking around, no other forum offers what we have here.. I sincerely feel that we have the best forum, letâs just enjoy it. Notes: Col, are we getting a match report tomorrow?
Ive also looked around lately and have to say this site realy is the best one going. Rarely post anything now but enjoy reading most threads on here (especially cols rants). ps what the **** is going on with all this 'member of the month' ****??? Bit gay!!
Fully agree, and as I have said on another thread, there isn't a quota of posts anyone has to make to retain a log in. So why people have to "leave" and post the fact that they are doing so I can't understand. You don't HAVE to post or comment but it would be less interesting if you didn't even read the posts before deciding. So when you "leavers" find that out....welcome back in advance.
I certainly do Roller. Another top piece. I actually think it's quite nice (if a litte primadonna) that people feel that they should say goodbye. Shows that they valued and enjoyed their time on the board and would feel a bit guilty if they just left. Whether the majority care if they do is not really the point.
Well said Roller. I haven't personally looked at other Rangers boards, not with any great depth anyway. I wouldn't want to discredit the other boards,after just a brief overview of them. What I have seen is pretty samey, and a bit of the 'old school network' and ' closed shop' feel to them. I may be wrong, and maybe any cross board not 606ers may like to point out why other boards are better. I feel that on this board, everyone is on an even keel. Newcomers are made welcome and their opinions and views are respected as much as anybody elses. There are no 'Top Dogs' on here that every other sycophant feels that they have to bow down too. Even if a regular, popular poster makes an ass of themselves, they get told. Rightly so. As to the point about recent negative posts, I too felt the same. But at the same time, I found myself joining in, in some of them. Although I try and remain optimistic when it comes down to all things QPR. ( You have to don't you? ) Negativity and disillusionment on the board. I think it's fair to say, that has a lot to do with the form we were in at that time. Prior to our horrible results and performances we were bantering on the 'Three promoted teams' thread with the Swans and Norwich, wishing eachother luck, top ten finishes etc. I think it's the basic psychology of a fan whether that's someone who goes to games or not. It's all great and smelling of roses when your achieving expectation, but it seems like the world is caving in when you don't win. Get yourself on a football forum, and you can, as an anonymous poster let your feelings be known. We now find ourselves back to a similar situation as we did after TF took over and made all those wonderful signings. Our board was buyount, and full of hope and expectation. This time though, it's Sparky and his wonderful signings. But still the same feeling of hope and expectation. Which way will this board be singing in four weeks? Stay tuned. To say that not606QPR is the best Rangers board out there would be a bit presumptuous of me. But, it's definitely in the TOP ONE !
Once again Roller puts up a sparkling piece. Extremely well put and to the point (unlike the redoubtable Clive Whittingham whom I admire greatly but does go on a bit!). Some posters on here use reasoned, intelligent arguments (Roller, Brix, SB to name but a few), some exude pure passion for the Club (Col, QPranger etc) and others like to stir things up a bit. More use humour and some are just plain mad (Oddball). Even our Willy has his uses! So I agree. That is the best thing about this board; pure diversity not just of opinion but of character and personality too. Long may it continue.
I've only been a poster for little over a year, but been a reader of many boards for years. It was the Faurlin gate last January that was my final drop, needed to let out steam after the frustration reached boiling point. I choose the original 606 BBC board, mainly because it was a crossboard which I found refreshing. Then when it closed I joined not606 after my summer holiday. Been a member on LoftForWords for years (big fan of Clive), and i echo many of your sentiments nines. I've used WATRB, QPR Report, LWF, QPRNET etc for news and enjoyment, but without interacting other than on match reports on LWF. Therefor as you say we're not in a position to judge, but I'm certain there is a reason why we've chosen this board and STAYED on it. Even though the quality of QPR Report and LFW are unquestionable, it doesn't have the same "fun factor" as this one imo. The only one who cares about QPR are us, R's fans. I can discuss at length with my other footie mates (Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs etc), but i reckon they care as little about us as I do of them. If people want to leave then let them. As I've said on the other thread on this topic, I couldn't care less who's on the board as long as the quality, humour and banter is good.
One thing I will say for this site is that, unlike the other Rangers sites, other fans have access to here. Hence, we have some good posters from other clubs (Thai Canary and District Line spring to mind). That, to me, is the stand out quality of this site. I'm a member of another 606 spawn, but only for the wrestling (ok. You can laugh) forum. Here, in creating a community for fans of all clubs, that allow cross club threads, they simply do it better than the other places I've seen / signed up to.
There are a few of us newbies that have only been here a few months..a group of us came over from another board where we were mods & posters. We all looked around and even posted as to which board we should go for. Without putting others boards down, this one came out on top. I personally read a lot of other boards but find some of them to be closed shops, abusive, boring and some just plain dumb. I enjoy the level of intellect and quality of posts on here. Even the humour has some thought behind it. Now i wont say this is the best or busiest board, but its certainly one of the ones i enjoy reading and posting on. Keep up the good work boys and girls !! Keep the Faith and stay positive.....OUR club is in a good place right now !!!
Thank you for your kind words, nice to know some appreciate external input although they may not always agree with the point of view. Rollercoaster Ranger - You are spot on, this is the top QPR forum I have seen (ok, I have only seen 3 others but still). From the external point of view, this board is extremely active (one of the most active) and rarely dull although that has been mostly through the peaks and troughs experienced by your supporters in the last few years and more so in the last 12 months! There certainly is a cross section of characters, some pleasant others not so much but that is no different to any other walk of life and something we try to live with. Although I have no love for QPR, the same as you guys have no love for Norwich, I do read the board most days to see what is going on - your board however is not unique, I do the same with about 15 others (too much time on my hands). The last thing I would say is - please QPR fans, do not leave here if possible. Keep your board as it currently is and if things are not going do well on the pitch or within the club just remember there is little or nothing you can do about it and try to accept what is happening. Take the good with the bad, live and let live etc
This. What ever happens to our beloved club, nothing any of us do can change it. Even a Euromillions win (or winning the Texas Lottery, or that annoying king from Nigeria who needs your help getting his money out of the country) can change the fact. As Roller said once, we're all strapped in. All we can do is follow where the Rollercoaster takes us. And, at some point in the future, the sad fact is that this board, and whoever's still here kicking the tumbleweed around behind the broken down house, will become a support group again.
Totally agree mate. I have kept silent on this so far. Really don't see the point in all these "awards". As long as a post is well thought out and argued then who cares. The quality of some of the new guys and girls has deffo improved this forum. But why the need to tell somebody that "you're great". The negativity that was killing this board before christmas has gone for now. Obviously due to the appointment of MH and the acquisition of new players. Great to see Col, TBGWTDT and Swords back. I see all people as equal contributors on this site. Well done also to the Mods for their lack of moderating and well done to the members for some great threads. PS: Mods, great to see some of these polls gone. They were really starting to p**s me off. Please limit them. I know some of the new members are enthuastic, and while this has to be encouraged it also has to be managed a little. Tnx.
I just think the key to a successful forum of whatever genre is the 'mix'. If you have one that is all 'samey' it has no spark to it, if you have one that is split into opposite 'camps' it degenerates into something you don't want to be part of. Some are just plain 'cliquey' and you never feel part of. What we have here is a great mix of contributors, many with their own 'quirky styles', a very individual group who can generate all types of debate; serious, topical, funny or even plain daft. Everyone has a say and can feel part of the 'community'. I think a big contributing factor to the success of this site was that a large number of us were already on 606 when it closed and moved over here together, so there was a familiar feel to the place to start with. Even our 'outsiders' such as DistrictLine, Thai Canary and DragonPhillJack are decent posters. You'll have to go a long way to find anywhere better...
Well said Roller,like many others I have looked at alternative forums but this is definately the best. Love the banter (good or bad) love the way the site works and think that Brix and previously Northolt do a great job.Keep up the good work.
Yep, contributions to the other sites are sporadic at best and often juvenile whereas our community here enjoys continual input, a vast range of opinions and, just ocassionally, some really excellent writing. Long may it last.
Another quality thread starter Roller, very thought provoking given recent criticisms that the board has gone stale... For me it's anything but. The mood and tone of our collective posts simply reflects that rollercoaster that is QPR. Having said that, it's certainly not wrong to moan and groan when things are going south - it's actually theraputic. Gets a bit intense for a while until the collective mindset finds new hope to cling to! As others have pointed out above, the one thing this board has over the Rangers-only ones is the opportunity to interact with fans of other clubs. This is the feature that presents the most significant challenges to not606 mods. Meaningful communication is virtually impossible without a level of mutual respect working (try calling someone a **** and then ask them to listen to / empathise with what you're saying... ). With that basic respect in place, the quality and depth of discussion improves no end (Newcastle and recent Chelsea threads confirm this - and Norwich was going fine till our disagreements re. the sending off that changed the outcome of the game). Keyboard warriors threaten those cross-board communication links and therefore this site's unique selling point. Where else can you openly discuss a game with 'rival' supporters? Despite areas of agreement, there's no getting away from the fact that 'their' fans want their teams to win as much as we do ours. There will be a bit of banter, ribbing and wum stuff but we have to remember there's no point in trying to convince, bully, cajole or abuse opposing fans into seeing it our way - much less converting to QPR! Ain't gonna happen. Classic agree to disagree territory. This is what makes the concept of a keyboard warrior so imbecilic. Anyone can type swearwords and abuse - even children and old grannies! Whose listening to that drivvel? Virtual muscle is no muscle at all. In this environment, engaging opposing opinion is a mind game - and without sufficient respect in place, a game that becomes more jeuvenile, dysfunctional and ultimately boring the longer it goes on. It's not for PC reasons we have to mod disrespect, it's the only practical means of keeping both this site and our board vital and relevant.
