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Reply | Same Time Next Year
at 13:02 12 Mar 2026
I dont believe player improvement and lack of fitness are unconnected. If you are out of breath, after 20 minutes (Saito) cramping up in March (Edwards) etc tiredness leads to poor decisions, poor decisions lead to falls in confidence.
Last night the commentator from the start , QPR are at least a yard of the pace.
Fitness of the body and fitness of the mind and speed of thought are connected. |
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Reply | Gaffer on tonight's defeat
at 07:59 12 Mar 2026
Can be read a number of ways, the problem as I see it is without Madsen and without functioning wide players / pace, we dont really know how to play through midfield. We know Saito's English is not good. Gos only knows what Varane was supposed to be doing yesterday. Morgan gave the ball away a bit when he came on but he actually did help us start to create the midfield. I'm not sure Field would have made a difference tbh. Mbengue being 1 yellow from a 3 game ban means he is playing within himself and was lucky last night to get away with it. The full back situation is a major issue.
Stephen talked about keeping it simple, but keeping it simple is surely having the right players in the right positions and the mistake is playing players out of position that are not good enough to do it. However if you were to think of the squad in its current state as a poker hand, it's a dire one. If we can. keep Poku fit it maybe we have a king or an ace in the hand at last which is something to work with. |
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Reply | This Season Almost A Replica of The McLaren Season
at 22:06 11 Mar 2026
Ultimately the problem (and yes I know there is one or two exceptions every year) is that the playing field is so unlevel. Our last four games Southampton, Sheff Utd, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, teams with either vastly bigger budgets 3 of the 4 current form teams in the division. Why do we collapse or start awfully most seasons, because we either have a good team that starts and injuries and lack of depth knock us over or we have a crap start because we have no decent players have bought last minute because we can't compete for players and then make some decent loan signings in January to help us stay up.
The reality is the two successes we have had in this league have been
a) when we had a combo of a once in a generation player who could win games on his own with a wiley manager who put a decent team and structure around him
b) when we had the biggest playing budget in the league and got promoted despite the manager
For everything else we are just a Preston. and we need an extraordinary series of events, luck, exceptional management to even get close to top 6 |
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Reply | I've never felt more like starting the Blues Match Thread..
at 21:50 11 Mar 2026
What have we learnt today,
Play players in their correct positions and the team semi functions in this formation even with the injuries
Saito and Varane need to be benched and probably shipped end of season, as soon as they were taken off we at least looked like we had 10 outfield players instead of eight
Left back situation has come back to haunt us we have only one viable LB
Mbengue's card collection has come back to haunt us we have only one viable RB
Whilst Morgan is a long long way of Madsen he does at least get about and try and progress the ball forward. and it looked like we had some form of midfield rather than the 5 across the back 3 upfront and a couple of NPC ghosts first half
Kolli on the pitch is better than not having him on it.
If Poku's elastic bands hold we might have a player there
Edwards with Cramp, Cook with a calf strain the cyclist strikes again
and Stephen has managed to produce a half of football worse than Ainsworth away at Watford and that is really going some. [Post edited 11 Mar 21:52]
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Reply | I've never felt more like starting the Blues Match Thread..
at 20:34 11 Mar 2026
I've genuinely given Stephen the benefit of the doubt but that was as bad as any Ainsworth game, a total utter embarrassment of a performance, clearly lost the dressing room, Varane and Saito stealing a living. Clark Salter playing like he has smoke a big reefer before the game. And oh my god call yourself a captain Jimmy Dunne an absolute embarrassment of a performance and leadership. If he does not haul half of them off at half time I think he is done |
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Reply | Steve cook
at 22:19 8 Mar 2026
Got to be contract related, though IMHO dont think it would have made much difference today, only 1 goal Dunne's poor / misheader from the corner could be laid at the centre backs. Mbengue should have done better with the 1st and 3rd. Problem for me was with the ball |
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Reply | All A Hard Watch & Struggle
at 22:12 8 Mar 2026
I thought Edwards was our best midfielder by some distance today when he moved in there and probably our best player overall. Mbengue's head had gone and 3 game ban upcoming so right to hook him. If Varane gets a 1 in Clive's report I would be surprised, at fault for two goals and every half decent move broke down when he received the ball.
Saito bent over puffing in the 25 minute after a run. Kone barely able to jog after 40 minutes, though better after half time. The fitness is atrocious and all the goals self inflicted |
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Reply | Middlesbrough Reflection
at 20:34 8 Mar 2026
We lost today because of individual mistakes plain and simple, bar the goal first half they did not create too much, The way we pressed their back 3 / 4 and cut off lines was effective and they broke in a few times behind the fallback or from their excellent movement and fast triangle passing in the centre mid space. We were coping. Varane asleep in the middle their guy scuffs his shot, its going wide bounces back off Norrington Davies they score via their own players arm.
On the ball again we did ok in fits and spells, but everything broke down time and time again most often via Varane who had an absolute shocker of a game.
Second half again we were doing ok with some decent threat but making the wrong decision in the final third. Played ourselves into trouble leading to a corner that Dunne fluffs with a terrible clearance header they get a bit of luck off the bar Kone probably has to do better. Third comes from another Varane error Walash makes a save then we dont defend properly Mbengue needs to be quicker out to the ball. Less said about the pen the better gotta feel sorry for the lad. I get why we had to taken Mbengue off (before he gets booked) and ND (can't play 3 games in a week.
I thought the team tried hard but were let down by some very poor performances from individuals.
Varane possibly the worst game of his QPR career cost us two of the goals
Saito really poor again. Blowing out of his arse after 25 minutes.
Mbengue fantastic going forward but played his part in two of their goals
I'm not mad, I'm just sad. Home and away Borough the best team we have played, the most inventive tactically, the best technically.
Its been a horrible run of games which we've had to play without key key players, whilst being totally undercooked fitness wise, and some players who we would hope would step up showing some of the worst form of their QPR careers.
If there are any positives to be had from today they were Vale and Morgan and Ronnie Edwards showing for 15 minutes that he is the best defensive midfielder we have, and I think needs to start their given we have both Cook (assuming its contract) and JCS available |
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Reply | Pony Up: Dunne's a Pro, Blades for show Fred
at 10:34 1 Mar 2026
attacking and with the ball yes but in our final third when defending it was a five and Ronnie being in the RCB slot and vale along side him not in front of him |
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Reply | Sheffield United Reflection
at 19:43 28 Feb 2026
We played a back 5 for the first half Vale was playing right wing back, I'm guessing because Stephen does not trust Esquerdinha, abandoned after the second goal, I felt if we could have got through to half time we might have been in with a chance but Varane's miss kick leading to 2nd goal killed us off |
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Reply | Pony Up: Dunne's a Pro, Blades for show Fred
at 19:38 28 Feb 2026
Surprised it's not been mentioned , but we started 3-5-2 today with Vale and Esquerdinha as wing backs, Varane sat in front of the defence with Morgan and Saito in front as attacking midfielders.
And it did not work, we ended up very very deep and literally 5 mins before they scored Wilder called Chong over and pushed both their wide men up so they were almost 4-2-4 and they targeted overloading on their right our left.
After the 2nd went in Stephen reverted to 4-4-2
tbh I dont really know what more we could have done differently, we are so bare bones. Walsh, Esquerdinha, Morgan, Bennie are probably L2 / L1 level at the moment. Saito and Varane are woefully out of form. There is no creativity, no pace its all on the treatment table. We all knew we were going to get beat and most were predicting 3 or more.
Finally I still dont understand why the goal was given offside I dont think I've ever seen that before, either at Rangers or on TV at another game |
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Reply | Walsh
at 22:39 24 Feb 2026
I thought he was a key player against Hull. He could have done better tonight with the goals but the discussion with Mackie and Austin on the sky analysis was not about the keeper, he was exposed time and time again in that game from rank defending from the defence and the team as a whole. Wrong scapegoat IMHO |
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Reply | Field...
at 22:09 24 Feb 2026
Would not have made a difference tonight bar the first all down to the back 5 |
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Reply | I've not started a match thread before, but I thought f*ck it, why not? v Saints
at 22:02 24 Feb 2026
We can talk about injuries, we can talk about that Walsh could have done better but those first 4 goals were done to errors from the 2 most senior players on the pitch. Hayden losing his man for the first Dunne has had an absolute mare there should have headed the second and miles out of position for the 3rd and 4th leaving us totally exposed |
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Reply | I've not started a match thread before, but I thought f*ck it, why not? v Saints
at 20:54 24 Feb 2026
Shame really generally speaking we've played really well, I thought Hayden at fault for the first, nothing Walsh can do. Totally dominant thereafter and then mad Ben has a mad 10 minutes and puts under a lot of pressure. Yes you can question Walsh for the 2nd but I thought that had to be Dunne's to clear or at least block their player. |
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