• Not really a surprise | Football, QPR  

      by
      oldtimeranger
      Published on 16/08/2011 11:00 AM
      4 Comments Comments
      Football, QPR

      Now that the shock of being walloped by Bolton has sunk in I ask myself if I am really surprised. I know you might think the following is stating the obvious but if we get our heads right we can still have a great season.

      We all knew that our romp through the Championship last year was not going to be emulated this season and getting beaten 0-4 in our opening game was a slap in the face but one I think we all saw coming. I watched the Community Shield match and truthfully couldn't see our lads living with either team in what was really a pre-season warm up. Would any of our squad be considered for either team?

      Bolton are a decent side and capable of giving most a tough game, but I don't see them finishing better than just inside the top half of the table, which I believe most Bolton fans would consider a good season. Having said that, the reality is they have a much better team than us which is, of course, why they thrashed us.

      The Premier League is an unusual league because, I would submit without claiming any special insight, that although there are many fine sides like Bolton, only four teams can win it: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. There are probably only another four or five teams that can finish in the places five to 10: Spurs, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Everton and maybe Fulham, perhaps even Bolton.

      That leaves the league we're in and I think we can do well within that sub-league with only a small improvement in our squad. If we concentrate our thinking on a league of ten teams we can and must be competitive against, I think we can have a relatively successful season. It's about tailoring our expectations to align with the reality of competing in the Premier League. A very unequal competition.

       

       

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      Comments 4 Comments
      1. kiwiqpr's Avatar
        kiwiqpr - 16/08/2011, 08:49 AM
        just hope we finish 7th or above in that league of 10
      1. Sooperhoop's Avatar
        Sooperhoop - 16/08/2011, 08:56 AM
        A fair assessment Oldtime, I'd go further and say we're in a five team league, Blackburn, Wigan, Norwich, Swansea and ourselves. One of the others may have an upheaval and plummet but I think on squad strength and signings to date we have to finish 1st or 2nd in our five team league! Saturday's result could be a blessing in disguise as the tight-arsed behaviour of the Goons has been widely ridiculed.
      1. oldtimeranger's Avatar
        oldtimeranger - 16/08/2011, 09:03 AM
        You may be right Sooper, I draw some hope from the fact that bigger clubs like Newcastle and Wolves have very unsettled domestic situations themselves. We must make a fortress of Loftus road when the like of these and the Wigans and Blackburns visit. Bettering the teams you mention is a must
      1. Flanman's Avatar
        Flanman - 16/08/2011, 09:07 AM
        Totally agree kind of said something similar myself, but you put it into a better perspective. Although Sooper don't agree with Norwich can't see them being that involved with relegation there team is well balanced and work extremely hard for each other, better than most the the bottom half of the table and this has been my opinion for some time and not based on one match.