Anyone Up For A 'Long Haul' Stand?

YappyR · Oct 26, 2016

QPR999 said: ↑

QPR fans in it for the long haul – but what does that mean?’

It’s been a difficult start to the season for QPR. Results and performances have been disappointing at times and there has been a noticeably subdued atmosphere around Loftus Road.

But Rangers fan Ted Kessler, like many others, has been here before – and believes patience is required.

I’m in it for the long haul. I’m sure everyone reading this is too, but it’s worth examining what that entails.

Often, I wish there was a ‘Long Haul’ stand at Loftus Road where fans who’d signed up to support QPR through thin, sometimes very thin, occasionally gossamer and, once in a glorious while, in abundance, could congregate.

We’d do so knowing this:

1) Football is miserable, disappointing, unpredictable and yet, at the same time, so very predictable.

2) You can’t win them all.

3) You can go through a whole season barely enjoying a game, and yet you’ll watch nearly every minute (see seasons ’78-’79; ’00-’01, ’14-’15 etc).

4) Sometimes, these bad seasons can seep into the next season too. In fact they can go on for the best part of a decade (see 1996-2003; 2005-2010).

5) QPR is not a big club. It’s a small club in a densely populated area, but the locals are transient and the club competes with many near neighbours.

So when prices and expectations are low, but tails are up, the ground is full and rocking. Quite often, though, the club is in some kind of flux and therefore when Bristol City visit on a chilly Tuesday when the Champions League is on telly you get the 12k base. So be it. That’s QPR.

6) It’s rarely as bad as the run you are on feels. But sometimes it’s worse.

7) You will lose many, many games.

8) That player you’ve just signed who everyone thinks will make the difference, probably won’t.

9) Occasionally, though, a hero emerges and you’ll know him straight away (Stan Bowles, Kevin Gallen, Paul Parker, for example). But often the players who become indispensable, who destabilise the place when they leave, take ages to develop – and they’ll be written off long before they do.

Les Ferdinand, Paul Furlong, Adel Taarabt – they took years to come good. It’s a miracle they were still with us when it all fell into place for them. And then we couldn’t live without them.

10) So be patient. Always. Be thankful that there’s a plan now, and a squad that is full of promise but very much in the getting-to-know-you stage. How many of last Tuesday’s team played together before August?

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink may not see it through – history suggests his personality lacks the required QPR exuberance – but he’s doing a good job of putting the tracks in line, setting some standards.

History shows the great QPR managers applied the finishing touches and pizzazz to another’s more painstaking work: Jago built Sexton’s; Howe built Francis’s; a whole production line built Warnock’s. I feel like JFH and Les Ferdinand are building someone else’s.

I only see green shoots with this squad. So I’m going to give Ben Gladwin a chance. I’m going to give them all a chance, and another chance, and another (apart from Sandro – how many chances does he need?).

Gladwin won valuable midfield headers against Bristol City again and again – something we haven’t had since Ale Faurlin’s promotion season. I like him.

Give him a chance and he might grow into a modern Mick Leach or Martin Allen – unloved but essential cogs in their teams. Give them all a chance. You’re in it for the long haul, after all.

http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/football-wls-qpr-long-haul-stand
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Yeah yeah yeah ' course I'm in it for the long haul, I'm a Rangers supporter
But those big names you mentioned like Parker, Ferdinand, and if I may add, the likes of Seaman - all get poached once they achieve greatness, they never stay, and we're not big enough for them to stay, including great managers (haha that's a joke, innit, how we've gone through so many managers over the last 5 years as if they were bogroll just there to be thrown away)
I've got patience for the Club, I'll forever be an R

But I don't have patience for the crap ones who could be doing better, who are supposed to be doing better, who talk as if they're better - but are not, never were and never will

And you're completely wrong about Adel, he was always a maverick, he just needed Uncle Neil to bring out the best in him

As I mentioned last year how we needed a new, bigger, nicer stadium
Even if we achieve promotion and greatness to the Prem, the players don't feel like staying because we're still an old-time small English club, these players think just by achieving promotion, by some form of magic osmosis the stadium gets bigger and flashy when they come back the next season with us but no it's still the same old Loftus Road, which is also a problem, the league might be different but the stadium is the same so they all move on to bigger and flashier places

kiwiqpr · Oct 26, 2016

at some stage in every long haul trip you want a nice easy landing or even a nice relaxing layover
havig really good staff doing their best to make the journey as pleasurable as possible is also a bonus

Wherever · Oct 26, 2016

kiwiqpr said: ↑

at some stage in every long haul trip you want a nice easy landing or even a nice relaxing layover
havig really good staff doing their best to make the journey as pleasurable as possible is also a bonus
Click to expand...

Thank **** for the duty free

seagullhoop · Oct 27, 2016

kiwiqpr said: ↑

at some stage in every long haul trip you want a nice easy landing
Click to expand...

In my experience a landing generally comes at the end of the flight... any contact with the ground earlier than that is called a crash!

kiwiqpr · Oct 27, 2016

seagullhoop said: ↑

In my experience a landing generally comes at the end of the flight... any contact with the ground earlier than that is called a crash!
Click to expand...

or a stop over which is usually half way into a really long haul flight
or xmas in terms of a football season
funnily enough when apparently jfhs contract is up for renewel
will he have captained us well enough for his flight
do we need a fresh pilot for the rest of the journey
will his crew have been keeping us happy and entertained as we relax in cattle craft

Anyone Up For A 'Long Haul' Stand?

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Anyone Up For A 'Long Haul' Stand?

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