QPR got it SPOT ON this year

From the time we were relegated until the very early stages of this season a majority of people said that the best thing for the club would be to use this season to consolidate, make sure another relegation isn't a threat, bring in some young, hungry players and gain some stability and forward moving vision, perhaps pusing for promotion in 1, 2 or 3 seasons after that.

Also, the expectations of the majority were that we'd finish somewhere around midtable and most people said they'd be ok with that as long as a rebuild was on.

So why did we all change at some point and raise our expections or change our ideas about what would be good for the club? Some people have said their expectations changed when we kept Austin and Phillips. I don't think many people believed he would stay for the whole season, if EPL teams came knocking. And Phillips? Why people would think having Phillips would significantly change our season for the better is a mystery to me.

We've ended up, at the end of this season, with a squad set-up, coaching team and club set-up whom all seem proactive and forward thinking. We've ended up with a young, decent manager who now has a whole pre-season and transfer window to lay his foundations. We've ended up with some hungry, good young players (although, we need more additions of course). It seems as though some people are furious that our team looks like one in the midst of finding itself and it seems that some people have not picked up on how different things are at the club these days. This is not me being gullible; I am not a fan of Tony and I know we have non-footballing issues hanging over our club.

This is me addressing some of the dreadful pessimism. Why not be positive and give things a chance? Is it more enticing to predict doom and have the satisfaction of telling everyone you were right when we have one cock up? Predicting what's going to happen in football will forever be something impossible. Things could go badly next season. They could also go extremely well. I do not believe that anyone here has access to enough information to come a solid conclusion on how next season will go. But I will say this... we are almost exactly in the place we predicted ourselves to be in, in the place we were comfortable with as long as there was potential for progress.

 

After the summer window closed I posted a poll to see where people thought we would finish. The overwhelming majority thought we would be automatically promoted or in the play off places. So we are nowhere near where most people who post on here predicted we would be. Whether that is a good or a bad thing is of course a matter of personal judgement. Personally, I thought that keeping Austin, Fer, Sandro and Phillips should mean our expectation should have been a strong promotion bid, but that a successful one would just paper over the massive cracks in the club's approach to everything.

I'll try and find that thread and bump it.

 

I for one am happy with the mid table finish and different complexion of the club and playing staff.

Still plenty of work to do and would be happy with a top ten finish next season. Problem will be what, if anything, happens with FFP rules and if the club become indecisive on direction.

 

I think we're in the best position, since Warnock saved us from relegation, to naturally progress and improve from one season to the next without the gamble of a complete overhaul. That stands even if we move out the last of our big "stars".

Whether that will be a huge improvement or a missed shot at the playoffs is the question. Either is fine though.

The club is being run realistically but it's clear that those involved are ambitious, just not overreaching.

I find the negativity surrounding the manager and all the players quite draining though.

 

It would be much better if we were all feeling super positive. Maybe if we were headed for the play offs, people might be a bit more positive. After wasting £250m on all sorts of players, to sit where we sit now in this division really is not a very good position to be in. As we are mid table, I suppose there is as much to be positive about as negative. I will speak for myself and say yes, I have said some negative things about some of our players but for the moment, I am remaining positive about the manager even though what is being served up is turgid. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, one whole Summer to recruit his own players and up to Christmas next season to make me enjoy the games again. If things haven't changed considerably by then, my support for him will end. That's a fair position.[/QUOTE]

 

This is where I wanted to be and expected to be this year. At one point last autumn I thought we could lose confidence and plummet. I have to say that rot was stopped when Chris Ramsey left. I feel Colin was a bit lucky but JFH appears to have the players training harder. We are no longer always seeming to lose matches in last 10 minutes...more likely we get points in the last minute.
We have a structure and a plan....but we are still very fragile. At Burton and now here Jimmy appears to play for a draw and build from there......Good plan when you have a player or two who can win matches in a wink of an eye....I hope Chery will be that player
But Jimmy has had a good look at the players. He is making them his own too.

Chery, Polter, Gladwin, Luongo, Hall are responding to him.
A good transfer window....Phillips, Hoillett, Green, Diakite, Caulker, Fer out....
A CD, a DCM, a striker...but more than that a captain...need to be bought.
I expect only the Captain, if bought, will be someone we know....we will be buying youngsters and players who are truely hungry...because Jimmy himself really is hungry...

I am expecting more next year.
JFH is on a rolling one year contract....he will need to be in a good place by November.

Remember we do not need to have won the Championship by then....but we need to be in contention...and building...just like Burnley this year.
I am optimistic

 

I was one who stated a season of consolidation would be a good thing, expectations changed when the 'star' players stayed and moreso when TF announced we were chasing promotion. That statement, as usual, put the mockers on things and we have stuttered along looking very unimpressive since then.

If we were playing flowing attractive football and looking like we were progressing our league position would be irrelevant, but we're not. We are, frankly, a bloody awful side to watch. When we come up against good teams we often fold spectacularly as we did at Brighton. That game provided a clear indication of how far we are from being even contenders for next season.

Unless there are four or five quality Championship players brought in we are likely to be struggling in the bottom half next season. If this was a school report it would be marked as a 'D' and MUST do better...

 

We just need 1 half decent No 9
Crouch will do
Make him captain as well.

 

Whilst we may not be playing flowing attractive football (not many do in this league do they?), we have been grinding out the odd good result. You could flip your statement around with a more positive spin Sooper..."when we come up against good teams we often battle to a difficult point or even the odd win" maybe?

This season was always going to be work in progress with all the various changes at the club, especially in such a tough league. I agree it certainly isn't pretty at the moment, but I hope that the rest of the season, the transfer window and pre-season will see a different and more progressive Rs side.

Interesting view on Crouch...isn't he getting on a bit now though?

As a side note, anyone have any idea how many appearances the "star" players have actually put in this season? Who do we consider to be the "star" players?

 

Based on perceived earnings, Rob Green, Nedum Onouha, Junior Hoilett, and Matt Phillips. Two players on loan, Sandro and Fer.[/QUOTE]

 

[/QUOTE]
What about the magnificent Steven Caulker......he'll be on his way back to us soon.

 

What about the magnificent Steven Caulker......he'll be on his way back to us soon.[/QUOTE]

S### how could I forget such an athlete?

 

I would simply ask this question to put things into perspective, how many of today's team would be first choices in the 2010-11 team? I'm hard-pressed to think of one...

 

Mackie, Faulin and Hill?

 

They're all shadows of their form that season...

 

The 250 million is gone and the players that will be here next season won't have constituted more than a few pennies of it. It would be unfair to hang the quarter of a billion's worth of expectation on this group when they're clearly separated.

I do think the rest of your post is completely fair and reasonable though.

 

It's all about managing expectations, when Austin stayed beyond the summer transfer window expectations went stellar, mine included. With hindsight I wish that Charlie had left in August as it did us no favours him staying until January.
Where do us as fans perceive the club's natural level sits, Premier league? Championship? Personally, I think we are a Championship side that occasionally punches above our weight and it will be interesting to see what unfolds next season as the days of big money signings are clearly over [and rightly so]
I for one am looking forward to it, with some shrewd signings who knows what can be achieved, look at Leicester a team of players most of which came from lower leagues or not deemed good enough at other Premiership clubs.
Bring on season 2016/17!

 

We are where we are realistically for a club of our size....consolidated... Getting rid of the overpaid under achievers and hopefully an owner learning from his mistakes!

 

Fair point mate, I was being somewhat facetious. That squad had strength in depth, a great manager and a standout star.. Not sure how many of those things apply to our current team...? That said I do think that we are a work in progress..