| And breathe – Report on 05:07 - Apr 11 with 4630 views | FDC |
"fūcked by a train" 😂 Well that's a new one. |  | |  |
| And breathe – Report on 06:30 - Apr 11 with 4520 views | Rsole |
Totally preposterous - that is just not the game model, Clive.
‘Field, Jonathan Varane and Jack Colback got together as a trio and all had arguably their best games of the season.’
3 in midfield, humbug.
Did some of your inspiration came from the drive in movies showing on the large screen behind the goal ? If so, Clarice would be proud.
Great writing as ever ! |  |
| Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?
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| And breathe – Report on 07:01 - Apr 11 with 4419 views | Sharpediver |
That is superb. Had me chortling all the way through.
Staring into The Ark of the Covenant is better for your skin complexion than managing this rabble. 😆😆😆 |  | | |
| And breathe – Report on 07:23 - Apr 11 with 4320 views | mart_Goblin |
Excellent as ever . Some parts of that made me really belly laugh .
Imagine how young and fresh we’d all look without this bloody club 🤣 [Post edited 11 Apr 7:24]
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| And breathe – Report on 07:34 - Apr 11 with 4254 views | thehat |
Brilliant Clive pure poetry again. I seem to be saying this a lot but that is up there with your best. Some real gems in there that had me in hysterics and it certainly deserves a second or third read.
I never went so watched from behind the sofa. However my Daughter went with her mates and they were buzzing when they returned in the small hours.
Actually looking forward to Saturday now without the added stress....... | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 07:48 - Apr 11 with 4163 views | Dorse |
I will never see the Pink Panther in quite the same way. |  |
| 'What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!' |
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| And breathe – Report on 07:54 - Apr 11 with 4129 views | Hunterhoop |
| And breathe – Report on 06:30 - Apr 11 by Rsole |
Totally preposterous - that is just not the game model, Clive.
‘Field, Jonathan Varane and Jack Colback got together as a trio and all had arguably their best games of the season.’
3 in midfield, humbug.
Did some of your inspiration came from the drive in movies showing on the large screen behind the goal ? If so, Clarice would be proud.
Great writing as ever ! |
I have said it ALL season, from half way through our Sheffield United game, this side, squad, club, needs to play 3 genuine centre midfielders to be effective. Be gone with the midget 10s. We need men in the middle of the park. We can have two midgets as wide forwards and whoever is standing up front down the middle, but we need 3 down the middle. Ostensibly one of them can be pressing higher up the pitch and find themselves in the box supporting our forward, but that is how we compete.
Our great run was Varane, Field, Morgan. Wednesday night was Varane, Colback, Field. Perm variations.
Our bad run started when Chair was fit again, not because Chair played badly per se, but because we went back to trying to play with 2 of those 3 and then Chair, more recently Andersen, in front of them. It does not work. Not with our personnel. Teams play through us far too easily and we have to start our attacks from far deeper (because our press and tackling is worse), making it far less likely we will score.
Let’s just embrace who we are until we’re a bit more competent, eh? |  | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:06 - Apr 11 with 4068 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| And breathe – Report on 07:01 - Apr 11 by Sharpediver |
That is superb. Had me chortling all the way through.
Staring into The Ark of the Covenant is better for your skin complexion than managing this rabble. 😆😆😆 |
Quality line.
Great report, Clive. Superb.
Thanks. |  |
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| And breathe – Report on 08:10 - Apr 11 with 4026 views | stevec |
Lovely report. Filled me in as I missed most of the game.
It feels like most of our successes this season come when we play a three across centre midfield yet whenever the injuries recede Marti defaults to three behind the forward and we are less successful.
You’d think he might have cottoned on to the issue by now. |  | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:13 - Apr 11 with 3996 views | Northernr |
| And breathe – Report on 08:10 - Apr 11 by stevec |
Lovely report. Filled me in as I missed most of the game.
It feels like most of our successes this season come when we play a three across centre midfield yet whenever the injuries recede Marti defaults to three behind the forward and we are less successful.
You’d think he might have cottoned on to the issue by now. |
I think both he and the club would like to get to this 4-2-3-1 system. The "game model".
That's what they've tried to recruit for. You've already got Chair, Smyth, Andersen, you're adding Saito and Dembele.
Sadly we're not good enough to do it. The team, as Hunter says, is much more effective when we stick three midfielders in there together. So we do that, we put some results together, we get more confident, we move up the league, and we think it might be time to open it up and go back to 4-2-3-1. But... we're not good enough to do it.
This season, accept your limitations, play the pragmatic team.
Next season, big decision to make about what you recruit to. |  | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:21 - Apr 11 with 3943 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| And breathe – Report on 08:13 - Apr 11 by Northernr |
I think both he and the club would like to get to this 4-2-3-1 system. The "game model".
That's what they've tried to recruit for. You've already got Chair, Smyth, Andersen, you're adding Saito and Dembele.
Sadly we're not good enough to do it. The team, as Hunter says, is much more effective when we stick three midfielders in there together. So we do that, we put some results together, we get more confident, we move up the league, and we think it might be time to open it up and go back to 4-2-3-1. But... we're not good enough to do it.
This season, accept your limitations, play the pragmatic team.
Next season, big decision to make about what you recruit to. |
Agree with all of that, except that 433 doesn't have to be boring or 'pragmatic'.
The finest and best attacking team I've ever seen played a Cryuffian 433, with Xavi and Iniesta as part of the three in central midfield. Which makes our urge to push one up to an outright 10 even more surpring. It's not Cryuffian, it's not necessary for attacking football and if anything it makes attacking football even harder to achieve. [Post edited 11 Apr 8:21]
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| And breathe – Report on 08:27 - Apr 11 with 3870 views | Spen |
Shins from An Audience with Terry Hurlock.
Outstanding. | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:28 - Apr 11 with 3863 views | GroveR |
Hot nonsense. Varane summed us up when he'd won several 50/50s through strength, tenacity and skill only to forego a simple ball to his fullback in favour of chipping his centre-back with a shin-bobbler to Nardi that got hacked straight to the nearest Oxford player. Honk honk! |  | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:28 - Apr 11 with 3857 views | FDC |
| And breathe – Report on 08:13 - Apr 11 by Northernr |
I think both he and the club would like to get to this 4-2-3-1 system. The "game model".
That's what they've tried to recruit for. You've already got Chair, Smyth, Andersen, you're adding Saito and Dembele.
Sadly we're not good enough to do it. The team, as Hunter says, is much more effective when we stick three midfielders in there together. So we do that, we put some results together, we get more confident, we move up the league, and we think it might be time to open it up and go back to 4-2-3-1. But... we're not good enough to do it.
This season, accept your limitations, play the pragmatic team.
Next season, big decision to make about what you recruit to. |
I didn't see the game, but Gallen made a point on the WLS pod that Field was winning headers from long clearances in an attacking position, which is something we've struggled with all season. | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:48 - Apr 11 with 3724 views | E15Hoop |
There was lots of praise for Daniel Bennie on the Radio London commentary from Phil Parry and Steve Brown. Sounded like he put in a really controlled and mature performance that stretched the play in behind the Oxford back line and set the foundation which led indirectly to the first two Oxford goals.*
Not that I want to pre-empt your End of Term report, Clive, but I think a strong positive from this season is the impact that all the teenagers have made at various times. [Post edited 11 Apr 8:54]
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| And breathe – Report on 08:52 - Apr 11 with 3688 views | E15Hoop |
* I mean our first two goals (obvs), although given the fact that two Oxford players so helpfully contributed, maybe I was right first time!  | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:53 - Apr 11 with 3679 views | stevec |
| And breathe – Report on 08:13 - Apr 11 by Northernr |
I think both he and the club would like to get to this 4-2-3-1 system. The "game model".
That's what they've tried to recruit for. You've already got Chair, Smyth, Andersen, you're adding Saito and Dembele.
Sadly we're not good enough to do it. The team, as Hunter says, is much more effective when we stick three midfielders in there together. So we do that, we put some results together, we get more confident, we move up the league, and we think it might be time to open it up and go back to 4-2-3-1. But... we're not good enough to do it.
This season, accept your limitations, play the pragmatic team.
Next season, big decision to make about what you recruit to. |
Very true.
It does worry me that Marti can’t see what is staring him in the face. It’s not even as if the football becomes less watchable when we string three across central midfield, obviously we were winning games but the performances during the winter were actually getting us on the edge of our seats.
It’s not as if our attack becomes less effective either, in fact if Dembele and Chair were fit at the same time I think even they’d function better if they were a two man either side of the centre forward.
Feels Marti has done a good job getting this club away from the drop zone whilst handicapping us from going higher, if that makes any sense at all?! | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 08:59 - Apr 11 with 3621 views | gazza1 |
Tough call for who was MOM, perhaps Field edged it but Varane, Colback, Edwards & Morrison were very close. Thought Paal was very decent too. Bennie was fully out of his depth.
A 'shout' for Madsen too, contrary to many posters still complaining and talking low bars being ott negative, done a very decent controlled and skilled job for the first half and key in the first 20 minutes.
One interesting point, Field played the advanced midfielder closing down the Oxford back 4 players and did it very well. and it worked very well too.
As for Colback, as you would all expect, I thought he was key to the win, some of his controlled passing, availability to pick the ball up, closing down, talking/educating, a real leader & captain with Field, but 'hey-ho' posters would not notice the little 6 yard passes, etc, etc, & still want him out. Typical but understanding!!!! | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 09:01 - Apr 11 with 3604 views | E15Hoop |
| And breathe – Report on 08:53 - Apr 11 by stevec |
Very true.
It does worry me that Marti can’t see what is staring him in the face. It’s not even as if the football becomes less watchable when we string three across central midfield, obviously we were winning games but the performances during the winter were actually getting us on the edge of our seats.
It’s not as if our attack becomes less effective either, in fact if Dembele and Chair were fit at the same time I think even they’d function better if they were a two man either side of the centre forward.
Feels Marti has done a good job getting this club away from the drop zone whilst handicapping us from going higher, if that makes any sense at all?! |
Again, referring back to Radio London, this very point came up in one of the recent performances (I forget which one). The summariser (and again I've forgotten who it was, but he was a former QPR youth player who then had a long career at Leyton Orient) was making exactly the point that we've all been debating throughout the season about working with the players you've got and setting up in a system that enables them to maximise their strengths vs trying to force them into an ideal that just doesn't work for them.
As we all know, though, our beloved game is awash with fads and fashions. What seems to get forgotten in this brave new Guardiola-esque world is that if you are brave enough to buck the trend and stick to a winning formula long enough, everybody starts to think you're a revolutionary genius! | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 09:16 - Apr 11 with 3510 views | enfieldargh |
I think this could have been your best ever match report a mixture of Vladamir Nobakov, James Joyce, Dr.Seus and Spike Milligan.
If there ever was a game that proved how vital Sam Field is to the team then this match was it. From Field the Sheild to Sam the Rapier slicing through Oxford's defences and driving the team forward. He goes off and we start to fold.
Field, Colback and Varane is a pretty heavy duty midfield if only they could stay fit and play forward through oppo more often rather than pass back from whence it came |  |
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| And breathe – Report on 09:24 - Apr 11 with 3447 views | Hunterhoop |
| And breathe – Report on 08:59 - Apr 11 by gazza1 |
Tough call for who was MOM, perhaps Field edged it but Varane, Colback, Edwards & Morrison were very close. Thought Paal was very decent too. Bennie was fully out of his depth.
A 'shout' for Madsen too, contrary to many posters still complaining and talking low bars being ott negative, done a very decent controlled and skilled job for the first half and key in the first 20 minutes.
One interesting point, Field played the advanced midfielder closing down the Oxford back 4 players and did it very well. and it worked very well too.
As for Colback, as you would all expect, I thought he was key to the win, some of his controlled passing, availability to pick the ball up, closing down, talking/educating, a real leader & captain with Field, but 'hey-ho' posters would not notice the little 6 yard passes, etc, etc, & still want him out. Typical but understanding!!!! |
At our level, against the teams we play, the high press, when done by a player/players who can do it, can be hugely effective. Even if you play a mid-block, but with queues to invoke the fast press - the springing of a trap so to speak - it can work.
BUT you have to have the players to execute. Otherwise you’re pissing into the wind. Earlier in the season Varane sat deep and it was Morgan and Field who pressed high, Morgan the slightly more advanced. Last night it was Colback and Field, with Field the more advanced. In that role we get our best “reader of the game” and “most athletic player” in Sam Field doing a job he is built to excel at. Lo and behold the oppo can’t play against us.
When we play with a proper midfielder at “10” or, in effect a holding midfielder and two players playing as box to box 8s, with one slightly pushed on, we look so much better than with Andersen/Chair/Madsen/Whoever playing at 10 and offering nothing on the press. It forces the whole team deeper, so whilst you have on extra attacking player on the pitch you start all your attacks from far deeper/your goal keeper.
The best football sides in history built their whole game on winning the ball high up the pitch. It’s common sense.
I don’t understand why we need to try to play an arbitrary “game model”. What works for this current squad/club? Right, play that, but sign players to make us even better at it. Give us more depth in each spot. Basically, do what we do well, but do it even better. That’s how you go up this league and escape it. Not trying to be something you are not. | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 09:29 - Apr 11 with 3409 views | gazza1 |
| And breathe – Report on 09:24 - Apr 11 by Hunterhoop |
At our level, against the teams we play, the high press, when done by a player/players who can do it, can be hugely effective. Even if you play a mid-block, but with queues to invoke the fast press - the springing of a trap so to speak - it can work.
BUT you have to have the players to execute. Otherwise you’re pissing into the wind. Earlier in the season Varane sat deep and it was Morgan and Field who pressed high, Morgan the slightly more advanced. Last night it was Colback and Field, with Field the more advanced. In that role we get our best “reader of the game” and “most athletic player” in Sam Field doing a job he is built to excel at. Lo and behold the oppo can’t play against us.
When we play with a proper midfielder at “10” or, in effect a holding midfielder and two players playing as box to box 8s, with one slightly pushed on, we look so much better than with Andersen/Chair/Madsen/Whoever playing at 10 and offering nothing on the press. It forces the whole team deeper, so whilst you have on extra attacking player on the pitch you start all your attacks from far deeper/your goal keeper.
The best football sides in history built their whole game on winning the ball high up the pitch. It’s common sense.
I don’t understand why we need to try to play an arbitrary “game model”. What works for this current squad/club? Right, play that, but sign players to make us even better at it. Give us more depth in each spot. Basically, do what we do well, but do it even better. That’s how you go up this league and escape it. Not trying to be something you are not. |
Good chat......I totally agree.
As Norf says, we won it in midfield with those three. I thought the two wide players were 'worthy' too. [Post edited 11 Apr 9:30]
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| And breathe – Report on 09:34 - Apr 11 with 3370 views | Malintabuk |
"Gareth Ainsworth sleeping at a railway station" Oscar Wilde-ish at his finest..... superb writing Clive
My good lady has never in all our years together read a QPR report, I think over the years she guages our performance on my moods and leaves well alone..... mainly
But she now has come to ask me if the QPR report is up on the forum and takes a great delight, and several sniggers in reading it. There is no greater compliment to our prowse master
I also never made the trip... Cardiff was the crux of that decision... so I was on the match thread quite a lot that night.
And was of the same height of apoplexy when Field went off and there wasn't a sub ready, that was beyond amateur by us, and I posted such. The bloody physio/doctor is in touch with the bench, surely he is relaying the possibility of the player having to come off, get someone ready!!! | | | |
| And breathe – Report on 09:34 - Apr 11 with 3359 views | Lblock |
Read this on tube on way in.
The few other passengers looked at me like I was one of the laughing London loons you see at that time of the morning
Absolutely class writing
“Tek a bow son, tek a bow” |  |
| Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal |
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| And breathe – Report on 09:44 - Apr 11 with 3303 views | TheChef |
| And breathe – Report on 07:54 - Apr 11 by Hunterhoop |
I have said it ALL season, from half way through our Sheffield United game, this side, squad, club, needs to play 3 genuine centre midfielders to be effective. Be gone with the midget 10s. We need men in the middle of the park. We can have two midgets as wide forwards and whoever is standing up front down the middle, but we need 3 down the middle. Ostensibly one of them can be pressing higher up the pitch and find themselves in the box supporting our forward, but that is how we compete.
Our great run was Varane, Field, Morgan. Wednesday night was Varane, Colback, Field. Perm variations.
Our bad run started when Chair was fit again, not because Chair played badly per se, but because we went back to trying to play with 2 of those 3 and then Chair, more recently Andersen, in front of them. It does not work. Not with our personnel. Teams play through us far too easily and we have to start our attacks from far deeper (because our press and tackling is worse), making it far less likely we will score.
Let’s just embrace who we are until we’re a bit more competent, eh? |
Abso bloody exactly. |  |
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