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Reply | Devs v Cardiff
at 19:39 27 Oct 2025
Love to hear the data, analytics and methodology behind that one.  |
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Reply | The Kone Kon-undrum
at 16:33 27 Oct 2025
I know it doesn't really work for a message board, nor for somebody who has to write 48 match previews a season, but let's wait and see what this looks like in May.
He was very deep in non-league 18 months ago. He's 12 appearances into the Championship, and he's already scored 4 goals. If he scores six more that's our best striker performance since 21/22. If he gets 11 more that's our best striker since Charlie Austin 2013/14.
A 22-year old signed from non-league via Wycombe is going to have a few ups and downs. He's actually done a bit better to this point than I thought he would. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 14:51 27 Oct 2025
But given we can't do that for another two months and 13 league games... |
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Reply | Devs v Cardiff
at 10:14 27 Oct 2025
Kolli was used as a lone striker a couple of times last season on the road - Bristol City and Hull - and it didn't go well. I guess the thinking is Frey brings a similar physicality to Kone. No idea if Burrell can play that role. |
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Reply | Devs v Cardiff
at 21:55 26 Oct 2025
While I'm here a few of us also copped it for criticising the approach to that Plymouth game, which IMO was entirely performative a) so you can big up your youth programme by saying you've got 16 year olds in the first team and b) so you could fluff those players' potential future value by saying they made their debut when they were 16.
It did nothing for the team on the night, it wasn't fair to the supporters behind the goal, it wasn't fair to those players who were so horribly out of their depth, and it achieved nothing by way of development because, as predicted, none of them have been within a thousand miles of the first team since. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 21:25 26 Oct 2025
I'm not sure Cook's playing particularly well either. |
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Reply | Devs v Cardiff
at 21:17 26 Oct 2025
Well we can sit here and debate it, we'll only know in time.
I think there has been a shift towards trying to get younger bods in that development squad rather than having Charlie Owens hanging around forever just in case, or Mide Shodipo. And that's good.
But Dave Mc copped the usual load in the teeth on social media for saying they're not doing much different to what Ramsey was trying, what Steve Gallen was trying, and when push comes to shove QPR always just go and sign RND, Isaac Hayden etc, and he was right. As he often is. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread 25/26
at 21:12 26 Oct 2025
Darren Ferguson quickly installed as second favourite to replace himself, behind Grant McCann who must be due a 14th spell there at this point. |
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Reply | Young team?
at 21:11 26 Oct 2025
Poku's playing Saturday? Delighted to hear that. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 21:08 26 Oct 2025
You don't buy that it may have some effect upon a person's confidence, esteem and ability to do their job that upon returning to work after a summer holiday your boss turns round to you and says actually we think you're pony, we're replacing you with the work experience lad and you should look for a new employer ASAP, and then turns round six weeks later and says actually we do want you now after all can you just go back to doing what you were doing before please?
They're professional footballers, but they're still human.
Like I say, this is a re-run of what happened with Paal - another flawed but pretty reliable squad member who was got at last season. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 16:18 26 Oct 2025
Perhaps they did/will. But whatever you do you’re going to be spending a lot of time on the motorway. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 15:42 26 Oct 2025
Played a game Wednesday, coach back overnight get to the training ground 3ish.
Some sort of recovery session Thursday but very little else.
Train Friday morning, back on the motorway in the Friday afternoon slog to Derby.
We’ve got another week coming up like it as well with Blackburn and Norwich away. |
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Reply | Young team?
at 14:16 26 Oct 2025
Yeh it’s one of the things quietly ditched since the Coventry debacle. Signing RND and Hayden the day after said a lot. |
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Reply | Is it Hamer time?
at 14:13 26 Oct 2025
Nardi’s got a known flaw in his game (if you’re playing for QPR there’s something wrong with you etc etc) that has been picked up on by the rest of the division since the first round of fixtures last season. He’s in poor form atm and cost us a goal yesterday and another at Sheff Wed (I’m still not having him as responsible for that Millwall one though).
A new more commanding goalkeeper will improve the team, and I’m sure they’ll do that if not in January then next summer. They’ve actually been pretty good of late at pinpointing weaknesses in the team and signing good solutions.
One thing that was said several times at the fans forum was all of this support staff is there “to put people in the best position possible to succeed”. Is bringing your first choice keeper back for pre season and telling him he’s being demoted for the youth team keeper, not wanted any more, free to find another club, then end up relying on him for 40 matches doing that? He’s lost a lot of confidence versus this time last year, which you probably would too. Not the first time we’ve done it either - same thing happened with Paal last year and his form dropped as well. |
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Reply | Devs v Cardiff
at 10:08 25 Oct 2025
Absolutely they have to be good enough, but a lot of us said that when the development squad was getting hyped to the hilt in May and the new youth policy was being hailed as a great success because they beat Brentford.. Cups and things are nice, I certainly prefer it to the Chris Ramsey set up getting pumped 8 and 9 at Stevenage and Fleetwood, but it’s about how many make it to first team.
So far that team v Brentford has produced…
Salamon - now behind 36 yo semi-retired Ben Hamer in the picking order.
Putman - played in the farce at Plymouth, not seen since
Wilkie - same
McDowell - returned early from a loan at Bedford
Esquerdinha - couple of first team apps, now mostly doesn’t even make the bench
Morgan - has gone from first team regular to unused sub
Tuck - bombed out halfway through the summer, now on loan at Hampton cos the manager there knows him.
Bennie - doesn’t make the bench
Murphy - released
Sutton - can’t get in the Morecambe team
Dillon - 3 apps for Torquay, no goals.
Now it’s still early days for a lot of these, and I’m not saying this to be horrible to anybody, more to make a point about the value of downplaying rather than hyping, particularly with young players. Always under promise and over deliver. To read some of the posts on here after that Brentford game you’d think we were heading into Europe with a midfield of Tuck and Morgan.
One of the big issues is a lot of these boys get sent on lousy loans which do nothing for them or for us. |
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