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The ‘project’…please enlighten me?
at 14:08 14 Aug 2025

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Best film you’ve seen this decade. Since 2015.
at 14:02 14 Aug 2025

Parasite - I think that film is genius, or Mad Max Fury Road - which is the best 'cinema' film I've seen in the last 10 years by a long way.

Honourable mention for Uncut Gems & Train to Busan (the best zombie film ever made)
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Walsh v Nardi
at 17:53 13 Aug 2025

As above, I think we saw the best and worst of Nardi last night. He hates coming off his line and it's an issue, but made some incredible saves 1st half - even the penalty was a good save rather than a bad penalty.

I'm inclined to swallow the short term pain of Walsh with the hope he becomes a better keeper, he's very young for the position after all and he won't ever be something sitting on the bench all year. I still think if we were making this decision that we should have loaned him first, but I guess they saw enough to believe he was capable now.

I think we can help him though by not making him play out so much - hopefully Frey back and Kone as more of a target man will give more licence for long kicks - and putting a settled back 4 in front of him.
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The ‘project’…please enlighten me?
at 17:42 13 Aug 2025

Some weird takes on here. Project is just another word for plan. Would you rather we didn't have one??
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Film 2025
at 17:35 13 Aug 2025

Inside sounds great! I'll give that a go tonight.

Agree F4 & Superman! Apart from the pocket universe cartoony fight thing which was a bit much, I really liked Superman. You can tell they're trying more feel-good and earnest appraoaches instead of the dark brooding stuff, and it's a nice change. Fantastic Four was like a live action Incredibles.
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Wycombe forward Kone becomes QPR’s statement summer addition - Signing
at 17:28 13 Aug 2025

I think a loan is the best option for Kolli, but I also don't think JS see's him as a striker. I think if he's used here it'll be more LW/10. As you say with Saito rumoured, Dembele there atm, and Smyth there in pre season, I don't think he gets many starts - if/when he is fit.
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Wycombe forward Kone becomes QPR’s statement summer addition - Signing
at 17:11 13 Aug 2025

Superb signing, a real statement and I'm loving the strat to pick up the best of the league one for expiring contracts.

One thing I picked up from his interview. He talked about how much he learned from the likes of Sam Vokes, and Gareth McLeary, etc... It made me wonder where the equivalents are here. It's great to have a younger squad and all these lads with high potential, but part of developing them is also having team mates to learn from.

I guess we have Cook in defence and at this point the likes of Chair, Field, etc have hundreds of games and are senior in terms of experience, but I wonder if that's a consideration for our recruitment team.

Anyway. Great business!
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Carabao Cup Winners thread - victim one - Plymouth Argyle
at 18:55 12 Aug 2025

Harsh AF on Nardi IMO. Fine if we think he hasn't got a future here, but don't send him babysitting as the only full senior player. That's a bit disrespectful
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Carabao Cup Winners thread - victim one - Plymouth Argyle
at 18:54 12 Aug 2025

Vale LB?

I know we always throw 'team of kids' into chat about these kind of games, but this really is that! Good for them I reckon, we promised them opportunities and this is a game that matters!
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Clash of the cup titans – Preview
at 15:26 12 Aug 2025

I did the 18th at Bude golf course naked on a stag when I was about 18/19. Unfortunately I don't recall the slope of the green.

The day earlier they told me off for playing the round with my shirt untucked.
[Post edited 12 Aug 15:26]
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Walsh v Nardi
at 12:44 12 Aug 2025

Walsh might not be the problem, but asking him to play in a way he's incapable/uncomfortable with is. If we only needed a keeper to do shot stopping and come for crosses we'd have kept Joe Lumley.

I don't think Nardi is amazing either but he's unequivocally better than Walsh - who is a liability playing out from the back - and is only ahead of Nardi because the sell on potential is better for a younger taller player.
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Richard Kone/Saito/Rhys Norrington-Davies
at 12:40 12 Aug 2025

We will need Kone and Ba.

We'd be lucky if Frey can start more than 10 games this year - he's a liability - and him being available is a bonus. Similar to Kolli tbh, if he even is good enough, he struggles with fitness.

Personally I would like Kone, Burrell, Ba as the main 3, Frey involved where he can be, Celar gone and Kolli loaned.
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Walsh v Nardi
at 12:26 12 Aug 2025

Walsh, but it was me that was terrified of the ball going in his general direction
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Richard Kone/Saito/Rhys Norrington-Davies
at 12:17 12 Aug 2025

I wondered how this got to 4 pages so fast... What a thread
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Carabao Cup
at 14:28 10 Aug 2025

I also didnt add Bennie, who in hindsight should probably be involved. He's the best of that younger group imo, certainly physically, he just needs to pin down a position.

Pearman looks much too weak to me, atm, but looked an exciting prospect.
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Average age today
at 14:20 10 Aug 2025

I think there's obviously aspirations to finish as high as possible and get towards the playoffs, but the reality is that it takes 3-4 years/layers worth of good sales and then incrementally better signings to build a squad capable of competing for more than consolidation.

We fúcked the Eze money first time, but let's say we get £15-20m next summer for a combination of Varane, Chair and Eze sell on. We then use that for 3-4 Varane, Poku, Saito, Kone types and go again. The next year slightly more income, slightly higher profile of player, etc. Supplement that with youth players that are first team capable before they're 23 and the odd Kieran Morgan, and we're away.

I think any team can find form and do well as a one off in this league with a decent manager, good spirit and consistent team, but outside of the parachute clubs you have to plan 3-4 years ahead to get a team capable of pushing top 6 consistently. I think we're at year 2 of that plan and the average age and starts for Walsh, Esq etc is part of that.

I think it's also why the club were so cool on Cook renewing on his own terms instead of the Fox/Colback options, and probably pìssed at Marti giving him the games to make it happen!
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Walsh v Nardi
at 13:38 10 Aug 2025

Julien Stephan is the Phillip Seymour Hoffman in this Moneyball, and Nardi is Peña
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Carabao Cup
at 13:27 10 Aug 2025

I'm split as a cup advocate, but also the team can't stand up for falling down atm and considering Saturday alone had 2 more injuries and another couple of enforced subs - I'm worried that we completely fck ourselves if we lose more players Tuesday at the same rate...

But with the injury situation I don't think we'll have much choice anyway.

Something like...

Walsh

Adamson
Cook
Akindineli
Esq

Field
Tuck

Vale
Madsen
Chair

Celar

Solomon, Mbengue, Morrison, Morgan, Sutton, Kolli, Burrell
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Average age today
at 13:07 10 Aug 2025

Jack Supple tweeted that it was the youngest average age of a starting 11 since 2018.

Some parts enforced, but this is clearly the Nourry model, to bring down the age of the squad and give meaningful playing time to younger players with high potential and profiles that bigger clubs generally want.

In theory it's the right thing financially as selling consistently for decent money is the only way to raise the tide for a club like ours, the short term risk of course is that the lack of experience and growing pains of development players means we don't survive the league...

Time will tell. I get the feeling if we get to next summer finishing anything above 15th with good offers coming in for one or a combination of Varane, Poku, Dembele, Chair, etc - and a chance to reinvest that in the next wave of slightly better / higher profile targets - that will be a successful season for Nourry and the board.
[Post edited 10 Aug 13:10]
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Couple of early StephanBall observations/musings/kneejerks
at 12:08 10 Aug 2025

Disagree on Field, he doesn't belong in their box unless he's arriving for crosses or pressing opposition.

The system yesterday had the 2 CMs quite far apart, with Madsen always deep and Field up alongside the attackers. I personally love Field in my team but can't see him doing either of those roles well.
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