| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 09:23 - May 22 with 3570 views | Superhoop83 |
Even ignoring the context for the Dominator's goal (although that is important and made it even better) it was by far our best goal of the season.
Dickie's goal was a sublime strike but Ball's goal was on another level. |  |
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 10:53 - May 22 with 3383 views | eastside_r |
I want to preface this with that I have nothing personal against LTC. I am sure he is a smashing fellow who loves his Mum, says please and thank you and is kind to animals and small children. However, the general appreciation of him on this message board (with a few notable exceptions) including Clive’s assessment here, is becoming like the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ for me. Given that I almost always agree with Clive’s views (bordering on the sycophantic) I am genuinely baffled by this.
What does LTC do? What is his role in the team? What does he bring to the party?
Is he a DCM? A DCM that can’t / doesn’t tackle. So, OK that’s not just the role, but does he position himself to break up attacks and generally disrupt the opposition? Not for me Clive.
So he must be an attacking midfielder; really? An attacking midfielder with no goals and barely any assists. His replacement as (defensive?) midfield general Johansen scored 4 goals in half-a season, provided multiple assists and all round ran the gaff for the second half of the season. Four goals!! I would doubt if LTC has made four attempts at goal in total in both his stints at QPR.
It is funny that prior to Clive’s piece I was planning to use the Reading game as my case for the prosecution. So it proves this really is a game of opinions. I too was spying the game from an unusual berth; the School End as opposed to my usual SAR. Because I thought that I had not been getting the full appreciation of his game on the streams, I paid particular attention to LTC that game. It is true, everything seemed to go through him and he was probably the player who had most touches but this is really the problem. Every thing he did was so slow and predictable. Early this season we were too reliant on BOS as the get out, but here, if Carroll did find him, the element of pace and surprise was gone as BOS would already have 2 and sometimes 3 markers on him.
Clive, in this very article has stated that this QPR team is at its best in up-tempo mood. LTC is the very antitheses of this; carefully slowing the game down, measuring his precise passes mostly sideways and backwards (I am sorry but I have this as true.) Possibly worth retaining in the squad for his ability to kill a game form the bench. One-nil up, cold and rainy night up north, need to shut down all hope in the game? If the opposition is physical, Dom Ball is your man, if they are a technical team then there is an argument for LTC. However, I don’t want to see him starting for QPR next season and especially not as our main play-maker. He simply is not good enough. A D from me for LTC, possibly a C / D if I was in a good mood (I’m not.)
Clive, can you really start off the article rubbishing the stats for Chair (I completely agree with you there btw) and then produce that graphic and the ‘apparent’ progressive stats for LTC later on?
The funny thing is, if he was ‘in contract’, I probably would have been OK that he was staying but given the potential squad as a whole and I am particularly looking at Field and Bettache, was it really worth the offer of some more LTC, given our budgetary constraints?
One player, good or bad does not make a team but look at the bleeding obvious evidence. Poor results early in the season sometimes (often?) pretty to look at but largely ineffectual. Second half of the season absolutely smashing it. |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 11:00 - May 22 with 3351 views | Northernr |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 10:53 - May 22 by eastside_r |
I want to preface this with that I have nothing personal against LTC. I am sure he is a smashing fellow who loves his Mum, says please and thank you and is kind to animals and small children. However, the general appreciation of him on this message board (with a few notable exceptions) including Clive’s assessment here, is becoming like the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ for me. Given that I almost always agree with Clive’s views (bordering on the sycophantic) I am genuinely baffled by this.
What does LTC do? What is his role in the team? What does he bring to the party?
Is he a DCM? A DCM that can’t / doesn’t tackle. So, OK that’s not just the role, but does he position himself to break up attacks and generally disrupt the opposition? Not for me Clive.
So he must be an attacking midfielder; really? An attacking midfielder with no goals and barely any assists. His replacement as (defensive?) midfield general Johansen scored 4 goals in half-a season, provided multiple assists and all round ran the gaff for the second half of the season. Four goals!! I would doubt if LTC has made four attempts at goal in total in both his stints at QPR.
It is funny that prior to Clive’s piece I was planning to use the Reading game as my case for the prosecution. So it proves this really is a game of opinions. I too was spying the game from an unusual berth; the School End as opposed to my usual SAR. Because I thought that I had not been getting the full appreciation of his game on the streams, I paid particular attention to LTC that game. It is true, everything seemed to go through him and he was probably the player who had most touches but this is really the problem. Every thing he did was so slow and predictable. Early this season we were too reliant on BOS as the get out, but here, if Carroll did find him, the element of pace and surprise was gone as BOS would already have 2 and sometimes 3 markers on him.
Clive, in this very article has stated that this QPR team is at its best in up-tempo mood. LTC is the very antitheses of this; carefully slowing the game down, measuring his precise passes mostly sideways and backwards (I am sorry but I have this as true.) Possibly worth retaining in the squad for his ability to kill a game form the bench. One-nil up, cold and rainy night up north, need to shut down all hope in the game? If the opposition is physical, Dom Ball is your man, if they are a technical team then there is an argument for LTC. However, I don’t want to see him starting for QPR next season and especially not as our main play-maker. He simply is not good enough. A D from me for LTC, possibly a C / D if I was in a good mood (I’m not.)
Clive, can you really start off the article rubbishing the stats for Chair (I completely agree with you there btw) and then produce that graphic and the ‘apparent’ progressive stats for LTC later on?
The funny thing is, if he was ‘in contract’, I probably would have been OK that he was staying but given the potential squad as a whole and I am particularly looking at Field and Bettache, was it really worth the offer of some more LTC, given our budgetary constraints?
One player, good or bad does not make a team but look at the bleeding obvious evidence. Poor results early in the season sometimes (often?) pretty to look at but largely ineffectual. Second half of the season absolutely smashing it. |
And yet, first response to the piece on Twitter....
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 11:49 - May 22 with 3209 views | WadR |
Great report and agree with it all. The Dom Ball and first para of the Field reports are brilliant.
I think with Carroll, the point of the progressive passes is that it constitutes for a lot of 'pre assists' and chances created but squandered by attackers. Think it was Watford at home where he played that brilliant first time cross for Dykes who mistimed the header for what should've been the winner.
And obviously he's inferior to Johansen, who I'm desperate for us to sign, but think Carroll's talents shouldn't be dismissed. He's got a really good range of passing, is comfortable under pressure, can take set pieces, and in a squad that is losing Cameron and potentially Austin and Johansen, has played 100s of games in the Prem/Championship.
I think it's easy to forget that pretty much for the entire time before Warbs came in, how much we struggled to play out from the back and through midfield. There was a good couple of year period where our outball was a hopeful punt to Bidwell or Furlong to win in the air. I liked both of them, but the number of times we'd play to Scowen or Luongo's feet and either be caught in possession high up or panic and boot it up field. Now we have multiple CM options who are v comfortable receiving the ball on the half turn and opening up play - Carroll chief among them. |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 11:57 - May 22 with 3172 views | stevec |
To be fair, Clive did say he was surprised he’s been retained.
I’ve said LTC was a liability but a 20% win ratio and one assist is more abysmal than even I’d imagined. If Johansen doesn’t come off I can see him being a regular first teamer and the absolute death knell for any chance of the play offs.
Looks an efficient midfield, but will all depend on who is leading it. |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 12:48 - May 22 with 3058 views | rsonist |
"That, and the odd bad corner delivery, really are outlying exceptions though"
There are a lot of intangibles in football people read too much into and this is one of the few that aren't one of them. We should not be looking the other way here, it's not magical talent and situational intuition, it's practice and application.
His dead ball work has been abysmal. The lack of any sign of improvement in that area over the season/his career speaks badly of him and worse on the coaching staff who aren't on him like a ton of bricks about it. Never mind the absent-minded way we realised that oh LTC is better at them and that's good, or Dykes happening to have a fck-off long throw. No one's saying build your ethos around this stuff, but let's not pretend MW isn't deliberately leaving points on the table here.
Amazed Sints hasn't invaded training with an Uzi to get this sorted by now. |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 15:07 - May 22 with 2845 views | Dorse |
Dom Ball.
Legend. |  |
| 'What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!' |
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 15:19 - May 22 with 2817 views | Antti_Heinola |
So glad you wrote that about Ilias. Absolutely spot on. Completely baffled by how underrated - no, that's not the word, taken for granted - he is by some of our fans. There isn't a player in our side who works harder. there isn't a player in our side who finds space better. There isn't a player in our side (at least until Stef came) who constantly shows for the ball and is always ready to receive it, always on the half turn. 8 goals and 8 assists and at times before Xmas our only decent outlet. I think he's had a fantastic season. Accept fully there are plenty of areas he can improve (decision making, dead balls, when to release the ball etc), but there's nothing to suggest that won't happen as he continues to mature. Last season, he had the lovely interaction with Eze and Bright. Both those have gone - also his best mates. No sulking, though. Signs a new deal, gets on with it and instead starts a new very fruitful partnership with Chris Willock.
Every player in our team must love having him in the side. Lovely player. |  |
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 21:14 - May 22 with 2386 views | dannyblue |
Great piece as always.
I'm another vote for Tom Carroll. I can see what he does. He gets around the pitch, he links it together. He does pay crisp passes forward too, and I can see him playing the balls that Chair and Willock need to be dangerous.
As it stands, though, our first choice is Field and Carroll. And like everyone I would prefer it to be Field and Jojo.
Perhaps he has been signed for the year to let Bettache get 40 games in league 1. |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 00:12 - May 23 with 2201 views | denhamhoop2 |
Fantastic review of Chair yes he is not the complete attacking midfielder but my god does he put a shift in. I talk to fans of other Championship teams and I think other teams fans rate him higher than we do pretty similar to Eze in his first year of playing for us. | | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 11:11 - May 23 with 1937 views | colinallcars |
Another fine write-up. Especially agree about Dom Ball.
Bring on the attackers ! |  | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 21:55 - May 23 with 1517 views | nix |
Really enjoyed this. Especially Dom Ball does the Apprentice. He would totally be selling dodgy BBQ buns out of a camper van, winning over the grans with his cheeky bantz.
A good reminder for me about how important Chair has been for us this season. It's easy to be critical of his minor shortcomings but he's also kept us afloat at times and he always busts a gut.
Bit sad to think of Stefan at another club.
And the 'doe-eyed' Field could be really good for us next season. [Post edited 24 May 2021 4:45]
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 22:00 - May 23 with 1510 views | distortR |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 21:55 - May 23 by nix |
Really enjoyed this. Especially Dom Ball does the Apprentice. He would totally be selling dodgy BBQ buns out of a camper van, winning over the grans with his cheeky bantz.
A good reminder for me about how important Chair has been for us this season. It's easy to be critical of his minor shortcomings but he's also kept us afloat at times and he always busts a gut.
Bit sad to think of Stefan at another club.
And the 'doe-eyed' Field could be really good for us next season. [Post edited 24 May 2021 4:45]
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another thumbs up for Chair here, love him.
Watch the compilation of all our goals this past season, and his name comes up so often in the commentary. | | | |
| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 09:11 - May 24 with 1301 views | Metallica_Hoop |
'He has doe-eyes that have known a great sadness, ' 
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| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| End of Term Report 20/21 — Midfielders on 13:03 - May 24 with 1116 views | Alex12302 |
I've been following Tom Carroll for a long time. He's a cool guy and a real team player! |  | | |
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