| WLS podcast 15:31 - Oct 2 with 4358 views | nick_hammersmith |
Just watched the new Podcast from Dave Mac and Kevin Gallen.
Interesting one this week, where they had Ben Jacobs on, who runs the twitter account for the DS squad.
I knocked Ben on here before for his hyperbole over Kolli. Didn't realise how young he actually was and feel bad now.
Some good back and forth on the pod though, although I'm not sure the divide is just generational. I'm Kev's age and can see past his rose tinted glasses, I don't remember much development after Richard Langley to be fair, but I'd say a lot of that was done to investment in the other local teams, like Chelsea and even Brentford, where the academy setup was ahead of the Concorde club (as it was then).
I think the key thing they missed though, when they were talking about the previous regime not using players like Harry Murphy in the first team was to look at the pathway in front of them. I've only watched a efw of the DS games, like the Brentford final and he did look tidy, but he was playing in an area (midget 10) where QPR have not been short in for years. So, I didn't see the path into our squad.
I'm thinking his size probably stopped a NL or L2 club taking him as well, as Men's football might have swallowed him up.
Anyway, I can recommend for anyone is bored during this international break, although fair warning, Ben can sound a bit "High performance", just like Christian Nourry, if that kind of thing triggers you... |  | | |  |
| WLS podcast on 20:54 - Oct 2 with 1508 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| WLS podcast on 20:49 - Oct 2 by JamesB1979 |
The article says that was the aim. But based on what the guys in charge were saying at that time (fans forum in September 2023) and Hoos on a podcast (can’t remember which one), there weren’t the benefits of doing so. Something has changed in my view. |
Absolutely it was the aim, and they delivered a training facility that allowed for it.
And they made it happen, and the people that came after them also made it happen.
Credit to everyone involved, even Hoos. |  |
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| WLS podcast on 21:22 - Oct 2 with 1423 views | 1JD |
| WLS podcast on 15:48 - Oct 2 by Hoopstar |
Just had a look and see Harry Murphy is on his third club since leaving us in the summer of 2025.
Leatherhead is one of those places names that just sounds like it should be up North as well. |
Harry Murphy was tiny, and if you are tiny, you have to be exceptional. He was not. I watched Murphy play repeatedly and he never impressed me. Didn’t have a position, the biggest issue. Not a 10 and not an 8. Too Powerpuff. But scored some goals.
If you had a penny for this type of player, you’d be a rich man. The game is littered with them at youth team level.
Most watchers of youth team football are not wearing a scouting hat, and/or understanding what it takes to make it at championship level. And go all hot and heavy.
They massively overestimate what is required to make it at this level.
Keen football analysts who understand levels, know that those that will/do make it (Kolli, Eze, Chair) stand out like a sore thumb.
If they don’t hit that bar, simple rule of thumb is, they’ll never make it at this level. And for all the nonsense around “we found them another club”, the first team at QPR is all that matters. [Post edited 2 Oct 21:24]
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| WLS podcast on 22:36 - Oct 2 with 1290 views | nick_hammersmith |
| WLS podcast on 15:47 - Oct 2 by Northernr |
Was intending to listen on my run tomorrow so may come back with some more thoughts after this but one thing Dave says all the time which is right is QPR, for decades, have been absolutely desperate to tell you how good the academy is, how focused on the academy we are, how our U16s are the best crop you've ever seen etc.
Tony Fernandes always said he was "all about the academy" while letting Harry sit people like Chevanton and Onyewu on his bench at colossal expense. This has been going on right the way back to Chris Wright when they had Richard Graham and Mario Lusardi and people like this on ridiculous contracts that helped drive us to admin. Les Ferdinand spoke about 'pathways', and Mark Warburton was hired in part on the back of his work with the Next Gen series. When it came down to it Warbs rarely even entertained the academy players training with the firsts, and would rather name a short bench than take one of them with him, because he said none of them were good enough (a little bit stubborn on his part, but not wrong - only Armstrong emerged from that crop for a career in full time football).
In that time, since we exited the Prem, we've home grown what, genuine talent? Richard Langley, Marcus Bean and Darnell Furlong. You've had others who we've picked up from elsewhere in late teens (Eze, Chair, Manning, Armstrong, Dieng) which I think is probably a more productive path for us and you've had others that have gone on to do reasonable FL careers elsewhere (Laurent, Monthe, Kakay, Lumley) but we don't have a productive youth system and haven't for 30 years now.
One thing we are very good at is jumping up and down and getting enormously excited about players that simply aren't good enough. I find some of the stuff around our development team at the moment a bit cringe, to be honest. Harry Murphy's a good example. He's not an EFL player playing Isthmian League football for want of a better loan, that's just how good he is. We've seen this over and over again - Kieren St Aimee, Dennis Oli, Charley Kendall, Peter Skapetis, Tom Hitchcock. Partly because the club are desperate to spin that we're some massively academy focused, youth driven organisation, and partly because fans are desperate for one of their own to come through. Emmerson Sutton risks being this. Two years ago we were shouting about him from the rooftops, since then he's had two poor loans at Morecambe and Harrogate, is now out in non-league again and seems to have slipped behind Scarlett now. We must under hype and over deliver, it's not fair on the boys.
The things I really like that Nourry and Alex Carroll have done with the current set up are
- improving the facilities and moving to Cat A. For all the excuses the club have made down the years, if you are going to do it you should do it properly.
- trying to get them playing more competitive football (London Senior Cup, prestigious friendlies, international tours etc).
- much better loan deals this year. Even if they're not playing (which most of them aren't) that in itself is much more useful information for us than them playing 25 games for Whitehawk.
- trying to introduce a winning mentality. I was never comfortable with the Les Ferdinand/Chris Ramsey philosophy that it didn't matter if the U18s were bottom of the league and losing 9-0 to Stevenage as long as the right winger fulfilled his aim for the day of getting nine crosses into the box. Good teams with good players in don't lose like that, and good players don't want to join and be part of teams that do.
- dragging the average age down so we don't have Shodipo, Hamalainen and Owens types hanging round to their mid 20s.
(On the minus side it’s still my opinion the treatment of Paul Furlong was abysmal and worthy of far greater criticism and coverage)
These are all great steps, and will take time to bear fruit. But in the end they will be judged by the fruit they bear. Of the team that beat Brentford in that much hyped cup final Esquerdinha has been bombed out, Morgan and Bennie are having difficult loans elsewhere, and basically everyone else has been released - and even those three were all imported from elsewhere as late teens again. The only Championship standard player that system has produced is Rayan Kolli, and we seem absolutely desperate not to use him. Ben himself last month was Tweeting he would tell academy prospects to "run a mile" from QPR over the way Kolli was being treated. Winning pots and pans at that level is only useful to a point - if none of the players ever make it, who cares?
So if it really is better this time, I'd be expecting to see three or four players graduate into first team over the next five years, and another three or four go on and play EFL football elsewhere down the divisions in that time as well.
This post has been edited by an administrator |
There were a couple that got away . Josh Bowler the most obvious. But I think Les mentioned a couple of players we lost to Fulham and Brentford. Maybe Cat 1 helps with this? But we need clear pathways as well. And the Kolli noise is not a help here. What a shame it all is
Everyone is so desperate for another one of R own | | | |
| WLS podcast on 23:26 - Oct 2 with 1173 views | numptydumpty |
The noise around Kolli, who really could be the poster boy of our academy does provide a random distraction from the Big Plan.
It seems promising and moving in the right direction, but the rose between two thorns here was yet to impress that the full story of redemption was simply currently a dream with no end date as yet.
Ben knows his stuff though, and an impressive speaker with the double naysayers in Gallen and Simth. Yet all of this is hearsay currently.
Am hopeful without being expectant. We are QPR after all... [Post edited 2 Oct 23:45]
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| WLS podcast on 00:37 - Oct 3 with 1134 views | TacticalR |
Anything we can do to give ourselves an edge is good, especially in London with its many clubs.
Most of the clubs at the top end of the Championship have Cat 1 academies.
However Reading, Blackburn and Derby also have Cat 1 academies, so it's no panacea.
Clubs with Cat 1 academies:
https://jobsinfootball.com/blo |  |
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| WLS podcast on 05:25 - Oct 3 with 1015 views | Hoopsie |
Winning a couple of pot and pan with a championship cat two academy is actually not too shabby? Let’s not forget all premier league clubs have cat 1 and 9 other championship/league 1 clubs are cat 1 too.
Maybe these achievements prompted and convinced the owners to go cat 1 sooner rather than later? |  |
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| WLS podcast on 08:37 - Oct 3 with 913 views | Metallica_Hoop |
| WLS podcast on 15:48 - Oct 2 by Hoopstar |
Just had a look and see Harry Murphy is on his third club since leaving us in the summer of 2025.
Leatherhead is one of those places names that just sounds like it should be up North as well. |
I once looked up Leatherhead thinking it may be named after some mythical crazed killer while drinking a pint there with some friends.
I remember we were disappointed. |  |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| WLS podcast on 10:01 - Oct 3 with 802 views | TK1 |
Really enjoyed this WLS pod, great to bring in a much younger voice from a less grizzled perspective on. I'm a cynic through experience when it comes to QPR, just like Dave and Kevin, but it's always good to be reminded of what genuine hope and excitement looks like!
Ben handled himself enviously well for a 19 year-old. Dave and Kevin are getting some serious pelters on X about how they quizzed him, which seems oddly harsh. It's a sign of respect that they didn't patronise him with softball questions - and he changed their minds a bit at one stage due to that.
There's a thread by William Halliday that is incredibly vitriolic about Dave Mc and Kevin. Who is he? It's pretty personal and he's really got it in for them, especially Kev. It's odd. Most QPR fans could live to be 200 and never achieve as much for Rangers, or give as much joy to QPR fans, as KG did. And if there's one thing Kevin Gallen knows is how a youth player becomes a first teamer. He's got to be in QPR's top five youth grads.
In my lifetime they are (not in order):
Gerry Francis
Dave Clement
Clive Allen
Kevn Gallen
And there's then a rung just below them, Goddard, Neil/Dawes, Langley, Fereday, Quashie and so on. Who is the fifth? | | | |
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| WLS podcast on 10:03 - Oct 3 with 792 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Great list, nick.
Can I add Ian Gillard in?
Edit: Just read that Gillard was with Spurs Youths before us. I never knew that.
Not sure what age he was when he came to W12. [Post edited 3 Oct 10:06]
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| WLS podcast on 10:06 - Oct 3 with 777 views | TK1 |
| WLS podcast on 10:03 - Oct 3 by BrianMcCarthy |
Great list, nick.
Can I add Ian Gillard in?
Edit: Just read that Gillard was with Spurs Youths before us. I never knew that.
Not sure what age he was when he came to W12. [Post edited 3 Oct 10:06]
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Definitely on a par with the four. If we add Peter Hucker, we have a very decent 6-a-side team. | | | |
| WLS podcast on 10:13 - Oct 3 with 750 views | Northernr |
| WLS podcast on 10:01 - Oct 3 by TK1 |
Really enjoyed this WLS pod, great to bring in a much younger voice from a less grizzled perspective on. I'm a cynic through experience when it comes to QPR, just like Dave and Kevin, but it's always good to be reminded of what genuine hope and excitement looks like!
Ben handled himself enviously well for a 19 year-old. Dave and Kevin are getting some serious pelters on X about how they quizzed him, which seems oddly harsh. It's a sign of respect that they didn't patronise him with softball questions - and he changed their minds a bit at one stage due to that.
There's a thread by William Halliday that is incredibly vitriolic about Dave Mc and Kevin. Who is he? It's pretty personal and he's really got it in for them, especially Kev. It's odd. Most QPR fans could live to be 200 and never achieve as much for Rangers, or give as much joy to QPR fans, as KG did. And if there's one thing Kevin Gallen knows is how a youth player becomes a first teamer. He's got to be in QPR's top five youth grads.
In my lifetime they are (not in order):
Gerry Francis
Dave Clement
Clive Allen
Kevn Gallen
And there's then a rung just below them, Goddard, Neil/Dawes, Langley, Fereday, Quashie and so on. Who is the fifth? |
The lack of respect Kev gets is unreal. |  | | |
| WLS podcast on 10:18 - Oct 3 with 738 views | KensalT |
| WLS podcast on 10:01 - Oct 3 by TK1 |
Really enjoyed this WLS pod, great to bring in a much younger voice from a less grizzled perspective on. I'm a cynic through experience when it comes to QPR, just like Dave and Kevin, but it's always good to be reminded of what genuine hope and excitement looks like!
Ben handled himself enviously well for a 19 year-old. Dave and Kevin are getting some serious pelters on X about how they quizzed him, which seems oddly harsh. It's a sign of respect that they didn't patronise him with softball questions - and he changed their minds a bit at one stage due to that.
There's a thread by William Halliday that is incredibly vitriolic about Dave Mc and Kevin. Who is he? It's pretty personal and he's really got it in for them, especially Kev. It's odd. Most QPR fans could live to be 200 and never achieve as much for Rangers, or give as much joy to QPR fans, as KG did. And if there's one thing Kevin Gallen knows is how a youth player becomes a first teamer. He's got to be in QPR's top five youth grads.
In my lifetime they are (not in order):
Gerry Francis
Dave Clement
Clive Allen
Kevn Gallen
And there's then a rung just below them, Goddard, Neil/Dawes, Langley, Fereday, Quashie and so on. Who is the fifth? |
I thought the questions were reasonable.
Speaking as someone at the older, grumpier, more cynical end of the age spectrum I thought those were the questions that needed asking.
Ben handled it all very well.
In fact it made a nice change to hear someone answering the questions they are being asked instead of trying to be evasive or just push out the things they came to say regardless of what the question was. It was a really good interview. |  | | |
| WLS podcast on 11:09 - Oct 3 with 593 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Cracking chat. Thanks for posting this, Nick. | |
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| WLS podcast on 12:05 - Oct 3 with 506 views | dmm |
| WLS podcast on 22:36 - Oct 2 by nick_hammersmith |
There were a couple that got away . Josh Bowler the most obvious. But I think Les mentioned a couple of players we lost to Fulham and Brentford. Maybe Cat 1 helps with this? But we need clear pathways as well. And the Kolli noise is not a help here. What a shame it all is
Everyone is so desperate for another one of R own |
Just looked at where Josh Bowler is these days and he's now at Blackpool.
After his transfer from us to Everton in 2017 - £1.5m rising to £4.25m in add ons so not a bad bit of business - he went to Blackpool and then Forest where he seemed to get loaned out every year until being released on a free back to Blackpool in 2025. |  | | |
| WLS podcast on 12:26 - Oct 3 with 453 views | stevec |
| WLS podcast on 20:49 - Oct 2 by JamesB1979 |
The article says that was the aim. But based on what the guys in charge were saying at that time (fans forum in September 2023) and Hoos on a podcast (can’t remember which one), there weren’t the benefits of doing so. Something has changed in my view. |
Can’t help wondering if the regime at the time were a little too comfy working in Cat 2 and were worried they’d be at risk of getting found out in Cat 1.
Noticeable that now that regime has been largely removed, we are looking at Cat1. |  | | |
| WLS podcast on 12:27 - Oct 3 with 454 views | Northernr |
| WLS podcast on 10:01 - Oct 3 by TK1 |
Really enjoyed this WLS pod, great to bring in a much younger voice from a less grizzled perspective on. I'm a cynic through experience when it comes to QPR, just like Dave and Kevin, but it's always good to be reminded of what genuine hope and excitement looks like!
Ben handled himself enviously well for a 19 year-old. Dave and Kevin are getting some serious pelters on X about how they quizzed him, which seems oddly harsh. It's a sign of respect that they didn't patronise him with softball questions - and he changed their minds a bit at one stage due to that.
There's a thread by William Halliday that is incredibly vitriolic about Dave Mc and Kevin. Who is he? It's pretty personal and he's really got it in for them, especially Kev. It's odd. Most QPR fans could live to be 200 and never achieve as much for Rangers, or give as much joy to QPR fans, as KG did. And if there's one thing Kevin Gallen knows is how a youth player becomes a first teamer. He's got to be in QPR's top five youth grads.
In my lifetime they are (not in order):
Gerry Francis
Dave Clement
Clive Allen
Kevn Gallen
And there's then a rung just below them, Goddard, Neil/Dawes, Langley, Fereday, Quashie and so on. Who is the fifth? |
Well I've just had a very pleasant hour or so pottering around the garden with the three of them in my ears and I couldn't believe it finished when it did because I was waiting all the way through for this supposed grilling of poor Ben to begin and it never materialised. I thought it was a very mature, adult conversation with different views expressed respectfully, some minds changed on some points, and some points of agreement.
Unfortunately, and I've experienced this myself and seen it first hand at recent supporter group/sites meetings with the club, anybody who dares to deviate from the line that everything in the QPR garden is rosy and the sun is shining and the grass is green (except when the pitch dies obviously), even if it's just to the extent of asking questions, can expect to be set upon in that manner by accounts like that, particularly on Twitter. Independent comment, coverage and journalism of the club is not welcomed by some and you see people like Dave, Ian Mc, sites like this one or things like Finney's podcast outright attacked. It's a really insidious part of supporting/following/covering QPR online at the moment and has left me feeling very cold about the club and my job running this site.
I think Ben said it brilliantly himself at the end of the podcast - this weird generational divide that seems to exist in at least our online support atm would be a lot less pronounced if a lot more conversations like this were happening. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said but he spoke well, expressed his views thoughtfully, and it led to a great discussion. I thought it was a really interesting hour of radio that I'll be thinking about a lot over the coming days.
More like this please. | | | |
| WLS podcast on 12:53 - Oct 3 with 400 views | stevec |
| WLS podcast on 12:27 - Oct 3 by Northernr |
Well I've just had a very pleasant hour or so pottering around the garden with the three of them in my ears and I couldn't believe it finished when it did because I was waiting all the way through for this supposed grilling of poor Ben to begin and it never materialised. I thought it was a very mature, adult conversation with different views expressed respectfully, some minds changed on some points, and some points of agreement.
Unfortunately, and I've experienced this myself and seen it first hand at recent supporter group/sites meetings with the club, anybody who dares to deviate from the line that everything in the QPR garden is rosy and the sun is shining and the grass is green (except when the pitch dies obviously), even if it's just to the extent of asking questions, can expect to be set upon in that manner by accounts like that, particularly on Twitter. Independent comment, coverage and journalism of the club is not welcomed by some and you see people like Dave, Ian Mc, sites like this one or things like Finney's podcast outright attacked. It's a really insidious part of supporting/following/covering QPR online at the moment and has left me feeling very cold about the club and my job running this site.
I think Ben said it brilliantly himself at the end of the podcast - this weird generational divide that seems to exist in at least our online support atm would be a lot less pronounced if a lot more conversations like this were happening. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said but he spoke well, expressed his views thoughtfully, and it led to a great discussion. I thought it was a really interesting hour of radio that I'll be thinking about a lot over the coming days.
More like this please. |
Probably best to concentrate on your site rather than try to engage on other social media, you’ve got plenty of support from those on here, whether they always agree with you, or like some on here, myself included, who’ve called you out on certain stuff, not me so much these days for sure, but think this site exists for people who can entertain other peoples different views with relevant decorum.
Watched Question Time the other night, first time in ages, won’t be doing that again. Not so much the political discourse, but there’s a generation now that seem like robots, part computerised and ripe for plucking in this AI age. I don’t think they are capable of doing conversation. Genuinely despair of it, truly worrying if I wasn’t so old already.
As for the likes of X I have no words.
Do your own thing and fck anyone else. | | | |
| WLS podcast on 12:56 - Oct 3 with 390 views | Hoopsie |
| WLS podcast on 05:25 - Oct 3 by Hoopsie |
Winning a couple of pot and pan with a championship cat two academy is actually not too shabby? Let’s not forget all premier league clubs have cat 1 and 9 other championship/league 1 clubs are cat 1 too.
Maybe these achievements prompted and convinced the owners to go cat 1 sooner rather than later? |
I’ll add that Gallen questioned the success (for lack of a better word) of our current academy in producing first team players compared to his time when he came through the academy having seen the likes of McDonald, b Allen, dichio, Roberts and Ferdinand etc
This comparison is perhaps unfair as those days QPR were a top London club and one of the top clubs in the country, early premier league days. In the current academy, the club is a championship club, so winning the premier league cup certainly look like a real success, although no major breakthrough in the squad feeding the first team.
With big premier league clubs hoarding young talents in their cat one academies, clubs like QPR with cat 2 academy can only do their best to attract talents, certainly the pull of club was not like that of those days when they were amongst the best in the country.
If Gallen today was a young talent, would he even join the QPR academy? | |
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| WLS podcast on 13:09 - Oct 3 with 351 views | TK1 |
| WLS podcast on 12:56 - Oct 3 by Hoopsie |
I’ll add that Gallen questioned the success (for lack of a better word) of our current academy in producing first team players compared to his time when he came through the academy having seen the likes of McDonald, b Allen, dichio, Roberts and Ferdinand etc
This comparison is perhaps unfair as those days QPR were a top London club and one of the top clubs in the country, early premier league days. In the current academy, the club is a championship club, so winning the premier league cup certainly look like a real success, although no major breakthrough in the squad feeding the first team.
With big premier league clubs hoarding young talents in their cat one academies, clubs like QPR with cat 2 academy can only do their best to attract talents, certainly the pull of club was not like that of those days when they were amongst the best in the country.
If Gallen today was a young talent, would he even join the QPR academy? |
They were a top club, but they weren't a big club: which is similar to now size-wise and a perfectly fair comparison/question. We've punched above our weight in the past - other clubs around are doing so now, how close are we *really* to doing so again?
And there were a good crop of youngsters who came through the generation before, early 80s, when QPR were a 2nd tier club.So, all valid points for someone who successfully came through the system to ask. I'd back KG to know more than anyone on this board or indeed employed by the club about what attributes, skills a youth player needs to secure 100 pro apps. | | | |
| WLS podcast on 13:25 - Oct 3 with 318 views | Hoopsie |
| WLS podcast on 13:09 - Oct 3 by TK1 |
They were a top club, but they weren't a big club: which is similar to now size-wise and a perfectly fair comparison/question. We've punched above our weight in the past - other clubs around are doing so now, how close are we *really* to doing so again?
And there were a good crop of youngsters who came through the generation before, early 80s, when QPR were a 2nd tier club.So, all valid points for someone who successfully came through the system to ask. I'd back KG to know more than anyone on this board or indeed employed by the club about what attributes, skills a youth player needs to secure 100 pro apps. |
Exactly.
They were not a big club, but a top club then
They are still not a big club, but a second tier club now.
So what had changed in attracting talents? The appeal, which they had then.
I am only suggesting this not knowing how the academy then actually worked, scouting, coaching etc.
But by appeal, QPR now is certainly not a first stop for ambitious parents with precocious kids - every other PL academies are plus 9 others champ/L1 clubs.
Imagine, if you were local then, you’ll pick QPR not Brentford
But today local west London boy might be attracted to Brentford more than QPR. Both clubs are not big club but one has the pull playing in the top league.
This could explain why our talents were not what we would wish to be and not as successful as the past. | |
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| WLS podcast on 13:35 - Oct 3 with 293 views | numptydumpty |
| WLS podcast on 12:27 - Oct 3 by Northernr |
Well I've just had a very pleasant hour or so pottering around the garden with the three of them in my ears and I couldn't believe it finished when it did because I was waiting all the way through for this supposed grilling of poor Ben to begin and it never materialised. I thought it was a very mature, adult conversation with different views expressed respectfully, some minds changed on some points, and some points of agreement.
Unfortunately, and I've experienced this myself and seen it first hand at recent supporter group/sites meetings with the club, anybody who dares to deviate from the line that everything in the QPR garden is rosy and the sun is shining and the grass is green (except when the pitch dies obviously), even if it's just to the extent of asking questions, can expect to be set upon in that manner by accounts like that, particularly on Twitter. Independent comment, coverage and journalism of the club is not welcomed by some and you see people like Dave, Ian Mc, sites like this one or things like Finney's podcast outright attacked. It's a really insidious part of supporting/following/covering QPR online at the moment and has left me feeling very cold about the club and my job running this site.
I think Ben said it brilliantly himself at the end of the podcast - this weird generational divide that seems to exist in at least our online support atm would be a lot less pronounced if a lot more conversations like this were happening. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said but he spoke well, expressed his views thoughtfully, and it led to a great discussion. I thought it was a really interesting hour of radio that I'll be thinking about a lot over the coming days.
More like this please. |
I would not say there is too much of an age divide myself.
When I was young, like most of my peers, I thought I knew it all and had a lot of ideas. My parents and grandparents generation would say kids today have no respect and they think they know it all. Just a bog standard generational divide for me, as since the beginning of time and will be repeated until the end of time.
"It wasn't like this in my day"
Just think some younger ones will suggest to the oldies that you dont know what you are talking about and vice versa. Ben was not one of those - had well thought ideas and good reasoning, and the other two did not totally agree with him but it was respectful throughout.
There are some rogue posters on X - but its social media, where the land has no rules and nonsense and abuse are present in equal measures.Seriously would not read what some put up Clive, particularly if they have a habit of resorting to nastiness and insults. Shows a lack of class and is far from the average younger and older fans good manners and knowledge too. They just in it for the rise.
Would not engage with it, if I was you.
Most fans have their own different opinions and thats fine. Its only when it gets nasty and abusive that it is bad, but these people are in the minority at all age levels thankfully | |
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| WLS podcast on 14:42 - Oct 3 with 197 views | Lanhoop |
| WLS podcast on 12:27 - Oct 3 by Northernr |
Well I've just had a very pleasant hour or so pottering around the garden with the three of them in my ears and I couldn't believe it finished when it did because I was waiting all the way through for this supposed grilling of poor Ben to begin and it never materialised. I thought it was a very mature, adult conversation with different views expressed respectfully, some minds changed on some points, and some points of agreement.
Unfortunately, and I've experienced this myself and seen it first hand at recent supporter group/sites meetings with the club, anybody who dares to deviate from the line that everything in the QPR garden is rosy and the sun is shining and the grass is green (except when the pitch dies obviously), even if it's just to the extent of asking questions, can expect to be set upon in that manner by accounts like that, particularly on Twitter. Independent comment, coverage and journalism of the club is not welcomed by some and you see people like Dave, Ian Mc, sites like this one or things like Finney's podcast outright attacked. It's a really insidious part of supporting/following/covering QPR online at the moment and has left me feeling very cold about the club and my job running this site.
I think Ben said it brilliantly himself at the end of the podcast - this weird generational divide that seems to exist in at least our online support atm would be a lot less pronounced if a lot more conversations like this were happening. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said but he spoke well, expressed his views thoughtfully, and it led to a great discussion. I thought it was a really interesting hour of radio that I'll be thinking about a lot over the coming days.
More like this please. |
All true.
One thing I will say though is that the attack behaviours you describe aren't solely a QPR thing, or even a football thing, it's a 2026 thing. Nuanced thinking is so last century. | | | |
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