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“I’m buzzing and can’t wait to get going. When I came here last January, I had an amazing time. I felt like I was at home straight away, I loved everything about it; the boys, the staff, the fans - so it was a no-brainer for me. I thought my loan probably couldn't have gone any better. It's like a different mentality now, knowing that I'm here permanently. It feels amazing. The fans welcomed me so quickly - for some reason they loved what they saw. When you go out on the pitch, you're going to give it 100%, whether it's good enough or not. That's what every player tries to do. That's what I've done in the QPR shirt. My dad’s over the moon – all of the family is. They see how much I enjoyed it last time. They just want me to have a smile back on my face, working hard and playing at a place that I love.” - Ronnie Edwards"
Great article and definitely brings me down to earth a bit but for too long I've worried about the FFP and stuff rather than just enjoying what's in front of me so I'm going to just bury my head in the sand and just enjoy the ride
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 22:06 - Jan 9 with 4422 views
Having barely played at all this season he should be pretty rusty. I hope people won’t be too disappointed if this Rolls Royce takes some time to splutter into life.
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 22:12 - Jan 9 with 4296 views
Informative, well-argued, and nicely written piece. I'm intrigued to know what sauces have passed on the contractual situation re first team players when QPR are more guarded about the topic than a Prince Andrew Newsnight interview. (Though presumably said sauces are even more guarded.)
Though on balance I'm pleased to have him back in the building, I share some of the equivocations, especially given the high-end fee, in which connection it's also instructive to note the rather mixed set of ratings awarded by LfW during his loan spell.
I do think, however, that this is a position we've needed to strengthen at least as urgently as full-back, centre mid, or, now, up front. Only Sheffield Wednesday have let in more goals than us, and though that can't all be put down to the defence, it does suggest that we're rather bad at, uh, defending.
Welcome back, lush-haired lover, to our odd, lovable, and maddening little cave, and I hope very much that you'll da doo Ron Ron Ron, da doo Ron Ron.
Great write up. I am excited! Big believer that you only win consistently with a strong spine of a team and never without a strong CB and CM combo - addresses one of those gaps and hopefully we leak less goals now . Well done Rangers!
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 22:23 - Jan 9 with 4225 views
Fantastic signing. I get the comparison with Saito but Ronnie is an automatic starter, can play in several positions and clearly Cook and JC-S won't be here next season. We should cash in on Varane this window and start thinking about those problem positions - goalkeeper, both full backs and a box-to-box midfielder - for next season.
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 22:36 - Jan 9 with 4060 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 22:23 - Jan 9 by Wegerles_Stairs
Fantastic signing. I get the comparison with Saito but Ronnie is an automatic starter, can play in several positions and clearly Cook and JC-S won't be here next season. We should cash in on Varane this window and start thinking about those problem positions - goalkeeper, both full backs and a box-to-box midfielder - for next season.
JCS has at least one more season, if not two under contract. Was given a big extension only 18 months ago, I think it was.
And a very fair article, Clive. Let’s hope he’s a roaring success!!
[Post edited 9 Jan 22:54]
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 23:22 - Jan 9 with 3654 views
"Would it not be better to look for ‘the next Ronnie Edwards’, as Millwall did paying £1m each for Crama and Tanganga, both of whom are quickly going to be shifted for huge profit, than going in all hot and heavy for the actual thing because he had a good loan spell?"
I guess the answer to this is to look at the Brentford example.
When they cashed in on players they reinvested in progressively better talent. When they sold Ollie Watkins in 2020 they replaced him with Ivan Toney. (Admittedly for a fraction of the Watkins fee!)
If you really want to progress up the league you can't keep going for promising youngsters who might come good. At some point you have to take a punt on proven talent.
(BTW - Millwall signed Tanganga after a successful loan, and when he signed for them he was already 25 - three yeas older than Ronnie Edwards! And according to Transfermarkt the fee was €1.8m)
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 23:22 - Jan 9 by KensalT
"Would it not be better to look for ‘the next Ronnie Edwards’, as Millwall did paying £1m each for Crama and Tanganga, both of whom are quickly going to be shifted for huge profit, than going in all hot and heavy for the actual thing because he had a good loan spell?"
I guess the answer to this is to look at the Brentford example.
When they cashed in on players they reinvested in progressively better talent. When they sold Ollie Watkins in 2020 they replaced him with Ivan Toney. (Admittedly for a fraction of the Watkins fee!)
If you really want to progress up the league you can't keep going for promising youngsters who might come good. At some point you have to take a punt on proven talent.
(BTW - Millwall signed Tanganga after a successful loan, and when he signed for them he was already 25 - three yeas older than Ronnie Edwards! And according to Transfermarkt the fee was €1.8m)
Brentford bought Watkins for £1.8 million in 2017, sold him three years later for £28million in 2020. They then bought Ivan Toney for £10million in 2020, sold him in 2024 for £40 million. They spent £30 million on Thiago as Toney's replacement, got badly injured on debut, barely played...16 goals this season already, looks mustard. 24 years old. How valuable would he be to a Champions League team?
Rinse and repeat. Always reinvest less than they received, too.
Millwall signed Tanganga as a free agent in July 2024 (obviously hefty signing fee though) and sold him 12 months later for initial £7 million rising to £10 million.
Millwall then bought Crama for under a million and could easily sell him five times that this summer.
QPR have definitely mastered the buying part of the equation. But we haven't managed the rinse and repeat feats that Brentford and now Millwall accomplish. (Selling Kelman to buy Kone for the roughly the same is better trading than usual though).
If we're selling Ronnie Edwards to Newcastle for £15+ million in two years, then we're doing this right. Hope so. The selling bit is the hard part.
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 00:31 - Jan 10 with 3330 views
Remember those hacked Jennifer Lawerence pics yes I have studied them they are nice I heard a stunning stat from your latest excellent podcast thar QPR have given up the most goals or second to Sheffield Wednesday this year and that alone makes this signing worthwhile .Plus he can move into midfield and stop the Heathrow runway wide gaps teams are running through so far. We might go on a nice FA Cup run also which would pay for his fee if we can get by West Ham. All positive news so far this week welcome Ronnie
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 00:34 - Jan 10 with 3325 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 00:07 - Jan 10 by TK1
Brentford bought Watkins for £1.8 million in 2017, sold him three years later for £28million in 2020. They then bought Ivan Toney for £10million in 2020, sold him in 2024 for £40 million. They spent £30 million on Thiago as Toney's replacement, got badly injured on debut, barely played...16 goals this season already, looks mustard. 24 years old. How valuable would he be to a Champions League team?
Rinse and repeat. Always reinvest less than they received, too.
Millwall signed Tanganga as a free agent in July 2024 (obviously hefty signing fee though) and sold him 12 months later for initial £7 million rising to £10 million.
Millwall then bought Crama for under a million and could easily sell him five times that this summer.
QPR have definitely mastered the buying part of the equation. But we haven't managed the rinse and repeat feats that Brentford and now Millwall accomplish. (Selling Kelman to buy Kone for the roughly the same is better trading than usual though).
If we're selling Ronnie Edwards to Newcastle for £15+ million in two years, then we're doing this right. Hope so. The selling bit is the hard part.
I agree with you, although you might have slightly missed my point.
When Brentford signed Watkins he was a 22 year-old with 21 goals in L2 for Exeter.
When they sold Watkins they replaced him with Toney who was a 24 year-old with 40 goals in L1 for Peterborough.
So yes to reinvesting some of what you've brought in from sales, but also look to bring in incrementally better talent as you go, if you want to move forward. Otherwise you will keep going back to square 1.
Glad you’ve asked the awkward questions - we rejected activating the clause to sign Saito last summer, only to blow £5m on him because we had sacked a popular manager and the new guy was having an inauspicious start so they needed a panacea and Derby were about to sign him so pitchforks would’ve been out at LR.
Edwards is obviously a very promising player, but blowing the last of the Eze money on him because we had a crap Xmas has the feel as you say of a ‘look over here’ when that money could’ve arguably been better utilised.
Hopefully it works and we go on a 15 game clean sheet run now with lovely Ronnie in defence, while Saito smashes 20 goals by the end of the season, but yeah…
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 07:43 - Jan 10 with 2711 views
"Ronnie Edwards, he got lone style, Ronnie Edwards, he got lone style If you try an battle im, u better come bring ya game Cos e put yah on ya ras an ting Ronnie is our king An e put yah on ya ras an ting Ronnie Edwards, he got lone style, Ronnie Edwards, he got lone style"
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 07:59 - Jan 10 with 2674 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 00:07 - Jan 10 by TK1
Brentford bought Watkins for £1.8 million in 2017, sold him three years later for £28million in 2020. They then bought Ivan Toney for £10million in 2020, sold him in 2024 for £40 million. They spent £30 million on Thiago as Toney's replacement, got badly injured on debut, barely played...16 goals this season already, looks mustard. 24 years old. How valuable would he be to a Champions League team?
Rinse and repeat. Always reinvest less than they received, too.
Millwall signed Tanganga as a free agent in July 2024 (obviously hefty signing fee though) and sold him 12 months later for initial £7 million rising to £10 million.
Millwall then bought Crama for under a million and could easily sell him five times that this summer.
QPR have definitely mastered the buying part of the equation. But we haven't managed the rinse and repeat feats that Brentford and now Millwall accomplish. (Selling Kelman to buy Kone for the roughly the same is better trading than usual though).
If we're selling Ronnie Edwards to Newcastle for £15+ million in two years, then we're doing this right. Hope so. The selling bit is the hard part.
Good post. Although the “selling bit” is the hardest part is the reverse from where I’m standing.
The buying part is hardest. The rest takes care of itself - so long as you have bought well and they are continuously kept under contract. (Something we have not done well in the past).
Brentford buy well, we do not. That’s what needs to change. And on that note, I’m unconvinced / concerned by our transfer strategy splashing serious cash on middling 24-25 year olds like Saito and even Madsen.
We’ve been here with this age group before with Les and I’m amazed we haven’t learnt our lessons. it’s extremely hard to turn a profit inside the age window of 1-2 years needed for this age group before values plateau or plummet.
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 08:04 - Jan 10 with 2657 views
How do you find the time write these articles?! I’m not trying to crawl up your back side, genuinely impressed with level of detail and how quickly you turn these around. I’m off to read the match preview…
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 08:34 - Jan 10 with 2546 views
My kids are absolutely buzzing about this and I am pleased too. However that niggle Clive has also sits with me on why he couldn't crack it at Southampton.
Then I read all the Saint's fans (well circa 90% of them) on social media saying they will live to regret selling him so I am now fully back in the great signing camp. Fans know a good player when they see one.
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 08:49 - Jan 10 with 2433 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 03:44 - Jan 10 by lassel
Glad you’ve asked the awkward questions - we rejected activating the clause to sign Saito last summer, only to blow £5m on him because we had sacked a popular manager and the new guy was having an inauspicious start so they needed a panacea and Derby were about to sign him so pitchforks would’ve been out at LR.
Edwards is obviously a very promising player, but blowing the last of the Eze money on him because we had a crap Xmas has the feel as you say of a ‘look over here’ when that money could’ve arguably been better utilised.
Hopefully it works and we go on a 15 game clean sheet run now with lovely Ronnie in defence, while Saito smashes 20 goals by the end of the season, but yeah…
Did we only come in for him due to the results from 26th December onwards? I always thought it must have been discussed way before then given Edwards was last in their squad on 13th December. Isn’t it more because Cook will likely be gone in the summer and we don’t “trust” JCS to get back consistently. That leaves Dunne, Morrison and Mbengue. Edwards is better than all of them in my view and can play centre back for us for a long time. It’s a long term signing which I like and we’re much better with a JCS or Edwards alongside Dunne.
Now we need to start selling though!
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 09:08 - Jan 10 with 2319 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 08:34 - Jan 10 by Gloucs_R
Question, do we now think and Mbengue is the answer to our permanent right back dilemma?
If so, that's Dunne and Morrison RCB Edwards and JCS LCB
Plus a couple of good prospects coming through.
It looks like JCS has at least a couple more seasons on his contract with us but whether we will get more than 10 games out of him, who knows.
Need to sort out the LB role permanently. Not sure Esquerdinha is the answer (?) Larkeche out for the season, good enough to step up when he returns?
Agree with all the above. And yes, I think Mbengue should be our right back going forward. He’s quick and gets us up the pitch, and has marked the best wingers in league out of the game. Be interesting to see how he does tomorrow
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Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 09:12 - Jan 10 with 2297 views
Ronnie returns, but is it the handsome deal QPR hope? – Signing on 00:34 - Jan 10 by KensalT
I agree with you, although you might have slightly missed my point.
When Brentford signed Watkins he was a 22 year-old with 21 goals in L2 for Exeter.
When they sold Watkins they replaced him with Toney who was a 24 year-old with 40 goals in L1 for Peterborough.
So yes to reinvesting some of what you've brought in from sales, but also look to bring in incrementally better talent as you go, if you want to move forward. Otherwise you will keep going back to square 1.
I completely get why Clive is hedging, we've been burned too many times before. But you have to get back on the horse and hope for better next time.
No, I do get all that, they replace with better each time they sell.
We're just not selling anyone yet. Buying incrementally better players only works if you're selling for incrementally higher fees each time. We're buying Smyth, then Dembele, then Vale, then Poku, then Saito...but we're not selling any of them. Not even Chair or Kolli, who we should definitely both sell for this to work (but who are both possibly too physically damaged to do so).
We need to sell, not just buy.
Burrell by far the best chance of a low-cost buy going for serious money now he's got ten goals...which is why the possibly serious hamstring injury is such a disaster. If he gets 15-20 this season, sell high in the summer to Stoke, B'rum or Sheffield U, replace with cheaper. Get this going.
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