| The point of it all - Preview on 20:36 - Feb 10 with 2396 views | stainrods_elbow |
The issue is not the dreary and deadening calculi of FFP: We (and, believe it or believe it not, I) Get. It, for the limited sense it makes and the purpose it clearly serves at QPR, among other things, for rationalising a shocking lack of visible on-pitch progress. It is why other clubs (on similar or smaller budgets) don't appear to have all the problems we do (or don't complain about them) re poor trading, poor loaning (in/out), going into January (pre-Martin) without a single fit and established pro striker who's ours, and everything else we've known about for ages.
The issue is not with fans berating players for a lack of quality, even though there is a lack of quality. It is with having a team that has a palpable lack of professional commitment, phones it on a regular basis, colludes with a succession of management teams to get knocked out of cup after cup, year after year, while we're also told we're perenially skint/can't buy anyone/need to drive up income, and the letters on the Stan Bowles Stand, God help us (and in a needless slap on the face of the Bowles' family by the club - how much were they? 10k?) apparently have to be paid for out of the pockets of QPR supporters.
The issue is not with staying at/leaving LR to be 'competitive' - whether I'm in a minority or not, I am still to be convinced we should move. I have pointed out the arguments for those who have ears to hear, among which are the fact that ticket/hospitality sales constitute a smaller and smaller proportion of clubs' income at the top of the footballing tree, which is why the likes of Bournemouth could compete in the Prem for a meaningful period with fates of around 11,000 - because they had a great coach, excellent recruitment, and a professional set-up. Contrast that with the negativism, complacency, bluster about algorithms and mirthless laughter at ardent fans from we've heard this week, and feel a whole lot less surprised we are where we are!
The business with the Cat.1/Cat 2./EEP academy issue is concerning on the face of it and sounds very dispiriting - the new facility almost presents itself as the construction of failure or constitutive obsolescence. If the presented analysis is accurate, when they're investing what they are already (which doesn't count towards FFP, apparently), why the owners would not upgrade to Cat. 1 is, on the face of it, beyond me. (The rules here seem clearly tilted to the benefit of the bigger clubs - who'd have thought it!) Picking up Clive's analysis, the current situation is either an indictment of our training set-up or the Academy is pointless - or maybe it's both.
It's worth pointing out, however, that only 1% of Academy players, go onto become full-time professionals; the likes of Sterling and Eze come along once or twice in a generation. However, to do a bit more digging, I found that most Prem clubs have Cat. 1 Academies, but some don't - including Brentford with Cat.2, whose development model Clive has trumpeted! Similarly, most (but not all - the Fakes are Cat. 1) Champ. clubs, and one or two Prem clubs have Cat. 2 Academies, but for some reason you also don't tend to hear them bleating about losing talent. The detail is both tedious and murky:
https://www.leathesprior.co.uk/news/eppp-the-case-for-tapping-up
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/ https://www.leathesprior.co.uk/files/From_Bosman_to_Brexit.pdf
It seems that something hinges on whether clubs register their Academicians or don't - if the former (which is more expensive, the kind of detail clubs like QPR don't seem to do), then, basically,kids can't get tapped up by bigger clubs, irrespective of the category of the Academy. Otherwise, as I understand it, any club can pay anyone else compensation for a 15/16/17 year old, regardless of status. In the final analysis, one can only wonder and weep about how QPR have gone from a club that brought through the likes of Francis, Busby, Gillard, Clement, Allen and Goddard (and I would like to know what the rules were then - I presume those youth players would not have been tied to QPR by ball and chain) and the situation this month where we're hiring a 34-year-old for 4 months to fill a first team roster.
Ultimately, what do I need as a fan? Here's one big thing: to feel that the people running my club are competent, motivated, and committed to excellence, within the constraints we never stop hearing about and many/most of which affect our competitors. Do I I feel we have this, or have had this, in recent years? Increasingly, and so wearyingly, I'm sad to say don't. I'm not an economist or a businessman, but I'm fairly sure I could sit down with Messrs Frayling and Finney and brainstorm 10 ideas for improving the matchday experience, taking the ticketing system back in house, taking a pride in our ground, serving decent pie, beer and burgers, making it a part of the culture of the club we put out strong teams who play with pride and passion in the FA Cup, and explaining to the world why we're not going to be making excuses about the 'dog-eat-dog' Academy industry/FFP/state of the pitch/catering licence/Council until we're all dead because we realise we're no more vulnerable than most other clubs to most of these variables - and that would just be the first meeting. At any rate, I'd make damn sure I did more than laugh at earnest and well-informed supporters when I've got a bad cold and tell they're bloody lucky I'm there at all, or using the fig-leaf of EPPP for why we're not bringing through players when lots of others clubs in the same boat. Call me old-fashioned, why don't you!
Loving QPR in the current climate is like stepping out with a tired whore - they take, take, take, take, but don't care, don't try to look nice, and don't deliver. That's what I've been seeing the last umpteen games, the second half of last season, and a good portion of the season before that. Sure, we've had some lovely moments with Willock and his dancing feet, and played a few promising games, but the default momentum has been that of mediocrity, complacency and slide, as shown by our dilapidated, dirty home. I'll say it again: Being successful, or trying to be, means being demanding, getting riled up, expecting answers, and, if necessary, making people step aside who are invested in apathy, laziness and bluffing. Who on God's green earth, hand on heart, can say we have trustworthy ingredients at the club right now? And if having rich owners, to amplify with my tuba, won't/can't/mustn't spend money where it's needed, to allude to Clive's pre-match report, what is the point of us? [Post edited 11 Feb 2023 0:00]
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| The point of it all - Preview on 20:56 - Feb 10 with 2381 views | PunteR |
Cat 1 or cat 2?
Brian Mac picked up on this and i must admit i forgot this was a thing. I suspect a lot on LFW message board did too.
Am i right in thinking that this sort of thing doesnt count against FFP?
Sooo.. if we have big ambitions and multi billionares running the club that would spend money if they could , why wouldnt they go for Cat 1? |  |
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| The point of it all - Preview on 09:15 - Feb 11 with 1692 views | joe90 |
Always enjoy reading the previews - thank you.
I do think we need to give the club a break. There is no sinister plot, conspiracy or evil motive. We’re just a bit crap and this isn’t even the worse we’ve been!
I think the point is that QPR isn’t like other clubs. The things we love are often the things that drive us away. Just got to embrace the madness! |  | | |
| The point of it all - Preview on 10:16 - Feb 11 with 1617 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Enjoyed that. Weirdly.
Thanks man. |  |
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| The point of it all - Preview on 12:35 - Feb 11 with 1428 views | PinnerPaul |
| The point of it all - Preview on 20:56 - Feb 10 by PunteR |
Cat 1 or cat 2?
Brian Mac picked up on this and i must admit i forgot this was a thing. I suspect a lot on LFW message board did too.
Am i right in thinking that this sort of thing doesnt count against FFP?
Sooo.. if we have big ambitions and multi billionares running the club that would spend money if they could , why wouldnt they go for Cat 1? |
Because it still won't stop players being pinched and the extra £s compensation isn't that much more according to Simon D's figures. |  | | |
| The point of it all - Preview on 19:24 - Feb 11 with 1093 views | TheChef |
Well Martin did get a goal and we scored at the Loft end, so er, silver linings and all that... |  |
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| The point of it all - Preview on 10:12 - Feb 12 with 797 views | safcinpeace |
Hi, I couldn’t find a match thread for this weeks game so I thought I would ask how you think you will line up on Tuesday and who is in form for you just now( having seen the comments on here, not many are) and what your thoughts are about Sunderland last season.
From our point of view we are very pleased with how the season has gone. We are starting games with 8 players still eligible to play U21 football. What is more they are very talented kids, three of them are nominated for the European Golden Boy Award.
On the down side we are short of out and out strikers but have an abundance of attack minded ball players. So of the football this year has been the best I have watched in 55 years watching Sunderland. | | | |
| The point of it all - Preview on 15:35 - Feb 12 with 651 views | OldPedro |
| The point of it all - Preview on 10:12 - Feb 12 by safcinpeace |
Hi, I couldn’t find a match thread for this weeks game so I thought I would ask how you think you will line up on Tuesday and who is in form for you just now( having seen the comments on here, not many are) and what your thoughts are about Sunderland last season.
From our point of view we are very pleased with how the season has gone. We are starting games with 8 players still eligible to play U21 football. What is more they are very talented kids, three of them are nominated for the European Golden Boy Award.
On the down side we are short of out and out strikers but have an abundance of attack minded ball players. So of the football this year has been the best I have watched in 55 years watching Sunderland. |
Line up on Tuesday will probably depend on who is fit - several of our players at the moment seem to pick up injuries very easily, so who knows. Added to that, form of the team and players individually is poor, so not sure the line up will make much diffference.
All in all, a good time for you to be playing us. |  |
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| The point of it all - Preview on 15:43 - Feb 12 with 635 views | PinnerPaul |
| The point of it all - Preview on 19:24 - Feb 11 by TheChef |
Well Martin did get a goal and we scored at the Loft end, so er, silver linings and all that... |
TBF to Clive he did predict he would score, as did I.
Sadly I predicted it would be our winning goal! | | | |
| The point of it all - Preview on 15:44 - Feb 12 with 625 views | PinnerPaul |
| The point of it all - Preview on 10:12 - Feb 12 by safcinpeace |
Hi, I couldn’t find a match thread for this weeks game so I thought I would ask how you think you will line up on Tuesday and who is in form for you just now( having seen the comments on here, not many are) and what your thoughts are about Sunderland last season.
From our point of view we are very pleased with how the season has gone. We are starting games with 8 players still eligible to play U21 football. What is more they are very talented kids, three of them are nominated for the European Golden Boy Award.
On the down side we are short of out and out strikers but have an abundance of attack minded ball players. So of the football this year has been the best I have watched in 55 years watching Sunderland. |
Probably best to come back on here Tuesday am when we've calmed down a bit.
Think you might get a bit over confident if you read too much on here before then!  | | | |
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