Help with QPR match preview

[Northernr]

Not entirely sure what I'm letting myself in for with this but basically I'm a QPR fan here in peace looking for some input for the match preview on loftforwords.co.uk. If some of you could help by answering the following that would be much appreciated...

1 - Sorry to start with Paolo Di Canio but.... Paolo Di Canio, what did you make of his appointment to begin with and his reign overall?
2 - And what was the inside track on his departure? We all heard his, very public, reasoning for it but what really happened? Were you sorry to see him go? What was the general consensus on him?
3 - What went wrong with Kevin MacDonald? Good pedigree, and although the form at the end of last season wasn't great you could easily have beaten Brentford in the play offs, then suddenly he was gone. Why? Jumped or pushed?
4 - Who came in and who left during the summer player wise? Were you sorry or glad about anybody in particular incoming or outgoing?
5 - Where is the team weak and where is it strong? Who should we be wary of and who should we be targeting?
6 - So Mark Cooper is in charge now - is he simply there because all other options were exhausted? What do you make of him?
7 - Opinion of your board of directors?
8 - Ambitions for this season and beyond....

[suttonred]

Oh shit, the questions were good until  6 and 7.Here comes the shotguns to the jaw.

[Batch]

Paolo, it's Paolo.

[Stegenfreud]

1) The appointment was exciting, caused some divide (facist) but after relegation it provided a much needed boost. He did well on a mahoosive budget and high agent fees (for his agent). Some loved him some didn't. It was never dull.

2) Old board cut their funding, sold a player (apparently behind his back), went under embargo, his toys went everywhere and he walked out.

3) Nobody knows

4) Pretty much the whole squad bar 5/6, Tottenham reserves replaced them.

5) Very young and quite small and lacking goal threat. Trying to play a good passing game though, Ryan Mason, Massimo Luongo and Alex Pritchard can all be useful.

6) Probably a cheaper option. Working under certain constraints, seems like a good bloke that the players like. Too soon to judge re/ results.

7) Suspicious

Stable mid-table finish would be good considering all the comings/goings.

[bassett boy]

Good comments

[@mwooly63]

1, Gave the club a boost when appointed after relegation, Not the first big name untried manager we have had but this one caused more of a stir than previous ones with the fascist undertones, sponsors pulling out and a division in the fanbase over him being given the job
Was never a lover of Dicanio but you cant argue with his record during his time here - a lot of his actions we took as his love of Swindon he has repeated at Sunderland already so just his way I guess

2, Doubt will ever know the complete story but it appears the old board were looking to sell up due to not wanting to keep ploughing money into the club, Ritchie was sold to provide a bridging budget between old board leaving and new one taking over. pdc didnt take kindly to the player sale allegedly behind his back and started throwing toys and ultimatums about.Takeover took a long time for the FL to ratify and pdc gave a deadline when if it wasnt done he was. That deadline came and went and so did pdc. Since his going we have learned a lot more about the massive budget and high wages he was offering players as well as paying off those he had given decent contracts to who were shit.
Its no wonder old board had enough as the budget was unsustainable.
We are still left with some of his high rollers who we are still paying despite not even having a squad number !!

3,Nobody knows what happened re knac, Club cited personal issues at the time but we have never heard from the man himself. He came with a good pedigree but managed imho to take a promotion winning team and turn it into a playoff losing one.
Rumours abounded that he wasnt happy about the players coming in and that he had no say tho doubt we will ever know

4, Bought 2 loaned 4 from spurs youth set up plus a couple of other young players from elsewhere. A lot of the previous squad released/paid off/sold/left to languish without a squad number.
McCormack probably the only player we really miss at this time. More than a few of the others flattered to deceive and are plying their trade at lower division clubs.
Of those who came in most of the ex spurs have potential to be really good players but a long way from the finished article for a couple.
Ranger is the latest and appears to be what we have been lacking up front tho not 100% match fit yet.

5, Team play a neat passing game even if a little slow at times. Still gelling as a unit which shows but has potential to be a decent side.
Depending on who plays LB that can be our weakest area, Midfield full of flair but lacking a bit of bite at times.
We have been toothless upfront with few recognised strikers on the books - made worse by just releasing one on a season long loan to Yeovil - tho Nile Ranger has come in as an option and has looked good so far .

6, Cooper is another appointment that split fans - hired as a number 2 to Kmac suddenly found himslf in the hotseat.Players seem to like him and his methods as obv do the board. Fans opinion varies with many not wanting him thinking of him as the cheap option and only got the job as already in place.
Many prepared to give a chance too.
As obv not his team we feel he is in more of a coaches role than that of the traditional manager.

7, Hmmmm hard to sum this up, some hail as saviours others as outright crooks. With the budget cuts needed after the previous season it was always going to anger a lot of fans.
Some of their business ideas look good going forward but sometimes things dont seem to stack up.
Our chairman seems more at home down the pub or on twitter making an ass of himself
Jury is still out on them.

8, Mid table finish looks about the level we are currently playing towards despite our chairmans optimism of promotion this year.
IF we can keep the bulk of our loan players longer than this season by reloaning or buying then the future will look rosier.
Balancing the books playing budget wise has already begun in earnest so a sustainable future is something we all want going forward whatever lg we are playing in

[sonicyouth]

1. I was opposed to his appointment on political grounds but over time accepted that his politics had little bearing on his managerial abilities. I never felt fully comfortable supporting him.

2. There is no "inside track" only theories. I believe that he left following the realisation that due to Black pulling out, he would no longer be able to have the same level of control over the football club as was allowed to him by Wray - his vision was no longer possible. I'm certain he felt very aggrieved by the sale of Ritchie but didn't understand the neccessity of it at the time. In hindsight I feel that although he was hugely successful during his time here, we are still recovering from the fallout of high wages and a scattergun approach to recruitment.

3. I honestly haven't got a clue. The fans were on his back immediately and despite our comeback in the semi-final, he never really got a fair chance. The prospect of working under a DoF who signs players - primarily from Spurs - may have been a reason for his departure but given that we'd signed three players on loan from Spurs at the end of last season, I fail to see how it came as a surprise to KMac and why he felt the need to depart so suddenly. Personally, I was looking forward to seeing what he could do with this squad given his record at Villa.

4. That's a very long list! I think the biggest loss over the summer was McCormick who provided both versatility and drive.

5. I haven't seen them yet this season. Foderingham will likely be a key player for us this season just as he has been since his arrival.

6. Cooper was in the right place at the right time by default. If KMac had departed during the close season I believe we'd have someone else in charge but given that Cooper had spent the summer looking after a young and inexperienced squad and subsequently took charge of the side in competitive matches due to the drawn out managerial search took charge meant that continuity was a sensible option. I think it's far too early to judge him but equally don't think he's as bad an appointment as others seem to think.

7. Their ideas are sound but their methods have been poorly communicated and more drastic than some felt necessary. Our chairman is a wideboy, our DoF is worryingly in the shadows and the board has changed frequently enough since their arrival that I'm struggling to recall off the top of my head who are currently directors.

8. I've got no expectations but don't think we'll be embroiled in a relegation battle, possibly a flirtation with the bottom four but on the strength of other's opinions we sound likely to pick up some fortunate wins but lose unceremoniously in games we ought to win. Beyond this season, I'm hoping the club can become sustainable and stable and that we can secure a talented group of youngsters to blood.

[chalkies_shorts]

1 - It was either going to be brilliant or a disaster. In the end we got both, although the disaster is more the benefactor backing out leaving us with a salary base that could not be supported.  There's also a lot of revisionism that means DiCanio is now regarded as a cunt who is the ruination of the club.
2 - Fuck knows. In my view the new owners didn't want him and Pdc has to be the centre of attention and is more needy than any of my kids. I'm in the minority though but I would rather he stayed.
3 - KM inherited someone else's team and the fans got on his back from day 1. Its clear the Spurs influence was there. When we needed experienced pros we got kids on loan.
4 - Its now essentially a new team who should wear nappies not shorts - nappies with a cockerel emblem or in ranger's case a nappy that stays on at the sight of a woman. There is very little experience there. It could come good. It could go to shit. We've had both in most games this season.  
5 - We have a very good goalkeeper, a good right back and a good central defender. If I was the opposition I'd target the other centre back, who I think will be a good player but has got a lot to learn - Spurs benefit at our expense. I'd also target the left where the winger will offer no protection to the full back and if Byrne plays full back then the full back will offer very little protection as he is better played as a right winger. The midfield is strong for most of the game but goes missing for patches. Up front we've got a player who seems to score at will off the pitch but it remains to be seen if he can do it on it.
6 - Cooper has done alright, nothing more, nothing less. Given our Director of Football then his role is coach not manager. I also think given the restraints of the role we were never going to get a proven manager. He'll play what he's been given
7 - At one extreme they are the saviours of the club and no criticism should be given - they should be allowed to do what they want. At the other extreme you've got a Chairman who is a bullshitting chav who thinks he's one of the lads who has a penchant for being a complete twat on Twitter. You then have a rarely seen investor who is Director of Football who is playing Football Manager with STFC despite being a tax exile and only allowed in the UK for 90-days. The final member of the board is an Indian who counterbalances the possible cowboys. She is an expert in PR and journalism but given the PR coming out of the club she may as well be there making the tea and doing the laundry. Those are the 3 we know about. Cooper has alluded to there being others but transparency is not a word the Board recognise, in my opinion. So benevolent individuals taking unnecessary stick or dangerous chancers who will ruin the club - take your choice.
8 I'll settle for not being relegated and having a club to support at the end of the season.  

[reeves4england]

Not entirely sure what I'm letting myself in for with this but basically I'm a QPR fan here in peace looking for some input for the match preview on loftforwords.co.uk. If some of you could help by answering the following that would be much appreciated...

1 - In footballing terms PDC was a great appointment. He demanded effort, hard work and enthusiasm from his players, and got the majority of fans behind the team even on a bad day. He claimed players were attracted to the club because of him. Now it seems more likely it was because he had a blank cheque book at his dosposal.

2 - Rough summary - the money dried up as Andrew Black pulled out and put the club up for sale. Ritchie was sold to ensure we stayed solvent in the transition, and Paolo got fed up as a decision was taken out of his hands (quite necessarily, it would seem). Toys left right and centre, Paolo gone. It was always likely to end that way.

3 - What was wrong with KM? Nothing much. He did ok towards the end of the season as off-field issues took centre stage. Nobody knows why he left - all guesswork.

4 - The top earners were let go as part of essential financial restructuring. They've been replaced by a load of kids - quite a few on loan or permanent deals from Spurs, but a few others too. Ranger is a recent addition - who knows how long he'll be here but there's obviously a footballer in there somewhere.

5 - I've not made it to a game yet, so I can't comment.

6 - Personally I think the board took their time and decided he was the best bet, having got us off to a good start and worked with the players for a few months. Others will call him the cheap option. He seems to have got us playign some good football, despite the insistance of Posh fans that he knows nothing other than the long ball.

7 - Who's on the board this week?! My opinion is they're a well meaning bunch who are passionate about getting the club back into shape. They're learning as they go, with mistakes along the way, but they're doing what needs to be done - always likely to make them unpopular.

8 - I'd settle for mid-table this season with all the upheaval. We've a young and inexperienced squad who play good stuff but are likely to throw points away on occasion. Looking further ahead, the hope is that the new model (of recruiting youngesters who play good football as they develop) pays dividends with year-on-year improvement and a push towards the Championship in the next 2-3 years.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Regarding the above post, what exactly was happening there? Some one quotes something but doesn't actually type anything themselves? It happens quite a lot. What's going on??

[@mwooly63]

Regarding the above post, what exactly was happening there? Some one quotes something but doesn't actually type anything themselves? It happens quite a lot. What's going on??

Yeah he did type stuff. just did it inside the quotes

Only first paragraph is what Northernr posted

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Yeah he did type stuff. just did it inside the quotes

Only first paragraph is what Northernr posted

Worst.

Quoting.

Ever.

[reeves4england]

Apologies. A failure on my part.

[THE FLASH]

Would you like a review of the match?

[pauld]

Would you like a review of the match?