An interesting read, Journalist predicting 4th for us.
Decent preview but the paragraph....
'A high-pedigree group remains in commanding centre-back Lloyd Jones, intelligent left-sided defender Macauley Gillesphey, tenacious wing-back Tennai Watson, and Carrick-caricature Conor Coventry'. Feels like he's just picked a random few names out the bag, none of the those had a particularly good season last year at all.
He’s just never seen any of them play
He has - multiple times. He goes to an EFL game most weekends and midweeks. I know for a fact that he was at the Cheltenham (A) win last season and came away from it full of praise for Conor Coventry, for example.
I'm not sure that pre season friendlies give us any guide to the season ahead, the Millwall friendly last year at the Den gave a good indication of that. There was a euphoric feeling after that game, the kids were alright was certainly a phrased used, but it glossed over a paper thin squad, I will give Golfie a mention here because he was one of the first to point out that we were relying on kids to complete a squad, he and others were spot on. This pre season we have seen good and bad but if you were to base picking a team on the friendlies thus far, Zac Mitchell would probably start, Gassan Ahadme, would be benched. We need more creation, Thierry Small has been our most creative player but, as seems likely, he refuses a contract he could be gone, if not in this window then certainly the next, it is the reason that Josh Edwards was signed but he looks more like a full back rather than a wing back. We need that creator and an experienced keeper, then it's down to Nathan Jones to make it work, but he needs to get results quickly as the outlay, the board would argue, justifies results.
I am a little worried we're signing a few too many 'on the way down' players rather than ones on the way up.
Individually look like reasonable signings, but Godden, Berry, and potentially Begovic are all over 32 so we could be working on those positions again soon rather than building on the signings being made.
Docherty makes more sense given he's still experienced but should have a good few years left in him yet.
Hopefully I'm wrong and they provide that bit of experience needed sometimes!
I am a little worried we're signing a few too many 'on the way down' players rather than ones on the way up.
Individually look like reasonable signings, but Godden, Berry, and potentially Begovic are all over 32 so we could be working on those positions again soon rather than building on the signings being made.
Docherty makes more sense given he's still experienced but should have a good few years left in him yet.
Hopefully I'm wrong and they provide that bit of experience needed sometimes!
It all depends on the hunger of those players "on the way down", Arter was special case as believe he was actually injured but yeah some havent worked for us.
However people like Pratley did workout and when Yann signed for us he had flopped at Leicester and was the wrong side of thirty and it worked out.
"We need to be like Peterborough and be signing the hidden gems!" "WHY are we signing Dixon, Ahadme, Mitchell we need more Champ level players!!!1111!!!!!133!!" "Why are we singing Godden, Berry, Docherty and Begovic! They're past it! We need to be signing the next Begovic!"
I am a little worried we're signing a few too many 'on the way down' players rather than ones on the way up.
Individually look like reasonable signings, but Godden, Berry, and potentially Begovic are all over 32 so we could be working on those positions again soon rather than building on the signings being made.
Docherty makes more sense given he's still experienced but should have a good few years left in him yet.
Hopefully I'm wrong and they provide that bit of experience needed sometimes!
It all depends on the hunger of those players "on the way down", Arter was special case as believe he was actually injured but yeah some havent worked for us.
However people like Pratley did workout and when Yann signed for us he had flopped at Leicester and was the wrong side of thirty and it worked out.
Yeah, I'm going to make my mind up by some loud mouths on Twitter
When you say he had a decent season in the Championship last year, what are you actually basing that on?
I'm not entirely unhappy with Mannion & Begovic as our GKs. I'm just pointing out that it's very arguable Begovic had a poor season.
6th best clean sheet record in the league, 12th best save percentage in the league, 11th best saves per 90. Stats look good, in what was a shit QPR team under Ainsworth.
So, again, a few blowhards on Twitter aren't the judges you think they are
Yeah, I'm going to make my mind up by some loud mouths on Twitter
When you say he had a decent season in the Championship last year, what are you actually basing that on?
I'm not entirely unhappy with Mannion & Begovic as our GKs. I'm just pointing out that it's very arguable Begovic had a poor season.
6th best clean sheet record in the league, 12th best save percentage in the league, 11th best saves per 90. Stats look good, in what was a shit QPR team under Ainsworth.
So, again, a few blowhards on Twitter aren't the judges you think they are
I said "QPR fans don't seem to agree with the idea he had a decent season." Short of contacting YouGov for a mass survey I've shown that to be true.
You seem to be conflating their view with mine. You think I'm saying he's shit because they're saying he's shit. I don't get it.
We have to give him a chance - we don’t have any other real choice. Unfortunately we’re onto our 3rd/4th choice option at this point.
Jones is convinced he doesn’t want loans, especially in a position like a goalkeeper, but a year of Steer/Rudd would leave me feeling a lot more positive than a year of Begovic.
It’s been a weird summer for goalkeepers - missed out on Davies, missed out on Sinisalo, Birmingham sign two of them themselves, Millwall only ended up needing one because of what happened to Sarkic. Other examples I’m forgetting right now. Just feels like there’s been a lot of goalkeeper movement around the EFL this summer.
Sometimes the chips fall the way they do and we haven’t got one of our primary targets. Perhaps we’ll get, hopefully, our long term no. 1 goalkeeper next year. Fingers crossed Begovic is good enough to plug the gap in the mean time.
It’s been a weird summer for goalkeepers - missed out on Davies, missed out on Sinisalo, Birmingham sign two of them themselves, Millwall only ended up needing one because of what happened to Sarkic. Other examples I’m forgetting right now. Just feels like there’s been a lot of goalkeeper movement around the EFL this summer.
Sometimes the chips fall the way they do and we haven’t got one of our primary targets. Perhaps we’ll get, hopefully, our long term no. 1 goalkeeper next year. Fingers crossed Begovic is good enough to plug the gap in the mean time.
I'd certainly rather have Begovic coming in than continuing with AMB/Isted. Agree it's clear we missed out on our top targets and Begovic feels like that 1-year stopgap to get us to next summer and a more permanent GK signing. We could probably do a lot worse.
Comments
Any minor injury is a sign a player is injury prone and never fit. Ahadme is already being see that way.
Probably Dixon
Individually look like reasonable signings, but Godden, Berry, and potentially Begovic are all over 32 so we could be working on those positions again soon rather than building on the signings being made.
Docherty makes more sense given he's still experienced but should have a good few years left in him yet.
Hopefully I'm wrong and they provide that bit of experience needed sometimes!
However people like Pratley did workout and when Yann signed for us he had flopped at Leicester and was the wrong side of thirty and it worked out.
Admittedly Yann was no Piotr Parzseyek though
Like this thread when there was news about him potentially signing a new deal there: https://x.com/qpr_news82/status/1792442726455071029
"WHY are we signing Dixon, Ahadme, Mitchell we need more Champ level players!!!1111!!!!!133!!"
"Why are we singing Godden, Berry, Docherty and Begovic! They're past it! We need to be signing the next Begovic!"
ad infinitum
Pedantic I know!
I'm not entirely unhappy with Mannion & Begovic as our GKs. I'm just pointing out that it's very arguable Begovic had a poor season.
The goal is at 1:45 for anyone interested.
So, again, a few blowhards on Twitter aren't the judges you think they are
" No, I don't rate him. Too old, slow coming out and can't get down to shots".
Good enough for me.
You seem to be conflating their view with mine. You think I'm saying he's shit because they're saying he's shit. I don't get it.
Jones is convinced he doesn’t want loans, especially in a position like a goalkeeper, but a year of Steer/Rudd would leave me feeling a lot more positive than a year of Begovic.
Sometimes the chips fall the way they do and we haven’t got one of our primary targets. Perhaps we’ll get, hopefully, our long term no. 1 goalkeeper next year. Fingers crossed Begovic is good enough to plug the gap in the mean time.
What about the six crappy defenders, don't they take any blame...🙄
signed :..A Begovic...