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Marti to Leicester…maybe
at 16:40 16 Jul 2025

Difference compared to who?

All the names I mentioned were obviously pitching themselves elsewhere too. That's how it works. Gerry Francis was not minding his own business when Spurs came, nor Sexton with Man U, etc etc - they made overtures to get a better job. And they got them, And Marti's got a better job now too. Good for them.

The "loyalty used to mean something" bit. You support a club built up from the Third Division by Jim Gregory, who after three decades sold it out to a property business knowing they wanted to merge us with Fulham and change the name of the club!

Disloyalty is in the QPR DNA, as it is everywhere.

Managers look for new jobs all the time. And managers are fired by owners who are also looking for new managers all the time, all speaking with agents of those contracted elsewhere. This is literally the business model.
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Marti to Leicester…maybe
at 16:15 16 Jul 2025

Give over.

Our most celebrated player - the one we named a stand after - was Stan Bowles! He was constantly putting himself on the transfer list, threatening to walk.

Dave Thomas, Clive Allen, Terry Fenwick, Andy Sinton, Paul Parker, Trevor Sinclair etc - all more than happy to take better offers from bigger clubs (of course), agents working overtime for them to get them out.

Our three most successful managers of the last 50 years, Sexton, Venables, Francis: all were straight out of Rangers as soon as a bigger club fluttered their eyelashes. Again, not a negative judgement - that's football. But the idea that "loyalty and professional pride used to mean something" is so demonstrably false at QPR.

The QPR chairman for three decades was Jim Gregory! The least trustworthy, loyal and honest broker in football.

There are no good old days. And having your agent chat with WBA barely scratches the surface in comparison.
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Marti to Leicester…maybe
at 15:46 16 Jul 2025

And Jimmy Dunne was so busy looking for a new job that we had to rest him for a big London derby (that we lost because our makeshift defence was so powder puff).

But six months later he's got a lovely new contract and he is the team captain. Sometimes you get gardening leave for looking elsewhere, sometimes - Jimmy, Ben Williams - you get a promotion, a nice new contract and a puff piece on the official website.

Not all pigs are equal!
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Sell-on clauses
at 15:42 15 Jul 2025

Coventry had a 15% sell-on fee for Gyokeres, but sold 5% back to Sporting Lisbon for one million euros last summer. They will still get 10% when he signs for Arsenal. Definitely worth it.
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Marti to Leicester…maybe
at 14:49 15 Jul 2025

Of course they will lose some players before the season starts - and Luton provide a cautionary tale about parachute clubs - however, every one of their first team squad is a vast upgrade on QPR's.

There's a note running through this thread that implies LFC fans are delusional. With respect, it is QPR fans here who are delusional if they don't see yo-yo Leicester City as a big step-up from Rangers for Cifuentes. Other than Southampton, I can't think of a better place for him at this stage of his career.

We're miles behind them, even with incoming fines. Their stadium holds 12k more (embarrassing when you consider how crap Filbert St was compared to LR) and they have a genuinely successful and productive category one youth academy (as opposed to whatever we think we might have) .

And look at their squad: https://www.lcfc.com/pages/en/teams-men

It's not an easy job. But it's a big promotion for an ambitious coach like MC. Good luck to him.
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The QPR summer transfer rumours thread
at 22:29 14 Jul 2025

Vale has played twice as many professional games as Morgan, has been capped regularly at every England age group below 21 (unlike Morgan) and is two years older. We're more familiar with Morgan, but Vale is further into his career and has been much more highly prized throughout his youth career. We shall see how he's used, but I suspect the club have him earmarked ahead of Morgan in the pecking order.

This squad definitely needs full backs and a left footed attacker I think, for starters but I'm sure QPR will sign loads more before the window closes, as it does with every window. Players will go too - sales and loans - so I wouldn't get too attached to that squad list.
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Gab Sutton/LFW QPR summer deep dive
at 19:33 10 Jul 2025

I reckon it's Dunne again and as you said, we'll get another LB in on loan probably.
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Gab Sutton/LFW QPR summer deep dive
at 19:18 10 Jul 2025

Enjoyable, perceptive on various players and club, really like Gab Sutton every time I listen to him, very knowledgeable...But.

There is surely no way QPR will be playing 3-5-2 this season.

1/ It's been said frequently by Nourry that there is a club game model of "some version of 433 with a mid block".

2/ The Dev squad play "some version of 433 with a mid block", they did so with skill in their last game of the season, and that's how they lined up in their first preseason. They're not being set like that to train/play 3-5-2 with the first team.

3/ As you were going through the squad, the only player I could see would really profit from 3-5-2 is Jimmy Dunne.

4/ We do not have positions for Kolli, Poku, Chair, Madsen, Dembele, possibly Vale in 352: all very valuable/expensive players, never mind someone like Bennie or Sutton - out and out wingers.

5/ We do not have wingbacks, as you described.

6/ Pretty sure that Stephan said to Dave Mc that his basic premise is 433, but he's adaptable.

Am I mad? I just can't see us playing 352 in more than a couple of horses-for-courses games.
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Nourry on Radio London
at 11:53 6 Jul 2025

Ten minute or so interview. Speaks very well and makes a lot of sense.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0lndnyp

Apologies if a Spackman, couldn't see another thread.
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OASIS
at 09:29 6 Jul 2025

I went to the first night and it was the most emotional, communally ecstatic gig I've ever been to (and I have been to many). The first four songs - Hello, Acquiesce, Morning Glory, Cigarettes & Alcohol - was like an out of body experience.

I thought the whole day and night was bit like the night in the Bush after the Play Off Final, incredible atmosphere in pubs and streets, VE day vibes, and the gig itself was like when Zamora scored.

The gigs will get even better, as they relax a bit, but that first night was very moving and I probably won't experience that at a gig again. I went with a dozen or so, all with tickets in different places and everyone said the place was full of people in absolute bits.

By the way, if you don't like Oasis, nobody really needs to know do they?
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QPR grounds its Bluesky account
at 23:04 1 Jul 2025

Have a look for some other official clubs on Bluesky. It is totally and utterly moribund. It may be growing for left of centre media and arts, but it is not a sports social media app and it is dead in terms of UK football.

Palace: 4500 followers, last posted 5 months ago.
Fulham: never posted
Chelsea: 14k, last posted two weeks ago. (they have 26 million followers on X)
No official Arsenal account
Spurs: 30 k followers, not posted in 13 days (8 million on X)
Liverpool haven't posted in four months...

Championship official accounts.. Barely exist. Millwall 600 followers, not posted in six months is pretty indicative.

I'd say QPR posting that it's closing down is actually a very good bit of commnunication in this Bluesky context.
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QPR grounds its Bluesky account
at 22:18 1 Jul 2025

QPR has 1700 followers on Bluesky and QPR has 481500 followers on X.

There's zero engagement on Bluesky, it's pointless for organisations like QPR. Bluesky will reduce down to its very core as a liberal, artsy social media club - and absolutely nothing with that. But not great for sporting institutions used to communicating with half a million followers and trying to grow its reach.
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Amadou Mbengue confirmed (n/t)
at 17:58 28 Jun 2025

Yeah, he started posting a month ago and every post has been to praise Nourry's work (no problem with that, if that's what one believes) by contrasting with cherry-picked digs at LF and Ramsey in comparison (massive problem with that, as by and large everything he says is BS that ignores all contemporary context). Extremely fishy, bad faith actor.

I think the club and its CEO is having a really good summer so far. But I thought that in the summer of 2022, too, when they appointed Beale and signed the likes of JCS, Paal, Laird, Iroegbunam, even Roberts - all on paper brilliant prospects and just what Rangers needed alongside Chair, Willock, Dieng, Dickie, Johansson, Amos...we had the makings of a great squad, bright young coach, started accordingly like a steam train.

Let's hope it's a different story. But seasons are not defined in June or July . Events, events...
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Amadou Mbengue confirmed (n/t)
at 20:54 26 Jun 2025

Beans: Les Ferdinand officially left the club in June 2023 (though he'd told the board he intended to leave in February - perhaps there was gardening leave).
The game you keep referencing was in August 2023 There was an entire window and preseason that was all Ainsworth and the board's work (with Retexo in the background). That was not his squad. He never underarmed a manager like that., as can be evidenced by every August he did oversee.

"majority of that time him working with a far bigger budget than we have now": this is how I know you're trolling. Please go back and look at the financial restrictions the club was under after relegation and the record £42 million fine for FFP breaches triggered before LF and Hoos started. Read the historic Swiss Ramble reports. It's all there.

Nothing has been proved, Beans. We came 15th last season. It is June. Let's see. I am season ticket holder of 40 years and believe me nothing gives me more joy than a successful QPR season, so I hope very much indeed we have a great season. But that hasn't happened yet.
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Amadou Mbengue confirmed (n/t)
at 20:04 26 Jun 2025

All good knockabout fun and you're obviously a troll, but I'll bite. That Watford team away under Ainsworth: that wasn't LF's work. Ferdinand had already told the board he was done as soon as they hired Ainsworth against his judgement (as was Amit when it backfired). At that Watford game there were replacements hovering for LF's job, but the board had chosen to run an audit before appointing, hence your paramour then arriving on the scene and securing the role himself.

The team Les (and anyone who calls him Evil Les may as well get cnt tattooed on their forehead) put together for/with Warburton in his final two seasons, as well as the Beale squad, that was his work. Some really good runs, some terrible defeats, but we started 2022 with promotion a stated aim having run very hot to come 9th the season before and we looked ok for a play-off until the collapse from late Feb onwards. Still came 11th. And still would school this current squad for the time being.

For the record, I like the coaching appointments of this summer. I like the sound of these signings. Like most summers, I'm really excited and optimistic. But let's see. As pointed out earlier, all will be revealed at the end of the season. Save the victory parade until then, 'Beans'.
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Catastrophe, ou formidable? Stéphan steps into Loftus Road hot seat - Column
at 21:19 25 Jun 2025

442 is a massive red herring. Think everyone should push it to the back of their minds until we witness it regularly.

As Clive writes, "Nourry has put a game model in place that he wants all the teams throughout the club to be playing."

That game model is not 442. So unless the the Dev squad, the U18s and youth teams start playing 442 I'd be amazed if Stephan has been appointed with a mandate to just play whatever you want, son.

They want players to transition smoothly through the age groups, train with the first team sometimes - it's gonna all be the same formation, or similar enough. Kelman went to Os because they play the same system. There's a Head of Methodology on a very good wedge no doubt to ensure that there's no jazz played by individual coaches, that it all aligns. Bould's appointment is another brick in this construct.
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Marti Officially Gone
at 20:44 24 Jun 2025

We absolutely do. And Stephan is undoubtedly a very good manager. But there are good managers and there are good QPR managers. Not often the same thing. I feel we're saying goodbye needlessly early to a good QPR manager.

I hope Marti gets a great job soon, does really well there and that we never play one of his teams.

Am excited about the new manager too, it's a great appointment in theory - but something about the karma feels risky.
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The QPR summer managers rumours thread
at 14:54 23 Jun 2025

Has to be a success. Doesn't have to be an immediate success in August, or even much before Xmas as I think people will be very open, forgiving and above all optimistic.

But if it goes badly - let's say he just doesn't fit for whatever reason: can happen, we took Ray Harford who was top of the league with WBA and ended his career more or less - and the board are forced to ditch him, then it'll be curtains for all involved.

Ditching Warbs when they did to appoint Beale finished Ferdinand, Bhatia and in theory Hoos, who instead somehow engineered himself a new title, because it was an unforced, hubristic error.The same would apply here to Nourry and whoever is standing too close to him at the point of impact.

But hopefully it goes swimmingly and instead in ten months we're back to worrying about our manager being pinched for a better job up the food chain. They must really believe in him (and themselves)
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Varane being sold?
at 11:07 21 Jun 2025

100%, was just about to write the same.

Varane will have signed the new contract no doubt partly because of an agreed release clause. His agent will obviously have inserted that sum and is now no doubt trying to entice enough clubs to bid (gardening leave for JV?) so that eventually that sum is triggered. I doubt it's £10 million - but who knows. Regardless, nice fees all round.

That's fine. That's football. QPR definitely need to start selling players for five to ten times what they bought them for on a regular basis. That's how the club attracts more of these players in the first place and starts being able to charge more with each sale and insert higher release clauses.

You can't do that if you hang on to players for too long.
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Ben Williams announcement?
at 14:26 20 Jun 2025

If I didn't know something or didn't have any personal experience of something, I'd probably sit out high-handedly passing judgement publicly on those who do have experience of it - but different strokes for different folks.
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