Seb Polter on life under Jimmy

[Stanley]

Sebastian Polter had a tough grounding under Felix Magath at Wolfsburg, bonded with the fans at Union Berlin and is now making the breakthrough at Queens Park Rangers under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Adam Bate met up with him at the club's Harlington training ground to get the story so far...

http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...d-hasselbaink?

[Ginger Ninja]

Good interview, that.

[ZANNEYQPR]

Sebastian Polter had a tough grounding under Felix Magath at Wolfsburg, bonded with the fans at Union Berlin and is now making the breakthrough at Queens Park Rangers under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Adam Bate met up with him at the club's Harlington training ground to get the story so far...

http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...d-hasselbaink?

Reading that it sounds very much like he believes we can sill make the play offs.

[MattyRangers]

Reading that it sounds very much like he believes we can sill make the play offs.

Footballers shouldn't be taking illegal substances during the season.

[Rebel R's]

Reading that it sounds very much like he believes we can sill make the play offs.

He doesn't believe it (of course),but he's hardly going to say "we have no chance "!

[maidstone_hoop]

I love Polter. I think he's a handful and very capable of scoring 10-15 goals a year, just through sheer determination, scrapping and being in the right place to bang the ball from somewhere in the 18 yard box. Never going to glide past players but he's not that type of player.

Hopefully we sign another striker or two in the summer and we have 3/4 decent options which we need if we plan to stick 4 4 2 but I certainly think he's good enough to fight for a first 11 spot and at least be our go to guy from the bench or relied upon if another striker is injured. However I still think the little and large combo of him and Washington could be a real handful.

[nasser95]

He doesn't believe it (of course),but he's hardly going to say "we have no chance "!

Listen mate, you see these abilities you have to know exactly what a person actually thinks when there is no suggestion of the thought other than the fact that it is what you think and you choose to project that onto others? Yea I think you should use these elsewhere, you're wasting these talents making negative claims regarding the players.

For the record, we still very much can and it is his personality it seems to hold that positivity until the end. That is how he plays, with full energy and honesty. Why is it so far-fetched that we can improve between now and the end of the season to the point of getting play offs?

[FurtiveFox]

Listen mate, you see these abilities you have to know exactly what a person actually thinks when there is no suggestion of the thought other than the fact that it is what you think and you choose to project that onto others? Yea I think you should use these elsewhere, you're wasting these talents making negative claims regarding the players.

For the record, we still very much can and it is his personality it seems to hold that positivity until the end. That is how he plays, with full energy and honesty. Why is it so far-fetched that we can improve between now and the end of the season to the point of getting play offs?

To be fair he would say that whether he believed it or not. We get the same kind of things from managers every season, they never publicly concede defeat until mathematically impossible.

I haven't ruled out a play off spot personally but think it unlikely. This season is about putting building blocks in place and getting ourselves properly set up as a team after all the upheaval of the last few years. Ditch the flashy individuals who would rather be elsewhere and build an actual team as opposed to a group of individuals who happen to wear the same coloured kit. I'd be disappointed if we didn't win more than we lose but that is the extent of my realistic hopes.

We are starting to get the nucleus of a team. Look more solid than we have in a long while, midfield has some promise and whilst light upfront am interested to see how Polter and Washington do once they get used to each other.

[nasser95]

To be fair he would say that whether he believed it or not. We get the same kind of things from managers every season, they never publicly concede defeat until mathematically impossible.

I haven't ruled out a play off spot personally but think it unlikely. This season is about putting building blocks in place and getting ourselves properly set up as a team after all the upheaval of the last few years. Ditch the flashy individuals who would rather be elsewhere and build an actual team as opposed to a group of individuals who happen to wear the same coloured kit. I'd be disappointed if we didn't win more than we lose but that is the extent of my realistic hopes.

We are starting to get the nucleus of a team. Look more solid than we have in a long while, midfield has some promise and whilst light upfront am interested to see how Polter and Washington do once they get used to each other.

I can understand that perspective, its a better explanation that Rebel's "He doesn't believe it (of course)". My personal opinion is that watching him put his effort on the pitch, he is more likely in the frame of mind of believing we can do it. He does say in the same interview that he and others were disappointed with the start as they are aware of the players' capabilities.

I think if we get play offs and make it up, we'll be better placed than we have been in previous seasons as we have very few "key" loan players (wouldn't call konch key) and we have a good young core to the squad. There will be plenty of great moments I feel with that attacking pair.

[Stanley]

He doesn't believe it (of course),but he's hardly going to say "we have no chance "!

I disagree!

[hal9thou]

It's always naive for anyone to put pressure on themselves by making ambitious claims, never mind what you actually believe.

[Stanley]

It's always naive for anyone to put pressure on themselves by making ambitious claims, never mind what you actually believe.

No need to blow it out of proportion. It's not really an "ambitious claim", just a response to a direct question from a professional with a positive mindset.

Where the pessimists miss the point is just because something is unlikely to happen doesn't automatically make it impossible, and the first thing any professional has to do is believe such a challenge is attainable. Without that it's an impossible task before you've even kicked a ball. It's more about the right mindset than anything else and is a prerequisite to any pro athlete worth their salt. People seem to mistake this attitude for being naive, foolish or unrealistic but that's clearly missing the point. It goes without saying the countless examples throughout history where seemingly impossible tasks have been attained through having the right frame of mind. But again, nobody is saying that is what we'll do this season, or if it's even the priority.

[hal9thou]

No need to blow it out of proportion.

Like I said, it doesn't matter what they believe privately. They might all be prepared to sweat blood and go through hell to get us there.

It's just not smart PR to voice it. Let the performances do the talking.

[acricketer]

Can't wait for his next interview under someone else.