So far behind

[Darkranger]

Everyone make mistakes, however we never had another Jim Gregory since. I can't see us getting back to that old times. We had the chance and we blew it. My biggest disappointment then was Briatore not selling the club to the Mittals. It is very rare to watch a youngster from our youths coming through. Currently, only Kakay is an R's product. The likes of Eze, Willock, Chair were unpolished diamonds, but not our products.

The lack of our own players coming through the ranks is the biggest let down by far for me. It's imperative for a club like us, yet for whatever reason it just doesn't seem to happen any more.

[SheepRanger]

The lack of our own players coming through the ranks is the biggest let down by far for me. It's imperative for a club like us, yet for whatever reason it just doesn't seem to happen any more.

Young lads are drawn the bigger premiership academies. When we find a good one they get taken away from us like Sterling was.

Our strategy will be to pick up the young lads as they are dumped out of the sausage factory from above us. Also, free transfer experienced players and then hope we can bring one of ours through. We're part of the pyramid....

[Shania]

Everyone make mistakes, however we never had another Jim Gregory since. I can't see us getting back to that old times. We had the chance and we blew it. My biggest disappointment then was Briatore not selling the club to the Mittals. It is very rare to watch a youngster from our youths coming through. Currently, only Kakay is an R's product. The likes of Eze, Willock, Chair were unpolished diamonds, but not our products.

I agree, that was a huge blow.

[shaggy24]

Young lads are drawn the bigger premiership academies. When we find a good one they get taken away from us like Sterling was.

Our strategy will be to pick up the young lads as they are dumped out of the sausage factory from above us. Also, free transfer experienced players and then hope we can bring one of ours through. We're part of the pyramid....

I can’t remember his name but there is a young lad in u18s that I’ve seen who’s looked half decent prospect. Seen bits on you tube of him

[Isleworth116]

I posted 3 or 4 years ago we were getting badly left behind by Fulham and Brentford. Usual suspects retorted with same old myopic nonsense that harped back a few decades to when we were contenders but fast forward to today and the gap has just got bigger on and off the pitch.
The only thing with Bees is that as a Prem club they will no longer be able to pick up players from lower league for peanuts - teams are "on to them" as it were and will demand much bigger fees. Also their shiney new ground is miles too small for a successful top flight club and their gate receipts are more or less permanently capped at today's level.
Dunno how we recover things..... A good start would be playing expansive attractive football that fans want to come and watch. I'd rather go to dentist than visit LR currently.

Mid table premier league clubs get around 10% of income from gate receipts. Top 6-8, you need big stadium. Rest, doesn't really matter.

Sad, how premier league financed nowadays.

[Shania]

buck stops with the board though, we cant keep using FFP as an excuse.

recruitment has been poor and thats why surely the time is now for Les Ferdinand to step aside.

Spot on. He has to go. The DOF model also.

[cross it Dave]

Spot on. He has to go. The DOF model also.

I could not agree more.

[Isleworth116]

buck stops with the board though, we cant keep using FFP as an excuse.

recruitment has been poor and thats why surely the time is now for Les Ferdinand to step aside.

Recruitment, Dunne, Dickie, Willock, Field, been some successes too.

Our failure in recent years has been developing players from young age. Why have teams from u9s to u16s. Seems waste of money to me. Looks better picking them up from 16-18. For example, Eze, Chair.

Sterling was exception, but that was 10 years ago.

[ConorQPR2000]

Recruitment, Dunne, Dickie, Willock, Field, been some successes too.

Our failure in recent years has been developing players from young age. Why have teams from u9s to u16s. Seems waste of money to me. Looks better picking them up from 16-18. For example, Eze, Chair.

Sterling was exception, but that was 10 years ago.

Big problem has been the EPPP Category we are in.

As a Cat 2 academy, we can only sign players who live within a 90 min radius of the training ground and the club have said that they wont go for Cat 1, which I find in an increasingly crowded London catchment area, completely bemusing.

You go to places like Crystal Palace who have recently moved from Cat 2 to Cat 1 and see how well they recruit, and how well they are now set up for the future.

I feel like we should ether leave EPPP completely, or move to a Cat 1 academy which once Heston is complete, we would have the capability to go for.

[Shania]

Brentford are miles ahead, at the moment.

Loads of teams are. It seems bad luck in our last appointment is causing threads like this.

Warbs was a good appointment and he did good things, it was time to go and Beale was an excellent replacement that was well on the way to taking us to the next level in a very short space of time.

I don't think many are convinved by this appointment but i feel thats down to the mans stature, voice and personality, if we are being honest. He's not inspirational at a time we and the dressing room all need inspirational.

The trajectory was good and the board have been doing the right things. I dont disagree with a single player sold, i do think we should be doing better in the transfer market and again, under MB i felt like we had been, our pre season was very good for recruitment, 2 more players away from a very very good squad.

The club is primed to pounce, its an on or off field appointment away from doing it.

How do we know how inspirational a man we don`t know at all is in the dressing room? Besides, the days where players listened to Warnock have passed, I`m afraid....

[Isleworth116]

Big problem has been the EPPP Category we are in.

As a Cat 2 academy, we can only sign players who live within a 90 min radius of the training ground and the club have said that they wont go for Cat 1, which I find in an increasingly crowded London catchment area, completely bemusing.

You go to places like Crystal Palace who have recently moved from Cat 2 to Cat 1 and see how well they recruit, and how well they are now set up for the future.

I feel like we should ether leave EPPP completely, or move to a Cat 1 academy which once Heston is complete, we would have the capability to go for.

Fair point about stepping up to Cat 1 or leaving completely. I'd probably leave.

[QPRFCJIM]

I'll add we haven't built a new ground to the mix. With everything that's not right it shows how well we were doing topping the league earlier this season.