Stephan's Time is Up

[daveshads]

Watching the PSG vs BM game the other night reminded me why I like/liked football. Apart from (hopefully) the return game, games like that are few and far between.
The old “Kings’ New Clothes” fairy tale seems more relevant to most of the fare served up today.
I see there has been some talk today (fake or otherwise?????) about French clubs “sniffing” around Julien and us being linked with Luis Filipe. I hope it’s not true. No problem to see Julien go but it would indicate that “The Project” goes on with our owners truly hoodwinked.

[ragr]

Watching the PSG vs BM game the other night reminded me why I like/liked football. Apart from (hopefully) the return game, games like that are few and far between.

I caught that PSG/Bayern game by pure luck as I had a rare spare evening alone with the telly - it was a remarkable game that put most other matches I've seen this season to shame. It wasn't just the talent it was the approach and the attitude on display right through both sides; the handful of Premiership games I've caught this season have been bang average to absolute tedium by comparison.

[Abseits]

I caught that PSG/Bayern game by pure luck as I had a rare spare evening alone with the telly - it was a remarkable game that put most other matches I've seen this season to shame. It wasn't just the talent it was the approach and the attitude on display right through both sides; the handful of Premiership games I've caught this season have been bang average to absolute tedium by comparison.

Yes it was superb. Then the mogadon stinkfest of Forest v Villa came to remind us how shite our domestic football has become.

[cross it Dave]

1 year 4 months is the average tenure of a QPR manager in the last 56 years, time for him to move on then?

[Abseits]

1 year 4 months is the average tenure of a QPR manager in the last 56 years, time for him to move on then?

That's longer than the Championship average...

Have to say that today's effort had no evidence of a manager fighting to save his job or of a squad trying to save their gaffer - whole thing felt flat and undercooked.

We are never going to compete in terms of pure talent, class and quality BUT we can compete in terms of blood,sweat and tears. We need bombproof team spirit and Clint Hill's "Band of Brothers" mindset. The club needs to recognise this and stop hiring foreign managers who just don't understand the EFL, forget about highfaluting sports science and medical theory and focus on hiring a battle hardened uncompromising British manager who knows how to navigate a 9-month EFL grind.

Millwall and Hull have shown that having relatively meagre resources is NOT a hindrance to finishing in top 6. We need the right mindset and attitude to percolate down from the gaffer and a preparedness to go to war 46 times without taking a backwards step. I don't see JS as being that sort of guy and I don't think the players do either.

[LordLoftus]

"Ultimately, I don't believe he is capable of taking us up next season."

With at least two of Southampton, Middlesbrough, Wrexham staying and then add Wolves, Burnley and one of Spurs/West Ham/Forest coming down I'm not sure many managers have a chance next year of taking a team up. So really its a focus on who can make a team play that will get us mid-table / promotion pushing, play good football, and develop players.

He did well in converting Kone and Burrell into Championship players in their first season, was unlucky with Poku, and did a miracle with Maddsen so i'd say give another season.

[djp]

"Ultimately, I don't believe he is capable of taking us up next season."

With at least two of Southampton, Middlesbrough, Wrexham staying and then add Wolves, Burnley and one of Spurs/West Ham/Forest coming down I'm not sure many managers have a chance next year of taking a team up. So really its a focus on who can make a team play that will get us mid-table / promotion pushing, play good football, and develop players.

He did well in converting Kone and Burrell into Championship players in their first season, was unlucky with Poku, and did a miracle with Maddsen so i'd say give another season.

I think this one of the most sensible posts we have had in this debate.

I have supported Stephan all season but after the first 20 mins of Ipswich I had enough and wanted him gone thinking he can’t take us forward, emotions got the better of me. Even after game I was saying in another post I just don’t see how any players are going to develop into Eze type sale, but I think that in unrealistic anyway as our sale target market isn’t Premier league teams, it is the teams you have mentioned.

As you mention, he has done extremely well with Kone, Burrell and Madsen. Another season of them kicking on and the following summer we have 3 x 10-15+ million players on our hands, I would add Vale into that mix if he continues his progression and is more consistent. We can sell 2 of those 4 in summer of 2027 and then the project is starting to work and Stephan is doing a very good job in terms of what is realistic.

[3London]

there is no way we should be changing managers.

I think given our injury record this year we did as well as we could given that for the 2nd half of the season we were playing with a half fit squad.

Burrell , Dembele, Chair, Poku, Obiku , Madsen, JCS, Dunne, Varane Larchecke, all unavailable for large chunks of hte season - Kone - Running on fumes because of the shift he is being asked to do .

We need a Serious review of the Fitness set up and the pitch - they have had a significant impact on the job JS has been able to do.

What i will say Is JS needs to find a way to get the team fired up for the beginning of each half - so many games we have started each half poorly and that has cost us.

the league was fine margins it could almost be 3 results - Wrexham Swansea and derby at home.

7 more points and we would have had a top 10 finish and that would be considered progress.

[daveshads]

Not as convinced as some of you. Poor division this year and some of our results and performances were dismal. Read a newspaper interview on FB yesterday where “the project” is key even in Juliens’ eyes. While that is so, still not sure it’s very important who the manager is.
Also during the season, we had 2 separate good runs where the play offs were within reach. These good runs were immediately followed by 2 desperate runs. It was almost as if the club went…..
”whoaaaa - this isn’t in the plan”.
I am still very suspicious of our injury record in terms of how they come about, how we deal with them (and how quickly) and how they are endlessly used as excuses in many cases to give extra time to “project” players.