Both of you are right - Marti has woeked wonders with largely the same team. Especially the defence. It's the same players yet we were conceding 3/4 every week.
The January signings haven't set the world alight, but they gave the team a boost, they lifted morale and belief, and have all contributed along the way.
Hodge's goal against Blackburn, Frey's equaliser against Norwich, Andersen with 3 assists, Hayden has been excellent in a few games too.
And most importantly as singlespeed highlighted they gave us options, kept the team fresh and allowed rotation.
Marti deserves a statue for what he has achieved and we hopefully have a bright future ahead.
Yes, without doubt the January intake did significantly raise the quality of the bench.
Both of you are right - Marti has woeked wonders with largely the same team. Especially the defence. It's the same players yet we were conceding 3/4 every week.
The January signings haven't set the world alight, but they gave the team a boost, they lifted morale and belief, and have all contributed along the way. Hodge's goal against Blackburn, Frey's equaliser against Norwich, Andersen with 3 assists, Hayden has been excellent in a few games too.
And most importantly as singlespeed highlighted they gave us options, kept the team fresh and allowed rotation. Marti deserves a statue for what he has achieved and we hopefully have a bright future ahead.
Yes, without doubt the January intake did significantly raise the quality of the bench.
True! I would add that I always thought talk of new arrivals spurring on existing players to do better was rather over-hyped, but the performances in defence have significantly improved with the arrival of Cook & Fox; and Hayden's arrival has done the same in midfield. Up front, Frey's arrival did not create the effect we wanted (for whatever reason) but getting an effective striker is not easy - especially in January! If the club takes up northwesthoop's suggestion of creating a statue of Marti, can I suggest the location? How about somewhere between Gavin Ward's legs so he cannot ref anymore? Every time I see him I come away convinced he hates QPR!
The other big factor this season has been the fact that we have had miraculously few injuries. This could be down to better fitness management or Marti rotating the squad or just luck. Probably a mix of all three but it has certainly helped our small squad.
The other big factor this season has been the fact that we have had miraculously few injuries. This could be down to better fitness management or Marti rotating the squad or just luck. Probably a mix of all three but it has certainly helped our small squad.
True, and that has allowed Marti to select the correct Starting XI for his tactics and also have the right impact subs available when needed. Now we just need to get maximum performances against Leeds and Coventry.....
Why do I trust him more than Beale when he says it is media hype? Not sure, but I do. This does highlight what will become a bigger worry next season though: Other clubs are not blind, as they can see what Cifuentes has achieved already. There will be top Championship clubs, bottom end PL clubs, and European clubs interested come the panic period in November....
He will already turning heads. If we keep moving forwards next season he will be linked with lots of jobs.
He's that good we need to make him the highest paid employee at the club, tie him down, statement of intent, huge release clause. He's that good.
To add to the above, Amit has released a statement that says a lot:
“Incredibly emotional with the result tonight to end the season. I’m so sorry for all the heartache we’ve all been through this season, hopefully in time all that’s left is a memory we’ll talk about with a smile knowing what we lived through. Congratulations to all our players and everyone at the club, and thank you to all our fans who put us on their backs and carried us to safety. In Marti we trust!”
Last Edit: Apr 27, 2024 15:26:55 GMT by kingfisher
A great end to the season Winning last 3 games in a row and we’re written off for Leeds and Coventry games by the pundits and even me Can’t wait for new season to start now
A great end to the season Winning last 3 games in a row and we’re written off for Leeds and Coventry games by the pundits and even me Can’t wait for new season to start now
Too true! I cannot wait for the pre-season games!!
Marti Cifuentes says QPR need to make “very accurate decisions” on players this summer and “learn from mistakes” of the past.
Giving 4 year contracts to players like Kakay and Hamalianen was crazy and paying a goalkeeper over £30k/week is barmy. These decisions and many others have left us with a very average squad of players. Presuming that the out of contract players are unlikely to get new deals apart from Walsh and maybe Dixon Bonner it leaves us with a very thin squad.
As things stand Marti probably only has a squad that contains 5 players who are guaranteed to start if fit, Cook, JCS,Field Chair and Andersen. That isn't enough if the owners expect to challenge for a play off spot next season.
Of the remaining squad I'd expect he sees Dunne, Paal, Colback, Armstrong, Dykes, Fox, Kolli and Smyth as players who can contribute to the team.
As for players like Larkeche, Cannon, Kelman, Frey, Richards, Duke-Mckenna I think he would like to replace each of them with a better quality player.
Martí Cifuentes has averaged 1.50 points-per-game as QPR manager - the best PPG ratio by a permanent QPR manager since Neil Warnock (1.56) between 2010 and 2012. [@jtsupple] #QPR
Martí Cifuentes has averaged 1.50 points-per-game as QPR manager - the best PPG ratio by a permanent QPR manager since Neil Warnock (1.56) between 2010 and 2012. [@jtsupple] #QPR
Given that positive stat is in the season he joined, turned around a losing squad, and operated with a sub-standard strike force; what stats will he achieve in 2024/2925? If my arithmetic is correct, 1.5 points per game would give 69 points at season end? That is an impressive total in itself, but add more goals and make the stat 1.8 perhaps and it becomes 82....
Last Edit: May 14, 2024 16:29:30 GMT by kingfisher
Martí Cifuentes has averaged 1.50 points-per-game as QPR manager - the best PPG ratio by a permanent QPR manager since Neil Warnock (1.56) between 2010 and 2012. [@jtsupple] #QPR
Given that positive stat is in the season he joined, turned around a losing squad, and operated with a sub-standard strike force; what stats will he achieve in 2024/2925? If my arithmetic is correct, 1.5 points per game would give 69 points at season end? That is an impressive total in itself, but add more goals and make the stat 1.8 perhaps and it becomes 82....
82 points a season for the next 901 years would be very impressive.