Gary O'Neil set to join QPR

[WeAreQPR12]

.... we're still full to the brim with ageing journeymen and overpaid, under achieving disinterested strikers - I hated the signing of both Johnson and Zamora and said so at the time, so this isn't hindsight. The club isn't serious about the long term, its looking for a quick fix. What we should be doing is looking at younger players or bringing them through, but Harry has been short term for years now. The weird thing about that is he was one of Ron Greenwood's back in the day, and that was someone who was messianic about bringing youngsters on. The one midfield player who has a history of doing real damage to the opposition at Championship level is on his way / has already gone. Because Harry never really learned how to manage him... Adel out, O'Neil in. Yeah right.

Actually a very fair post and 1 I tend to agree with.

The lack of youngsters coming through is a concern.

I will say that any young english player does end up at a top premier league side, so it makes it tough to get the best crop, however surely if we scouted abroad we could pick up a gem. Henry and O'neil does tend to show, we haven't learn't our lesson.

[Jeems]

Actually a very fair post and 1 I tend to agree with.

The lack of youngsters coming through is a concern.

I will say that any young english player does end up at a top premier league side, so it makes it tough to get the best crop, however surely if we scouted abroad we could pick up a gem. Henry and O'neil does tend to show, we haven't learn't our lesson.

How long do you think it takes for a youngster to come through? Most of the kids in the EDS will have been at the club for at least 5 years, some even longer!

[knocker]

Maybe we should be more like Crewe. Yeah right.

[Bluehoop]

Trouble is sound bites are sexy. Platitudes such as "let's go for youth", "home grown products", "Harry has a short term policy" - all sound good and make the uninformed seem quite the opposite.

The youth policy at Rangers is not Harry's fault nor TF's. Steps have been taken in the last year (ish) to start changing that and looking to the future. But it will be years and years before we see the benefits IF it is maintained by the current and future funders. Home grown products (albeit few and far between) have been snapped up in the past and will continue to be until or unless we become an attractive proposition.......................we cannot offer European football for example and they won't play in front of 50k plus fans every week.
As for HR being short term, Gareth Bale anyone?
The likes of the players H is collecting now is circumstantial - firstly he didn't have a great bunch of players to build a Championship squad from did he and yes, results matter and of course he wants a fair crack at getting back up to the PL. In the meantime, the youth development continues and will bear fruit in years to come and those gems it may unearth may just stay and be part of our first team if we can make it attractive for them.
Attraction will depend upon us being an established premier League team - and for that to happen we've got to get back there first and then stay there.

[WeAreQPR12]

Trouble is sound bites are sexy. Platitudes such as "let's go for youth", "home grown products", "Harry has a short term policy" - all sound good and make the uninformed seem quite the opposite.

The youth policy at Rangers is not Harry's fault nor TF's. Steps have been taken in the last year (ish) to start changing that and looking to the future. But it will be years and years before we see the benefits IF it is maintained by the current and future funders. Home grown products (albeit few and far between) have been snapped up in the past and will continue to be until or unless we become an attractive proposition.......................we cannot offer European football for example and they won't play in front of 50k plus fans every week.
As for HR being short term, Gareth Bale anyone?
The likes of the players H is collecting now is circumstantial - firstly he didn't have a great bunch of players to build a Championship squad from did he and yes, results matter and of course he wants a fair crack at getting back up to the PL. In the meantime, the youth development continues and will bear fruit in years to come and those gems it may unearth may just stay and be part of our first team if we can make it attractive for them.
Attraction will depend upon us being an established premier League team - and for that to happen we've got to get back there first and then stay there.

Fair post but it still doesn't boil down to signing players in their 30's.

Apart from Austin and Holliet, there aren't too many you could say will blossom. Adel being the other but he's now gone so we do need to add some injection of youth.

[Jeems]

Fair post but it still doesn't boil down to signing players in their 30's.

Apart from Austin and Holliet, there aren't too many you could say will blossom. Adel being the other but he's now gone so we do need to add some injection of youth.

Austin, Hoilet, Traore/Yun, Nedum are all in the early 20's and barring Hill, we dont actually have anyone 33+ in the starting line up do we? Its hardly an old team!

[QPR Richard]

Let's look at last Saturday's starting line up.

Traore Simpson Onouha Hoilett Faurlin all well under 30. That's exactly half the outfield players.

Have to have a mix of youth and experience.

[WeAreQPR12]

Austin, Hoilet, Traore/Yun, Nedum are all in the early 20's and barring Hill, we dont actually have anyone 33+ in the starting line up do we? Its hardly an old team!

nedum is 26, troare will be sold and I mentioned the others minus yun

[Bluehoop]

Fair post but it still doesn't boil down to signing players in their 30's.

Apart from Austin and Holliet, there aren't too many you could say will blossom. Adel being the other but he's now gone so we do need to add some injection of youth.

Austin, Hoilet, Traore/Yun, Nedum are all in the early 20's and barring Hill, we dont actually have anyone 33+ in the starting line up do we? Its hardly an old team!

Let's look at last Saturday's starting line up.

Traore Simpson Onouha Hoilett Faurlin all well under 30. That's exactly half the outfield players.

Have to have a mix of youth and experience.

The team we now have - and if the manager is right there will be further additions - is a blend of youth and experience. I know I'm getting boring with this line but it's starting to mirror the job HR did at Pompey in the Championship and we all know how that ended up.
I understand that Harry is not everyone's cup of tea but there are some myths about him that people like to hang their hats on. Actually, if you look at it, Warnock's team had a similar blend and remember how the banshees screamed at the signings of Derry, Hill and the like.

[Tarbie]

.... we're still full to the brim with ageing journeymen and overpaid, under achieving disinterested strikers - I hated the signing of both Johnson and Zamora and said so at the time, so this isn't hindsight. The club isn't serious about the long term, its looking for a quick fix. What we should be doing is looking at younger players or bringing them through, but Harry has been short term for years now. The weird thing about that is he was one of Ron Greenwood's back in the day, and that was someone who was messianic about bringing youngsters on. The one midfield player who has a history of doing real damage to the opposition at Championship level is on his way / has already gone. Because Harry never really learned how to manage him... Adel out, O'Neil in. Yeah right.

Don't agree with that at all. Experienced players on free transfers and short contracts, like O'Neil and Dunne then pay transfer fees for younger players like Charlie Austin & Matt Phillips. It's a tried and tested transfer philosophy that has got many a side (including us) out of the Championship in the past!

[qprvoyager10]

Good debate. This should have its own thread.

I dont think Harry is short term and we do have a lot of 20 something players but we haven't given any of our youth players a go since the Gerry Francis days. I don't know if anyone agrees but i actually thought Troy Hewitt was worth a few games with us. Thought he could of come through the ranks. Also if we done it in the right way, Antonio German could of been worth checking out. I know he got a couple of sub games but nothing to see if any good. But maybe im wrong!!!

[UpperP]

Good debate. This should have its own thread.

I dont think Harry is short term and we do have a lot of 20 something players but we haven't given any of our youth players a go since the Gerry Francis days. I don't know if anyone agrees but i actually thought Troy Hewitt was worth a few games with us. Thought he could of come through the ranks. Also if we done it in the right way, Antonio German could of been worth checking out. I know he got a couple of sub games but nothing to see if any good. But maybe im wrong!!!

Don't think Hewitt or German would make the grade IMO. Sterling on the other hand has cut it but we weren't able to keep hold of him.