The Nowhere men

[Wegerle1882]

Just finished reading this book about the lives of football scouts. A fantastic read, a real eye-opener about the importance of scouts to a team in terms of preparation for match-days and of course in terms of signings. QPR kept cropping up throughout the book and in the latter part there were a few pages dedicated to our disastrous last campaign in the Premiership. We are shown in quite a bad light and if the content of the book is to be believed we are on the road to nowhere at the moment! Our training facilities are a shambles (League One level facilities), there were ZERO scouts in place when Mark Hughes came to the club, no information about players/potential signings and a non-existent youth policy. The most damning aspect though seems to be our constant repetition of mistakes in the transfer market. Due diligence on incoming players has been very weak. We keep signing the 'wrong' sorts in terms of character for way too much money. Chopping and changing managers destroys any level of continuity we could have had down the years.
Relegation or not this season, the club needs to sort itself out big time! We should bring in a Mark Warburton type whose youth policies at Brentford have proved to be so successful. A system needs to be installed whereby we develop, educate players from a young age and create first team players. We have to stop being so short-sighted and look to the future. We want younger players to come to QPR because they'll receive the best football education around and not because they see us as a stepping stone to bigger clubs. In addition we will only attract the right sort of pro to the club if our training facilities are decent. As a footballer you spend 95% of your working life at the training center so anyone in their right mind would not want to come to us unless they were in it for the money or on exorbitant wages. I love TF's passion and determination yet he has to shoulder a lot of the blame for our current plight. The training center is nowhere near being realized, there is no stability and no direction at the moment. The mismanagement needs to stop immediately. A good start for me was TF's insistence on not panic buying in January; as a result Redknapp left, a beautiful outcome. Now is when everything needs to begin. It does not matter if we are in the Premiership or not next season - without a viable system in place, without good scouting, a decent youth policy and good facilities, we would face repeating the mistakes of the past and not by choice. We would still be everyone's last port of call, last big pay-day or last chance at managerial redemption. The cycle has to stop. We need young, hungry players and be a club where reputations are made and not where they finally die at a vast expense.

[Rich]

I scouted youth for Fulham and have offered my services to QPR on many occasion but never heard anything back.

[upperloft]

I scouted youth for Fulham and have offered my services to QPR on many occasion but never heard anything back.

There Academy is a joke.. One of the main geezers there used to be a Hockey Coach, must be one of Gallen's mates. Utter shambles.

[qprted]

so

so then we must get mark haliburtan to rebuild qpr

[Shania]

I scouted youth for Fulham and have offered my services to QPR on many occasion but never heard anything back.

Wow, that´s impressing. Regarding Qpr, I have heard from so many Sources now that Our Club is a total shambles, even when it comes to scouting.

[Shania]

Just finished reading this book about the lives of football scouts. A fantastic read, a real eye-opener about the importance of scouts to a team in terms of preparation for match-days and of course in terms of signings. QPR kept cropping up throughout the book and in the latter part there were a few pages dedicated to our disastrous last campaign in the Premiership. We are shown in quite a bad light and if the content of the book is to be believed we are on the road to nowhere at the moment! Our training facilities are a shambles (League One level facilities), there were ZERO scouts in place when Mark Hughes came to the club, no information about players/potential signings and a non-existent youth policy. The most damning aspect though seems to be our constant repetition of mistakes in the transfer market. Due diligence on incoming players has been very weak. We keep signing the 'wrong' sorts in terms of character for way too much money. Chopping and changing managers destroys any level of continuity we could have had down the years.
Relegation or not this season, the club needs to sort itself out big time! We should bring in a Mark Warburton type whose youth policies at Brentford have proved to be so successful. A system needs to be installed whereby we develop, educate players from a young age and create first team players. We have to stop being so short-sighted and look to the future. We want younger players to come to QPR because they'll receive the best football education around and not because they see us as a stepping stone to bigger clubs. In addition we will only attract the right sort of pro to the club if our training facilities are decent. As a footballer you spend 95% of your working life at the training center so anyone in their right mind would not want to come to us unless they were in it for the money or on exorbitant wages. I love TF's passion and determination yet he has to shoulder a lot of the blame for our current plight. The training center is nowhere near being realized, there is no stability and no direction at the moment. The mismanagement needs to stop immediately. A good start for me was TF's insistence on not panic buying in January; as a result Redknapp left, a beautiful outcome. Now is when everything needs to begin. It does not matter if we are in the Premiership or not next season - without a viable system in place, without good scouting, a decent youth policy and good facilities, we would face repeating the mistakes of the past and not by choice. We would still be everyone's last port of call, last big pay-day or last chance at managerial redemption. The cycle has to stop. We need young, hungry players and be a club where reputations are made and not where they finally die at a vast expense.

A very important post.

I love it when people say that QPR should be a club where players comes to stay and not just see us a stepstone. If we had managed to take advantage of the win in the play off last year, Things might have been possible to sort out step by step. But this seems more and more unlikely to happen. As a result of this; players will definitly now want to leave and I will find it "hard" enough to say goodbye to players like Charlie and possibly Fer this summer. Especially Charlie Austin who seems to be one of the most positive and genuine players and persons around...

Bottomline; my hope for the future is that players of Charlies ilk in a not to distant future will get the chance to stay on With us.

[Joe90]

Just finished reading this book about the lives of football scouts. A fantastic read, a real eye-opener about the importance of scouts to a team in terms of preparation for match-days and of course in terms of signings. QPR kept cropping up throughout the book and in the latter part there were a few pages dedicated to our disastrous last campaign in the Premiership. We are shown in quite a bad light and if the content of the book is to be believed we are on the road to nowhere at the moment! Our training facilities are a shambles (League One level facilities), there were ZERO scouts in place when Mark Hughes came to the club, no information about players/potential signings and a non-existent youth policy. The most damning aspect though seems to be our constant repetition of mistakes in the transfer market. Due diligence on incoming players has been very weak. We keep signing the 'wrong' sorts in terms of character for way too much money. Chopping and changing managers destroys any level of continuity we could have had down the years.
Relegation or not this season, the club needs to sort itself out big time! We should bring in a Mark Warburton type whose youth policies at Brentford have proved to be so successful. A system needs to be installed whereby we develop, educate players from a young age and create first team players. We have to stop being so short-sighted and look to the future. We want younger players to come to QPR because they'll receive the best football education around and not because they see us as a stepping stone to bigger clubs. In addition we will only attract the right sort of pro to the club if our training facilities are decent. As a footballer you spend 95% of your working life at the training center so anyone in their right mind would not want to come to us unless they were in it for the money or on exorbitant wages. I love TF's passion and determination yet he has to shoulder a lot of the blame for our current plight. The training center is nowhere near being realized, there is no stability and no direction at the moment. The mismanagement needs to stop immediately. A good start for me was TF's insistence on not panic buying in January; as a result Redknapp left, a beautiful outcome. Now is when everything needs to begin. It does not matter if we are in the Premiership or not next season - without a viable system in place, without good scouting, a decent youth policy and good facilities, we would face repeating the mistakes of the past and not by choice. We would still be everyone's last port of call, last big pay-day or last chance at managerial redemption. The cycle has to stop. We need young, hungry players and be a club where reputations are made and not where they finally die at a vast expense.

My girlfriends Dad bought me "The Nowhere Men" for Christmas. It was an interesting read and got me thinking about our situation. Reading about how detailed the scouting process and recruitment process is at some clubs seemed so beyond us. Perhaps TF's decision not to spend in the Jan transfer window is the first step in breaking the cycle of constantly trying compensate for previous mistakes?

When did it all go wrong for us, was it the 1995/96? Our first three seasons in the PL we finished 5th, 9th and 8th!

[Joe90]

Also, just want to add...

A big part of the book was about the decline of the scout the changing nature of the game as a whole. In a way we do have to spend on players, but we need to be shrewd about who we sign. We've been complete mugs when it comes to transfers. Having said that, Raheem was a freak occurrence, but that's more the direction a club like ours can realistically take. Can we compete with Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham and even Palace? Now Brentford are on the up they will contend for and take young players that would have once without question picked us over them. Our reputation has been tarnished and it seems it has effected the club. It contributes to the overall failings and keeps us as a steeping stone club.

My hope for us is that we rebuild or business and recruiting structure. Start making more on our players, make shrewd signings, stop buying old players with no resale value, but make sure this is all done with the team on the pitch in mind. We shouldn't forget we're a football club and players are our main commodity!

When I look at some of the tat that we have that pass's as merchandise I'm not surprised we've made some wild signings! If you can't even design a simple hat with the club crest on it god help us!

[72bus]

will try and get the book and read it on me hols

[Rich]

I know an U11 academy lads Dad who isn't impressed with the coaching quality at QPR. He used to play pro himself so knows the game well.

I guess on a more positive note the older lads seem to be beating clubs renowned for having good academies. I think we are progressing under TF in this area.

[Yousef]

Just finished reading this book about the lives of football scouts. A fantastic read, a real eye-opener about the importance of scouts to a team in terms of preparation for match-days and of course in terms of signings. QPR kept cropping up throughout the book and in the latter part there were a few pages dedicated to our disastrous last campaign in the Premiership. We are shown in quite a bad light and if the content of the book is to be believed we are on the road to nowhere at the moment! Our training facilities are a shambles (League One level facilities), there were ZERO scouts in place when Mark Hughes came to the club, no information about players/potential signings and a non-existent youth policy. The most damning aspect though seems to be our constant repetition of mistakes in the transfer market. Due diligence on incoming players has been very weak. We keep signing the 'wrong' sorts in terms of character for way too much money. Chopping and changing managers destroys any level of continuity we could have had down the years.
Relegation or not this season, the club needs to sort itself out big time! We should bring in a Mark Warburton type whose youth policies at Brentford have proved to be so successful. A system needs to be installed whereby we develop, educate players from a young age and create first team players. We have to stop being so short-sighted and look to the future. We want younger players to come to QPR because they'll receive the best football education around and not because they see us as a stepping stone to bigger clubs. In addition we will only attract the right sort of pro to the club if our training facilities are decent. As a footballer you spend 95% of your working life at the training center so anyone in their right mind would not want to come to us unless they were in it for the money or on exorbitant wages. I love TF's passion and determination yet he has to shoulder a lot of the blame for our current plight. The training center is nowhere near being realized, there is no stability and no direction at the moment. The mismanagement needs to stop immediately. A good start for me was TF's insistence on not panic buying in January; as a result Redknapp left, a beautiful outcome. Now is when everything needs to begin. It does not matter if we are in the Premiership or not next season - without a viable system in place, without good scouting, a decent youth policy and good facilities, we would face repeating the mistakes of the past and not by choice. We would still be everyone's last port of call, last big pay-day or last chance at managerial redemption. The cycle has to stop. We need young, hungry players and be a club where reputations are made and not where they finally die at a vast expense.

Good post I fully agree.