Tweet
Leeds United: QPR form makes it a race for second - Matteo
Published Date: 30 September 2010
It's early in the season to be making bold predictions but, as far as the Championship is concerned, QPR's results have an ominous look about them. I know this division well enough and to take 23 points before the end of September is exceptional form. If we were talking about a couple of wins from a couple of games then it might be sensible to reserve judgement, but QPR are the team to beat, no question.
To give their form context, they're already a quarter of the way towards Newcastle United's total last season. That's some statistic after nine matches and I know that if I was in their dressing room, my mind would already be absolutely fixed on promotion. You can't play their position down. Neil Warnock will love that, and he'll love the fact that the rest of the division are chasing his team. If there's one manager who can keep the show on the road with the Championship on his tail, it's undoubtedly him. Panic and pressure aren't factors with Warnock.
It helps that the league below QPR is so difficult to call. If they continue at this rate, the Championship will soon forget about them and write off the title. It happened with Newcastle. What you'll see is a scramble for position as clubs try to hang on to second or lodge themselves in the play-off places. For a while, I've had a feeling that Leeds United could be in there.
I've spoken to Simon Grayson a few times this season and I can sense quiet confidence in him. His confidence will no doubt have been hammered by the debacle against Preston on Tuesday but I don't think that result alone rules Leeds out. It goes down as a terrible night at the office, one they cannot afford to repeat. He'll have made that point first thing yesterday morning.
Simon, in any case, is the last manager I'd expect to start shouting the odds about what his squad can do. It's a sensible policy and I've always preferred coaches who keep their expectation to themselves. When we got out of the Championship with Stoke City, a lot of people were surprised. Nobody considered us as serious contenders at the start of the season but it was clear to me early on that we had a chance.
I kept that confidence to myself for quite a while and if you look back at the newspaper coverage, you won't find Tony Pulis talking us up. It was softly, softly until after Christmas when the league table was impossible to ignore.
The second international break, which starts next week, is a valuable chance for Simon to take stock. Whatever happens at Ipswich Town on Saturday, I don't imagine his players will want to call a halt to their season but you learn quickly in the Championship that periods of rest are essential.
In a busy year – like last season, when Leeds played 60 times – you don't get much time to relax. I know it looks from the outside like players train for a couple of hours a day and do very little else but the travelling can be intense and there are times when you feel like you're never off the road. It's not all parties in between, I can tell you.
Every player is different when it comes to relaxing. Most like to get in a round of golf, a footballer's second sport.
For me, I always enjoyed a little gamble – sitting with a coffee and having a few bets. Obviously gambling is something that needs to be done responsibly but the odd flutter put my knowledge of the sport to the test and I liked the peace and quiet!
The best thing I remember about international breaks – when I wasn't playing for Scotland, that is – are the team trips away. At Blackburn, Mark Hughes used to take us to Dubai for a few days, to train as usual and get a bit of sun on our backs. You'd have a couple of nights out in a controlled environment, away from pubs and bars back home where a few players might get into trouble.
Ideally, you go on these trips as a squad in form. But by the time you come back, you're all in a great frame of mind, however well your season's going.
It wouldn't surprise me if Simon's got a couple of away-days up his sleeves for the next fortnight – an afternoon at the races, that sort of thing. It might do his players good.
Published Date: 30 September 2010
It's early in the season to be making bold predictions but, as far as the Championship is concerned, QPR's results have an ominous look about them. I know this division well enough and to take 23 points before the end of September is exceptional form. If we were talking about a couple of wins from a couple of games then it might be sensible to reserve judgement, but QPR are the team to beat, no question.
To give their form context, they're already a quarter of the way towards Newcastle United's total last season. That's some statistic after nine matches and I know that if I was in their dressing room, my mind would already be absolutely fixed on promotion. You can't play their position down. Neil Warnock will love that, and he'll love the fact that the rest of the division are chasing his team. If there's one manager who can keep the show on the road with the Championship on his tail, it's undoubtedly him. Panic and pressure aren't factors with Warnock.
It helps that the league below QPR is so difficult to call. If they continue at this rate, the Championship will soon forget about them and write off the title. It happened with Newcastle. What you'll see is a scramble for position as clubs try to hang on to second or lodge themselves in the play-off places. For a while, I've had a feeling that Leeds United could be in there.
I've spoken to Simon Grayson a few times this season and I can sense quiet confidence in him. His confidence will no doubt have been hammered by the debacle against Preston on Tuesday but I don't think that result alone rules Leeds out. It goes down as a terrible night at the office, one they cannot afford to repeat. He'll have made that point first thing yesterday morning.
Simon, in any case, is the last manager I'd expect to start shouting the odds about what his squad can do. It's a sensible policy and I've always preferred coaches who keep their expectation to themselves. When we got out of the Championship with Stoke City, a lot of people were surprised. Nobody considered us as serious contenders at the start of the season but it was clear to me early on that we had a chance.
I kept that confidence to myself for quite a while and if you look back at the newspaper coverage, you won't find Tony Pulis talking us up. It was softly, softly until after Christmas when the league table was impossible to ignore.
The second international break, which starts next week, is a valuable chance for Simon to take stock. Whatever happens at Ipswich Town on Saturday, I don't imagine his players will want to call a halt to their season but you learn quickly in the Championship that periods of rest are essential.
In a busy year – like last season, when Leeds played 60 times – you don't get much time to relax. I know it looks from the outside like players train for a couple of hours a day and do very little else but the travelling can be intense and there are times when you feel like you're never off the road. It's not all parties in between, I can tell you.
Every player is different when it comes to relaxing. Most like to get in a round of golf, a footballer's second sport.
For me, I always enjoyed a little gamble – sitting with a coffee and having a few bets. Obviously gambling is something that needs to be done responsibly but the odd flutter put my knowledge of the sport to the test and I liked the peace and quiet!
The best thing I remember about international breaks – when I wasn't playing for Scotland, that is – are the team trips away. At Blackburn, Mark Hughes used to take us to Dubai for a few days, to train as usual and get a bit of sun on our backs. You'd have a couple of nights out in a controlled environment, away from pubs and bars back home where a few players might get into trouble.
Ideally, you go on these trips as a squad in form. But by the time you come back, you're all in a great frame of mind, however well your season's going.
It wouldn't surprise me if Simon's got a couple of away-days up his sleeves for the next fortnight – an afternoon at the races, that sort of thing. It might do his players good.
Comment