shurlock

Can I say it's like having a new player.

Terrible deal for all parties concerned.

He was first here on Sunday under a different name, again with a link to his blog and was promptly banned. Was here last night, so this is his third different username.

Frankly I don't see a huge drop off in performance - whether it was our laboured wins against Newcastle, QPR and Palace or our frustrations against Wham, WBrom and Swansea (notwithstanding an excellent first half) -all of which happened while we still had a shot at the top four, we've been on a similar trajectory for a while. If it seems worse now, it's probably because of Forster's injury and the fact that we're deeper into an already long season. Agree to some extent about Les Reed, though he is the master of bluster and overstatement. After last summer and even before, we've all learned to take his words with a pinch of salt (which doesnt make them any less exasperating). Just as I have no doubts that players will be off, I'm also pretty sure we'll add to squad depth should we qualify for Europa. In each case, he's simply trying to talk the club up (whether it's our ability to call the shots on transfers or the strength of our Academy) rather than reveal any real information.

We've been cack for a while - well before the prospect of CL football was extinguished, leaving us only with Europa and well before Forster got injured, though his injury certainly exposed the cracks.

The big unknown is whether we could have nailed him down had we offered him a new contract last summer. Seemed much more inclined to sign one then. At the time, the club's position was that RK wanted to run the rule over him, though that didn't stop us offering Fonte a new one.

You specifically mentioned Alistair Campbell. The guy is the definition of tribal politics.

The vast majority of commentators who are turning around and 'saying how awful labour has been' are on the left. Your example of Alistair Campbell, the former Blairite, proves my point. I know a few personally and yes some definitely misjudged the mood of the electorate but are too self-obsessed to put their hands up and admit it; but there are plenty who spoke a good game in public despite private misgivings; because to do anything else would have been seen as disloyal and would have handed the initiative to the opposition. It's politics 101. Every party does it. Not sure why you're so surprised.

Some no doubt have egg on their face; but why would people express private misgivings before or during a campaign? There's no bigger vote-killer than watching a divided party at odds with itself, especially when even the smallest differences get pounced upon by the opposition. Didnt think you were so naive.

Agree- Labour shot itself massively in the foot. Perhaps it's just a transitory phenomenon and I'm overfitting the data from one result; but the electoral maths appears to be less and less forgiving for Labour if traditional voters in Scotland and swing voters in the South of England start to pull in very different directions. Perhaps Labour is counting on those who voted green or lib dem to 'come home' as the only party capable of stoping the tories-in the same way it tried (and failed) with prospective SNP voters. That's what the logic and dynamics of FTTP would predict; but in the real world, it's a presumptuous position and probably why labour finds itself in such a mess.

Agree, though do think this election was different in the sense that all sides were calling out the unfairness of the voting system, not just a few 'lefties'. Would UKIP voters go labour? Depends how much PR remains an issue once the election dust has settled; whether UKIP manages to build on its success or sees its wings clipped by the EU referendum; to what extent voters think with their heads -as opposed to their hearts (the disconnect between popular vote and seats isn't going to disappear anytime soon); and how far, among other things, Labour itself shifts on the immigration debate and makes itself electable in its own right, bearing in mind many kippers are previous Labour voters. One perennial strength of PR is that it is easy to sell and explain - it as, if not more intuitive than FTTP; but perhaps I would say that as someone who sees the voting system -and the proverbial rules of the game- as the main driver of how more bread and butter issues get decided.

Alternatively Labour, should it feel its support base is still too narrow and it has little chance of getting back into office in 2020, makes a referendum on PR part of its next manifesto, thereby appealing to kippers, lib dems and greens. Quite apart from principle, guess it depends how much Labour discounts the future for more immediate political gain.

Probably because the raw electoral arithmetic for Labour never added up and any prospect of forming a government required some kind of arrangement with the SNP. Everybody knew it, despite Miliband's earnest enough protestations.

Yep, perceived economic competence and credible leadership and, in return, the electorate will allow you to dabble in a few of your ideological hobbyhorses, whether that's moderately on the right or the left.

Agree. Don't see the Gaston similarity either.

Typically muddled.

Remember Delldays, Batman, Jamie citing some stat that last season we were near the top of the league in terms of chances created. Would be good to see similar stats for RK's team. To the naked eye, it seems that we were much more wasteful in front of goal last year than this year. Creating chances has been the biggest issue this time round. The open question is whether our lack of creativity and goal threat is the direct consequence of having a strong defense -players holding runs etc in order to stay compact etc. If it is, it suggests we can have one but not the other.

Based on what I've seen of him as a whole, though his performance against Spain in the World Cup still stands out. He's a foreign player, on loan, dropped into badly managed and organised side and has been ruled out with injury. Is it any surprise we haven't seen the best of him. But in a more stable setup....

Vargas is better than both of those, though hes not technically QPR's player.

You've got a real hard-on for him, don't you.

Really? In general, his distribution is one of the better parts of his game.

I was looking straight down his touchline and he looked hobbled from the challenge at the start of the second half. That doesnt change the fact that his performances have dropped off significantly since February.

"Oh Matty Oakley...."

The big problem is that a quasi-market exists in local gov chief exec labour markets where authorities are in competition with one another to attract the best people, thereby bidding up remuneration. You see a similar arms race in academies and foundation hospitals which have greater autonomy. Such pressures are much more muted in other parts of the public sector where the SSRB to a large extent sets pay centrally. Those who call for a greater role for markets in allocating resources can't have their cake and eat it.

Way off the truth.