Polter on accents, the future and how he turned things around at QPR
Sebastian Polter’s start to life in England was an unhappy one. Within weeks, his stock was so low QPR played without a recognised striker rather than turn to the German target man.
By the end of the season he was Rangers’ first-choice striker, a cult figure among fans, and admired for his work ethic. What changed?
Getting the message in training
By his own admission, Polter didn’t do himself any favours initially.
When he signed, Rangers believed they were getting a forward who lacked technical ability and might not be prolific, but could prove to be a key player with his work-rate should Charlie Austin leave the club.
But he failed to impress in training and a tirade on Twitter after being dropped saw him fall further out of favour.
“It might be that I was sometimes not good in training,” Polter concedes.
“For me, the most important thing has been that I will give everything in training.
“Maybe my work has built up and that’s what I needed. I’ve built up my work and confidence that I need for games.”
Overcoming the language barrier
It wasn’t all down to showing the right attitude.
Learning the language has also helped Polter settle – his English has improved noticeably with each month he has been in the country.
“It’s not all about working hard in training and giving 100%. It’s about listening and learning about what you have to do,” he explains.
“I’m listening well now because my English is becoming better and better.
“I’ve improved my English mainly just by being around English people.
“I had lessons last summer, just before I came to England. But I have learned more from talking to people.
“I’m a very open person. I like to speak to people and I want to learn the language.
“I’ve really wanted to improve my English because I know how important it is to be able to speak the language.
“When I was in Germany and players came in from other countries who did not speak German, it was hard for them.
“You need to understand the game and how the manager wants to play.
“I really look for the accents in England too. These are different and can take time to understand.”
Polter has found Jack Robinson’s Merseyside accent a particular challenge. The Yorkshire dialect he can also find confusing.
He says: “Karl Henry has a really big accent from Birmingham, Alex Smithies is from Huddersfield whose accent I cannot really understand, and when Jack Robinson speaks I understand nothing!
“I want to learn from them too. Sometimes they use different words.”
Defending from the front
Polter’s role is very much as a ‘first defender’, particularly under the pressing style boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has insisted upon.
While January signing Conor Washington has found the role difficult, Polter has risen to the challenge – another major reason for his emergence as a key player.
“I’m always the first defender. The first thing in my head is that I want to defend,” he says.
“You see sometimes when I go to the ground (sliding tackle) that I am trying to help the team.
“I know I’m a striker and I am here to score goals and to give my team-mates assists, but I want to help the rest of the team as well.”
Enter Jimmy Floyd
Polter also believes Hasselbaink’s arrival in December made all the difference.
The player enjoyed a purple patch the following month and had clearly turned a corner, becoming something of a fans favourite in the process.
By the time Austin left for Southampton, Polter was looking more like the attacking workhorse Rangers signed him to be.
It was all a far cry from a spell under former head coach Chris Ramsey, who was unimpressed by Polter in those early weeks at the club.
“I had a good time when Jimmy Floyd came in. He gave me a lot of confidence. He looked after me, especially in the first couple of months,” Polter recalls.
“During that time I improved my game and it made me feel good that he wanted to give me that confidence. I wanted to give him something back.
“I had a very good January, when I scored a few goals and also some assists.
“But for me last season was not really good. The last couple of months I improved my game but I can improve more and score more goals.
“I want to be at the highest level I can be. I’m 25 now and I know if I work hard maybe I can do better than last season.”
