Holloway: I’ve decided on a system for QPR
Ian Holloway says he has decided on a system for QPR and will not continue to make wholesale changes.
Holloway made frequent changes and presided over two six-match losing runs after taking over as Rangers manager midway through last season.
His team narrowly avoided relegation, leading many fans to fear the worst ahead of the new campaign.
But Holloway says he has made his mind up on how his team will play and insists he will not continue to make changes once the season starts.
“Where we are shape-wise and team development is probably a bit behind where I want,” he said.
“Now the boys are going to hone down on what we need to do. I’ve decided what shape I’m going to try and stick to. We’re going to be working on that over and over and over again.
“Some of the shapes I’ve played before don’t suit this group. Now I’ve got a QPR shape I think the boys are going to grow with and get better at.
“We’re going to nail it down. I’m not going to change it over and over again. We’re going to play a certain way. It might be predictable, but I don’t care. We’ll get better and better at it.
“I’ve totally decided the way I want to play and we’re going to work at it over and over.”
Holloway also claims the fitness levels of his players are a reason for optimism ahead of the new season, which begins on Saturday with a home match against beaten play-off finalists Reading.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the shape the boys are in. That was the first target: to make sure how fit they are compared to before,” he said.
“The stats, which show where certain people are and how we managed to get them there, are absolutely fantastic – it is really phenomenal.
“The focus had to be on getting everyone fully fit. We had people who couldn’t train every day and trained half the week and not the rest of the week.
“Everyone is training the whole week, which is amazing. That’s the difference.”
02/08/2017 @ 11:25 am
This is probably because of the injury to Hall. Holloway’s preferred formation last year was essentially one with three central defenders. Hall was the middle one of the three and had the licence to move into midfield. This worked because Hall is a good defender and is also very comfortable on the ball. Without him the formation did not work nearly so well. It will be interesting, as it was last season, to try and work out the manager’s thinking over the first few games of the season. I hope he plays a strong team in the League Cup. I’m fed up of the club not taking this, and the FA Cup, seriously.