Looks like somebody has had a change of heart, and for once it isn’t me.
After taking home Man of the Match honours during the game against Leeds United on the weekend, it looks as if Conor Masterson is set for an extended stay in the team at Loftus Road instead of heading out on loan.
A report from West London Sport says that QPR boss Mark Warburton has reconsidered his position of sending him out on loan during the January window, despite hinting a couple of weeks ago that it would be the best option for him given the amount of players that are competing for his spot. Speaking after the game
“Things happen for a reason. We’ve had Yoann out, Angel Rangel out and Toni out, so we were very thin. We’ve been lucky with our forwards keeping fit but we’ve struggled defensively. He was asked to plug a gap, did really well and you need to take the chance when it comes along.”
Whilst I am glad that he has reconsidered his position, I do just have one message for Warburton and it is this. If you are going to go with this decision, you have to follow it through to the end. If Warburton is committed to keeping him in West London for the remainder of the season, then he had to show faith in him and actually let him play.
We don’t want to end up in a situation like Jack Clarke did at Leeds, where he ended up being a bit-part player in the early stages of the campaign and him not getting the minutes that he should be.
This has to be an all or nothing decision. Don’t let him stay just so that he can make the odd cameo here and there, he has to be given the chance to show his stuff on a regular basis. If that means keeping him in the team until he makes a mistake, or if he plays in alternate games, then so be it.
Will Masterson be a first-team regular for the rest of the season?
Yes
No
Because once you make the decision to keep him here past the 31st January, you have to stick with it, otherwise you’re essentially throwing away six months of first-team football that he could be getting.
