Two steps forward, one step back: Roger Moore scores

Nor I suspect are football philosophies manifested inside of six competitive games.

If you take our much loved Chairman at his word, that is essentially what our Dutch management duo are here to do; to build an 'academy' in the mould of Ajax or Arsenal, around a bed of footballers who are immensely comfortable on the ball.

Some people have likened this to the 'total football' of Cruyff's 70s era Holland. But in 1978, when a Cruyff-less Dutch finished World Cup runner's up (all the more impressive performance than when they filled the same berth in 1974, as a result) the average age of the team was 28 - our own JP being the second youngest at 23.

The imperious Jansen was 32 years of age, and debate still rages over whether he played midfield or defence.

So, while there are some clear comparisons to be drawn between the way we are attempting to covet and use the ball intelligently, it's clearly unfair to judge a fledgling team against the highest standards seen in world football by some margin, especially, after just six competitive games and with an age difference of six years on average.

Yet, from my seat in the stands, this is what many fans seem to be doing and it's wrong, patently and totally wrong.

Worse, there is a complete misunderstanding of the concept behind our current philosophy. I have seen and heard people refer to our brand of football as 'tippy-tappy'. It's the same accusation that is often leveled at Arsenal, along with the idea that they try to walk the ball into the net.

It's a misunderstanding of the percentage game being played out. Shots inside the box have a higher likelihood of success, that's all. It stands to reason. Next time you have a pee at home, try aiming from outside the bathroom and see how you get on! They're not trying to craft a 'perfect' goal, simply to up their chances of scoring.

The same is true of passes. While the distance of the pass is not really relevant, it's accuracy that counts, shorter passes at pace cause much greater problems for a team than a hopeful ball to be fought over.

Still, in recent games we've seen some sublime passing over a variety of distance, the occasional raking ball from full-back to the opposite wing. If a player is in space, then give him the ball, it's not even a total football philosophy, it's just plain simple.

But as our careful build-up play unfolds, there is sometimes urgency from the crowd to see the ball travel forward further and faster than the developing play. It's understandable, forgivable and wholly predictable for an audience raised on a diet of football played in a rush.

But sometimes it can put unnecessary pressure on players who are looking to create and carve out openings, not to simply aim the ball in the vague direction of the opposition goalmouth.

Yes, with a minute on the clock and a goal to find, a hopeful punt into a packed penalty area might pay dividends. But if the football style is deemed good enough to work for the first 80 minutes of the game, does it suddenly become less successful in the last ten?

If anything, a good passing game at pace should theoretically get more effective, assuming that the opposition tires faster than the team in possession.

What's required both on and off the field at the moment is that most elusive of virtues, patience. The patience to allow young players to learn what works and what doesn't, to experiment and, yes, to build from the back, exploring all avenues to goal. Not every attack will lead to a chance. Not every ball will reach its intended target. And not every player will rise to the occasion of his first team appearance. We simply won't win all the time.

But these days seeing a home-grown player blossom is, for the ardent fan, that very orchid moment, rare and exquisitely beautiful. And over the coming weeks and months we could see more coming-of-age moments than all the bar mitzvahs in Jerusalem.

So as I look out over Loftus Road in a few days time, what will I see? A group of young men, our last hope, a band of brothers, a cheap alternative even? Or maybe, just maybe, a cohort of the foundations of the Coliseum of Rome!

Tanti auguri l'amico!